Super Trouper Sud
A couple of runners last week and two days in London for me. Once again – even though this is the ‘quiet time’ there was still plenty going on!
Monday morning – Alan King, who we would be seeing later in the day – sent through a video of And She Was schooling upsides over hurdles under Tom Bellamy. Having unfortunately lost her jockey as she jumped the last when booked for a certain third place on hurdles in Newton Abbot, Alan has been mulling over the possibility of giving her one more run before a short break – had she crossed the line with her jockey that day the likelihood is that she would be in a field now, but it is never nice to go into a break on the back of a sub-par outcome, so Alan decided to mull it over, see how she schooled on her return to work and make a decision based on that.
As you can see – ASW was very good, she looks well, and Alan is happy to give her that one more outing, so we will be seeing her again in the next few weeks. Having gone straight into work from the sales last year, and with only a couple of short intervals in between – she will need a break and will have a holiday after her next run.
Intrepide Sud is ready to run again. His last run was a good one - a very encouraging third place in Bangor on Dee, where the penny seemed to drop with his jumping at the halfway stage, and he went from looking like he would be well beaten (and probably retired) to finish a close third. That race has worked out very well, and Suddy got an entry in Uttoxeter on Saturday night – yes night – not evening – race time 8.40pm! Does anyone think of the travelling staff when they plan these meetings!
Donald McCain declared Dino Bellagio in Hamilton Park on Wednesday. With very few all-age maidens in the calendar – our hand was forced a little bit – and we had to turn him out fairly quickly after his run in Haydock and take him all the way up to Hamilton Park. Great for the Scots in his syndicate – of which there are a few!
While all that was going on I managed to get the race report for Rockola’s fantastic win in Worcester the previous Saturday typed up and emailed to her owners. Rockola had come out of her race fine and would be enjoying a few days R&R in the paddock. We would be looking at the programme book and seeing where there were any suitable races for her. If there is nothing obvious – she may have a very short break – she will certainly run through the summer as she does enjoy summer ground, but she is another one that was in training all winter, and apart from a short spell away from Barbury at Jamie Magee’s she hasn’t had a proper holiday. The rest of her summer campaign will be carefully managed. We would wait until Tuesday to see what the handicapper did to her mark and make a plan over the course of the next week or so. One thing is for sure - she has been an absolute star for her owners and judging by the way that she pricked her ears and idled on the run-in when winning last week, there is a fair bit more to come from her. Unexpectedly, a share has come available in Rockola. With form figures of 3,3,U,2 – 4,1,1,6,3 – 2,1 she is a very consistent mare – having run 11 times – with three wins, two seconds and three thirds, she has only finished out if the first four twice! She is tough, genuine and sound, and although not the biggest, she has a huge heart. Tom Bellamy, after winning on her last Saturday, said that he would have no issues with her going on to jump fences when the time comes. A 1/12 share in Rockola is a chance to get involved in a rock-solid race mare – who will be loads of fun going forward! The share is priced at £1250 – plus £260/month all inclusive training/keep fee. Please get in touch if you would like more details – 07909 518902 or email nickbrownracing@gmail.com
With all the office work done – I hopped in the car and headed down to Barbury Castle for a meeting that Debbie and I had scheduled with Alan King. A productive hour – in which a few ideas were discussed for the future – more on that in the weeks ahead. After the meeting, chance to grab a spot of lunch – The White Horse in Wroughton. A nice steak and a couple of pints on a hot afternoon. Kingy and his assistant, Robin in great form.
Back home, and the badges to sort for the members of Dino’s syndicate that would be making their way to Hamilton Park. I would not be making the trip as I would be heading to London for a couple of days – but a few of them would be there to see him make his third start on the flat. Paul Mulrennan would be in the saddle, he had ridden him in Ripon when Dino made his flat debut, and it would be interesting to see if Paul thought there had been any progression from his first to third starts.
Tuesday morning – 8.00am – and I was logging on to the BHA website to see what Rockola’s revised handicap mark would be. As the front two had pulled miles clear of the third in Worcester, I thought the handicapper may put her up around 7lbs for her win, thankfully I am not the handicapper, and she was raised 5lbs to a new mark of 107. This is very fair – and as she never wins by very far, she is a hard mare for the handicapper to get a grip on – as she keeps improving, this will be a very fun summer!
Shortly afterwards we were on the ‘rattler’ to London town! An appointment at The Bank Of England no less – something I had been looking forward to for ages – sadly on arrival the security guard on the door informed us that only one of us could go in – so as it was drizzling, and Cheryl had what was needed for the appointment – I volunteered her to go in! The meeting went on for about 20 minutes – after which we headed round the corner to The Ned for a quick ‘sharpener’ or two. From there we wandered down towards St Pauls, where we stopped off at Ye Olde Watling to rehydrate. This is one of the oldest pubs in London, and full of charm and character. In the upper rooms, Christopher Wren is said to have designed St Pauls - one thing I do know – a decent pint of Guiness! Our pub crawl continued – until we ended up in Fleet Street and grabbed a late lunch in The Old Bank Of England. This gastro pub is in an old bank – once a branch of the Bank Of England – to serve the nearby Courts Of Justice and legal chambers. We were seated in an alcove dedicated to Sweeny Todd the fictional barber of Fleet Street, so just had to have the three pie taster dish for lunch. Two of the three pies were lovely, one average. Delicious gravy, and a very small portion of veg – washed down with a very nice Primitivo! We won’t talk about what Cheryl had!
The Bank Of England
I sent the accomplice in the front door - and checked out the back door - a tough nut to crack!
A sharpener in The Ned
Pub Crawling
St Pauls
A wander through the Inns Of Court down to the river to see HMS Wellington. Up until recently this this former mine sweeper was the base for the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, and I had been lucky enough to attend a few very good lunches on board her. Sadly, their offices have been moved ashore, and the ‘Welly’ is in the process of being transformed into offices.
A quick freshen up at the Hotel – The Exhibitionist in South Kensington – this is a short walk from South Ken Underground station – quirky, and comfortable, a stones throw from the Natural History Museum, and a 20 minute amble to the Royal Albert Hall – which is where we were going to see comedian Greg Davies – his only show at the venue on his tour. What a cracking night – very funny – try and get tickets to see him! Not only was this our first taste of Greg Davies live – it was my first time in the Royal Albert Hall – some venue!
Foyer of The Exhibitionist
Thursday – nothing planned – just a day mooching around London. I don’t enjoy large crowds of tourists, so we kept away from the ‘hot spots’ – when we got close to Buckingham Palace I started to get a little ‘gripey’ and we soon back tracked to a quieter spot for a coffee! Doing most of the day on foot, we found some really fun little spots and saw parts of London that we would not otherwise have. I did give in and spend a bit of time in Covent Garden – but there was a reason – it is a stones throw from the best pint of Guiness in London – down at The Salisbury in St Martins Lane!
We were back on the train shortly after 7.00pm – and would try to watch Dino Bellagio in Hamilton on the journey home. Not overly successful – connection kept dropping out – but I watched it in three stages – first third, last third, and caught the middle third on the replay! Dino ran a cracker to finish third. Once again trying to give a stone and a half to these beautifully bred, expensive and talented 3 yr olds was never going to happen – but he ran a super race. Paul Mulrennan was delighted with him – saying that he felt very different from the horse he had ridden on debut. He is certainly going the right way and put up his best performance on the flat for sure. We already know that he needs further – but there are so few all-age maidens as it is, and even fewer beyond 1m4f – so we have just had to get his three qualifying runs in and take our medicine. The handicapper will have his say on Tuesday morning – and we will see what mark he gets. I am hoping for around 70 – but a case can be made for him to get around 75 – either way – Dino will be lots of fun for the remainder of the summer, he could well be a very decent staying handicapper and should end up in some very nice races! From now on he will be carrying weight according to his ability and not his age – which will make life a lot easier for him. He will enjoy a bit of cut in the ground when the rains come and will relish a step up in trip. If we have got this right – he should go very close next time. There are a couple of shares available in Dino - £110/month all inclusive – no capital outlay – call or message me on 07909 518902 or email nickbrownracing@gmail.com – his full details, including a comprehensive biography are on the FOR SALE page!
Thursday – Intrepide Sud declared in Uttoxeter on Saturday night. He would face 4 rivals, and on all known form be in the shake up for first prize. Johnny Burke in the saddle once again!
Donald called – Dino fine after his run – tired after a late night and a long trip, but he jogged up sound first thing. Paul Mulrennan had called Donald after the race – Donald was flying back from the sales in Ireland and like me could not be at the races – and had said that he really felt the difference in Dino from his first to third starts. I had watched the race again, and said to Donald that to me it looked as though Dino was finally getting the confidence back that he had lost when he tackled hurdles, and that it was so good to see him relishing his racing again – and finish a race out strongly. I can’t wait for his handicap debut!
A good catch up with Jason Maguire later in the morning – all good at Ivy Lodge Farm – Gatsby on a short break he will be back in full work at the start of July – and head to Olly Murphy around 8 weeks later. Nevada Samba is summering well – and he too will be returning to work on July 1st – he will spend a couple of weeks on the walker at Ivy Lodge Farm before heading back to Barbury Castle in the middle of the month. He will be aimed at a bumper in October/November – and will stick to bumpers for the entirety of the 25/26 season, as we feel that he could be contesting a very nice one somewhere next spring – he is very highly regarded. Chevelle is back on the walker, and we will be looking to rehome her later this month. Cloud Dancer continues on his rehab programme – and is being a very good patient.
The rest of the morning was spent with my head in contracts and paperwork before I headed out for a meeting with the accountant in the afternoon.
Friday – for once I wasn’t the one on the road early – this time it was Debbie’s turn. Debbie was heading north to Donald McCains to get some pics and videos of the two horses that are there. Dino would be having a few days off, so wouldn’t be doing anything strenuous – infact he was still in his stable when Debbie was there – he would get to go out in then pen later that morning. Dino has come out of his run in good order. His performances on the flat can be ungraded even more – we know he needs further, and cut in the ground will help – but what also has to be taken into consideration is the fact that due to extensive work to both hill gallops this summer, Donald has not been able to work Dino properly, so in effect he hasn’t galloped since before his flat debut in Ripon!
One of the two remaining shares was snapped up on Friday morning, leaving just a single share at that stage but that became two in the afternoon, when due to unforeseen circumstances another one came free – bad timing for the man that had to relinquish the share – but good luck for someone that wants to get involved in a fun horse – who has all the hard work (handicapping) done!
Debbie also got to see Old Blue Eyes out in the field on his holidays – he has done well for his break – and is one we are very much looking forward to seeing over hurdles this winter.
Ridin Solo is summering away from Bankhouse in Shropshire. He will return to training on July 1st. I will be in touch with all the members of The Red Sash Racing Club regarding membership renewals in the next couple of days.
In the afternoon it was good to get a few photos of our Nirvana du Berlais filly foal – ‘Nancy’. She is really developing nicely – she has size and scope, and her mum has now put a few manners on her! It is difficult to get a photo of her as she is a very friendly filly and won’t leave you alone!
Nancy
Saturday – Great to see And She Was put in a lovely shift in behind two workmates at Barbury Castle - I will chat to Alan next week about plans for her and update her syndicate.
More paperwork to study and put together for a future project before setting off for the ‘night shift’ in Uttoxeter with Intrepide Sud. Suddy stepping up in trip and tackling a more suitable track than he had last time out. That race had worked out extremely well, and we were hopeful of a good run. He looked fantastic in the paddock, and Johnny was keen to go forward with him. The race went to plan – IS had gained enormous confidence in Bangor, and he showed the benefit of that in this race – jumping really well, with just one mistake out of the 16 fences. The front two in the betting really got racing up the home straight, with the favourite making a slight mistake at the last giving IS a chance, but despite staying on well on the run in – he couldn’t quite get back up. No excuses – but a great run – and so good to see this admirable horse put two great runs back to back. I have mentioned this before – I was badly let down by a few of his syndicate members, and as a result I have three shares available in him- as the syndicate members left me in the lurch – they will not receive any payment for their shares – and as a result these are available for free – own (not lease) a 1/12 share in Intrepide Sud – he is another one that will run through the summer – have a look at his night out in Uttoxeter, and join us for the next one – just have a listen to Johnny’s debrief – join us! The Racing Post analysis of last night’s race says that he ‘shouldn’t be long in winning’
After the race I did pop up to the stables to see travelling head lass Joanna to thank her for working so late on a Saturday night – evening racing is OK – but I am not sure the last race of any card should be so late! I didn’t get home until 11.15pm – Joanne was way after midnight! Little wonder that travelling head lads and lasses are the hardest positions to fill in racing!! At least Suddy was enjoying the Abba tribute act that was on stage way behind him in the enclosures!!
Sunday morning – all good with Intrepide Sud – a little stiff, but otherwise fine.
One of the two remaining shares in Dino taken – back down to a single share again – having looked at the programme book – there are countless options for him in the middle of July, and many of them are in the midlands and the south of England – so you will get the chance to see him everywhere.
Of the others – Greyval is summering well – like the others – she will be back to work on July 1st. It was good to hear from Timmy Murphy in the week – the two boys with him are summering well – Finbar will return to work on July 1st, Floyd will stay out at grass until the autumn – he is a longer term project – a lovely horse, who will be syndicated next year.
Next week – a yard visit – a trip to Ivy Lodge and plenty of office work to complete.
If you would like further details of any of the available shares just get in touch! Lots of fun to be had through this summer and beyond – with a few big prize pots to have a crack at!
