Puts A Smile On Your Face
Sometimes when I sit down to write this rambling nonsense – the events of the previous Monday are as if they happened yesterday – on this Sunday morning, last Monday feels like years ago!
Monday started with a morning in the office – the car was in having 4 new tyres fitted – not cheap – but a necessity – MOT on Wednesday! It gave me a chance to get some work done – and to track entries in Kempton on Saturday – where Dino had been entered in a valuable stayers handicap. He has been in great form since his run in Haydock – and is ready to go again.
With the car returned I headed over to the Holiday Inn at Huntingdon Racecourse for a meeting with Debbie, who had been working in Newmarket that morning. We had a few things to go through – one of which was to co-ordinate the Alan King Racing Club social media pages – now you would think this is a simple task – but Oh No! Debbie having had experience of this before had suggested we went through the process together rather than over the phone, and she was SO right – we did make progress – but no matter how we tried we could not get one important link up to work – constantly being met with the message ‘Something Went Wrong – Please Try Later’. After numerous attempts we even tried to conscript the services of the barman – who gave us hope when his AI search suggested a different method to the four that we had tried unsuccessfully – but his too ended in the same, by now, more than slightly annoying message! If anyone has a teenager we can borrow, please volunteer them to the usual number!!
There's something missing in Huntingdon!
Tuesday morning, I was picked up by Paul and we headed over to Olly Murphy’s, Warren Chase Stables. Paul has a lovely mare in training with Olly – who ran a cracker on debut in a Uttoxeter bumper – and who would be having her first away day gallop of the season that morning. I was only too happy to join him and get a look at our own ‘Gatsby’ who is now in full training with Olly.
‘Gatsby’ has settled in really well – and taken the change of scenery very much in his stride, as he does everything in fairness. He is just cantering at the moment, but cruises round the deep sand gallop very easily. He has a fine big lose action and those that have sat on him up to this point like him – which is always a good sign!
Having watched three lots at Warren Chase, we jumped in the car and headed down the road to Robert Waley Cohen’s yard to see six horses, including Paul’s mare work. It is a very quiet and beautiful spot to watch horses gallop, and somewhere I always enjoy visiting when I get the chance. These 6 are the first of the ‘winter’ horses that Olly has got on an away day this term – and Paul’s mare worked great – he should be having plenty of fun with her through the season.
During the morning, being a Tuesday and a work morning in most yards I received a few videos through. Fergal sent a clip of ‘Finbar’ cantering on the round gallop. Work has been restricted to just the round gallop at Ravenswell as they have been working on the hill gallop, but Finbar has been loving life in the sand, and his workload has been upped. He goes round very nicely and is really coming together.
With a Syndicate Saturday visit planned at the weekend, Fergal was hoping that the hill gallop would be up and running and we would get to see both Finbar and Greyval out there as well as on the round.
Alan King was also on with a couple of clips – Alan King Racing Club horses Ghost Dancing and I’d Go Maniac. Ghost Dancing had been at Jamie Magee’s for a short break having schooled really well and worked eye-catchingly up Sharpridge earlier in the summer. Alan was impressed with her work – and she will start off in a Junior Bumper this autumn, before a switch to National Hunt Juvenile Hurdles.
I’d Go Maniac is ready to run – and would get an ‘unscheduled’ entry on Wednesday.
The Alan King Racing Club is going from strength to strength – it seems like every day that Charlotte, Alan’s PA is emailing me with another new member. We are getting very close to filling all of the shares now – so if you are interested in joining in with an exclusive Racing Club – with three horses in training – hit the link and get in touch with myself or through Alan’s office.
Donald – away with the wife in Wales – had declared Dino Bellagio in a staying handicap in Newcastle as planned. When entries closed he was soon messaging to point out the lack of depth in the race! I had been tracking it – and agreed that it was a weak race – but Kempton had been part of a plan for a while – and I didn’t really want to deviate from it. It would be a long chat between the two of us later in the week!
Wednesday – with the hill gallop at Ravenswell still out of commission, Fergal sent 4 horses over to Martin Keighley’s for a piece of work. Martins gallop is very good and offers a different test to the hill at Ravenswell – and Fergal often uses it in the final stages of a horses preparation for their first runs of the season. Greyval worked with Jack Hyde, who is himself a very decent work horse, and as you can see from the video – she worked really well with him, he couldn’t lay up with her in the final third of their work. Jack Hyde wore a heart monitor for the work – and the data shows that he had worked really well – illustrating just how good a shift Greyval had put in! She will be on the track in a couple of weeks.
During the morning, I was keeping an eye on the entries in a 1m3f maiden in Carlisle, that was not looking like the strongest heat ever staged at the track. This race had not been on the radar for I’d Go Maniac – but the way that it was shaping up – I felt that he had to have an entry in case it remained a winnable race. I phoned Alan to discuss it and he was in agreement – pop him in!
Wednesday was car MOT day – so the annual trip up to NCK Autos in Peterborough to see my mate Nick Griggs – it’s about the only time we get to see each other these days – as we are both busy men on a Saturday – and don’t get down to the rugby club as often as we would both like to! Nick in great form as ever – the car passed fit for the road for another 12 months! As usual, after the test – we headed up into Stamford for a few hours. We had planned to have a nice lunch – and were hoping to wander around the town and find a nice spot – as it happened the heavens opened as we were passing the Cornish Bakery – and as we were forced to take cover from the torrential rain – lunch ended up being a Cornish Pasty and a pot of tea!! The monsoon lasted for the thick end of an hour, after which we made the short hop down the A1 to visit some friends we had not seen for a good while. Another visit on the way home from there rounded off the day – at least we got the car passed and stayed dry!
Thursday – do we declare Dino in Kempton on Saturday. With Donald away I had been keeping a keen eye on available jockeys through the week. On busy Saturdays it is not always easy to get a good pilot. I had spotted that it looked likely that the excellent Rossa Ryan was likely to be at the meeting, and as it didn’t look as though he would have a ride in the race we were quick to snaffle his services! With this important box ticked, we still had the choice to make – head down to Kempton for this valuable handicap, where he would likely run a huge race but have to settle for minor honours – or wait until Newcastle a couple of days later where he looked like the best horse in the race. As anticipated it was a long chat with Donald – we weighed up the pros and cons – we both want winners – it goes without saying – but sometimes you have to think a little bit outside the box when it comes to race planning. It was a very close decision – but in the end we both agreed to have a crack at Kempton. Two main reasons – plenty of his syndicate are based in the south or midlands areas, and as Dino often runs in the north, this would be a chance for them to get to the races and see him run – in addition – a run in this race would qualify him for the £70,000 final at the same track in December – now I realise he will have to go up in the weights to get a run in that – but that isn’t beyond the realms of possibility by December, and if we weren’t qualified we couldn’t run. So, Dino was declared in Kempton!
Friday was all go! Debbie was in at Barbury Castle to see all the horses there. Nevada Samba has developed into a fine, big young horse and he cantered up Sharpridge on his way back up to full fitness. There will be no rush for him this season – which he will spend in bumpers. He is a horse that we have always held in the highest regard – and we are all very much looking forward to seeing him on the track! Debbies words – ‘He looks amazing!’
And She Was is now back in work – and feeling very full of herself. She is a sassy madam and was letting everyone know how pleased she was to be back to school!! She had the messiest of seasons last term – nothing went right for her – back to full heath and with a clear run – she should start her life in handicaps off of a very workable mark – so we should be having a lot of fun with her!
Alan King Racing Club horses – Uhtred Ragnarson and Ghost Dancing both look really well, Uhtred cantered up Sharpridge, and is moving really well – he has really strengthened over the summer, and as he is only a 4 yr old he looks sure to improve. Ignore his final run of last season he was over the top by that stage – Alan believes that his handicap mark is very workable, and he will be a nice horse to follow in novice handicap hurdles this winter. Ghost Dancing remained in the school – she will be back out cantering on the hill gallop next week.
Olly Murphy sent through a video of ‘Gatsby’ enjoying a Friday morning at Warren Chase – Olly is delighted with him – he is twice the size of the other 3 yr olds that he has in training – and is certainly not just a horse for this season – minded the right way – and developed slowly he should have a very bright future ahead of him! He moves really well – and we know how well he jumps – so he is ticking all the boxes as he goes forward!
Fergal sent through a video of Greyval after exercise – Johnny Burke on board – who was delighted with her work.
Badges to organise for a big group of NBR members heading to Kempton with Dino Bellagio. Once again – Beverley who looks after O&T’s in Kempton pulling out all the stops to accommodate everyone. We would be in the Desert Orchid Suite, overlooking the winning line – with a two course lunch thrown in! Really kind – and great work by Kempton!
We had originally planned to be over in Germany for the BBAG sales in Baden Baden – but both mine and Debbie’s workloads got in the way – that had not stopped me going through the catalogue – and I had turned down the pages of a few nice sorts – in the end I was so busy on Friday morning, I didn’t get the chance to log in and watch the sale! With most of the work done – I did get to pop out for a spot of lunch with Steve Holloway. Always good to catch up! We had a few things to chat over and we had hoped to do so after a visit to see Nancy who we bred together, along with his Waltzertakt filly that we purchased last year, at The Elms – but we couldn’t make that work – so lunch it was. The Swan in Bromham – local and convenient. Lunch was OK – perfectly good for a pub lunch – pie for Steve – lamb shank for me.
Friday afternoon – Debbie busy mailing out the first of the welcome packs to the members of the Alan King Racing Club. A smart folder containing a share certificate, a welcome letter from Alan, photos off all three horses and a smart lapel pin in the Club colours! She had a full-on afternoon – there were plenty to get to the post office!
Timmy Murphy sent over some pictures of the horses he has at his Cilldara Stud. ‘Floyd’ our homebred 3 yr old looks really well. He will return to work in a couple of months and be syndicated in the New Year ahead of one or two runs in bumpers next spring.
Floyd
‘George’ our Golden Horn 2 yr old is having a short spell with Timmy before going back to Ivy Lodge Farm for a touch more education later this year.
George
Cloud Dancer is now out with Timmy too. He looks great, and the vet is really pleased with his progress, he will be back in work in the new year, and we will take our time with his rehab and recovery. It will be a long process, but if done right – he should be back winning races!
Cloud Dancer and ......clouds
Sad news reached us during the day – Jo Yates, wife of good friend and former syndicate member Dave, had passed away after a short illness. Our thoughts and condolences are with Dave, Ben and Georgina at this very sad time. A life cut short and over too soon. RIP Jo.
Friday night – a fun evening at Goldington Road watching the Mobbs Memorial match between Bedford and Northampton. Just shy of 5,000 people in the ground – a great atmosphere – but impossible to get a pint in under half an hour! They need to sort that out on the big nights!
So good to run into so many friends – many of which I’ve not seen for some time! Especially Carla – who I have known for probably 40 years but not seen for a good few! Carla used to ride out for Renee Robeson and it was so good to catch up with her! Good to see Tim too – we had plenty of fun when we grew spuds over three counties a few years ago – Tim in great form – well he had a pint in each hand anyway! Missed Griggo – who they tell me was in the posh seats!
One man I was thrilled to see was my ‘Old Mucka’ Steve, who is over from Australia. Whenever we meet up – it is always an odd feeling – almost as if we have just not seen each other for a few days! Steve in great order – and we will head out on one of our customary pub crawls next week for a full catch up – although we both agreed that as we were getting older – the day would start later and finish earlier! Also good to see Paul who popped over for the evening. If I’m honest I didn’t see much rugby – but in the end Northampton ran out winners in what seems to have been an entertaining game!
Even though it was hard work to get a beer at the rugby, I still managed to drink enough of them to make the 4.20am alarm on Saturday morning particularly unwelcome!! An early start and a busy day. Down to Fergal O’Briens for the first of our September Syndicate Saturdays. First stop, the Frogmill to pick up Jason and Sharon who had stopped off on their way home from a break in Cornwall. They were travelling by train – so they dropped the bulk of their luggage off in Cheltenham and stayed at the Frogmill on Friday night. On to Ravenswell – good to catch up with Johnny Burke ahead of first lot. He said how happy he was with Greyval – assuring us that she was moving as well as he had ever known her to! He was very happy with the plan that we have in place for her and is really looking forward to the season ahead. A quick cuppa with the trainer before first lot.
Greyval and ‘Finbar’ out second lot in front of a good few of their owners! The work on the hill gallop delayed by heavy rain in the week – so that was still out of action – all work on the round gallop. The lot was split into two, half heading into the school to warm up as the other half cantered, then they swapped over – with the half that were in the school heading out to exercise and those that had cantered heading into the school to cool off. It was great to get in the middle of them when the work was done and get photos with both horses. Once again - huge thanks to Debbiw who was on hand to photograph the visit - we are so lucky to have her on the team capturing fabulous memories of great mornings!
Greyval we have covered really – she is in great form, and the plan is to start her off with a spin on the flat in a fillies and mares handicap in Newbury on September 19th, before a run over hurdles in early October.
Finbar really is going the right way! Every week he improves and as his work has stepped up, so has his behaviour – although he was plenty fresh enough on Saturday morning. I keep referring to him as the ‘little horse’ as he was a small foal and was still not over big at 2, but he has blossomed in the last 12 months – and Fergal tells me I have got to stop referring to him as ‘small’! One thing that I have always called him and that I am delighted to still call him is ‘athletic!’ He trots around the place like he is on springs and really backs up what Jason Maguire said about him last year – that he was ‘like a deer’! It was really good to hear Fern say that he is doing three and three around the round gallop now – and feels like he wants to – and could do. three more! She reports that he gives her a fantastic feel in his work – and she is obviously quite excited by him! I know I am – to me he is like Dino Bellagio – they are ‘brothers from a different mother’– like DB Finbar is a first foal out of a mare that we raced - he is athletic, a big softie in his stable – an huge handful to ride – but a horse that is starting to show that he has well above average ability! Like Dino he is a horse that puts a smile on everyone’s face, and I can’t wait to see him make his debut. He will start off in a junior bumper, probably towards the end of October – and if all goes well. he will head to Cheltenham on New Years Day for their Listed bumper. As I said to his owners yesterday – I can just see him turning for home at the foot of that hill, looking up and saying, ‘Bring it on!!’ He is a tough and hardy bugger – and I think that those of us that stuck together, stuck with him, and persevered will be rewarded!! There are still 2 10% shares available in him – now that we have seen what he can do – seen the horse that he has developed into, and heard what Jason, Fergal and Fern have to say about him – he is huge value – and is highly recommended!! Don’t miss him! 07909 518902 or email nickbrownracing@gmail.com
Finbar puts a smile on everyone's faces!!
Bacon and sausage baps for owners and staff alike – always great to provide breakfast for the staff on a day that we invade their workspace – after which there was plenty of time for everyone to wander around the yard – see the horses and chat to the staff.
Late morning – a quick change of clothes – drop the Horsburghs back into Cheltenham to continue their journey home and then on to Kempton for Dino Bellgio. A less-than-ideal night’s sleep, an early start – and I was a little jaded – so a pit stop at Reading services – 10 minutes shut-eye and I was good to go again. We arrived at Kempton at 2.30, and they really had done us proud, great facility for the syndicate who were well looked after, including all the children!
Dino did us proud once again – Rossa Ryan in the saddle – the plan simple – break – get across to the rail and slot in where you meet the barrier, be that in front or in second. Make it a strong pace – and don’t be frightened to go early – all Dino does is gallop! The race went entirely to plan for Dino – and Rossa gave him a peach of a ride. In the end – and as anticipated, we rather set the perfect fractions for the strong travelling favourite to come from of off the pace and win easily – but Dino got his head down and battled hard for third place. Rossa very complimentary about him. A great ride – very tough and genuine – and a horse that we should run on through the winter as he would pick up plenty of races during that time. It was a really fun afternoon – this flat lark is alright you know!!
Once again - thanks to Debbie for the photographs - having Debbie on the team adds another dimension to the service we provide - and we are very lucky to have her!!
I got a chance to chat to Donalds assistant Adrian Lane while we were waiting for Rossa to weigh out – he reports both Old Blue Eyes and Ridin Solo to be in fantastic form – they have both stepped up in their work this week – and Adrian is really happy with the pair!
Home by seven – a long day but a fun day spent with lovely people! We couldn’t do what we do without our owners and syndicate members – and your trust and support is always hugely valued and never taken for granted!
Sunday – Kingy on early – he would rather not declare I’d Go Maniac in Carlisle – their ground still soft in places and not ideal. I had also had a chat with Jason Maguire earlier in the week who in his capacity as racing manager for Paul and Claire Rooney had also spotted that this was not a strong maiden and asked Ralph Beckett to enter one of theirs. With one from Roger Varian in the field as well – this was not the time to travel a long way north – IGM will run in the next two weeks, and there are options for him.
Donald sent through the video of Dino trotting up this morning – not a bother on him – since winning a £22,000 handicap we have run him in two subsequent races worth a combined £52,000 – he has run well in both – picked up £4,000 and will have dropped around 4lbs by the time the handicapper publishes his ratings on Tuesday. His next run will be in a 0-70 handicap later this month – the programme book is full of options, and we have the luxury of sitting back – entering him up and choosing the weakest race!
Just one more to mention – Intrepide Sud has settled well in the field – he will remain on R&R until January when he will return to work after his system has had time to reset and be aimed at another spring/summer campaign.
Next week – I will get Dino’s prize auctioned off between his owners – so keep your eyes on the Whastapp group if you have a share in him. We will get Finbar his proper name so get a share before we do so and you will have the chance to put a suggestion for his racing name in the hat– and we will all meet up at Olly Murphy’s on Saturday! Still spots available on that visit – let me know if you would like to attend – and book your spots for any of the others through the month – all welcome – and feel free to bring friends!!
