A Few Entries
Racing, yard visits, sales and some old friends! Not a bad week – and it started last Sunday afternoon – when it was great to see Hitman win the Old Roan Chase in Aintree. He has so often been a ‘nearly’, but I have always liked him – in fact he is the reason that we have two three year olds by his sire, Falco. When I sent Savingforvegas and Molly Childers to him back in 2021, I had envisaged Hitman to go on a win his Grade 1 and put Falco firmly on the map as a fashionable stallion, but it didn’t quite work out like that, although I couldn’t be happier with the two that we have by him – one of which, Molly’s Lad, you will hear more about later.
Monday, first thing – Greyval got a couple of entries in Carlisle and Huntingdon. Two chases – she would be making her chasing debut at the weekend. Carlisle a Listed Mares Chase, likely to be a strong heat, but the perfect track to start her out over fences. Huntingdon a beginners chase that could well cut up. We would look at the entries, check out the weather and the ground and make a decision where she runs at the last minute on Friday.
After breakfast we headed up to Bangor on Dee to watch Ridin Solo make his chasing debut. RS has been so consistent since he joined us, and we have always thought that a switch to fences would bring about improvement, although he would benefit greatly for his seasonal debut. Bangor do a great job for owners – the lunches are legendary, and with a full complement of 6 Club members attending, I was sadly going to miss out, that was until Fergal O’Brien came to the rescue and sorted me out with lunch as one of his owners was not going to make the track! Thanks Ferg!
Ridin Solo ran a cracker, taken down the inner by Brian Hughes, there was a mad charge to the first, and they went a fierce gallop early doors. Apart from giving one a bit of a rub, RS was foot perfect all the way round and was going great when he was badly hampered by a faller 4 out, despite this he knuckled down and finished third. A super chasing debut, he will now have the cheek pieces reapplied and is likely to step up in trip very soon – so there are huge positives to take from this seasonal opener!
As we were heading north, Dino Bellagio was heading the other way. Chris Jones up to Bankhouse Stables to collect him and take him down to Ivy Lodge Farm for his winter break. He will remain with Jason Maguire for a couple of months, returning to Donald in early January. A single share has come available in Dino – a winner twice on the flat through the summer, earning prize money in excess of £20,000 for his owners – he will be aimed at a race at Chesters May meeting – what a meeting to attend as an owner! Get in touch and grab the last share now! It won’t be around for long! 07909 518902 or email nickbrownracing@gmail.com
On Tuesday morning I headed down to Ravenswell Farm to see Greyval and Molly’s Lad work.
Molly’s Lad out second lot – he worked very well with a former Irish point to pointer, which led to all of the folks who were there to watch work ask, ‘Who is that!?’ No idea what he was up against – but as Fergal said – ignore what he has beaten, look at the way he has done it. It was nice to see, and he seems to possess a nice level of ability along with a very tough attitude. ML would have an away day later in the week – and two entries in the following 7 days.
Greyval worked, and as I was in, Fergal took the opportunity to get Johnny Burke to school her over fences. She was very good, slightly careful first time up, but after that she was very good. She jumped 9 in all, and everyone was very happy with her! Still on track for her chasing debut at the weekend.
While I was down at Ravenswell, Alan King sent through the first video of the week – Uhtred Ragnarson working, with two entries later in the week, this work would tell Alan where he was with him, and afterwards he called to say that UR had had a good blow after working well, and he would just like to get another piece of work into him before he makes his seasonal return. This would mean missing his engagements on Thursday and Friday and he would be more likely to see the track the week after.
With Donald McCain down at the sales in Newmarket, his assistant, Adrian Lane called to say that Ridin Solo was slightly sore after his run in Bangor the previous day – he was pretty sure that RS had given himself a bang on a joint, or received one when he avoided the faller when he was hampered, but either way they would monitor him for a few days. Hopefully it is nothing more serious and he should be back in work very soon.
Wednesday, and that time of the month to pay bills. Not a day I enjoy! Adrian Lane sent a message to say that he was far happier with Ridin Solo – the area of concern was more settled, and he was less sore to the touch.
With his final piece of work planned for Friday, Alan King gave Uhtred Ragnarson an entry in Warwick next Tuesday. That work should put him spot on, and he should be ready to go with it under his belt.
Donald called – on his way back from Newmarket – he had to get away to stop himself buying more horses! Donald was checking in to make sure that Dino Bellagio had arrived at Ivy Lodge Farm OK, and also to confirm that the team back at the yard were very pleased with the improvement in Ridin Solo. We also discussed options for Old Blue Eyes. We know that he doesn’t appreciate very soft ground, so we are all keen to get him out sooner rather than later. He had a very good run round Worcester in a schooling hurdle last week and is ready to make his seasonal debut. Although he appreciates a sound surface, he would not be risked on quick ground, and with rain around in the north over the next few days, Donald felt it was time to get him entered up. He had spotted a maiden hurdle in Sedgefield next week, and that would be his first entry. He won his bumper round there on debut, so he has track form, and if the ground and opposition look right, he could well head to the county Durham track. There are lots of options for him going forward, so he should be out sooner rather than later.
With the bills paid, it was time to settle down and watch a bit of racing. Great to see Nirvana du Berlais have a couple of winners in Auteuil, including a Listed hurdle winner. Obviously NdB is a sire that we really like, we have our own filly foal, Nancy at The Elms, and Savingforvegas is back in foal to him once again. Good to see him getting good winners in France.
Thursday, Alan King sent through another video – this one of the Alan King Racing Club’s, Ghost Dancing schooling once again on turf.
Alan is simply top class with his video updates they are frequent and detailed. These clips, in tandem with Debbie’s photographs and additional videos and almost daily updates via the Club Whtasapp group, have led a huge number of members to comment that the communication received about the three Club horses has been second to none. One member who has had horses with a number of trainers commented, ‘I have never had communication like it, it has been unbelievable!’. As a syndicate manager, communication is something that I can control – I do my best to source talented racehorses at reasonable cost, but ultimately I am not in control of how talented that animal is – one thing I am in control of, is how often you receive updates about him/her – and we pride ourselves on always answering the phone, replying to messages on whatever platform they arrive on – and keeping all of our syndicate members right up to date with their horses. That does mean that, on occasion, I have to be the bearer of less good news, and that was also the case on Thursday, when I had to inform members of The Denton Partnership that Alan was not happy with Nevada Samba. He is 100% sound, but he has noticed something about him in the last couple of weeks, which at first seemed innocuous, but has developed further over the same period. NS will have a short period off games, which the vet believes will aid his recovery.
While on the phone Alan was able to give a full update on the remainder of the team at Barbury Castle. He is really pleased with And She Was, who is building back up to full fitness. As you would expect, she has matured and developed over the course of the summer and is doing her work very nicely. In trying to rescue a stop start season, she ran a little farther into the summer than the remainder, and as a result she was a little later returning to work after her break. The rest of the team are ready to get going when their ground arrives – she will be ready towards the end of the month.
The Alan King Racing Club horses are all in great order. Alan has been so impressed with Ghost Dancing’s schooling that he intends to debut her in a national hunt junior hurdle in the next couple of weeks. She works well, and simply loves jumping, and Alan thinks this is the right place to start her.
Uhtred Ragnarson would work on Friday, and if his work was good, and his recovery normal, he would be aimed at the race he was entered in on Tuesday in Warwick, but we would all be keeping an eye on the weather forecast, as it would need to be nice safe ground for him to run.
I’d Go Maniac had worked ‘great’ that morning, and he is almost ready to run again on the all weather, but Alan had not identified a race for him when we spoke on Thursday. He now has his handicap mark and should make his next start in an all weather handicap.
Friday was all go – with Uhtred Ragnarson not being declared in either of the races in which he held entries on Thursday and Friday it meant that I could head up to Doncaster for their National Hunt Showcase Sale. Around 65 jumps bred foals on offer, and 10 broodmares. These selected lots represent some of the best that National Hunt breeders have to offer, and it would be interesting to see how the sale performed in a tricky market. I jumped in a horsebox to make the trip north and spent most of the journey glued to the ipad. I had a tricky decision to make – where was Greyval heading on Sunday – entered in Carlisle, a super track for chasing debutants. against her own sex, on nice, safe ground but against some very talented opponents, or Huntingdon, against the boys, and on quicker ground. Now, she does appreciate a sound surface, but were we better off heading north for her first run over fences, just to get the experience into her? We had been on the phone and pretty much worked out what would be running where, and after talking it over with Fergal and Johnny, we plumped for Huntingdon. The race was going to cut up, with what we knew about the opposition, she should get a nice small field and a chance to get to grips with chasing early doors, and hopefully there would be enough juice in the ground for her. If for any reason we think that the ground is unsuitably quick she will not run, and we will wait with her. She may appreciate nice ground, but I would not be willing to risk her if we thought it was too firm.
With the Greyval decision made – it was time to track a couple of entries – Old Blue Eyes is ready to run – another one that doesn’t like soft ground – but who would not be risked on anything too quick. With rain around in the north of the country, he was entered in a maiden hurdle in Sedgefield next Thursday. He won his bumper round there last season on good ground, and this looked like the right race for him to have his first entry in. Donald popped no less than 5 in the race which eventually had a total entry of 14, so it looks like the race could cut up, and with it likely to be a small field, on a track that he has won at, he could well head there next week. There are a host of options for him in the following days, so he will be out very soon, even if he skips a trip to County Durham.
Molly’s Lad also got an entry, also next Thursday, this one on a Junior National Hunt Flat Race in Ludlow. ML would be heading to Martin Keighleys gallop on Saturday morning, for an ‘away day’ piece of work and, his participation in Ludlow would depend on how he came out of that. The fear is that Ludlow may come a day to soon after his gallop, which is not the end of the world as there is another suitable race for him in Aintree the following Saturday. He will have an entry there as well and a decision be made on Tuesday morning as to which race he runs in.
Alan sent through a video of Uhtred Ragnarsons work – an interesting group! He worked very well, and his recovery was good – Warwick on Tuesday an option, ground permitting.
The sales were, if I’m being honest, a little depressing. The plight of the British breeder is none too rosy at the moment, and for a National Hunt Breeder, even less so! Goffs, to their credit have tried to create a buzz in the sector, with the inception of this Showcase Sale a couple of years ago, and the idea is sound – a small, select catalogue of foals and mares, which would showcase the very best of the British National Hunt crop each year. The problem being that there are so few National Hunt breeders left, that the catalogue is a small one, which ends up not being able to attract enough buyers. The result, a depressing few hours if I’m honest. As always, the very best lots on offer found homes at reasonable figures, but overall, the feeling was one of overwhelming gloom. This scenario is not confined to the UK, there are hugely reduced numbers in the National Hunt foal catalogues in Ireland, over 400 less at one sale alone! It is an odd situation as there is undoubted demand for National Hunt horses to run, but absolutely no demand for them as foals. This causes breeders into keeping stock until they are three, meaning more mouths to feed for three years, this means extra costs, and the only way to keep those in check is to breed less horses. Keeping mares, and their progeny has become enormously expensive over the course of the last few years, and it is extremely hard to justify the outlay for many. At some stage there is going to be a huge supply problem, and this issue needs addressing before that gets here. Obviously, there are a number of factors that come into play, costs and prizemoney being the two major ones. It will take a very good person to work it out – lets hope an answer can be found!
Not the busiest day in Donny!
One mare on offer at the very end of the sale was our old ‘Queen’ herself – Queenohearts. I had purchased her out of the same ring as an unbroken 3 yr old, and she went on to land 5 races, including a Listed bumper in Sandown, and Listed Hurdle in Haydock and the Grade 2, Jane Seymour Mares Hurdle in Sandown. Sadly, her career was cut short by injury, and she was sold to become a broodmare. That part of her career has not been plain sailing though, and having failed to get in foal this spring, she was offered for sale. She was eventually sold for £15,000 – and hopefully a change of scenery will lead to a change of fortune for her and her new owners.
Another one of our former pupils was on show on Friday afternoon – this one in Down Royal. Romeo Coolio, who we had purchased as a foal and sold as a 3 yr old, was making his chasing debut. It was a flawless display, and this Grade 1 winning hurdler, looks to have a very bright future over fences. He has always been held in the very highest of regard by everyone that has had anything to do with him, and I am sure he will go right to the very top over fences! Well done to Dave Page, Dave Rabson and all connections.
Next on the agenda was another one that I had been involved in the purchase of out of the Doncaster sales ring. Paul Wells’ mare Kaydence was making her seasonal reappearance and just her second start in the concluding bumper in Uttoxeter. By Kayf Tara she has been a slow maturer but was an eye-catching fourth on her debut at the same track in the spring, and the feeling was that she had improved for her summer break. She does need cut in the ground, so it has been a frustrating wait for Paul this autumn, but as always, good things come to those that wait, and the rain that fell through the day at the track, turning their ground Good to Soft was very welcome indeed. I was watching on the ipad on the way home, and it was great to see her get the perfect ride from Lewis Saunders and in a repeat of her run there in the spring, make relentless headway on the outer, to wear down her rivals one by one up the home straight to eventually run out a comfortable winner. Delighted for Paul – he has been very patient, and this mare looks like she has a lovely future. Interestingly Kaydence’s half brother was sold in Doncaster earlier in the afternoon – for £16,000 – that pedigree got an instant update!
Olly called straight after the race, thrilled for Paul – he has been itching to train a winner for him for a very long time! While he was on, Olly gave a very positive update on the 3 yr old Grey Gatsby who he has in training for us. He is really happy with him and is likely to send him back to Worcester next Tuesday for another schooling race. I will make it there if I can before heading back to Warwick should Uhtred Ragnarson line up there!
Now I was faced with a race against time. We were flying down the A1. Paul heading back from Uttoxeter, the plan – for him to pick me up from home, and both head into Bedford to meet a group of friends and enjoy a night watching Bedford Blues play Doncaster (of all teams). The trick was to try and coordinate our arrivals at mine – on a Friday afternoon – somehow it all worked out, with only two minutes to spare – and we were on into town for a few celebratory pints! A great game of rugby, Bedford down 15 points to nil after 18 minutes, but eventually coming out on top 36-32 in a thriller! So good to see old friends at the match – and hopefully I will be catching up with a few more in the weeks to come!
Saturday, Badges to organise for members of The Oakley Partnership heading to Huntingdon to see Greyval run.
A great video of Molly’s Lad’s work at Martin Keighleys. Ridden by Johnny Burke, he worked very well and is on course to make his debut next week. Johnny was very happy with him. Fergal likes him and Fern tells me there is something about him (hopefully speed) so at the moment, all dreams are intact! Let’s hope that bubble has avoided that pin by the time I am writing the news next week!
Happy horse, happy jockey after a nice piece of work.
Good to get a clip through from Alan – And She Was going very nicely up the hill. She has such a muddled season last term, that she looks sure to end up on a very favourable handicap mark after her next start, and should be giving her owners lots of fun through the winter months.
A chat with Jason Maguire late morning – he is very happy with the Saxon Warrior colt, who has progressed to gentle canters upsides this week. He has settled into his work nicely, and Jason likes him a lot. He wasn’t the first to comment about him during the week. While in Doncaster I was chatting to John Blehean, who along with his brothers is one of the very best judges of a horse in the business. The team usually concentrate on the jumps market but have pinhooked a couple of flat bred yearlings this time round, one of which we were very keen on in Newmarket, only to see it make 2 ½ times our budget. It was when I was congratulating John on that sale, that he commented that he had noticed, and several people had said to him, that we had got outstanding value when we bought the Saxon Warrior colt – to hear that form as good a judge as John was very encouraging! There are just 2 shares left in him – he will head up to Newmarket and Heath House later this month, when we will host a morning at the yard for his syndicate – click the link and get involved. As you have heard, from a better judge than me – he is outstanding value!
https://www.nickbrownracing.co.uk/ForSale/8274/sir-mark-prescott-bt
The afternoon spent watching some excellent racing – the highlight for me – Envoi Allen winning his 10th Grade 1 in Down Royal – spectacular! After the racing – I watched the end of the England v Australia Test from Twickenham – England worthy winners – always nice to get one over the old enemy! Hopefully the same will go for the cricketers this winter!
This afternoon we head to Huntingdon to see Greyval make her chasing debut. Very welcome overnight rain will have helped! Fingers crossed for a safe round of jumping!
Next week – possibly three meetings, and a schooling race to attend! Should keep me out of trouble!
Check in next week to see how it all went – with a bit of luck we could have some winners to chat about!
