No Vember Rain
No sooner do you think that the rain has arrived and all is well in the world – we can crack on and run the ‘winter’ horses, than all sign of it disappears from the forecast and we are back to abandoned meetings, and meetings popping up on tracks just when you least expect it. As one leading trainer said when I spoke to him earlier this week ‘All these meetings off, and others popping up here and there is doing my fxxking head in’!!
Sunday – as expected I did not get the weekly call form William Butler in the morning as usual, as he was over in St Cloud, where that wonderful filly, Consent was contesting the Group 1 Prix Royal Oak. She ran a fabulous race to finish second, although the team were still wondering how the winner, Queenstown kept going in front, on what was his third Group 1 run in as many weeks! In the end Consent couldn’t quite reel him in and finished a very good second.
William in good spirits when he called as he was boarding the Eurostar for the journey home. He had good news regarding Penselwood, who had jogged up sound, would have a few days on the walker, resume trotting next week, and then canter the week after. All being well, Sir Mark Prescott should be able to get him ready for that third run this autumn, which is key to the plan we have in place for him.
Monday – Dino Bellagio held a few entries through the week, but he would not take up the first of them in Huntingdon on Wednesday. Their ground was still on the quick side, so we would wait and look at the options in the following days.
As mentioned last week, a single share in both Molly’s Lad and Vegas Gold came available after the sad passing of Roger. On Monday, Darran got in touch to say that he would buy the 10% share in Molly’s Lad. Darran has had a few horses with us in the past, and as ever it is lovely to welcome back owners, when they have been away for a while. Darran has been waiting for the right horse to come along and after reading about the share in last week’s News felt that Molly’s Lad was that one! He and his family are regular visitors to Ravenswell Farm and we look forward to meeting up with them all again very soon.
We also sold a 5% share in Vegas Gold, and welcome Sean to the NBR ‘Family’. Sean had made an early start from his home county of Essex when he joined his friend Ash (who also has a share in Vegas Gold) on a recent visit to the yard and was keen to get involved if he could. When the opportunity arose, he was quick to snap it up. This will be Sean’s first experience of racehorse ownership, and he has got himself a nice one! We wish him the very best of luck with Vegas Gold.
Tuesday – an early start, and a trip up to Cheshire to see the team at Donald McCains, Bankhouse Stables.
Dino Bellagio worked second lot. His schooling has been exceptional since his last (underwhelming) run on the flat, and we are all looking forward to seeing him back over hurdles. He put in a lovely shift up the hill under Heidi – he looks in great order. Sadly, regular pilot, Will Maggs will be off games for a while as he suffered a nasty knee injury in a gallops fall the previous week – we wish him a speedy recovery. Tuesday was his and twin brother Charlie’s 21st Birthday – not how you want to spend it – recovering from an operation!
Having seen him work, Donald and I discussed the two races that he still held entries in and decided that Uttoxeter on Friday was the preferred option, he would miss Stratford on Thursday and was therefore not declared.
Third lot – and lovely to welcome members of Bankhouse Thoroughbreds to the yard to see their horse, the Pethers Moon 3yr old work up the hill. This young horse is really coming together nicely, and it was good to see him work with Ridin Solo. It was as quick as he has ever been in his life, and he did it well for such a young horse. He will have an ‘away day’ in a couple of weeks and then be ready to run mid to late November. We will get him named in the next couple of weeks and then he will be ready to go. He has schooled very well over hurdles and Donald has the option of starting in a bumper or in one of the National Hunt Junior Hurdles that he was bought for. There are a couple of shares still available – click the link and get in touch!
https://www.donaldmccain.co.uk/available-shares-/
Donald was very happy with Ridin Solo’s work – he bounced home afterwards and is fantastic nick. He is ready to run again and will head towards a staying chase in the north of England.
Old Blue Eyes did two canters up the carpet gallop on the hill - long steady work - he would be upped to three times up the following day. He is in great order - looks wonderful, and is moving very well.
Donald and I even tried to buy a horse while I was there – it didn’t quite come off, but we will revisit that over the next few days – and we could well be adding to the squad again!
In the afternoon, it being Bangor on Dee, Donald took a good squad to the races and was rewarded with a double on the day. Great to see Iamyouare win another race – a competitive Mares Handicap Hurdle. The Pethers Moon 3yr old had worked very well upsides the mare last week – which gives us a guage on the level of his ability with her winning nicely off of a mark of 110!
Wednesday – A day in the office, bills to pay!
Dino Bellagio was declared in Uttoxeter on Friday – it looks like the right race for him. Theo Gillard rides, and Donald and I have agreed on a way to ride him to give him the best chance of running a decent race. He still works like a very good horse, and the hope is that he can run a nice race, give his syndicate a good day out, and something to look forward to for the winter months.
Later in the morning, while tracking entries, Donald spotted a race in Sedgefield that had attracted very few entries and would be perfect for Ridin Solo – he popped him in.
The 4 day Horses in Training Sale was in full swing in Newmarket, and Jason Maguire headed up to oversee the sale of a few horses for his bosses Paul and Clare Rooney. He called on his way up to chat about the three horses that are in pretraining at Ivy Lodge Farm. He was planning to take all three of them for an away day at Tom Georges the following day. Cloud Dancer would lead ‘Floyd’ and the Blue Bresil 3 yr old in a couple of routine canters up the woodchip gallop – just to give the babies a chance to see a different gallop and stretch their legs on a different surface.
In the afternoon -all eyes were on France, where Nirvana du Berlais sired yet another Listed winner. He really is a sire on fire, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have two young horses on the team by him – in ‘Nancy’ our yearling filly out of Savingforvegas, and her full brother, ‘Nev’ who was born this year. I had considered selling ‘Nev’ in Ireland in December, but in the end I have decided to keep him for a little while longer – with his half-brothers, Nevada Samba and Vegas Gold getting very good ‘report cards’ from their respective trainers – I felt that it was worth keeping hold of him as his value could just go up in the next 3-4 months.
On the subject of breeding - our Breeding Syndicate is a fun way to get involved in the breeding of a racehorse for a fraction of the cost – it is a really rewarding experience, and what better mare to get involved with than ‘Vegas’, who has a 100% record of 4 winners from 4 runners, with every chance of making it 5 from 5 in the very near future. There are now 3 shares available in the syndicate, as one of the shareholders seems to have dropped out – again! Such a shame when people just drop out of syndicates without giving me the decency of a call/text/email to let me know that they are leaving – in fact not just a shame – it’s bloody rude! What makes this one even more annoying is that she has done it before – and I overlooked the first one when she made it clear she really wanted to be involved with Savingforvegas - AGAIN! There will not be a third chance in any of our horses! Anyway – rant over! She is the one missing out – as Savingforvegas is in foal to Kingston Hill who has had 8 winners in October alone. He really is a sire on the up – and we are all very much looking forward to seeing what Vegas produces next spring!
Click the link for full details!
https://www.nickbrownracing.co.uk/ForSale/8316/breeding-syndicate
Have a look at all the details and join us on a visit to the Stud to see the ‘family’ on November 12th.
Thursday – and first thing – Maguire headed off to Tom George’s with Cloud Dancer and the two youngsters. He was there very early so that the three lads he had coming in to ride them could head off and ride out at their respective yards. Sadly, the gallop had not been harrowed, and he was forced to wait for that to be done as he would not risk Cloud Dancer on a surface he was not happy with. So, the lads were sent off to work – and the girls from Ivy Lodge Farm were drafted in. Everything went very well. Cloud Dancer gave the other two a nice lead three times up the woodchip gallop. Oddly, he was the spooky one having a good look about him as they made their way up. ‘Floyd’ has kept plenty of condition on this time round and came up well – and the Blue Bresil 3 yr old really caught the eye in his canter. He loomed up on the outside, and both Jason and I were very impressed with how he moved on this different surface. Ben Pauling has gone on record to say how impressed he has been with the way his half-brother, the 240,000 Euro purchase, Smithytown moves in his work – and it looks like this lad is very similar. He floats along. He has been very laid back in his work up until last week – but he has certainly come to life now, and Jason could not be happier with him.
Cloud Dancer leading Floyd with the Blue Bresil 3yr old in rear
There are a couple of shares left in him – he was selected form the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale by Jason and I in June – and has done everything right since he arrived at Ivy Lodge Farm. Jason will be a big part of the syndicate going forward – and from what we have seen – he is a horse that we can both recommend with confidence!
Again – click the link and get in touch – he is great value in today’s market – and looks like he has a big future!
https://www.nickbrownracing.co.uk/ForSale/8342/jason-maguire-syndicate
I called Olly Murphy for an update on Jimmy Gatz – and he reported him to be in great order – he is one piece of fast work off a run – but that will also depend on the ground as he will not be running him on watered ground. I did run the idea of entering him in a bumper by him, as we still have that as an option, and with his bumper form being franked in some style a couple of weeks ago it seemed like something to consider. Olly was very much open to that idea. He is another exciting young horse on the team for this season!
I also gave Fergal O’Brien a buzz to get the latest on Molly’s Lad and Vegas Gold. Fergal was on his way back from Ireland, where he had been for a few days for the funeral of his mother. We send him and all his family our deepest condolences. Fergal is very happy with both horses. Molly’s Lad is ready to run and will have entries in the next week or so. Vegas Gold would be heading over to Martin Keighleys for an ‘away day’ gallop in the next couple of days. The plan is to have him debut in Aintree next weekend, and the gallop would decide if he is ready for that assignment or if he will have to wait for another race. One thing is for sure – he is very happy with Vegas Gold – and once again reported that he doesn’t have a 3yr old that can work with him – and has to pair him up with older horses. It is all very positive news about this lovely young horse!
It was interesting to see the first of Fergal’s 3yr old runners make a very nice debut in the filly’s bumper in Stratford that afternoon, finishing third – her performance bodes well for Vegas Gold – if he is the best of his 3yr olds!
Late afternoon – I headed up the A1 to see I’d Go Maniac run in the concluding handicap. He was short in the betting – but personally I was not convinced he should have been – he stood an each-way chance but was too short in my view. He looked great in the paddock – and Sean Leavy, said that he would sit just off the pace and try and pick them up in the home straight. Sadly, IGM dwelt badly in the stalls and was slowly away. Thankfully the early pace was slow, and Sean could get him back up into midfield without too much fuss. He looked as though he was going to stay on and take a hand in the finish at one stage, but he was only closing in very slowly and in the end couldn’t get there. He did stay on nicely to the line, but we all agreed after the race, that it simply looked as though IGM was showing the effects of being in training for a very long time. It was always the plan for him to have a break after this run, and it looks well timed. Sean said he still possessed all of his old ability, and I am sure will be having plenty of fun with him on his favoured quick turf next summer.
Friday – Alan King called to say that I’d Go Maniac was fine after his run and would indeed have a holiday now. Ghost Dancing would be coming off the subs bench.
Nevada Samba had had an easy week as he has a swelling appear on his inner thigh earlier in the week – which very much looked like a slight groin strain. He had been kept on the move all week, but away from faster work on the hill. He would return to cantering later that morning.
John Harrison was back routine cantering up the hill at Sharpridge – he will switch to juvenile hurdles now.
Dino Bellagio headed to Uttoxeter with a good gang of his syndicate – I was not with them – as I was booked for lunch with a very special someone over from Australia. She had just the one day in the UK before setting off on a 2 month cruise – so we had a very small window to catch up!
We had a decent lunch in the Pen & Cobb Brasserie in the Swan Hotel in Bedford. Good food – and a decent pint of Guiness. We watched Dino on my phone. Donald and I agreed that he would be ridden handy but not forced in among horses – he would be kept wider, conceding ground – but with some space around him. His jumping had been great at home – and we were hoping for a nice run on this return to hurdling. A win was a big ask – but a top 4 finish would be a great comeback. He ran a cracker, jumped and travelled great, making just one mistake when another horse jumped across him at the last one down the back. Other than that, he was perfect and in the lead jumping 2 out. He weakened out of it after jumping the last in between two challengers and eventually finished third. I was a long way away but was delighted to see him run his race. We will have some fun over the winter as Donald believes there is a bit more to come from him with this run under his belt.
Later in the afternoon – it was a pleasure to welcome another new member to NBR – Howie bagging the last share in Vegas Gold! That is VG sold out again – speaking to Fergal late in the day – he said that Vegas Gold would be heading for his ‘away day’ gallop first thing on Saturday morning, after which he would know if he had him spot on for his debut in Aintree.
Saturday – that away day for Vegas Gold involved an early start – but he went very well in behind two winners, and upsides another youngster. Fern O’Brien rode him and she was very happy with the work. Hopefully he has done enough to earn his entry in Aintree next weekend.
Olly Murphy sent through another video update on where he is with Jimmy Gatz. He has schooled this week – and once again – proved two big points – he absolutely loves it and is very good at it!
We do have the option of running in a third bumper, so we will bear that in mind – it may be the best way for him to start this season given the weather and prevailing ground conditions.
Robin was on video duty at Barbury Castle, and captured two nice bits of work.
Ghost Dancing nearing a return to the track worked great in a nice bunch of horses.
Uhtred Ragnarson - now let off the naughty step after refusing to race last time in Uttoxeter, looked on good terms with himself in his work, hopefully he continues to be in a good mood. We know he is a quirky beast, and he had threatened to do what he did before, but it was just bad luck that there was a delay to the start that day - as we know he has to get to the start late - when he spends as little time down there as possible he will jump off fine. So there are things to change up, and hopefully he can redeen himself next time out.
Great racing in the afternoon – but boy do we need rain so that we can see more of the very best horses running! Nothing much in the forecast this coming week.
Debbie has been over in Keenland for the Breeders Cup, and what a two-day spectacle it has been. Billy Loughnane crowned a fabulous season – Champion jockey and a Breeders Cup win on Friday. Sun Goddess is simply exceptional – we all thought we had seen something special when we saw her in the paddock in York in August – what she has done since is nothing short of exceptional – what a filly she is!
Very nice to see Green Empress (by Saxon Warrior) grab the runners up spot!
Green Empress (Photo Debbie Burt)
No joy for Tiffany in the Turf on Saturday evening – but what a run! And simply WOW from Bacio, winning the Turf Sprint – that was unbelievable! As was Ryan Moore – simply the Worlds best jockey! As ever the Breeders Cup served up a wonderful 2 nights entertainment – I wouldn’t say I look forward to it every year – and in all honesty, I really only concentrate on the races that feature European runners, but when it rolls around every year – I really enjoy it! It will have to go on the list!
Sunday – I think I will pop over to Huntingdon this afternoon for a couple of hours at the sports! It will be a chance to meet up with a few folks- I’ll be keeping an eye on the point to point in Ireland – there may be a phone call to make!
Next week – no Sedgefield trip on Tuesday – we will be in at Barbury Castle on Wednesday for a stable visit for members of the Alan King Racing Club, and then hopefully on to Aintree next Saturday – check in next week for all the latest.
In the meantime – keep everything crossed for some meaningful rain!
