15th July Bulletin
Tech Eagle
Market Rasen, 2 mile 1 furlong handicap hurdle on good to firm, 30th June
2nd behind Hilltime, ridden by Dave Crosse
A frustrating day all round on this occasion, as Tech Eagle was beaten a neck, Dave picked up a ban for excessive use of the whip, and the horse incurred up a bang about which the impact is yet to emerge (but definitely rules him out of the £40,000 race, in which Hilltime was runner-up last year, later in the month). The watering had left the going on the rail better than that further out, and Dave hugged the inner all the way, only an uncharacteristic error at the last hurdle on the far side not being in the plan. When they hit the home straight, there was a big patch of good to soft going at the lowest point of the course and Tech Eagle began to struggle within it. He battled his way, including when the pack concertinaed suddenly after two out and when the ground improved he began to reel in the winner, failing narrowly. The scrimmaging left him with a nasty cut and a bruised tendon - only when the swelling goes down will we be certain that there is no additional damage.
Callisto Moon
Kempton, 7 furlong 2 year olds maiden on the all-weather, 28th June
6th behind Sanbuch, ridden by Dane O'Neill
After his last race had been working out a dream (the 2nd, 3rd and 4th all winning next time) we were hoping for a big run given that he has course experience. However, he stumbled leaving the stalls, and although gradually getting back into it, Dane felt that Callisto Moon had not got his mind totally on the job - next stop is vet for a good gelding.
Coppermalt
Folkestone, 1 mile 4 furlong handicap on good to firm, 30th June
13th behind Rose Bien, ridden by Liam Keniry
Liam reported that having opted not to mix it up front when several were taking each other on for the lead, he was happy to sit just behind them but not as comfortable with how Coppermalt was travelling to be there. When asked to make progress to challenge, there was not much in the tank and he did not give him a hard time. Overall, he felt that on ground as fast as it was, Coppermalt would do better dropped into the pack over 2 miles. This is on the cards for Folkestone again on 13th of July, and blinkers will be added to liven his ideas up a bit.
J'Adore
Worcester, 2 mile 4 furlong novice handicap hurdle on good, 30th June
Pulled up behind Granite Man, ridden by Dave Crosse
Worcester, 2 mile 4 furlong conditional jockeys' novice handicap hurdle on good to firm, 5th July
11th behind Joey, ridden by James Diment
Take the misfortune of Tech Eagle and cube it! Although the form book correctly states that the saddle slipped on the first run, J'Adore was the architect of his own downfall, as he refused to run in a straight line, distracted by the enjoyment of some rather minor things along the back of the track, and as Dave was having to be left hand heavy, the saddle slipped around J'Adore's belly, leaving it impossible to ride him out. Dave did have a bit of a sense of humour failure about this {and he did not travel by Worst Great Western, arriving 10 minutes before the off - Ed.} but as he had been recommending the application of blinkers previously, he did have the moral high ground. As not much exertion had taken place, it was back to the same venue for what looked a tougher race, and although the blinkers worked a dream, disaster struck. Leading smoothly around the home turn, J'Adore strained a tendon and quickly weakened back through the field, eventually led away in the horse ambulance. He was going well in front at the time, and James was confident. Not knowing the horse, and thinking the sudden loss of impetus was fatigue or a touch of monkeyness, he did not pull up, which was unfortunate. However, a week earlier he had ridden a horse he was familiar with and pulled up because he felt it was lame or jarred up, and been fined £240 for doing so prematurely, so got caught in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.
{As a partnership member I hold my hands up to any accusations of bias, but on the television pictures, it appeared that when injury struck, the only horse travelling as well as J'Adore was The Spacer, who found little under pressure and finished third. On the other hand, the winner, Joey, rather ran in snatches and appeared to appreciate having a target to chase in the last furlong, so he may have been a big danger - Ed.}
Saddlers Lady
Worcester, 2 mile bumper on good, 30th June
7th behind Didbrook, ridden by Dave Crosse
New tactics were employed this time, and Saddlers Lady mostly seemed to appreciate them. Settled early on rather than going flat out as has been her preference, she got tapped for toe when the modest pace picked up on the back straight, but rallied so well that Dave had a hope of making the frame. However, for the first time she was asked to battle on under pressure - previously her riders had been sympathetic to her manic early effort - and it caught her a bit unawares. Even so, she was still winding herself up, as she was furthest from the finish when they all pulled up around the final bend. Dave felt that Saddlers Lady is in imminent need of long distance hurdles, and so she will be schooled shortly. However, we are always mindful of the knee injury, and if she too is excessively careful of it, there is the option of staying races on the flat - Mum was a flat bred horse that could also handle jumping, and her sire is not an out and out begetter of jumpers.
20th June Bulletin
News from the Tracks
Callisto Moon
Chepstow, 6 furlong two year old auction maiden on good to firm, 3rd June
6th behind Rainbow Mirage, ridden by Chris Catlin
The advance going forecast gave us some cause for concern and it proved well founded, and the ground was simply too firm for Callisto Moon on this occasion. He would not let himself down at all and under the circumstances he did not get beaten too far, emerging unscathed, ready to fight another day.
Mademoiselle
Uttoxeter, 2 mile mares' handicap hurdle on good, 8th June
13th behind Lilac, ridden by Dave Crosse
Disappointingly, she performed like a non-stayer in this, having run in snatches during the race. Despite a few bumps along the way, Mademoiselle came into the 'straight' looking poised to make the frame, but dropped away very quickly from the third last. A day or so after this, it emerged that she had damaged a knee ligament, which was very sore, and that certainly would have affected her performance.
Coppermalt
Fontwell, 2 mile 6 furlong conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle on good to firm, 6th June
5th behind Zeloso, ridden by Wayne Burton
Having gone through the ring at Ascot Sales 4½ hours earlier, Coppermalt did not do too badly in this, running to a similar standard as his last race over course and distance. To have had both events on the same day was far from ideal, but there was no other suitable race around, so the bullet had to be bitten. Unfortunately, we then encountered the potential downside of using a jockey inexperienced in the ways of the jumps start. With Wayne's flat experience being limited to the usually organised fashion dictated by the stalls, the tape start today proved a more random affair. The plan was to lead, or at worst be right up with the pace, but when the starter let them go, Coppermalt had been shuffled to the rear and was unable to get a clear run at the leaders until it was too late. Perhaps the horse had had too much excitement for one day anyway...
Saddlers Lady
Stratford, 2 mile 1 furlong bumper on good to firm, 11th June
6th behind Dazzling Jim, ridden by Dave Crosse
After her overly keen effort at Plumpton, we hoped the freshness would be out of her system, but having set off in front, Dave observed that she would not settle or even take a breath until absolutely forced to. This is not a metabolically wise way to perform (except when playing Kabbadi), and caused her to fade from contention in the last couple of furlongs. As the knee seems to be fine - cue for everyone to stroke lucky horseshoes/rabbit's foot/reindeer antler etc) we will press on, and try to get Saddlers Lady settled by dropping her in at the back of the pack next time.
New Arrivals
Liberman: Is not really a new arrival as he was on the new arrivals list in the last bulletin, but there is a little more to say. He was snapped up for £7,000 having been on the market before Doncaster for three times that figure. In addition to very good runs in defeat at the last two festivals, he won the Champion Bumper three years ago, and also won during a couple of spells in Ireland. Liberman clearly has the ability, we just need to raise his confidence levels.
Flying Penne: Comes from Mick Channon's yard, and is owned by one of the Heart Of The South Racing partnerships. She has had some problems, which we hope Tony Gilmore, the chiropractor, will be able to get to the bottom of. Flying Penne has experience on the flat, and we will probably start off there and go hurdling when she is ready for it. Previous winners we have had for Heart Of The South include North Point, and their first ever success with Captain Coe.
4yo Classic Cliché filly: This eye-catching filly is another foal of Mirador, so she is a half-sister to Romney Marsh and Saddlers Lady. Her sire was champion stayer in Europe, wining the Ascot Gold Cup, St Leger and Dante in his time, so this filly is not likely to revert to sprinting!
Near Germany: Is nearly here and from Germany, and really called Near Germany (perhaps Austria was already taken). This horse was found originally by Niall McLoughlin on our first trip to Germany. At that time he seemed too expensive, and we bought Tech Eagle instead. On the flat he has three wins, four seconds and a fourth in a listed race at Dresden. However, he had gone off of the boil of late and was down to a realistic price. If we a can rekindle his enthusiasm (and it may just be a change of scenery that works) he ought to cut it over hurdles.
Horse news from the Home Front
Tech Eagle: Has not been able to run since the his fine win at Worcester as the variable weather has worked to his disadvantage, leaving the going at Stratford to soft for an intended run on 26th May. Just after that he slipped over on the road and picked up a few scrapes and bumps and it was not until mid-June that he was ready to go.
Two Shillings: Is now out in the field for her summer break. It was frustrating to only get a couple of runs out of her last season but the tendon knock that she picked up on the second proved rather persistent. Being a very big mare, the wise course of action (bearing in mind that patience is a virtue) was a rest cure. She will go over hurdles in the autumn and how she fares there will dictate the plan for when to go chasing.
Alderbrook Girl: Another one turned out for the summer but, unlike Two Shillings, she managed a busy season, with nine runs, but most of the time was spent trying to find the right going. It seemed that whatever the official going (good to soft, soft, heavy, waterlogged) the conditions seemed to be tacky and holding, which Alderbrook Girl has taken a dislike to. Her last run, third of fifteen at Fontwell was the best as she led for much of the way and ran much of the oppo into submission. The intention is for her to go chasing in the winter.
Canny Scot: Spent the winter in the field with the ponies and emerged looking like a Mongolian pony (Genghis Khan would be a good owner to have, with a large string and plenty of enthusiasm, but a tendency to celebrate victories by laying waste to the area and slaughtering the course officials would only be popular with some individuals). Canny Scot's injured tendon is still enlarged, but improving gradually, and with a bit of luck he could be back racing by the Spring. His first win came with Sam Beddoes riding, and she has a baby due next month - good timing for being back on Canny Scot in lady riders' races?
Romney Marsh: Has not yet had a chance to prove Andrew Tinkler's theory on her improvement potential right as she tweaked a muscle in her hind quarters and was limited to roadwork for a while. The race now in mind for her is at Worcester on 28th June, over the mini-fence style hurdles. After that she will probably have a break as she has been on the go since well before Christmas.
Coppermalt: Showed no signs of bemusement at his adventures on June 6th, when he began the day at Ascot Sales before running in the first at Fontwell that evening. The partnership had reached it's initial expiry date, and five of the members did not wish to continue, so we were obliged to offer him at auction. He did not appear in the ring until about 1.30pm and it took a bid of 7,000gns to keep him (more than he originally cost and the same as we nabbed Liberman for!) before whizzing off to run in the 6.10!
Miss Defying: Encountered something of a misfortune when she ended up in ditch with Dani (whilst it would be unfair to accuse either of them of panic, it should be noted that the hitherto dried up Lambourn Brook has been flowing again since...). To get over it, Miss Defying was turned out for a while, during which it rained incessantly and was less spring grass than spring tides, and she could be forgiven for thinking that it was a punishment posting. On the upside, she has been on her best behaviour since. Now back doing roadwork Miss Defying is likely to run this summer. In a first for the stable the idea is floating around to run her in chases as a four year old, just to complete the watery theme.
J'Adore: Having learnt from his runs so far, the plan is to try and apply the knowledge at Worcester on 28th June. After his last run, there was some warmth in his legs, which was a cause for concern, and the vet also advised caution. We took it easy for a while and on 8th June decided to cautiously step him back up to a canter. Upon setting foot on the gallop, he bucked, farted and set off as fast as he can. He scattered a bunch of Willie Muir's that was ahead of him (including some two year olds), swerving wildly off of the gallop to avoid them kicking him. Offered a chance to calm down, J'Adore chose to chase one of Willie's that had bolted in the commotion. When we finally tracked him down, Dani was trying to give a composed account of what had happened, when J'Adore repeated the dose and charged back the way he had come. The direction being that in which an unimpressed Willie Muir was trying to placate the rider of his panicking youngster and reassemble his horses into a semblance of order. From our point of view, J'Adore was fine and claimed afterwards that he saw someone waving a bratwurst.
Paula Lane: Mike O'Gorman, our vet, suggested a course of injections be added to the treatment Paula Lane had been receiving and the response was excellent. The fibrous filling settled down in very little time, and the leg is coming along much better.
Saddlers Lady: Was entered a couple of times and not declared due to the ground being easy. The we left Saddlers Lady in at Hereford before her latest run, but with the going officially good to firm, the trusty stick went in 9" and the horses hood prints were in places a good 6" deep. The Stick of Namangan (blessed by the holiest man in Uzbekistan, so holy his name may not be written) is rarely mistaken on these matters, and with the other evidence, we decided not to run her. Who would have thought the going would be soft/heavy in June?
Jockey News (last season's winners total in brackets)
Tom Doyle (56): Has not been able to ride any of ours lately as he broke his hand in a fall in the Swinton Hurdle, which resulted in two screws being inserted into his Metarcarples (which sounds like a comedy Two Ronnies sketch injury, but is real). He should be back soon, but was not given the all clear for Tech Eagle at Stratford, which did not eventually matter as the horse was a non-runner in the end.
Dave Crosse (16): Is second jockey to Charlie Mann and has had a good start to the season, with six winners already on the slate. He has picked up most of the rides lately that Tom was not available for.
Marcus Foley (31): One of the backups to Mick Fitzgerald at Nicky Henderson's yard, he has been available to school for us when needed.
28th May Bulletin
Callisto Moon
Kempton, 6 furlong two year olds maiden on the all-weather, 23rd May
2nd behind Cherry Fosfate, ridden by Dane O'Neill
Another short head defeat! This one saw Callisto Moon hit the front at what appeared to be a time too late for the oppo to do anything about it, but the winner stayed on to collar him right on the line. In advance there was a gut feeling that a straight six furlongs with a stiff finish may suit Callisto Moon better, but he handled the bend and fast surface well enough, it was just a better run by Cherry Fosfate on the day. It was more encouragement for his future, especially over 7f.
Mademoiselle
Wincanton, 2 mile mares' novice hurdle on good, 2nd May
12th behind Moon Over Miami, ridden by Marcus Foley
Huntingdon, 2 mile amateurs' novice hurdle on good to firm, 16th May
Pulled up behind Amarula Ridge, ridden by Alex Charles-Jones
As a pair, these runs were just a tiny bit frustrating. In the first, Mademoiselle encountered rather better opposition than at Newton Abbot, but ran much better. She had learnt a lot from the jumping in anger and travelled more encouragingly on better ground. All in all, a definite progression on her debut. However, instead of stepping up again at Huntingdon, she took a stride back. With an experienced amateur booked in Alex Charles-Jones, the plan was to get settled in the pack, test her jumping in traffic, and then find out how she hurdled under pressure in the closing stages. The first part went well, but after getting bumped around a bit, Alex pulled up. Mademoiselle seemed unfussed, but we are still none the wiser as to whether she will ping the flights when the heat is on. A minor inconvenience is that in the current environment gaining a rating of around 75 by finishing, as opposed to the 68 she has been awarded, would have lessened the chance of being balloted out. We have a couple of handicap hurdles in early June in mind, so fingers crossed that the world and his wife do not want to run in the same races.
J'Adore
Fontwell, 2 mile 2 furlong novice hurdle on good, 5th May
7th behind Dusty Dane, ridden by David Crosse
Fontwell, 2 mile 2 furlong novice hurdle on good, 28th May
9th behind Brads House, ridden by Marcus Foley
Like Mademoiselle, avoiding tacky ground produced a big improvement, despite the horse concussing himself by sticking his head through the saddling box roof in the preliminaries. Despite this attempt to be invalided out of the race, Dave's verdict was that the faster going meant that the horse gave him a much better feel than at Fontwell. However, continued raceday antics suggest that some form of headgear may be in order. Perhaps an iPod playing soothing, easy listening music. For the second run, Dave had been booked to ride the winning favourite, so we got a second opinion from Marcus on J'Adore's prospects. Marcus felt that he had been outpaced on the far side but stayed on well enough to suggest that a step up to two and a half miles would suit. He did not think that blinkers were needed, as when J'Adore was left in space he jumped and ran straight enough. However, in the preliminaries, our hero was delighted to play to the huge crowd (although he caused the course no structural damage this time), which does point to the headgear again. Handicaps beckon.
Coppermalt
Fontwell, 2 mile 6 furlong novice hurdle on good, 5th May
5th behind Scarface, ridden by Wayne Burton
Returning from a break, Coppermalt looked to have possibilities of a win in this competitive fifteen runner race, but the plan went out of the window when the tapes went up, as he was caught a bit flat-footed and ended up two from the rear instead of being handy. Of course, in a big field there was to be no sneaking through on the inner, and he had to make up the positions by going the long way round. Although a threat after three out, he had used up his energy to get that close, and rather faded out of it after the second last hurdle. In the end, it was not a disastrous run, but a touch better had been anticipated.
Saddlers Lady
Plumpton, 2 mile 2 furlong bumper on good to firm, 14th May
9th behind Bartercard, ridden by Wayne Burton
This was her first run after the injury affected debut, and it showed. Saddlers Lady was keen to get on with it, to the exclusion of any external influences or stimuli. This meant she hit the front early and ran well, but ran out of puff rapidly when the adrenalin surge subsided. Most importantly, she came back sound from the first serious challenge to the injury, and should have gained knowledge and confidence from the experience.
Romney Marsh
Plumpton, 2 mile novice hurdle on good to firm, 14th May
8th behind Song Of Vala, ridden by Andrew Tinkler
On the same day as her half-sister Saddlers Lady, Romney Marsh returned from a shorter spell o the sidelines, but ran a similar sort of race. Far too free in the early part of the race, she had nothing left to offer late on. This was her hurdling debut, and over a trip on the sharp side, but Andrew was quite enthused by Romney Marsh's effort, feeling that she would improve a stone in fitness for next time and go on from there, applying whatever she may have learned from the day - Pythagoras Theorem, perhaps.
Fin Bec
Market Rasen, 3 mile 1 furlong handicap chase on good, 29th April
Pulled up behind Over The Storm, ridden by Andrew Thornton
After being forced into a few races of higher standard than was feasible for the old chap, Fin Bec finally dropped into a more realistic level, but showed no greater zest for being pitched in against some opponents that would not themselves be operating at the peak of their powers. The best bet looks to be an honourable and well earned retirement.
New Arrival
LIBERMAN: This horse was picked up at the Doncaster sales for Geoff Smith. He was formerly trained by Martin Pipe and has been sixth and fourth in the last two runnings of the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. He also has a reputation for barely bothering to lift his feet off of the ground at the obstacles, but that is the sort of thing that we can purge from his system.
27th April Bulletin
Ha! Or more correctly, HA!! Here is the very much promised, but expected only by a naive minority, second April update. Roger is off to Germany in search of another Tech Eagle or two next week, for those too slow to get the last share in J'Adore.
Latest from the physio's bench: Saddlers Lady is back in full work, and has not had a reaction in her knee, so she will run in a bumper in early May, probably at Worcester should Weatherby's random number generator permit. Alderbrook Girl had a break from vigorous exercise after sustaining a nasty gash at Fontwell, which went a little septic, but she is off of the easy list and the weather forecast for May suggests that she is worth keeping in training for a little while yet. Unfortunately, Two Shillings has had a touch of heat on the same leg again, and although it is not clear how big a deal it is, the superb way that the form of her debut has worked out does encourage caution.
Tech Eagle
Worcester, 2 mile novice hurdle on good to firm, 26th April
WON ridden by Tom Doyle
With one or two doubters over the strength of the Fontwell oppo, the presence of four other previous winners in this gives the achievement a fairly meritous profile and Tom was even more impressed with him. The plan was not to hit the front until very late, but Tech Eagle pinged the last and took the lead unintentionally. Fearing that he may idle, Tom gave him a reminder and a pleasingly rapid and instant response came. The time was close to the course record, four seconds inside the Racing Post standard, so they were clearly not hanging about early on either. The logical target at this point is the valuable handicap hurdle at Market Rasen in July.
As I had no pictures of Tech Eagle's double success, the Statue of Victory in Berlin, which has eagle-like wings, would be a perfect fit but for lacking an equestrian element
Callisto Moon
Newbury, 5 furlong two year olds maiden on good, 21st April
4th behind Cav Okay, ridden by Dane O'Neill
Expectations were not huge for this racecourse debut, mainly because Callisto Moon will need much further eventually, and he is an unfurnished individual that still has some growing into his frame to be done. Despite this, the result was a very pleasing performance, with Dane giving him a vote of confidence as well and the winner has Super Sprint and Royal Ascot entries, which sets a decent standard for the form. We will look for a 6f race next for Callisto Moon, but when he can go up to 7f, then he will wax rather than wan.
Mademoiselle
Newton Abbot, 2 mile 1 furlong mares' novice hurdle on good, 15th April
10th behind Cirrious, ridden by David Crosse
It would be a fair summary to observe that Mademoiselle had galloped strongly and quickly since joining us, and jumped hurdles convincingly when schooled, but until she encountered the first hurdle here, she had never dreamed that the two would have to be combined. This caused her a bit of a shock, and it took half the race to get over it! David's verdict was that after having to be ridden into the second and third, she slowly became more confident at the obstacles, but it will take a race or two before she does it instinctively. The ground, which was a touch faster than the official, also seemed to be too quick on the day compared to Mademoiselle's preference , which was not expected to be a problem, but perhaps when she is not running on her nerves, she will worry less about it. As she would not get the trip on soft, let's hope so.
Hazel Mere
Cheltenham, 2 mile 5 furlong novice hurdle on good, 19th April
pulled up behind Oscatello, ridden by Derek Laverty
Towcester, 2 mile novice hurdle on good, 25th April
15th behind Charmatic, ridden by Sean Curran
The Cheltenham run was intended to be a furthering of her education, with the benefit of appearance money, but the performance was worse than expected, and Hazel Mere did not show any improvement at Towcester the next time. This has been disappointing, as when she first joined the string, she shaped as if she was capable of better than has been shown. Retirement has been mooted, as Hazel Mere has not been enjoying it anymore than we have, but it is possible that she will have a try in a seller first.
J'Adore
Plumpton, 2 mile novice hurdle on good to soft, 17th April
pulled up behind Shamayoun, ridden by David Crosse
We were not really expecting to beat the odds-on Cheltenham Festival winner in this race, but the freaky ground conditions ruled out any chance of an heroic defeat. Puddingy was an adjective that applied, and when the horses stood on a piece of ground it gave underfoot but sprang back when the pressure was released - a bit like walking on a trampoline. J'Adore hated it, and also got rather excited by the presence of a large crowd, showing off throughout. We will give him a spin on better ground soon, and if he persists in acting as if he is the centre of everyone's attention, headgear is to be considered.
Fin Bec
Wincanton, 3 mile 4 furlong handicap chase on good, 13th April
8th behind Tom Sayers, ridden by Philip Hide
The same problem as previously reported - his handicap mark forcing Fin Bec into tackling rivals with more verve than is fair for a venerable gentleman of his age. After this, he should drop to a mark that gives him a chance to compete against more realistic opponents.