6th January 2011
Picture time from recent runs: JAN12 GALLERY NOV11 GALLERY 1 NOV11 GALLERY 2
Bally Gunner
15th Dec: Towcester, 2m maiden hurdle on good to soft, ridden by Dave Crosse: 6th
It is generally considered, for most things in life, that it is good to have a plan. The trouble with plans is that they can go awry. When that happens before the race has even started, you know it is going to be a day to write off. In the past, Bally Gunner had dashed off madly and failed to see his bumper races out to the end. In order to reverse that trend, the intention was to settle him on the heels of the peleton, and pick off as many as he could, as they tired climbing the hill in the last few furlongs. Except that when they were going to post, he took off at an undesirable pace in the direction of Northampton. Dave kept him under control, but concluded that it would take a serious pull to stop the horse doing it again when the tapes went back. So that is what he did. This is where the major problem occurred, as Bally Gunner interpreted the instruction as "stop here and watch the rest jog off over the hill." After a brief pause, normal communication was restored, but he was already a bit detached from the rest of the field, and rushing up to join them at a course like this would have been tactical suicide. In the end, he did reel in several as they weakened in the home straight, sort of fulfilling the plan, but in a way far removed from what was expected. Since then he has had a bad inflammation of a small cut and needed antibiotics, which should clear in time for another run before the end of January.
Romney Marsh
15th Dec: Towcester, 2m ½f handicap chase on good to soft, ridden by Hadden Frost: pulled up
26th Dec: Towcester, 3m ½f handicap chase on good to soft, ridden by Mattie Batchelor: pulled up
2nd Jan: Plumpton, 2m 5f handicap hurdle on heavy, ridden by Hadden Frost: 4th
She has had a bit of a busy time of things lately, due to a couple of her less dynamic runs in December. The first was another attempt to be as cunning as a bag of weasels. The weather forecast was abysmal, so the idea formed that a two miler at Towcester would need a horse that stayed an awful lot further in regular conditions. Enter Romney Marsh stage left. Except, not for the first time, the weather forecast was wildly pessimistic over the quantity of rain (or optimistic if you are the type to relish a downpour). So having a stayer in a two miler was flawed, and when she made an error at the downhill fence on the side of the track, known as the ski jump, Romney Marsh was sufficiently detached from the field to inspire her to give up. Next time, we went to the other extreme, with a long distance chase. Mattie's instructions were to go wide for ground she would prefer and keep her covered up. Unfortunately, and without collusion, the field all lined up on the rail, in the worst ground. Mattie did keep her nicely tucked in, but the bad ground was the cue for another Romney day of indifference. By the time Plumpton came around, the ground was again a problem, but in her endless list of "things to worry about on raceday," hurdles are much further down the list than fences, and as it was also Brian's birthday, we decided to give it a go. In fairness to Romney Marsh, she ran quite well, but was probably just not fresh enough to excel. So a small break is on the cards.
Romney Marsh (4) launches herself out of the mud at Plumpton
Brave Enough
21st Dec: Wolverhampton, 2m ½f handicap on the all-weather, ridden by Ned Curtis: 7th
The idea of tackling this race was to see if Brave Enough would be more comfortable in a race over further, where the pace is less frantic (at least by his particular idea of what is frantic and what is sensible). It was also a good exercise for Ned, being much the longest race that he has ridden in. As far as the team learning together, the pace was too inconsistent to be considered normal, and all we got from it was the idea that two mile hurdles would suit Brave Enough. Which takes us full circle to where we started.
Kilcommon Pride
22nd Dec: Hereford, 3m 1½f handicap chase on soft, ridden by Hadden Frost: WON
After his wide margin Ffos Las win, this was a harder task, which we hoped would be offset by the step up to longer distances bringing about another improvement. That proved to be true, but too much so. Hadden was delighted with Kilcommon Pride, reporting that he was very composed in the race, travelling well and jumping soundly. But he also reacted promptly and well when asked to move past the leaders, and swept into the lead with minimal trouble. Alas, the others around him did not see out the trip so well, and from carefully managing the margin of victory, it suddenly began to expand rapidly. The end result was another double figure winning distance, eventually sixteen lengths, and his rating being raised to 102, making it more than two stone that he has been raised in next to no time.
Elegant Olive
26th Dec: Huntingdon, 2m 5½f handicap hurdle on good to soft, ridden by Killian Moore: WON
Upped in grade and in distance, there was a risk that the race could unfold too fast for Olive, but the going put paid to that problem - it was all run at a very sensible pace. The other issue was finding a jockey, as Hadden was off to Wincanton for a swathe of rides and finding someone who could do the minimum weight on a day where there were a lot of meetings did not prove easy. Having seen Killian ride some good races in a short career to date, he got the call, and on the day Olive's occasional suspicion of strange jockeys* did not manifest itself. After that, it was all problem free. She cruised through the race, watching the rivals drop by the wayside, and when the leader came under pressure three out, she was soon in front, with nobody to beat her but herself. A comfy win, but she did get put directly up to 100 by the handicapper, having never been rated more than 89 before. There are definitely people around who would approve of bypassing the 90s entirely (Dan Aykroyd's body of work in the decade jumps out as an example), but not in this case.
* Insert your own joke about whether there are any non-strange ones.
Quam Cellerrime
28th Dec: Catterick, 2m selling handicap hurdle on soft, ridden by Hadden Frost: 2nd
The trip into the wilds of Yorkshire was in search of the extremely wet ground he adores, which Catterick did not quite provide, but it proved just about sloppy enough for Quam Cellerrime. The difference between victory and defeat was that he raced a bit lazily in this, and contrived to get himself a bit too far behind the leaders in the back straight. Bearing in mind the new whip rules, Hadden gave him a couple of slaps to liven up, but was mindful of saving two or three for the closing stages. This allowed Quam Cellerrime to close gradually, but not until after the last did he really threaten the winner. Just too late. What we learned from this is that it may be more productive to do whatever is needed to lay up closer mid-race and trust him to give his best in the latter stages - when rivals may be disinclined to exert themselves. Or get the whip rules changed.
Rainbow Riches
29th Dec: Kempton, 6f two year olds maiden on the all-weather, ridden by Ned Curtis: 5th
This was all part of the educational process for Rainbow Riches. She travelled quite well in the race, but was caught by surprise when the pace quickened, and only picked up herself when it was all too late. Her next race, to show her that there are other racecourses than Kempton, and that travel broadens the mind, will be at Lingfield. A great adventure into the forests of Surrey.
9th December 2011
Kaycee
14th Nov: Plumpton, 3m 2f novice handicap chase on good to soft, ridden by Mark Grant: fell
30th Nov: Hereford, 3m 2f novice handicap chase on good to soft, ridden by Mark Grant: 4th
Having found himself with something of a
handicap blip to take on, which had come all the way from
Romney Marsh
15th Nov: Folkestone, 3m 1f handicap chase on good to firm, ridden by Hadden Frost: 2nd
28th Nov: Folkestone, 3m 1f handicap chase on good to firm, ridden by Mattie Batchelor: 3rd
The performances can be summarised as “did
very well, considering” for these races, on a course that she seems to like,
but with the ground being a little too fast for her on both occasions. In the
first, she was not excessively bothered by it, but the winner did have a little
bit more up it’s metaphorical sleeve had Romney Marsh been able to get
upsides. In the most recent race, the going was quicker still and it affected
her jumping, with Mattie’s verdict being that she was finding it a bit
uncomfortable when she landed, causing her to back off from the fences. The
result was to struggle to stay in touch, but rally on the long run round the
final turn, where there were no jumps to negotiate. There is a very small
smattering of races in the programme book coming up for her, so the ground will
probably drive the decision making process as to which to go for.
Bally Gunner
15th Nov: Folkestone, 2m 1½f bumper on good, ridden by Hadden Frost: 6th
Even with a bit of experience under his belt,
he is still inclined to be far too keen and try and run a race on one enormous
breath, which has the result of leaving him struggling in the latter stages.
Bally Gunner has schooled over hurdles, in a very pleasing manner, and putting
obstacles in his way should help get him settled, as they will break up the
stride pattern and force him to think about what he is doing. That is the
theory, we shall see what he makes of it all in reality.
Kilcommon Pride
21st Nov: Ffos Las, 2m 3½f handicap chase on soft, ridden by Hadden Frost: WON
28th Nov: Ffos Las, 2m 3½f handicap chase on soft, ridden by Hadden Frost: 3rd
Designed and built to be a soft ground chaser,
he made an immediate impact at Ffos Las when getting those conditions for the
first time. With his size, Kilcommon Pride had always found hurdles a sort of
fiddly, irritating inconvenience to deal with, a bit like the screws that link
the arm to the frame in a pair of glasses. With the bigger fences looming up in
clear view, he rose to the occasion (literally) and won by a country mile,
handling the ground far better than the oppo. With such a wide margin of
success, we had to have a bash at a quick follow-up with a seven pound penalty
instead of a large ratings rise, and Ffos Las had a race over the same distance
a week later. The combination of even deeper going and the quick turnaround
caught him out, but winning at two and a half miles was a bonus anyway – three
miles plus will be his game.
Near Germany
28th Nov: Folkestone, 2m 1½f amateur riders' handicap hurdle on good, ridden by Freddy Tett: Fell
It was an inconvenience to only have six in
this race, as the plan was to settle Near Germany behind a wall of horses. We
know from the past that he is happy with this, but cannot equate the effect to
settling of his own accord when there is open space in front of him. So, when
three of the oppo came down at the second flight, Freddy had an instant problem.
With a cry of “Achtuuuuuunnnnnng!” Near
Elegant Olive
28th Nov: Folkestone, 2m 6½f handicap hurdle on good, ridden by David Bass: 8th
Having managed to lay up prominently in this,
she did not translate that into an improved result, which does leave us
wondering if the way that she normally races, starting out in rear and gradually
working her way forward, is actually more of a tactical necessity than we
believed. The counter argument was that Elegant Olive landed very awkwardly at
the second last, causing Dave to think that she may have injured herself. There
has been no sign of her ailing since, but she could have just hit the hurdle or
ground hard enough to make her wince for while. The traditional remedy is to
spit on a handkerchief and rub it on the sore spot, but Dave was preoccupied
with trying to stay in touch with the leaders.
Maderson Blue
28th Nov: Folkestone, 2m 5f handicap chase on good to firm, ridden by Mattie Batchelor: 6th
This proved to be a more inauspicious start over fences than we had hoped for. The pace when the tape went up was quick, so Mattie decided to settle at the back, and let Maderson Blue pop over the first. They may share the same initials, but horse and jockey were not in agreement on this, and Maderson Blue’s response was to hesitate approaching the fence and negotiate it with the flair of a hippo attempting the triple jump. The consequence of this was a repetition at all of the early fences, but having got behind Mattie kept going, to teach the horse something about jumping in a racing environment. And he was much better for the final circuit. Depending on suitable races cropping up, we may give him a confidence booster over hurdles, before returning to chasing.
Brave Enough
30th Nov: Kempton, 1m handicap on the all-weather, ridden by Ned Curtis: 9th
This was really a tune-up run after his routine
was disrupted by varied bangs and scrapes, and a mile was not really a long
enough race for him. Ned reported that although he was outpaced early on, Brave
Enough rallied late in the race and kept on trying to stay in touch throughout,
which is a level of commitment that has not always seemed to offer since he
joined us. Let us hope that it is a policy he will adopt for the long term.
Rainbow Riches
30th Nov: Kempton, 6f two year olds' maiden on the all-weather, ridden by Ned Curtis: 9th
This was her first sight of a racecourse, and
Ned’s instructions were to jut let her bowl along and enjoy herself, to the
degree that she could with a wall of horses in front kicking sand in her face.
The sharp bend that Rainbow Riches met after less than a furlong was also a new
experience for her. All in all, things went quite well, although she did stumble
when changing her legs entering the straight, recovering to stay on and finish
on the heels of the pack. Come the new year, she will be ready to go over
further, but Plan A for a follow-up was foiled, when she was entered for a
maiden auction, but could not be allocated a weight. Amazingly, not one Princely
Heir horse of her generation has been sold at public auction, and it is the
sales prices that drive the weights in these races.
11th November 2011
Kilcommon Pride
19th Oct: Fontwell, 2m 4f conditional riders' novice handicap hurdle on good, ridden by Peter Carberry: 11th
2nd Nov: Chepstow, 2m 4f handicap hurdle on soft, ridden by Andrew Glassonbury: 8th
The first of these two runs was a bit of a set back for the Killer. Not quite to the degree of marrying your underage cousin, as a different Killer opted for, but certainly one that hindered his career development. Peter reported back that having been unsighted, the horse had ploughed through the first hurdle and lost his jumping confidence. Even with a clearer view, he was hesitant through the race, so there was a rebuilding task to be done. That was at Chepstow, a course that suits Killer's way of running better anyway. He had a nice, incident free race, and is back on the upward path. Some decent schooling over fences means that he is added to the list of those set for fences if we can find enough races to go round! After that he is off to take pot-shots at James Blunt's house.
Romney Marsh
19th Oct: Fontwell, 2m 6½f handicap hurdle on good, ridden by Hadden Frost: 9th
Another acceptable pipe-opener for a mare who is far too savvy about the training routines to work herself super-fit before the serious stuff is on the agenda. Hadden's verdict was what we expected - went well initially and then blew up in the middle of the back straight. He nursed her home after that, but she has been sharper in her work since, and is likely to run at Folkestone on Tuesday. Should do better, inspired by proximity to her namesake geographical feature. And Westenhanger railway station.
Elegant Olive
30th Oct: Huntingdon, 3m 2f handicap hurdle on good, ridden by Hadden Frost: 3rd
In this run Olive confirmed what we had deduced from her earlier runs. Despite her Huntingdon affinity, the 3m 2f trip is just a bit too far in a big field on decent ground - where the pace was strong. When she won, a smaller turnout ensured a slower race pace, and the sedate first half allowed her stamina to last. She ran exactly to that formula again. Hadden was patient on her early in the race and then slowly picked off others that had raced more prominently and were paying the price. The plan worked for the most part, but two others managed to outlast her. She got within a length just after the last, but Olive had reached her limit and could get no closer. She was due to to Leicester for a chase on Monday, but the course abandoned the chases. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as she had got a bit sloppy when schooling, so a chance to do a bit more work can be to her advantage.
"You! Tricked me with a fake absence, eh? Well, it nearly turned out alright in the end, didn't it."
Kaycee
31st Oct: Plumpton, 3m 2f novice handicap chase on good, ridden by Mark Grant: 2nd
This was a corking chase debut from the chesnut behemoth. Mark settled him just behind the leaders, but it did look as if Kaycee was struggling a little descending the hill for the last time. However, he stayed on steadily from the fourth last, and outjumping the leader allowed him to briefly stick his nose in front. That was a short-lived lead, as he was just not as quick on the run-in. So near, but so far. Yet a very encouraging first dabble with fences, and Plumpton with tight turns and a short run-in will have again not worked to his strengths.
Kaycee in full flight finds just one enemy a bit too quick - the horse he duels with is no tiddler either. The ground shook at this moment in time.
Maderson Blue
10th Nov: Ludlow, 2m 4f amateur riders' handicap hurdle on good, ridden by Freddie Tett: WON
The completion of the win, retire, return, win cycle. That is what the Mayan calendar is really about - except that Maderson Blue could concoct a more accurate calendar than the Mayans did. Anyway, back to the point. Freddie's instruction were to get Maderson settled and relaxed. As long as that happened, which he did, it was not important whether he was at the front, in the middle, or stalking them from the back. Hadden had advised that as the hurdles were set on the outer, it was not a problem if they were forced wide off of the final turn, as it would take them where they needed to be. That panned out as well, and only a silly blunder at the final hurdle threatened to stop him. There was a fair bit of confidence behind the second and third, so this may turn out to be a good show for the grade. Another comparison - the winner of the novice hurdle over the same trip, who was backed as if defeat were impossible, covered the course nearly three seconds slower. Next stop for Maderson is likely to be chasing.
The general vibe of transparent satisfaction increases with altitude. Freddie's first winner, Maderson Blue's second, hence the horse being a touch more blasé about it all.
Nearing a run..
Brave Enough: Has recovered from his miscellany of knocks and should be ready to go in about three weeks.
Near Germany: Yes! Nearly Back! He has got as far as schooling over hurdles, not always treating them with the necessary respect, but he has been working well, and the progress made is very pleasing.
Quam Celerrime: He is almost as fit as he needs to be, but as he usually gets himself ready to go on his first run back, it is now a case of being ready to leap into action when the going is perfect for him - no warm up needed. It is amazing how few clerk's of the course are prepared to admit it when asked if their track is waterlogged, or likely to be imminently.
Princely Heir filly: She has been working well and is poised for a winter all-weather campaign - she will be fit and ready from day one. A partnership of 1/12 shares is forming, with spaces available - £495 per share, plus £150 per month.
Grafty Girl: The latest daughter of Mirador to go into training, she is well on course for a bumper run at some stage over this winter.
Ned Curtis: Apprentice licence signed, sealed and delivered on 10th November.
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