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Duffield's Diaries
Ann's regular diary is originally written for the The Master's Voice. Follow this link to find out more about this popular on-line hunting magazine.
Januaray and February 2010
January: Christmas is finally wrapped up and put away until next year. Looking back on the last 12 months and summing it up in words: the year felt long, hard, trying and often stressful, but ultimately rewarding.
Nothing worth having comes easily (my mother taught me that) and nothing did. It was a year none of us will easily forget, but as with all challenges of magnitude, the last 12 months will be remembered fondly, and the lessons well learned.
Businesses large and small were forced to watch the global financial meltdown as risk managers and executives seemingly made ridiculous decisions with our country´s wealth.
Horseracing seemed to carry on as normal with horse prices holding up as though nothing was happening in the wider world. Although since the turn of the year more than 40 trainers have handed in their licenses. In November last year, at the National Trainers Federation meeting, my suggestion that we might be down in numbers by about a third within eighteen months was met by derision, with members hoping this prediction would be proved wrong. But it seems this might yet transpire.
George enjoys some pre-holiday snow
In the meantime the world of training adopts the Tesco effect bigger trainers whose sheer numbers assure them of a constant stream of runners, press coverage and winners, get bigger while the smaller yards struggle. Some of the burgeoning Northern trainers are getting far bigger than their Southern counterparts, leveling up the North / South divide which many claimed didn´t exist. Indeed Mark Johnston has long since been a huge powerful yard with numbers easily exceeding 250 horses, is now joined by the Fahey team who recently have also gone past the 250 mark.
By contrast Middleham has become almost a ghost-town with hundreds of horses missing from the moors gallops due to the defection of Mark Johnston´s string that now has use of his own private gallops. Karl Burke is missing in action while seeing out a lengthy ban, and the smaller yards are shrinking. Interesting times ahead.
A well earned break and some sunshine
With the coldest winter for 30-odd years or more George and myself managed to escape for sunnier climes on January 4th and on Jan 5th the airports shut down. They say size means nothing, but timing - is everything.
But it's not all play as we check out possible new work riders
Horses set to do their roadwork which on our yard is undertaken on three horse walkers effective, efficient, variable speeds and above all, safe when the roads are not. They look great upon our return, well muscled up, carrying good condition with plenty to work on, and they look happy and healthy.
With February well underway, so is the cantering. One or two horses take a bit longer off as they had so many runs last year, and need more time. Salerosa being one of them, having won seven races in a year, its hard to imagine she can carry on improving but, it is not impossible: beating the handicapper, however, might be. Just Lille is another improving mare; she´s a nine times winner, and tough as teak.
We take the train to London for the National Trainers Federation´s AGM. Not having been seen here for many years, it is embarrassing that we trainers leave everyone else to deal with the `grotty end´ of racing´s politics. If ever unity, understanding, determination and backbone were needed it is now, more than ever, and in large doses.
We learn that the bookmakers, so long the thorn in racings side, are the enemy no more having been brushed aside with incredulous ease by the racecourses. We hear that there is plenty of money coming in to racing but the promised sums have been paid only by a small minority of forward thinking and creative tracks. They are the ones who fully understand the rudiments of business and the needs of racing. They recognise it is the owners who actually put the show on for their fee paying entrants.
There are some great tracks that have surpassed themselves: York and Hamilton in particular, it´s no wonder they are thriving, and deservedly so. Ascot´s pledge to reinvest in prize money falls somewhat short by around eight hundred thousand pounds.
The AGM over and a sumptuous dinner enjoyed, a handful of us headed off to Annabel´s nightclub as if to prove we don´t have to be in bed by nine. The effort was worth it - just to see Tom Tate on the dance floor.
The previous 24 hours had been expensive enough with train fares, hotel accommodation, and lunch in London, but Annabel´s - this was something else. George bought the first round of eight drinks, nothing fancy just glasses of wine and halves of larger. The bill was a staggering £124 - time to go home where the term "value for money" has real meaning.
A dinner courtesy of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) was held in York with a 20-odd trainers attending. The intention was to foster relations between the BHA and Northern trainers, and it made a more than satisfactory start. Paul Roy (BHA Chairman), Nic Coward (BHA Chief Executive) and Morag Grey (BHA Independent Director) attended with Mr. Roy giving an enlightening talk about his role and that of the BHA. Acutely aware of the difficulties which lie ahead it can only be hoped that the input and business expertise provided by Mr. Roy and his team will help racing in its hour of need.
At home the horses work is stepped up gradually. The equine dentist moved in to one of the Sun Hill holiday cottages for four days, the horses are wormed, vaccinated and plenty of physio administered to increasingly stressed muscles. The Good Friday Open day on April 2nd is looming as is the extra workload involved in ensuring the day is a resounding success again. The Breeze-Up sales are around the corner in March and there are still some empty boxes to fill.
A new initiative and drive to increase our yard numbers is underway. A conversation with long standing owner Rob Hallett about the merits of `incentives´ ensues. Ideas are thrown in the ring and mostly dismissed, but the notion of some kind of scheme that will be attractive to new and current owners alike just won´t leave me.
One week later, hours of telephone conversations with owners whose input, opinions and blessing was needed before further progress could be made. The headlines in the Racing Post on the first day of the Kempton Park Breeze Ups reads: "Duffield´s Breeze-Up Incentive For Owners".
The idea is that we train breeze-up recruits for a half price fee of £600 per month; in return we get 20% of the owner´s net prize money and 20% of any profit on sales where applicable. Risky? Perhaps, but the two breeze-up bonuses make it possible to recover the reduction on training fees while any resale provides the cream. The breeze-up bonuses allow winning horses to effectively increase their winnings by £20,000 in total, and the serious hard work undertaken all winter has already been done. Time to try something new.
November and December 2009
The enormity and possible repercussions of Jack Berry´s hunting fall - during which he was unconscious for 15 minutes, along with an overnight stay in James Cook hospital - didn´t seem to register with him. One week later he saddled up again for the hunt meet at West Tanfield, a gloriously sunny day with just a hint of cold in the air.
The country at West Tanfield can be trappy. Most of the land is owned by our hunt chairman providing him with a bigger than average back garden stretching out over what is probably several thousand acres. By lunchtime, and after jumping eight or ten hunt jumps, careering through dense woods at break-neck speed while trying to avoid getting your eyes knocked, or being decapitated by the branches, Jack unsurprisingly announced he wasn´t feeling too well.
My mare had pulled a front shoe off so I had to leave early anyway, and having seen Jack off safely in his trailer before I too headed for home, was somewhat surprised to find him driving around near our Sun Hill Stables in entirely the wrong direction from his home base. He said he was: "dis-orientated and a bit lost". Fate was to intervene further by stopping him making any more errors of judgment, mental or physical, when Jo - his long suffering and incredible wife, was brought down by one of their pack of nine dogs breaking her leg.
Jack, now unable to hunt due to domestic responsibilities, for the first time in his life faced having to cope with the washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, mucking out all the animals, exercising the horses, feeding the dogs, hens, geese, turkeys, emus (yes three of them) on top of his continued charity work.
Jo is the closest thing to an angel you can get in human form. And while she doesn´t say a lot, I can see by the glint in her eye that she is really quite chuffed. Finally her hubby gets to see what she has known for years: that he is a very lucky man indeed to have her, and it´s about time he knew what she did to keep the Berry boat afloat. Since adding Jo´s daily tasks to his own, their elderly horse population has been greatly reduced - one hunter has gone into livery, the other roughed off; the hens, geese and turkeys have found their way into the Sun Hill staff´s freezer. And there have been promises of no more dogs.
On the racing front, at Catterick our horse Angelo Poliziano - previously a victim of circumstance at Newcastle when the stalls mechanism failed and opened before the field were ready with Angelo taking the blame - passed his (unnecessary) stalls test with flying colours. My husband George (Duffield) making an appearance, first in the weighing room - then on the track, brought much delight to race-goers who thought he was warming up for his comeback. Having ridden the horse through the stalls test without fuss, George then proceeded to give Angelo a good workout over seven furlongs.
George and Angelo Poliziano pass the stalls test
At the Tattersalls December Sale held we replaced the deceased Hurricane Run filly with a striking chestnut filly by Dubawi. Not content with one, she was followed by the purchase of a well-related, sharp looking Green Desert filly out of a Selkirk mare, and a cheap looking filly by the first season sire Araafa. That brought our number of yearlings to 15.
Dubawi Filly purchased at Tattersalls December Sale
I hadn´t intended to buy any more yearlings, but as any man knows a woman out shopping is a dangerous one and I think my preference for buying yearlings is far better and more exciting than buying handbags and shoes. They can cost about the same although I accept handbags and shoes don´t need feeding, caring for, or expensive visits from the vet but conversely they can never go up in value in leaps and bounds, win prize money, be gambled upon or generally give all connected such a damn good time.
"Watching your lovely colt or filly perform to perfection at the racetrack beats anything - and is equaled only by a really good day´s hunting."
Traditionally this is the time of year when, for a short time I have a 'normal' existence and act like any other housewife, homemaker, partygoer, and hostess as well as a being a devout hunt supporter and participator.
The yard ticks over quietly as the older horses take a break from training, breaking old routines and doing things differently. We break the yearlings in - mostly at Julie Wilsons, and once home their all important initial education process gets underway without the constraints of time limits or deadlines to follow while we just mooch along and get the job done.
In November and December it really does not matter if I am not in bed early although old habits die hard, its nice to chill out a bit, until boredom sets in. By the time our yearly excursion to the sun has taken place I am desperate to get back to the frantic norm.
Of the many social engagements we are lucky enough to be invited to, the one which must take precedence over all others was the supper party at Jonny & Janie Beardsall´s up among the hills of Ellingstring. Jonny is our good friend whose shoulder had been smashed-up by our grey hunter Oscar, making his job as a journalist pretty tough. The week had been freezing and the snow lay thick on the ground, any chance of getting out of Sun Hill never mind up the steep hill to their village was out of the question without a decent four wheel drive vehicle.
Jack & Jo Berry were also invited and Jack managed to accept the invitation, help Jo get dressed, complete the housework and load the washing machine before they set off but had been unable to find a garage for fuel for several days (also Jo´s job) and was now running on fumes alone.
Dinner at the Beardsall´s was amusing, interesting and very different. They are on an economy drive of mega proportions, we ate in the kitchen in front of the old fashioned cooking range which housed our dinner. Above the table hung a gloriously old candelabrum fully lit and providing the sort of subtle lighting us 40-somethings appreciate more and more with each passing day. Elsewhere on the kitchen worktops stood several of Janies latest fabulous bronzes in various stages of making and in the corners hung Jonny´s half made hats along with Foxes masks, tails and legs (see www.janiebeardsall.com).
The entire Beardsall family had been camping in temperatures of minus 15 the previous night as part of an article Jonny is writing for the Daily Mail newspaper. He wanted to fully experience the delights of camping in a classy environment in the freezing cold and embraced the experience in only the way Jonny can - while he lay in the sleeping bag stark naked Janie remained fully clothed next to him. I don´t think it was quite what our arctic hero wanted but it was clearly all he was going to get.
Don´t get me wrong. Janie is no wall flower and reliant on a man to do everything for her: oh no, not this girl; this is a lady who, having been knocked unconscious and lying in a coma for four weeks suddenly woke up because her dog arrived hidden under hubby´s coat and leapt all over her while she lay in a hospital bed. In fact it was she who was solely responsible for the meal we were about to enjoy, and I don´t mean just the cooking of it.
While doing the school run a few days before the road had been covered in snow she had found a deer laying prostrate on the ground. It had clearly only just passed over to the "venison capital´s pearly gates". Not one to miss an opportunity, Janie instantly recognized it as ideal ingredients for our supper. Attempts to load deer into the back of the old land rover found it wouldn´t fit. But it sat nicely in the front passenger seat, and strapping the seat belt around the beast she triumphantly made her way homeward, while Bambi spent the journey with its tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth, while staring rudely at its driver.
Back home the incapacitated Jonny gave her a crash course in butchery handing her the appropriate knives, while she followed his instructions. The resulting pate, and venison steaks served with roast potatoes and creamed artichokes, was superb.
Ann models a Jonny Beardsall fox hat
With only five runners in the whole of November it was great to see Salerosa still taking what seems to be her rightful place in the winner´s enclosure at Southwell. And the mad French horse Dr Valentine (who is no longer mad) made a sensible appearance over hurdles at Wetherby. He was pulled up in the home straight, but was well behaved - which, given what we had been through to get him there - made it a very successful day. He will improve significantly for that, and more importantly, he enjoyed the experience.
'Harry´, our eight-week-old German shepherd puppy, is a new addition to the Duffield household, and having bribed George with a stick of rock to come with me to collect him promising it wasn´t too far past Carlisle - we set off one Friday afternoon. George has been in no mood for travel since his retirement and now needs blinkers and a cattle prodder to get him in car.
The journey was one of colourful expletives - the likes of which you are only likely to hear inside the weighing room - and the stick of rock didn´t do much, and failed to have the desired effect of gluing his jaws together. However, once he got over my poor geography (the puppy´s breeder actually lived close to Hamilton) and set eyes on Harry, all was quickly forgiven. Harry has settled in very quickly and is supremely intelligent so George and I should not have to worry too much any more, Harry will take over all important decisions.
Harry - The New Recruit!
Wednesdays and Saturdays continued to be hunting days with The Wyvill Arms meet taking place at the end of the month. Traditionally a good meet, and this time I had my old school chums Sally and Fiona with their hubby´s who had been to stay with us, and were there to see us off. We used to admit how long we had known each other, but now it has been so long we deny it, (in truth it is slightly more than forty years).
I rode Captain Jack, while George rode the mare Matilda, not usually a wise move as he hates her, and today was to be no different - but having lent good old Stripey, his war horse to fellow jockey Philip Makin for the day, it was Matilda or nothing.
The stream at the back on Constable Burton Hall is about eight to ten feet wide with steepish banks and is quite unpleasant because it is awkward for horses to cross. They have to tip-toe on the very edge of the bank, and then at some stage, hurl themselves across to the other side. You never know quite when they are going to produce this maneuver and invariably you get whiplash. The unlucky ones come off backwards.
I kept an eye on George trying to find the easiest way across, and held my breath as Matilda stopped, had a good look at the stream, and then leapt about twenty feet into the air before coming down steeply on the bank at the other side. George meanwhile was airborne for what seemed an eternity: luckily the mare was in the right place when he came back down. I stayed in front of George & Matilda knowing I was safer leading than in behind in this instance, and besides Jack is an utterly reliable lead horse to follow and the mare loves him.
After a couple of hedges the double set of five-bar gates jumped well for those of us up front, although in behind there was carnage and the field was suddenly, temporarily reduced to a third of its original size.
Next came some straightforward timber jumps before the small field of about eight edged left heading towards a large looking hedge with a larger looking set of post and rails in front of it. The fieldmaster Paul Hodgeson jumped it but there was no sign of him landing. He came back into view after 30 yards into the field which told us all we needed to know: there was a very big drop indeed on the landing side.
With a usually brave lady directly in front of me deciding to give it a miss - she cut across me carrying me wide, so putting George and Matilda in front of me heading into the fence. Not a good idea I thought: Matilda and George, big hedge and big drop. Bad combination. Matilda is a brilliant jumper but there is no doubt that she goes better for a lady rider.
I watched closely as I followed them, and for a moment it looked like she was totally committed to it, as Jack and I got closer and closer to Matilda we were in exactly the right place providing she jumped it clean, if not we might be in trouble. The very last stride as she took off - she changed her mind sending me flying out of the side door. Great, not only does my own horse "do" me but she was ridden by my beloved! Luckily Paul Murphy, trainer and son of Ferdy Murphy, was there on foot and helped me to get back on board.
Ann works her hunters
With even less runners than in November [two] it was fantastic to see Salerosa winning yet again, her seventh race, again at Southwell. But this time she showed all the signs that she has had enough of racing for the time being. Not wanting to leave the saddling box was quite out of character for her and enough to tell me it´s time to call it a day. At Sedgefield Dr Valentine, the ex French convict and reprobate, came second over hurdles confirming his liking for jumping and a newly acquired affability.
The yearlings continue to make progress but disaster strikes when the lovely Green Desert filly, which I was very happy to have secured for a song at £9.500, broke her hind leg in the lunging ring and was put down. The entire yard was gutted. We have never before lost two yearlings in quick succession, and the old saying 'where there is livestock there must also be dead stock´ didn´t make it feel any easier. The other yearlings have all done their initial groundwork and have been doing good canters upsides and in groups, as well as walking through the stalls without hesitation. It´s time to ease off and let them relax for a while.
George has x-rays following a lot of neck and shoulder pain, discovering he has damage to three vertebrae and a trapped nerve. The snow is falling heavily and we find ourselves isolated. Christmas week sees the gallop frozen and the three horses left in training can´t get out. The walkers are our saving grace.
Ann & George with their hunters
The year has been kind to us on the whole: we are all happy and healthy and the 28 winners we eventually managed was not too bad for a yard with only 30 horses in training. 'Team Duffield´ go into 2010 full of hope- as always.
August, September and October 2009
Hels Angel's defeat at Epsom is still a bit raw, it´s annoying sending horses such a long way and getting beaten when we clearly she should have won, but that's racing. A four horse race with one tailed off made getting boxed in on the rail very unpalatable. Have had dozens of calls calling for Royston´s head (jockey) - he made sure my horse could not get out - but actually he was only doing his job and did not come off a straight line; it was just a shame that the yard to whom he cost a winner (ours), happened to be one that has given him a great deal of support in the past, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
1st August saw the good looking first-time-out Sharp Shoes running no sort of race at Thirsk. San Silvestro finished 2nd at Hamilton, he has to have his own way, and the others runners were not playing ball so he chucked the toys out of his pram without a moment´s thought. What A Fella, Hells Angel, Bavarian Nordic, Just Lille, Firetrap, Highly Acclaimed, Josephine Malines, MadamX all contributed in the yards tally of 17 winners and placed horses from 43 runners.
Newcastle August 5th and I should have been in Ireland trying a two year old out, but with our test pilot GD going down with a virus (obviously swine flu) it had to be cancelled at the last minute. So I headed off up the A1 to saddle Angelo Poliziano (The Italian Gangster as our physio calls him) to win his race at Newcastle under Silvestre, his impressive victory was down to blinkers and holding up tactics. The ultra-consistent and heavily penalized Diamond Daisy wins again at Thirsk. Just Lille is touched off in a valuable event at her favourite track Hamilton due to the rain softened ground. Our yard's exciting looking two year old colt "Spying" follows up his debut win by winning again at Newcastle; and Diamond Daisy tries to follow up her win just three days ago, but only manages a third; trainer error I think running her too soon after a tough race at Thirsk and unable to defy the penalty. Among the good runs the nice colt Sharp Shoes is unable to live up to his name and the shoes take him very slowly round Pontefract to finish stone last. Think it´s time the knife is sharpened.
On the Monday of the St Leger sales Harry Findlay pays a visit to the yard with his gambling side-kick Glen, racing manager Anthony Fortescue- Thomas and wife Anjela. Harry phones on route here with an announcement that he has come without his passport and didn't realize you could travel so far North and still be in Britain. They arrived in some style in Glens blue Bentley, please park round the back I asked - we don't like scrap cars outside Sun Hill.
Dinner at the fabulous Wensleydale Heiffer followed, Harry was impressed. Harry Findlay, he who thought the world stopped North of Watford was hooked. A lover of good food and fish he revelled in the quality and abundance at the Heifer. We sampled almost every starter on the menu and all the best main course dishes. If Harry worried about his weight, he needn't have, the bedroom I put him in was above our kitchen, directly above the aga which had gone AWOL, somehow doubling its own temperature turning the room above into a sauna. The following morning Harry was relieved to cool off but, after rooting through the car boot discovered he had no more clothes with him, so his tour of the yard and trip across to the gallops was made wearing pyjamas. Priceless.
At Doncaster Sales we bought a tall, strong and impressive son of Choisir; a smaller but compact and easy going son of the hugely successful Marju; and a handy, precocious looking son of the first season sire Kodiac, himself a half brother to Invincible Spirit - and by the great sire Danehill. An athletic looking son of the first season sire Indesatchel, and joining them, a well related, active daughter of Kyllachy who had failed to make enough in the ring but, happily she later found her way to Sun Hill.
Choisir Yearling
Other runners continue to go well, but it's the grand mare Just Lille who really gives us a surprise on the second day of the St Leger Yearling Sales. Watching the TV in between lots being sold both GD and I are convinced our seven furlong to a mile and a quarter winner will not stay the one mile seven furlongs without the help of a horsebox. Stable jockey Silvestre, who opted to ride another yard's horses elsewhere, form man Keith Bradley also agree: only the owner is game, the mare is ridden by the up and coming apprentice Jack Mitchell. No one warned Lille how far she had to go and she didn't seem to notice either, travelling strongly and staying on well she collected the attractive conditions race prize with her usual vigour. How wrong can you be? I might have trained her for the race but that's all I did. The rest is down to Rob Hallett - whose partner Helen Wynn's colours are carried by Just Lille. Rob and Helen have always been fantastic owners; lucky too, they also owned the prolific race mare Prairie Sun who won our yard ten staying races on the flat and over hurdles and who is now a broodmare with a Needwood Blade filly at foot and recently tested in foal to Tobougg.
The exciting colt Spying wins again on his second visit to the races, this time at Newcastle where he pulled clear of the second horse, who had in turn pulled well clear of the third. The Duchess of Sutherland was thrilled, especially as he was a homebred providing her with her third winner of the season.
Spying wins well
September saw our runners still out there doing their bit for the yard; Whispering Spirit confirmed her liking for Catterick's sharp bends by recording her second victory at the track. Bavarian Nordic just failing to register a double on the day for us. At Sedgefield Berriedale takes to hurdling well winning the juvenile hurdle race on her first run over timber and providing Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland with her fourth winner of the campaign. The result was hardly a shock to us but the big surprise was taking second with Strevelyn whose owner got 250/ 1, in fact the exacta paid a massive £860 to a £1.00 stake. Bliss; if only we were on!
Horses still happy and going well, producing 13 winners/ placed horses from 32 runners this month, and best of all, the good looking Sharp Shoes reacted well to the knife by coming 2nd at Haydock Park; a big improvement. We think he will make a nice horse next year; his sire Needwood Blade certainly got better with time.
The recently postponed trip to Ireland finally got off the ground but the test pilot wasn't impressed; working with two other horses over seven furlongs he failed to quicken the way you would have liked. A better three year old prospect? Probably, but not what we wanted right now.
The rest of the month was spent mostly at yearling sales. In Ireland we bought two very nice youngsters at Goffs. A fabulous Kyllachy filly for Harry Findlay; and a very athletic colt, again by Kodiac: the craic is good about these Kodiac's and they certainly look the part. If they turn out well we will be pleased to have bought a couple when we were able to; if he turns out to be a good freshman stallion our purse strings won't stretch that far and we won't get near them next year. Newmarket part one yearling sales start, highly expensive and without any big money orders we stay at home; plenty of work to do. The big hitters aka the Arabs kept the sale alive by buying the vast majority of the nicer lots, their ongoing dispute with Coolmore still rumbling away in the background.
Part two of the sale is more our bag, some nice quality horses at more reasonable levels, we are looking only at fillies but we are as surprised as anyone at how hard it is to actually buy the horses we want. The Arabs have relinquished their desire to buy only the higher priced horses on offer and are now insistent on buying anything that looks the part, in all price ranges. However, we can hardly complain as they have been propping up racing for years, now deep in recession we need them more than ever but, we also need horses to run ourselves - but can't buy them. Trainers and owners simply cannot compete, and the unrest and bad feeling amongst the ranks was palpable.
We have only one firm order for a filly and spend all day Sunday inspecting every filly due through the ring on the Monday, taking a closer look at those fillies on offer by Coolmore stallions as at least we know who won´t be bidding for them. Eventually we come home with four lovely girls by Hurricane Run, Refuse to Bend, Smart Strike and One Cool Cat, bringing our total to 11 yearlings so far. Not as many as I would like, but more that I might have had, and the welcome news that Miss Rausing is sending a filly, and The Duchess Of Sutherland is sending the sister to Spying - boosts the numbers a little more.
One Cool Cat Yearling
The end of October and the majority of the horses are roughed off, enjoying a well earned rest. With only a couple left to race on the all weather and over hurdles the routine on the yard has changed. The staff are going home for long holidays and the horses are enjoying time out in paddocks with their friends during the day. I would dearly love more horses in to train during the winter either for the all weather or national hunt racing but things are as they are and I do quite enjoy the time out and ability to have a bit of a normal existence - whatever that is? The winners tally from the 30 odd horses in training this season stands at 26 including a couple of jump winners so all in all no complaints, although I would dearly love to be able to hit the 30 winner mark, equalling our best ever tally from the year before last.
Fillies relaxing in the paddcok
October 31st heralds the new hunting season.
The opening meet with The Bedale Hounds is finally upon us, I haven't been mounted at the opening meet for many years, even when I hunted with the Zetland I rarely made it, preferring to see them off on foot although I do try to get out for second horse and this year was no exception. George went out on Stripey and had quite a bit of fun; a hedge that claimed him last year failed to floor him this time. Madge and I enjoyed the afternoon although most of the jumping action was over by then. The second meet of the season on Wednesday November 4th was held at The Friars Head at Akebar where the traditional hunt breakfast was served. Mrs Ellwood's famous porridge was divine, or should I say the fabulous whiskey served with porridge, cream and sugar was to die for; seconds was a full English breakfast all washed down with Bucks Fizz or Black Velvet. I wanted to go to sleep afterwards not jump fences and gallop across fields. But then, we were all in the same boat, stomachs fit to burst we all mounted up and somehow managed to force another drink down before moving off. As is traditional we head downhill towards the stream over the first timber hunt jump of the day with a downhill landing which often manages to claim to odd one or two. Next is another hunt jump before splashing through the water and heading towards quite a decent hedge with a ditch behind, this one always catches a few out giving the foot followers standing at the top of the hill from a good vantage point a great laugh.
Madge nearly had me at this one last year when I followed Jack berry in who's horse refused right in front of me almost putting me on the floor. This year I made sure I got a good lead, she flew over it before turning left over the rails and away through the golf club, sticking tightly to the pathways. We covered a fair but of ground in a short time and jumped plenty, the usual array of fabulous Bedale country with which we are blessed, timber, hedges, ditches, jumping off roads, onto roads, you name it - we jumped it. Meanwhile, the list of casualties grew steadily, lots of lose horses and muddy jackets; Jack Berry, former trainer and friend and neighbour, and for a 73 year old a man far too brave for his own good at times, jumped the mother of all hedges with a massive ditch behind, the likes of which an army could hide in. Following George over it and clearing it well he managed to land ahead of his horse, out cold for fifteen minutes and totally unaware of the pandemonium around him. Mick Walsh our resident mounted ex-paratrooper and fully trained paramedic known as "the doc" roared into action scrambling the Air ambulance, produced his GPS system to help find the exact location of Jack's backside on the turf and sending up flares as a timely reminder that Bonfire night was only 24 hours away.
Guiding the helicopter in, using his Army training techniques, arms flailing dropping to his knees in exaggerated prayer to the mighty, while they gradually set the thing down, the paramedics already on the scene were busy cutting Jacks much loved 120 year old hunting coat off him. He had been proudly wearing it, a gift from his brother who had been in hunt service all his life. The coat had an impressive hunting CV, setting the shreds of the jacket aside they continued to chop off his hunting vest, then his breeches, by now an orderly queue had formed in case the boots were next. Not to be out done, two hedges later our Bedale Hunt Chairman went down in similarly impressive fashion, his treatment and revival consisted of a visit to the pub for a pint rather than a stint in the St James Cook hospital, followed I imagine, by a serious ticking off from his much more sensible wife. The day was far from over; George had led Jack's horse back to his place while its master was still residing in lala land. I by now happy to be home with dry clothes on and in one piece was summoned to Jacks in the wagon to collect George and Stripey. Jack and Jo's place is an immaculate combination of all things beautiful and tidy, like a little world of garden gnomes, ornamental walls and flower beds all arrived at by following the narrow drive to even narrower gateway. Turning the lorry round in such a tight space meant only one thing- more carnage as I swung it round and took out one of the posts designed to stop cars going on the grass, £600 quid later, not to mention the costs of haulage to take our Friday runners to the races while our box stood still in the repair shop. Still at least JB was alive and it wouldn't be long before he was kicking again.
Hunt tea followed at Sun Hill, rowdy and raucous, we finally wrapped the day up at midnight. Still, we got off lightly compared to hunt tea at Mary and Barry Tweddle's farm the following Saturday where a good game of cricket was enjoyed in Mary's kitchen using her scones as the ball.
On the racing front Salerosa recorded her sixth win of the year at Southwell and our 27th winner of the year. The improving mare is owned by the ever popular local business man David Barker who's wife and sister have been close friends of mine for about 20 years. The yearling's are doing well, the Indesatchel from Doncaster has been bought by Trevor Wilson owner of Minturno and What a fella, the Choisir colt by a new owner Jim Warander along with Diamond Daisy's owners Elaine and John Culf. The Marju colt is bought by a new syndicate called The Lucky Dip Syndicate, consisting of a group of owners whose horses we sold to the polo fraternity. The well related Kyllachy filly is bought by existing owners Les and Marilyn Sterling. >From Newmarket the order we had from Dave MacMahon was taken by the Hurricane Run filly, Dave also took half of the One Cool Cat filly, the Refuse to Bend has gone to Middleham Park Racing, while the Smart Strike half sister to Bavarian Nordic goes to Bavarian's owners.
The two Kodiac colts are the only two we have left to sell, they are both fabulous individuals. The two we had to take to Newmarket horses in training sale as part of the Findlay and Bloom dispersal sale both found their way back home, thankfully. Harry bought back Golden Gates while we bought Cian Rooney on spec before selling him the following day to Mr and Mrs MacPherson. Raceform's errors in the form book may well have been to our advantage, the form book recorded him as being disappointing in his runs at Doncaster and York wearing blinkers. Cian Rooney has never run at Doncaster or York, nor has he ever worn blinkers! At home the talented but quirky grey hunter of George's known as Oscar has buried good friend and accomplished horseman Jonny Beardsall breaking his shoulder, weeks later he does George twice in five minutes during a home schooling session and not for the first time, however it will be his last, unwilling to sell him at home he is heading back to Ireland. Disappointing perhaps but not half as upsetting as the Hurricane Run yearling filly we bought at Newmarket just a matter of weeks ago, she broke a pelvis and died, she hadn´t even been broken in but had already started showing us what a cracking filly she was.
Among the insurance paperwork is a court summons from Co Durham Police addressed to me, having already had a visit from a very nice police lady who drove all the way from Durham Headquarters especially to show me the DVD evidence of a vehicle registered to Sun Hill, the speeding driver is unidentifiable but is agreed that it is certainly not a woman with long blonde hair, I didn´t know what to think, am I impressed at the time, effort and costs to pursue a £60.00 fine or am I horrified at the huge costs and waste of Police time involved in this relatively minor incident when there are so many hideous and serious crimes being committed daily for which the Police surely need all their time and resources if they are to protect the public at large? Answers on a post card please.
May June & July 2009
Season just beginning to warm up for the yard now, as it usually does in May. During April we had plenty of encouragement with lots of placed horses and some frustrating near misses.
Horses are running very well, and with pleasing consistency. It bodes well for the rest of the season. Our quality horses owned by our main owner Mrs Steel are in great shape. Firebet, a fast improving three year old AND TWICE winner at two is looking amazing. He is rated 85 and while I think he has at least 10lbs up his sleeve I think he can improve much further and be good enough for Listed /Group three races. Even the not so easily impressed George D agrees with me .
The owner fancies going for the 2000 Guineas, but I explain running an as yet 85 rated horse against all those very highly rated horses at level weights, is really not a good idea.
Our first major goal is the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot. It takes an improving, progressive horse to win it and it's right up Firebet's street. A mile on a big galloping track run at a furious pace; no pussy footing around. It will be a truly run race but first we need to climb up in the ratings, not too much or he will carry too much weight, but just enough to get him in the RACE.
His first outing as reported in the April Diary was at Ripon, where Michael Fenton rode him, challenging late with a storming run to just be denied the race in the final stages. Next stop is Newmarket where a good run will confirm his well being AND improvement. He finishes second to the Barry Hills trained Infiraad, tipped as being a group three contender, it too is going for Gold at Royal Ascot, hopefully not in the Britannia! Firebet's rating has increased to 88- an excellent mark for a horse with plenty left in the tank.
At Newmarket on Guineas day he proved he can handle the big occasion, having been a nervous and sensitive soul last year, one we had to be careful with, forever employing the softly softly approach. When I see how confident he is nowadays, I am very proud of him and glad we really took our time. Also glad I was not persuaded to run him in a Group three last year, as that would have been very premature. Like going for the guineas on level weights- foolish,not only because we would be so badly in but because stepping a horse up so much in class when not mentally ready for it can and frequently does, ruin them for life, we have all witnessed talented horses being wasted or being turned sour and never actually fulfilling their true potential due to being overfaced when they are not ready for it.
He could have one more run in an ordinary handicap or we might go straight there off 88 and let them try to catch him off that weight. I don't have runners at Royal Ascot, nothing good enough to go there with but this boy is different and this has been the plan since the winter. Owner is happy to go, trainer is determined to, form man Keith Bradley is very keen on the route chosen and even trainers husband (the sometimes pessimistic G Duffield) is up for it, getting out of bed with more zest than ever on work mornings.
Ann with Firebet
Mrs Steel's two year old Ghostwing is a real horse in the making. He's working with Firebet and beats him three lengths receiving only 7lbs. Pontefract is the chosen track for his first foray into racing and unfortunately it looks a well above average maiden. He finishes third, but I am surprised he was beaten after the way he works at home, but, showing blistering pace he burnt himself out having been the only runner to take on the winner turning for home, he will learn a lot form this and will make amends next time: he looks a class horse.
The same day Mrs Steel's expensive purchase by Galileo makes her racecourse debut, a big strong stayer in the making - she was incredibly weak last year - too weak to do herself justice, in fact. She had shown nothing to get excited about and having spent weeks out at grass in Summer we took the decision not to run her at two, but to give her time. Indeed that decision paid dividends almost immediately. Now she is finally growing into her frame and had, albeit only a few weeks prior to her first racecourse appearance, started to work like a racehorse should. I called the owners having just watched her complete her best work to date and told them there was "a light at the end of the tunnel". Her maiden at Pontefract was a warm affair but she ran a very creditable fourth having been hampered, in fact she was a bit keen so a drop back in trip next time will teach her to settle better.
May 4th Beverley, we run three in the 0-55 classified stakes race for three year olds only. It looks a great opportunity to get off the mark, Suitably Accoutred is a stayer in the making but remains a bit weak. Marillos Proteras is the same but has a bit more speed .. Berriedale is a madam, moody but with ability; can give a lot of trouble in the stalls but has decided she likes me for some reason.
Out of the shadows- Horses walking back down the gallop
She has more pace than the others but is drawn appallingly in stall one - even for a mile and a half race. At Southwell in her last run she hated the surface and was in foul mood, wouldn't be saddled and worse than usual loading the gates. This time the mood was good and she practically ran into the stalls. I did not see the race in its entirety due to my stalls location but had managed to reach the finishing line in time to see her thunder past in front at odds of 40/1! Good to get the yard off the mark and particularly delighted to be able to give Evelyn Duchess of Sutherland, a new owner to the yard, her first winner for five years and with a home bred filly.
It is vital that Berriedale runs again quickly off a penalty as the handicapper advises me she is going up 12lbs, so a 6 lbs penalty is obviously preferable. She is declared to run again and is balloted out; her next two races also see her balloted out, and her chance to win off a decent mark again is long gone.
It was the very start of the new season and May was proving to be a good month for the yard. Every thing felt positive and there was so much promise of better things to come. On Saturday May 16th we took a dozen horses away to work when a text message arrived from my main owners Mr and Mrs Steel. Unhappy that we might not be able to have Michael Fenton on board their filly on Sunday, and those entered the following Tuesday. They told me not to make any more entries/ declarations while they reconsider their future position. I could run Lady Luachmhar if I so wished, as she was already declared, but they would not be at the track. Perhaps May wasn't so good after all...
It is of course very difficult for new owners to understand the often unusual way racing works, not least of all where jockeys are concerned. We all know racing can be complicated, confusing, and frustrating: it is often downright contradictory, and what can be absolutely the right thing in one situation can be patently the wrong thing for in another.
On Sunday May 17th Lady Luachmhar won the maiden at Ripon under an excellent ride by Seb Sanders, beating an exciting looking newcomer of Tom Tate's. Seb loved the filly he said she showed great aptitude for racing, and thought she would continue to improve with time and racing experience. It was, after all, only her second time on a track. Seb and Michael Fenton -(who rode her in her first race) both thought she was good enough to attain black type and while I couldnt be that confident, certainly the improvement she showed from her homework as a two year old was colossal and she has the potential to improve year on year providing she was not over faced.
On the Monday trainer Mr Fahey sent two lorries to collect all nine horses owned by Mrs Steel.
I could not bear to see them leave. I headed off for Wolverhampton leaving George to oversee events, making sure all the horses were loaded safely and left us in prime condition. Firebet, Ghostwing, Lady Luachmhar, Pacific Bay and six fabulous two year olds were taken away. The Fahey traveling head lad commented on the fantastic condition they were all in; my vet who had vetted them all that morning said the same.
The atmosphere on the yard was terrible. Once the horses had left, all of us were gutted. It was, quite simply, the worst of all body blows. And we all felt its full force.
That same weekend Hel's Angel wins first time out at Thirsk. Diamond Daisy still knocking on the door with another second and third behind stablemate Hel's Angel, Salerosa picks up the winning thread from last backend by winning twice more, as well as finishing second third and fourth. Minturno wins at Redcar.
San Silvestro has been transformed by his schooling sessions over hurdles courtesy of jump jockey Keith Mercer, and manages to go very close at Newcastle before winning at Musselburgh under an interesting and informative ride from 5lb claimer Barry Mqhue. Barry was in contention in the final furlong when, having given San Silevstro a couple of sharp backhanders the horse put his head in the air and stopped going forwards. Accidentally Barry dropped his stick, the horse sensing this stuck his head out and went on to win quite cosily. Ok San Silvestro, message received!
Very importantly we managed second and third in a Listed race at Pontefract with fillies Just Lille - rated 87 and Lady Rangali - who is rated just 83. A very important move as it will add to their appeal as broodmares and encourage buyers, if and when they go to the sales. Just Lille goes on to finish a very gallant second in the feature race at Hamilton two days after her second in the listed race. She deserves to win a bigger race soon. Between her and Lady Rangali they have earned almost twenty two thousand pounds in three days, without actually winning. However Just Lille was soon back in the winners enclose in a valuable race at Hamilton, and ran a blinder in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock.
Apart from one or two of the horses being adversely affected by the high pollen count, the others are all running very well indeed. Many trainers reckon oil seed rape is a killer, and they curse the time of year when the countryside surrounding them is bright yellow. But for my boys and girls it seems the grass and tree pollen at certain times is worse and I try some specially made drops which de-sensitize them. Angelo Politician and Berriedale are especially effected some days, but the drops work a treat as Angelo wins impressively under Silvestre De Sousa at Wolverhampton.
Its June and the BBC's coverage of Royal Ascot has been as impressive, fun, and informative as ever. The proof that we had got it right about Firebet's potential was there for all to see. Only it didn't matter any more. It is clear he would not only have run very well in the Britannia but, barring falling over or some other such unlikely event taking place, he would have won. The winner is not a fast improving sort. In fact the first four home were handicapped to the hilt and separated by less than half a length. There was certainly no Firebet in the line up. Our loss is compounded when Firebet goes on to show how good he is, but at least Mr Fahey was magnanimous enough to admit that he had inherited some very smart animals, and among them the seriously well handicapped and improving horse Firebet, saying on live TV that he was only reaping the rewards of our hard work.
The winners continue to flow. San Silvestro wins again at Musselburgh, under an excellent ride from Barry (without the whip). Other winners include Suitably Accoutred at Hamilton, Mintuno follows up with a second win this season at Ayr. What A Fella loses the nickname given to him by his owner of What a Failure when scoring at Hamilton under a super ride from Amy Ryan, who was given the greatest of compliments a lady jockey can be given when George said: "You wouldn't know she was a girl"! There isn't a pro riding today who would have done a better job on that monkey of a horse!
Hel's Angel wins decisively at Pontefract recording her second race this season. Josephine Malines and Keith Mercer get the better of the great Tony Mcoy in an eternal tussle in a maiden hurdle at Cartmel when relishing the rain softened ground. Diamond Daisey who had been seemingly very harshly treated by Mr Handicapper won at Beverley and our two year olds start to fire with some real enthusiasm. Firetrap is the first to be placed followed by an unlucky Cian Rooney at Beverley who it must be said would have won had he not been boxed in approaching the final furlong, but at least he gave owner Harry Findlay a reason to get excited and the plot began to take shape for his next race. Harry is a one off; a real character, and as the larger than life owner of the great Steeplechaser Denman, he is also a huge supporter of small trainers like me. Harry provided a much needed boost last August at the yearling sales when he called me over and told me to buy a horse for him. The yard was seriously in the doldrums thanks to the outbreak of ringworm, and I couldn't see how we could possibly attract any new owners, let alone one of Harry's standing. I did ask him if he was sure because having had a crap year I was "pretty much unable to train pigs to be dirty!" Harry laughed and said he hadn't noticed and didn't care either. It was, according to him, the people that mattered. What a man.
Hel's Angel after her Pontefract win
Harry ended up buying two fabulous yearling's and he will never know quite how much that meant to me and George at a time when things were not great. You can imagine the sheer delight we both felt when Cian Rooney stormed up the hill at Pontefract on a busy Sunday to win his maiden when the Findlay money was down. The plan came together and we were thrilled, as was "Arry and his team". Later that same day our other runners ran well with Firetrap second at Carlisle, Angelo fourth, and Just Lille third at Ascot, to continue the good run from the majority of the Sun Hill horses
The following Wednesday we unearthed a horse we had high hopes for. Since he arrived as a yearling the tall, good looking chestnut colt always had something about him. He looks like a good horse, moves like one and just could be one. By Observatory, and appropriately named Spying, he was bred by Evelyn Duchess of Sutherland and was sent to us to train having been unable to take up his engagement at the sales due to a minor injury.
Her Grace came to send her horses to us following recommendations from the great breeder Miss Kirsten Rausing, and retired trainer Denys Smith who previously trained for her Grace and The Duke of Sutherland. So we have a lot to thank them for, especially after Spying romped home to easily to take what looked like being an above average maiden by two lengths at Beverley over the extended seven furlongs.
Evelyn Duchess of Sutherland and Ann at Beverley
Can we dream on? Well, time will tell, but I wish we had a yard full like him, although life with Spying hasn't been entirely straightforward. His arrival was delayed by weeks when he panicked and tried to smash up the horse box bringing him here. Upon arrival at Julie Wilson's breaking yard he presented me with his front feet at my head hight by way of an introduction before giving Julie several good doses of migraine. Back at Sun Hill he was so sharp that only the evergreen, light and still very agile George, or James our head lad were able to come close to actually staying on board during exercise, although he did unship them both with relative ease. At Beverley on his first foray in racing he behaved reasonable well although he was a bit tricky to saddle up, stamping his feet into a bucket of water sending the entire contents all over George's trousers making it look as though he had missed the lamp-post in the wind. In the parade ring when I legged up Silvestre he put on a bit of a show as many two year olds do, making out that he hadn't actually been broken in until his arrival at the track.
The stats for a relatively small yard have been pretty solid, the horses have run consistently well, and apart from last season which yielded only 16 winners thanks to the seriously debilitating bout of ringworm, the past four and a half seasons have seen us notch up approaching 430 winners and placed horses; 104 of those being the winners (mostly Flat). It would be great it we can, despite the setbacks and lack of numbers, beat our best season total of 30 winners. We are on the 21 mark at the time of writing.
While the yard is swinging along nicely, life on the home front is pretty much the same as usual except our part time housekeeper is absent. So the house cleaning bit falls to me, although George is well house trained, he is also used to cooking his own breakfast each day while I am otherwise engaged on the yard. The evening ritual is the same, after evening stables I always try to be out of the office by 7pm to maintain some kind of family life and normality, and to cook dinner, the process of which is probably nothing short of amusing. I clatter round the kitchen, boiling, mashing, chipping, frying, and trying not to burn the dinner but not noticing if I do as the mobile remains clued to my right ear so I can discuss race plans with owners who probably never have to think about where their fabulously prepared Chateaubriand has come from, all done as the dishwasher is loaded, the dog fed, kitchen polished and George's shirts and the bedlinen for the holiday cottages ironed ready for the next changeover (thank God I don't have to do those as well). Note to self "as not doing too well as a domestic Goddess must earn more cash to pay someone more able". Racehorse trainer is one thing, but wife of, and mother to, is altogether a different story, especially when the hubby suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsory disorder) and cannot stand untidiness or a mess of any kind. While the nineteen year old son has the opposite disorder where teenage blindness bought on by the male hormone testosterone stops him seeing the mess he makes or the trail of domestic destruction he leaves behind him.
Ann relaxing with her son
We are now on the cusp of yearling sales season and our own runners will slow down slightly. Numerically speaking we just don't have the required firepower to keep running the same number of horses and many of the older ones have already raced eight or nine times winning and being placed with regular consistency; they cannot go on forever, the petrol runs out eventually. We need the two year olds to really start to pick up the baton from now on. While everyone knows we are more than capable of properly preparing yearlings for racing nothing attracts new owners than being reminded of that by them winning. I have no idea at this stage how many yearlings we will be buying or will be sent to us from breeders but I would be delighted to get to the twenty or thirty mark, it is, after all a numbers game and we have promises of some very nice types and a few orders are starting to come in.
Personally I have learned a lot this last couple of months. I have been reminded that life is short so there no point worrying; that this is only a game after all, and there really are more important things going on in the big wide world than the seemingly vital things that occupy one's own tiny space. That people you thought were honest - were not, and people you didn't know cared: actually care a great deal. For those people let's hope we at Sun Hill can keep up the good work.
April 2009
Our annual Stables Open Day on Good Friday (April 10th) was brilliant. We had a fantastic crowd and they loved the Bedale Foxhounds being with us on the day. Bedale MFH Andrew Osbourne was in his usual high spirits looking resplendent on his gorgeous giant hunter. Kennel-huntsman Richard Tabberer was with him and the pack of hounds they bought along delighted in creating havoc, much to the delight of the crowds.
Andrew spent most of the afternoon hoisting delighted kiddies up on to his horse while answering questions and regaling the fascinated crowds with amusing stories and anecdotes, although I am sure he toned some of his tales down a bit - at least I hope he did! Andrew is one of the most intelligent and amusing people to be around. Goffs Sales in Ireland have asked me to join in one of their sales promotions in which I have to name my favourite restaurant near Goffs in Kildare, and which five people I would invite to have dinner with me: Andrew would certainly be one of them!
Open Day 2009
Rich Roastings, whose huge hog roast was happily cooking on the spit when the hounds got a whiff and attempted to steal the lot. Richard tried hard to keep tabs on the hounds, while our own hunters Captain Jack and the famous Stripey were both 'hot shod' in front of a bemused audience, and both horses almost took off to join the hounds when Andrew sounded his horn.
We got some fantastic feedback, and sold a couple of shares in horses too. Not as good as previous years, but that was to be expected under the current economic climate. The raffle and book sales from our own authors: Jack Berry's 'One To Go', and George's 'Gentleman George' and John Betteridge's 'Born to deal' : a book written by the man who at one time used to find all the hunt horses for the Meynell Hunt.
John, now retired from horse dealing, is still an avid follower of hunting and his daughter Sarah is a very keen and competent horsewoman who, although a practicing Doctor in Lincolnshire, drives up North twice a week to hunt with the Bedale. Our authors’ contributions went towards the grand total of almost £1,500 for charities: the Injured Jockeys fund have already received the royalties from Jack's books along with further donations from the book sales on the day.
The raffle prizes were particularly popular, especially the 10% share in the two-year-old Brave Companion. We donated a morning on the gallops and breakfast with George and me (cooked by the man of the house). Estha, one of our dear friends whose job it was to help sell the tickets, remarked that the lady who won the breakfast prize looked extremely ladylike and offered that she would be “in for a shock” sitting at our breakfast table! Luckily the lady in question happens to be the wife of one of our owners - so she is well used to us by now.
We've started running a few, a couple have already showed their hand and are not good enough to keep; they have already been re-homed.
Diamond Daisy is the first runner I expected to go well. She was just beaten half a length at Warwick by a horse rated 2lb lower. Mr Handicapper puts her up two pounds, forcing her out of 0-60 races.
I ring Mr Handicapper and he tells me he thinks she should come on for the run as it was first time out. That is not an assumption he should make; his job is not to handicap them on how much a horse MIGHT improve, but rather to handicap them on the evidence in front of him. Besides, I point out, she couldn't be any fitter. But he didn't listen to me, and I am not impressed. He suggests I should run her quickly this week before his new mark comes in to place. He must know her better than I do - in fact, he must train her.
Firebet is next at Ripon in the Cock of the North Handicap - a warm affair. Michael Fenton rides; he is settled at the back, comes through with a storming run, gets stopped twice and dead heats for second place, when finishing strongly (he was 25/1 and will never be that price again).
On the same day Just Lille runs a stormer in the conditions race finishing third behind two highly rated horses.
A few more have had their third runs now and will soon be in handicap company. Sadly some look slow as two-year olds, and they will be slow as three-year-olds. The unfortunate thing is that because many of horses were ill last year, it wasn't possible to get a handle on them, and understandably owners don't want to replace horses that haven't been tried yet.
Hopefully, we will find a race somewhere for them during the summer, as luckily they seem to act on firm ground which will help enormously when the races cut up on fast ground. The dry ground is becoming a major problem. Heavy rain for months, and then no rain at all. Our all-weather gallop is drying up; we need a bore hole and watering system installing, but it will have to wait; need to get 'le crunch' over with first.
Diamond Daisy runs for the second time this season at Wolverhampton. Daisey loved the surface, got the extra furlong well, but was beaten again to be a brave second despite having to knock her way out of a gap. The Barry Hills trained 13/8 fav has improved and won very well. My friend Mr Handicapper advises me he is increasing us again; we can’t win off 59 or 61 yet he thinks we can be competitive of 62. Great. At least the new Australian handicapper conceded I was right that my filly had indeed not improved for her first run at Warwick, as I had already told him. Oh, how I feel better now he has said that!
Other handicapping news: Firebet who was so gallant at Ripon finishing second has gone up 3lbs to 88, while Just Lille who ran so well to finish 3rd when 'wrong' at the weights has been dropped 2lbs. Good news presents itself in mysterious ways, but I (telepathically) thank the handicapper nonetheless. You won't be surprised to know it wasn't the Aussie who was responsible for her race.
With the horses looking and running very well I am confident of a good year, but also frustrated that we haven't had a winner yet, several times we have been so close and yet so far.
Looking forward to running some two-year-olds. Won't be long now... took Ghostwing to Ripon on Sunday April 26th for a bit of racecourse education; his second trip away from home to gallop and it did him the world of good. George rode him, taking a lead from What a Fella - a very fast and talented individual who does not put it in at the track: the ‘grey bomber’ (Ghostwing) did it well, and he looks the real deal. He is ready to go and will be our first two year old runner at Pontefract on Wednesday April 29th.
Our truck, which is on contract hire, is due to be returned very soon so a replacement four wheel drive is required. Terry Holdcroft, one of our owners, just happens to own several large dealerships in the Midlands (Holdcroft Motors) and has provided a fantastic deal on a Nissan something or other; big and black, four wheel drive, with every conceivable extra on it for a seriously good price. I am delighted. It arrives but George can't reach the pedals. Never mind, with some radical seat adjusting, all will be well.
March 2009
Loved watching Cheltenham 2009: first class racing. It’s a week George & I look forward to: bottle of fizz to share, and phones off the hook; (someone doing 'research’ always seems to call wanting “just 10 minutes’ of your time”.)
I did have a chuckle recently after reading about a family of high achievers who had collectively tipped the family weighbridge at an incredible 80 stone, despite their claim to eating hardly anything? Marvellous: they remind me of a filly we train called Venetian Lady for two smashing (and slim) owners. Our staff had a lot fun stable-naming the filly after a rather large TV personality; can’t say who, but you might enjoy trying to guess.
Venetian Lady arrived here carrying so much condition she looked like a show hunter, but with proper diet and training the weight slowly came off. Once she learned how to gallop properly, the blancmange disappeared from her middle, and she put up a good performance to be placed at Wolverhampton on her penultimate run last November.
She was immediately raised in the weights by Mr (official) Handicapper. But, notwithstanding the handicapper's apparent determination to put a stop to her chances of winning, Venetian Lady is on a roll and now looks (almost) as svelte, sexy and fit as any of our equine athletes. So much so, that she has her own page on Face book with a following of over 20 new friends and fans.
Once when we were particularly short staffed I took on a man to help with the mucking out. He weighed 26 stone when he arrived, but less than twelve months later - his trousers now having to be held up with baler twine - he tipped our yard’s weighbridge at 16 stone. He left when I suggested sending him an invoice for his dramatic weight loss while at The Sun Hill Fat club! He left work and returned to the confines of his own kitchen, and I hear he now weighs 28 stone.
Had email from a lady in the village complaining that one of my steeds has trodden on her grass verge. In 10 years this is the first occurrence of this kind, but she still pleads compensation all the same. Time for some humble pie: I email her a nice note back promising to send head gardener George D and his team to repair the damage if she so wished.
Insurance policy's due this month. Been shopping around for a bargain and found a fantastic deal with Lycetts Hamilton's, which has halved our premiums. So I recommend them highly to anyone with a business wanting to reduce overheads.
Racecourse gallop at Southwell
Horses look well, and are coming on nicely in their work. Took 14 older horses to Southwell racecourse for a bit of a workout. George D, Mickey Fenton, and Martin - one of our senior work-riders; along with our two apprentices, Andy Mullen and Sam Drury, all rode in all the gallops. Martin looked like dying - he’s clearly not fit, and needs to quit smoking, George D still as fit as a fiddle at 62. No wonder our owners keep asking him to make a comeback: if the recession hits us any harder, he might have to.
One three year old filly refused point blank to load into the lorry going to Southwell. She is a particularly stroppy young lady at the best of times, and wouldn’t budge until we brought her best friend Nutty the goat, and allowed them to travel together.
Nutty the goat helps out at Southwell
March 31st Daily Mail headlines say: ‘Footballer Michael Owen needs to decide what he wants to do, play football or concentrate on training racehorses.’ Priceless: one will earn him a fortune, while the other will take it from him.
Sold a two-year-old by first season sire Firebreak. He’s a very nice two-year-old (Ann: do you have his racing name?) which has matured particularly well since last year. His breeder, Terry Holdcroft of Bearstone Stud (where Firebreak stands at stud) and myself, have kept a leg in this two-year-old, and we’ve have been joined by both a new, and one of our existing owners who have taken up the remaining shares.
Firebreak was well and truly off the mark as a sire when his son Hearts of Fire (trained by Pat Eddery) won this year’s Brocklesby at Doncaster (the Brocklesby is traditionally the first two-year-old race of every Flat racing season.)
Firebreak himself was a real improver. Owned and trained by the Godolphin team, he was one of a select band who raced internationally and won Group races at the ages of two, three, four and five. He won nine of his 22 starts, won seven Group races, and his total racecourse earnings were £1,566,073 Quite a racehorse.
February 2009
Started cantering the majority of the horses, with a few backward ones still on the roads. We still have one 2yo not broken-in yet. She came in very late; in fact she had lived out all year until the last week of January. She’s been named Brave Companion, as that is what she has been - a companion for an expensive and very beautiful Indian Ridge Filly. Yet she looks amazing, and the box walking she apparently did before coming here has disappeared.
Our main barn, in which the potential earlier runners live, has had its major steam clean and been disinfected; shavings have replaced the straw they were bedded on during winter. The other big barn will follow soon, after which we will maintain our usual monthly steam clean. The horses have been vaccinated and wormed this month; the horse dentist is due for his week-long stay any time now. Glad I don’t have his job.
The Yard undergoing a major steam clean & disinfect
Most disappointingly, a couple of owners have called to say they are struggling financially and can’t send the horses back into training just yet. One very nice filly of theirs we won a nice race with last year, can’t come back at all as she has been leased to someone who has their horses trained in the south (shame on them) - she was an absolute cow to handle in the stalls and never went in without me. I wonder if she will miss me?
The fresh horses have had an enjoyable time trying to get rid of riders, with some notable success. Firebet threw Jimmy Bleasdale out of the side door as he came out of the yard into the snow. Ian our South African lad went to his rescue and ended up skiing down the yard behind Firebet who thought it was marvellous. Spying, a rather nice 2yro colt, has developed immaculate timing and whipped round under George - who had just made the comment that his saddle was starting to slip a bit. You can guess the rest!
The snow has been horrendous; we had almost a foot of it for nearly three weeks. Luckily we’ve been able to get the horses out every day: we would be lost without our three horse walkers, lunge ring and the gravel path to our all-weather gallop which keeps us off the lane when it’s really icy. Everywhere looks lovely when it is white, but looks such a mess when the snow goes. Roll on the summer!
Former top jockey & Sun Hill work rider Jimmy Bleasdale in a blizzard
In the office, Leanne has had a make over from diminutive (she is 4ft 8") secretary - to hulking yard man, as she helps with the mucking out before riding four lots; then goes back in the office to do paper work. And our website is also having a bit of a make over too with some new pictures so let me know what you think.
Our holiday cottage is having a paint job, and the builder is finishing the open fireplace on the second cottage which should be up and running by 1st April.
I haven’t been able to hunt much, apart from joining in second horse on the last day of our season. I usually get a quite a few half days, joining in after the racehorses have been out in the mornings, but this year we have missed so much due to the weather anyway. NB: I think MFH Andrew Osbourne must be a nightmare to live when he can’t hunt his hounds: George is like a bear with a sore head when he can’t get his hunting ‘fix’.
Our Open day on Friday April 10th - Good Friday - is looming, so during March there is plenty of extra work to do on that, and we have the Bedale Hounds here again this year as well as the Countryside Alliance; a hot shoeing demonstration by our farriers; Hog Roast; lost of prizes to be won including a share in Brave Companion!
Have a great month!
January 2009
The old saying goes: to become a jockey you have to be slightly unhinged, so does it follow that to be a racehorse trainer you have to be a total nutter? As a woman married to one of the former - and being one of the latter, I should know.
Writing about it though, is another matter, and when asked recently to write a regular column for the new online hunting magazine themastersvoice.co.uk I admitted to being a bit perturbed. But not one to shy away from a challenge, I promised to give it my best shot.
It was via a mutual love of hunting that bought my beloved and I together, although we were actually first introduced in the weighing room at Ripon races by fellow jockey and scouser John Lowe. I hunted with the Zetland at the time, while George had previously hunted with the Puckeridge & Thurlow on Mondays, Thursdays & Saturdays; while Tuesdays were spent with the Cottesmore, and Sundays drag hunting with the Cambridge University.
Ann & George out with The Bedale
Having previously spent winters riding abroad George had decided to stick around the UK for the sake of his children’s education. In those days, racing was run by people to whom the concept of Sunday racing was as foreign and ridiculous as the idea that hunting could be hijacked one day and actually made illegal.
With every Sunday off, and no all-weather race meetings, winter in England for George was a time for fun on the hunting field, and for riding without his knees under his chin. Hunting for me was the twice weekly affair it is for most of us, and the Zetland always seemed to give its followers great entertainment.
When I first hunted with them in 1987 Ernie Fenwick was field master; a great man to follow, and a good horse was imperative as the country was challenging. Willie