by Hayley
There's an awful lot that goes into winning a race. The groundwork at home, correct feed, picking the right race and booking the best jockey for your horse to name but a few factors, not to mention the countless variables beyond ones control, such as the ground conditions and fellow competitors.
One thing that Ann does like to make use of is headgear. As a trainer, you have a range of items at your disposal that are their to help you horse either concentrate, relax and/or focus; cheek-pieces, blinkers, visors, ear plugs, hoods - they can all be used to your advantage, and should you find a combination that works, it could well be a winning recipe.
Take Arnold for example. A lovely big horse that despite winning a race as a three-year-old, was always earmarked by Ann as a type that would best come to fruition as a 4yr old +. He made a decent seasonal debut this year but he was fast becoming his own worst enemy, pulling hard and burning out, failing to see out his races the way he should. And so, after pulling very hard at Beverley in May, the decision was made to apply a hood to drown out the noise and help him to relax. His next run was encouraging but a little more was needed to help him focus - cheekpieces. On the 17th June, Arnold returned to Beverley in first time hood and cheek pieces. As you will see in the video, he was a different horse and allowed the jockey to ride a proper race, rather than needing to fight him the whole way, and recorded his first win of the year. He has since won again at the East Riding track, and will possibly line up there again this coming Saturday. Fingers crossed the headgear can continue to 'work the oracle'...