Kelso

A good run from Four Fiddlers finishing 4th of 15, rain-softened ground just took the edge off his speed but travelled very nicely into the race turning for home.  Delighted with both the weekend runners coming 4th at 50-1, just a shame 4 Fidds wasn't 3rd!  Seem OK this morning though and both horses to look forward to.  Very cold & wet at Kelso and much of the day spent enjoying the warmth and hospitality of Rosie's Bistro, plenty of time in the car over the weekend, yesterday's journey made very entertaining by Alice Cooper on Desert Island Discs otherwise much discussion over 3 horses we have in training that are un-named - good for passing a journey - watch this space!  No racing this week until next weekend, entries close this morning, don't like the forecast though...

Haydock

Highly satisfactory run from Forcefield yesterday to finish 4th in good company at Haydock, raises the expectations somewhat for Four Fiddlers at Kelso today, long drive home last night but much easier when the hrose has run well.  Quiet day here, horses all on the walker and in the fields, my time spent rotovating the gallop to help it dry ahead of forecast frost later this week, Forcefield tired and a bit wound up after his 9 hour lorry ride yesterday not to mention his race, ate most of his feed though and legs feel good.

Back in action

Well, a short break for all from my ramblings but here we go again I am afraid; no runners last weekend and we by-passed engagements at Hexham and Market Rasen over the last couple of days however we hope to be busy this weekend and we go to Haydock on Saturday to run Forcefield for the Earley-Macdonald partnership in the bumper at 3.55.  Lucy takes the ride and the ground is likely to be on the easy side of good.  Forcefield finished 2nd (below left) on his last start in the spring but with this being one of Haydock’s big days and decent prize money on offer I suspect this will end up a very competitive affair, hopefully he will run well though.

Four Fiddlers (below) then runs in the 3.40 at Kelso on Sunday for the same partnership, again Lucy rides.  I told everyone in the spring how much I liked this horse and was slightly taken aback when he tired in the gluey ground and finished last.  He has strengthened up nicely over the summer, has continued to impress and should have conditions much more in his favour – I hope he will run well.  He is in the ballot and if it looks like he won’t get a run we will swap these two if we are nimble enough on the computer!

Having been searching for an excuse for Northern Flame’s poor hurdling debut I uncovered this picture of a jockey bailing out as he went in to his first hurdle, he is second from left, it is not impossible that these strange goings-on spooked him for the rest of the race as we haven’t practiced this at home…

Last but not least, a fine picture of our last runner, Isla Pearl Fisher, in the winners enclosure at Kelso, he is fit and well but having a slightly easier time until we identify his next target

Rollercoaster

Well, that was some weekend for lovers of the turf; at Doncaster on Saturday we had the emotional crowning of Paul Hanagan as only the second Northern based champion flat jockey in the last century, earlier the brilliant Kauto Star put up the bravest of performances to see off two rising stars at Down Royal however his jockey, the peerless Ruby Walsh ended up spending the night in a Belfast hospital with a double break to his leg facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, then over to Kentucky where the dazzling French mare Goldikova wrote her name into the history books with a record third Breeders Cup win shortly before Zenyatta failed by the narrowest of margins to grab the Breeders Cup Classic and a perfect twenty from twenty racing career leaving her jockey to break down in tears at the press conference.

Friday at Hexham was gritty stuff; strong winds, driving rain and heavy ground – proper conditions for National Hunt racing and a large crowd of die-hards to take in the action.  Papamoa put up a most encouraging effort to finish 3rd on his hurdling debut despite some sketchy jumping, he was a professional throughout and should improve in every way.  Seeking Power had a real tussle all the way up the home straight but ended up going down by a head in a stirring finish; to be beaten by about 9 inches at the end of 3 miles is pretty tough and he seemed to be in front 50 yards out only to think he had done his job.  At least he is fit and well though and we might try some headgear next time. 

On to Kelso on Saturday, very different conditions with bright sunshine, perfect ground and a huge crowd.  Northern Flame ran a disappointing race in the opener, he jumped deliberately and never seemed to travel – he is much better than this, I think I probably just went to war with him a few weeks too soon.  Confidence was therefore at rock bottom when Isla Pearl Fisher came into the paddock, luckily nobody had told him, or the crowd that backed him in from 5-1 to a warm 7-2 favourite.  He walked round the paddock as if he owned the place and then he duly obliged by winning in the gutsiest of fashions on ground that was probably a bit on the easy side.  There is nowhere that I prefer training winners to Kelso, the chase track is a particularly fair test and the welcome that you receive from the enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd is second to none and makes you feel on top of the world, all the work I do with the horses from their youngest days has this underlying goal – can we win a chase at Kelso? So, as you can imagine I am prone to becoming rather over-excited whenever we eventually pull it off, so much so this time that I nearly had Paddy Aspell arrested by passing him my mobile when he dismounted so that he could speak to Mrs G in Australia where she had been listening to the race online – shouldn’t be a crime really but such are the bizarre priorities of the racing authorities….  

Sunday was on to Limerick where Lucy had her first ride in Ireland finishing a good fourth, I listened whilst watching Johnny playing in the Ardvreck Sevens tournament – I’m never quite sure what people think on these occasions when they see me jumping up and down on the spot with my mobile stuck to my ear, I’d rather not think about it but must try to stand still.

A quieter week ahead, entries at Newcastle on Friday and Wetherby on Saturday though and cold dark mornings have led to a return to the porridge for breakfast routine under the ever-watchful eye of the golden syrup police….

Kelso

Hexham has passed its morning inspection and the horses are well on their way, we will hopefully have two runners at Kelso tomorrow; Northern Flame (below) makes his hurdling debut for teh Peglegs partnership in the 12.30 under Paddy Aspell, 16 will run and the ground should be good.  He is a tremendous long term chasing prospect but tomorrow will all be about experience

Mrs Gammell’s Isla Pearl Fisher (below) runs in the 1.00, also under Paddy Aspell, there will be about 10 runners and conditions should suit, it’s a step up in class from his Carlisle victory but all has gone well since his last run and he should go well with luck in running..

Hexham

We have two runners at Hexham tomorrow; Papamoa (below) makes his hurdling debut in the 3.10 for the Papamoan partnership, Paddy Aspell rides, 12 run and the ground will be heavy.  This is his first run of the season and his first over hurdles, he seems fit and well but the main aim tomorrow will be to ensure he enjoys this important next stage in his career

We run our giant Seeking Power (below) in the 3.40, Lucy rides and 5 run; he has to shoulder top weight in deep ground over 3 miles for this seasonal debut and it might all be a bit much first time out but the opposition look pretty exposed and I am hopeful that this horse can improve this season so fingers crossed…

Ouch

The stable's unbeaten run for the season came to an early end yesterday when Native Coll was beaten at Carlisle.  I was convinced he would win and remained of that opinion as they turned towards the home straight but it quickly became apparent that 3 miles on tacky ground first time out for the season was too far and he finished a weary 6th.  The listed bookmakers won't need to advise analysts that an upward revision to their estimates is necessary but it was painful nevertheless.

Lucy finished about 9th of 17 at Wetherby on Saturday, good experience though to be riding at a big meeting in a highly competitive handicap hurdle against lots of the top pro's, her journey to stay overnight with her grandparents wasn't much fun, the A1 Northbound was closed & traffic crawling, steam started billowing out of the bonnet, her long range mechanic father issuing instructions from his phone on the way out to dinner said "just keep driving" - shortly afterwards a helpful motorist seeing that this was more than a little steam & that she didn't know what to do forced her over onto the hard shoulder & stopped her, the AA was joined then summoned and for reasons best known to themselves 4 different vehicles were involved in ferrying the car to the grandparents about 70 miles away where she eventually arrived at 2.30am - just what they needed I am sure.  Lucy seems to have inherited her father's aptitude for engines, one of the earlier mechanics had told her that it was probably the cylinder "head gasket" that had gone, by the time she passed this on to a later engineer she was trying to explain to him that there was a problem with the "egg casket" - oh dear.

Native Coll has come out of his race well and will now drop back in trip, this week we have entries at Hexham on Friday and Kelso on Saturday - as ever it will be the elements that determine where we go...