Race stable daily life stories in September

Racing Stable Stories from everyday life In September at Girsonfield, when the show jumping season beckons.

You can feel the change in the air, can’t you? The weeks here at the stable become visibly more exciting as the show jumping horses really gain fitness. It’s that magical time of year when anticipation is everything.

I took a moment the other day to watch Amanda on Sunset Hill. When the light hits the Northumberland hills like this it reminds me exactly why we do what we do.

This week we started teaching in earnest. The whole series was very good over their hurdles, though I have to admit Kilmore Rock And Whispering dancer keeping us on our toes – they definitely need some more practice over a fence! We had Nathan along for some training, and Ed put the hard yards to the test while galloping.

Speaking of galloping, the energy out there is fantastic. It’s all system-go.

Jimlis Island It appears he has arrived well enough for his run in Perth, and the plan is to send him back there on September 9, this time over hurdles. It’s amazing how quickly the horses come to hand, thanks in large part to a steady stream of part-timers covering us while staff were injured. The good news is that the girls will be back to work soon, and we are very excited to welcome our new girl, Bekah, who will be joining the team tomorrow.

Kilmore Rock – with Natasha

Mark your calendars!

Don’t forget our Open Day National Racehorse Week is this Saturday, September 7 at 10:30 am. You are all welcome and you do not need to make a reservation! Just go up and park in the large field on the right.

We’ll have “Refreshments ‘a la Steve'” (which is a draw in itself!), and Nathan will be there to talk about life in the saddle. We have demos from our farrier and vets; In principle, the entire team that checks this spot will take action.

Daved McCreath from Tweed Valley Racing Club will be selling raffle tickets for £5.00 in aid of our charities. The prizes are fantastic: a day out as an owner at Les’s Legacy, plus tickets donated by Carlisle, Kelso, Musselburgh and Hexham racecourses.

Future Stars and Syndicate Spots

The foals grow like crazy at the breeding farm. We have just completed registration for the Great British Bonus for the Nelsons’ three-year-old filly,’Pestle‘. That means she is eligible for £20,000 bonuses during her races. Now all she has to do is win them!

For those who want to get involved, we’re starting the season off right in October, but we have some promotions coming up soon. Infinite honor goes to Catterick on the 10th (or Musselburgh the 14th), and Roger’s dream goes to Musselburgh on the 15th. We still have a few shares left:

• Rogers Dream: A two-month dabble in the “Naughty but Nice Syndicate.”
• Beyond The Verge: He runs the 18th at Kelso and works beautifully.
• Whispering Dancer: A big horse with a big future.
• The Joker: our ladies syndicate horse.

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories in September – an evening you will never forget

Just quickly, I have to mention last night. We held the first ‘annual dinner’ at the Bay Horse for the Northern Racing Club. Champ Royal has been such a star for them, winning almost £30,000 last season. It was a heart-warming evening: Ron Payne (what a legend) donated his Catterick vase back for auction.

The bidding was furious, but Stuart won the day with a bid of £105 for Cancer Research. We have already donated £1,000 to Zoe’s Place and £1,000 to the Injured Jockeys Fund, with more to follow at the end of the year.

We are completely ready for the coming season. The horses are fit, the team is ready and the registrations have been made.

Samwise will be available soon

Greetings from the Emerald Isle!

We fly home on Monday, but we’ve spent a wonderful few days here in Ireland, keeping our eyes on some exciting young horses and catching up with old friends and connections that we normally only interact with from afar. There’s nothing like Irish hospitality to recharge your batteries!

A Kelso surprise and a success rate to enjoy

What a start to the jumping season we have! I was definitely happy to see another winner at Kelso this week. Beyond the Verge has been with us for a year now and steps into the shoes of retired Wor Verge.

He had some initial problems, which required the Goodfellow Partnership to exercise a lot of patience. I always say that patience is an excellent trait for any owner to have, and boy, did it pay off for them! He galloped well at home so we expected a decent run, but it was a big surprise when he went out and beat a small but very good field of bumper horses.

He was still very green, but he will grow up a lot from his ‘first day of school’. It was another great ride from Nathan. That win brings our stats to something we are incredibly proud of: a success rate of 32% (19 runs, 6 wins and 4 places). Long may it continue!

Sligo Racecourse, Ireland

Back at the Shipyard

While we were away, the team at home didn’t miss a beat. All horses come out nicely fit. We now get them all trained regularly, which is made so much easier when you have excellent riders who can train well. It makes a world of difference for the horses’ self-confidence.

Daycare news

On the breeding side it was the big ‘Weaning Week’. Normally this can be a bit noisy, but I’m happy to report that none of the three mares even looked back when they came back into the field! They clearly needed a break.

For comfort, the foals are now next to each other in the stable. They will be given a little more handling in the warmth of the stables before being taken back out to be fed in the field before the real cold weather sets in. Other news:

• The Tweed Valley Racing Club yearling was ruined this week, all went well!
• Our own breeding farms’Freddie‘ And Ivan’s legacy work together beautifully as they head toward their 3-year-old bumpers.

Ivan’s legacy in training

Looking ahead

We’ll keep our powder dry for now until Rogers Dream heads to Musselburgh on the 2nd, and then it’s off to Hexham and beyond!

Back home: gallop, negotiations and the right season

We are back on home soil! After a wonderful trip to the Emerald Isle, it’s time to build up our National Hunt runners again next weekend.

Our time in Ireland wasn’t just a holiday; it was a very productive reconnaissance mission. We viewed a “Black Type” (very well bred) 3 year old filly that the breeder wants us to lease. The plan is to race her and bring her back at the end of her career so he can breed her. She comes from the same breeder as Blame Rose and will arrive next spring.

We also visited Ian Hannon and his family, with whom we have been dealing for years. I saw a very cute, if still immature, three-year-old from Mizzou (Samwise’s father, aka Blaze). He has been broken in and will grow into a beautiful horse; negotiations are currently underway!

I must say that the hospitality in Ireland is second to none. We were lucky enough to stay in a beautiful 3 double bed townhouse in Killarney owned by Thomas and Rose. It’s right in the center of the racing action and in a beautiful town. If anyone wants to go there, let me know. I’m sure Rose will arrange some ‘mates rates’ for you!

Back at a gallop

Back in Great Britain, the foals are in a good place. They are treated daily and will soon go back into the field, but very importantly, without their mothers!

Friday morning we were up bright and early at Newcastle Racecourse for a gallop with our regular ‘gallop watcher’ Brian. It was a busy morning:

• Kilmore Rock was ridden by Codey, who did an excellent job. Codey will get his amateur license in October, so this has been great practice.
• Whispering dancer (Josh up) looked good.
• Sunset Hill (Sunny) had Jamie’s arms all stretched out! She pulled all the way and still found more after two kilometers.
• Samwijs (Blaze) was ridden by Nathan, who was very happy with him.

Sunset Hill with Amanda

The actual season begins

So, with six wins already on the board, we move on to the start of the NH season proper. Here’s the plan of attack for the week ahead:

• October 2 (Musselburgh): Roger’s dream runs for the “Naughty but Nice” syndicate.
• October 4 (Hexham): We did Jimlis Island, Atomic angelAnd Friend (two entries for him).
• Whispering dancer goes into the Novice Hurdle ahead of “The Dancers” (we only have 5% left in this little partnership if you’re quick!).
• See a step (Frank’s horse leased to Susan Corbett Racing) makes her debut. The handicapper made her 6lb heavier just because she moved here from Ireland!
• October 6 (Kelso): Friend (maybe), Champion Royal (Pursuit), Kilmore Rock (Beginning obstacle), and Samwijs (Beginning obstacle).

Community spirit

It’s not just about the racing. On October 5th we have the MS dinner in Kelso, followed by the Wheelchair Challenge the next day before racing. Josh and Nathan are our team. You must ‘buy’ the team through an auction. Anyone feel like making a bid? It’s all for an excellent cause!

It feels like the calm before the storm. The entries have been made, the rig has been cleaned and the truck has been fueled up.

Race stable daily life stories in August

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Racing Stable daily life stories in May

Race stable daily life stories in April

Race stable daily life stories in March

Race stable daily life stories in february

Race stable daily life stories in January