21st August 2013

Apologies for not updating this blog for a while - although its our 'off season' we've been pretty busy over the last few weeks.  We've not had many runners, but Breaking Bits was most impressive when defying a penalty to win his second novice hurdle at Fontwell.  Tom O'Brien gave him a lovely ride from the front, and dictated the right fractions to win convincingly.  I was pleased to get Ixora back onto the track in a class 3 handicap hurdle at Southwell, where she ran well to be 4th on her first start over 3 miles.  She stayed it well, and should win again this summer before she heads off to stud in the spring.  Sandys Double's half sister, Comedinewithme, made her racecourse debut at Worcester on Monday.  She showed plenty of promise in finishing 5th, as she will undoubtedly need 3 miles and soft ground, and I'd say she will be a nice type for the winter mares novice hurdles.

Breaking Bits jumps the last on route to his second novice hurdle victory.

We've had a few new horses turn up to Folly House over the summer, and the latest newcomer is a horse called Key People, who is for sale.  He is a good looking son of Alderbrook, who has had three runs in novice hurdles in Ireland and been placed in all three, showing improvement in each.  Being rated 113, he looks a certainty for a maiden hurdle in this country, and has the size and scope to go chasing.  He was in training with Tom Taaffe in Ireland, and we've had plenty of success with horses from his yard including Ixora and Breaking Bits, who have won 8 races between them.

Key People - for sale

We did unfortunately have some very sad news a couple of weeks ago as Sir Gale broke a leg on the gallops.  Having been placed on his racecourse debut in a bumper at Plumpton, Sir Gale had his whole career in front of him.  He was never going to be a bumper horse, so to have been placed in one showed that he had plenty of potential.  His owners (Tony and Ann Gale) had been patient with him, and he was surely going to reward them when he went over obstacles.  Its a very sad loss.