Monday 30th November 2020 - over 60 percent of our runners finishing in the frame!

It’s been a slightly frustrating couple of weeks here really, as the horses continue to run really well, but we’ve hit the crossbar a few too many times.  However, as ever its better that they are finishing 2^nd than falling out of the TV screen!

Since my last update, Early Morning Rain, Tallow for Coal, Pisgah Pike and Midnight Centurion have all been 2^nd, whilst Monbeg Theatre, Coole Well, No Anxiety, Exod’ela, Arbennig and Alrightjack have been 3^rd and Donnie Azoff, Leading Ewe On and Anythingforlove have all filled the 4^th spot. 

We started this season with over 20 unraced horses in the team, and this week we ran four of them and I was delighted with all of them.  Our first homebred, Midnight Centurion was 2^nd in a really warm bumper at Southwell.  He is by Midnight Legend and out of a mare who crossed the line in front on her bumper debut for us……only to be demoted in a steward’s enquiry afterwards!  The dam was a half-sister to the very useful bumper/hurdle/chase winner Centasia; and from the family of De Soto who was 2nd in the Champion bumper, and 4th in the Supreme Novices.   Tallow for Coal was also 2^nd on his racecourse debut over hurdles at Uttoxeter last weekend.  It was a cracking effort, and he looks to have a bright future especially when we step him up further in trip, and eventually when he goes chasing.  I thought Arbennig’s run to be 3^rd on bumper debut was a terrific effort.  He looks a proper staying chaser for the future, but undoubtedly he has the talent to win a bumper and excel over hurdles first.  He is by Yeats out of a winning sister to the Grade 1 winning Rubi Light, who won the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, and was rated 168!  Whilst, Leading Ewe On was a very creditable 4^th on her debut at Wetherby this week when she was 4^th.  She looked very green and will improve enormously for this run, but looks to have a bright future too.  She is a half-sister to the Cheltenham Festival Grand Annual winner, Croco Bay and three-time winner, Thistle Do Nicely.

The two who really ‘got away’ recently were both Anythingforlove and Pisgah Pike.  Poor Anythingforlove didn’t have a hope of winning after Gavin lost his stirrup before jumping the first flight of hurdles and it’s all credit to the mare who jumped around to be 4^th with Gavin bouncing around on her back.  It was a very messy race in which Pisgah Pike was 2^nd in on Monday at Kempton, and he got nabbed on the line.  He didn't have much more luck in the Gerry Fielden at Newbury on Hennessey day, as he got stopped in his tracks in a melee at the 2nd last and still ran on to be 5th …..

Anyway, whilst we are still on lockdown, I have created a virtual ‘morning on the gallops’ with us, so if you get a moment, then do enjoy the following link: