A wet morning for a change but weather has been pretty good most days recently, at least it feels like we are actually having a summer which certainly isn’t always the case.  Yard is fully back up and running now with 45 horses to ride each morning, all bar one just walking and trotting and will start steady cantering soon.  This conditioning work to build muscle strength is an essential part of the training programme for equine athletes and will play a key part in their ability to remain robust through the winter, patience is paramount.

Seems like an age since we last had runners; three at Perth at the beginning of the month when the French air traffic controllers prevented me from being there.  An inauspicious day – Beat the Retreat ran well to a point prior to backing out of the battle, 10th run for him was probably one too many so he is out in the field.  Maillot Blanc ran well enough to be 4th, this was also his 10th race so he is also now having a break.  I think the ground was probably too soft for Everyday Champagne, he has had an easy month and will hopefully be back at Perth in August.

Katie on Mack the Man at Carlisle

And then there was Mack the Man in the Ladies Day Charity Flat Race at Carlisle with Katie on board – she had a great spin, right up there turning for home prior to taking his time a bit in the closing stages.  It was always going to be his swansong and I’m delighted he has been retired to live with Zoe who rode him a lot here.  He’s been a cracking horse for Kit, his “second career” having been a high class performer in the South in his younger days.  He won three times for us including a valuable Go North Final and his overall career stats look pretty good with 7 wins from his 39 starts and £104k in prize money.

Mack the Man – Kit

Lovely to see him finish racing sound with a good home; we have retired & rehomed 12 horses this summer, I see it as one of our key responsibilities to “do right” by the horses that give us so much fun.  Fortunately we have roughly the same number of new horses joining the team and I feel very blessed by the quality of young horses that have arrived.  Let’s hope we can do them justice and they are lucky.  We failed to buy at the Arqana sale at Deauville but still managed to come home with a very interesting juvenile hurdler, more of him later.  Aside from him we have six graduates of the Irish point-to-pointing scene including several winners, two bumper horses with good form and a couple of very nice homebreds joining us as well as three horses that were in pre-training last season.  Exciting times and I love watching them develop from week to week.

The entrance to Clairfontaine racecourse in Deauville

And of course our star recruit in France, Hamandio, may well end up not coming here at all.  Having won three in a row he was beaten at Dieppe two weeks ago so is now having an easier time prior to hopefully returning to Auteuil in the autumn.  Not sure what after that, I’m suggesting point-to-pointing but not sure that is idea is gaining much traction… Our next runners are planned for three weeks today back at Perth, by then we should know whether or not we have a Chair for the BHA, actually we will hopefully tomorrow night as there is a crucial Board Meeting taking place where I imagine they will have to decide whether to vote for their own demise… or not?  Enjoy the rest of the summer, I’m loving the flat racing season and all the top quality sport – great to have a little time to enjoy it.

Lords a couple of weeks ago, lucky to enjoy a fabulous day watching England play India

Warm and sunny here in Deauville this morning, changeable weather after the heat earlier in the week then thunderstorms yesterday.  Of course we ought to be en route to Perth but French air traffic control have dictated otherwise and this morning’s flight cancelled.  Hopefully back later today but who knows….

Perth seems to have missed most of the recent rain and the ground is good with good to soft places, our three runners are all ridden by Bruce and we start with Team horse Beat the Retreat in the 3.50; he ran very well to be second over course and distance on his penultimate start and subsequently we felt he was unsuited by Hexham so it that was the case he has every chance of bouncing back to form today – 12 run.

Beat the Retreat

Everyday Champagne did run well last time at Hexham and has good course and distance here at Perth in the 4.20; also he’s well handicapped on his form from this time last year so he should go well, it is a busy and competitive race though and he certainly wouldn’t want much more rain – 12 run.

Everyday Champagne

Finally recent course and distance winner Maillot Blanc runs in the 4.55, up 4lb for that which is fair enough but does mean he has to shoulder top weight against some in form opposition.  Hopefully he will be competitive again – 10 run.

Maillot Blanc winning at Perth last time out

A drizzly day but very mild and due to warm up again.  It was hot at Ascot last week where I was lucky to be on Thursday; I enjoyed watching plenty of the rest of the coverage on ITV who I thought once again did the most fantastic job bringing such exciting racing to us all wherever we were.  A seriously stamina sapping five days in the heat for them all but they never faltered and I think they deserve a massive vote of thanks.  For me Royal Ascot this year was as good a festival of racing as I have ever seen anywhere and it is brilliant that it receives so much airtime on terrestrial television – a massive plus for the sport.

Field of Gold in full flight – one of many memorable performances at 2025 Royal Ascot

There were so many wonderful equine performances at every level; new heros were born for us to follow but surely the most incredible performance was Jim Goldie winning the King Charles III Stakes with American Affair.  This was Scotland’s first ever Group One winner and it was achieved by a locally bred horse by a cheap sire out of a mare Jim trained by his own sire Orientor.  Jim is understated and underrated; seeing the almost tangible pride he quietly displayed as his 17yo grand daughter led his horse into the Ascot winner’s enclosure was a moment I will never forget.

No words ….

For him to beat bloodstock’s global juggernauts on the biggest stage was simply wonderful.  Wonderful also for Paul Mulrennan, a champion of the North who poignantly later learned that his Father had died that day.  And of course for the Owner/Breeders John and Wendy McGrandles, extraordinary for them. Worth noting that they also bred the favourite for this year’s Champion Bumper at Cheltenham; perhaps no fluke and they were straight back up the road to show sheep at the Highland Show on Thursday, history doesn’t relate how that went but probably very well.

Back here the horses have done well at grass but look ready to come in and that they will do, on Monday, when many of the Team will also return.  There will be plenty of new equine face for them to meet as I’m delighted with our progress at the sales this summer, we have seven lovely new young horses that have shown good form in point to points or bumpers.  That doesn’t include Hamandio who completed his hat trick in France at Dieppe last week; Kit’s well handicapped purchase is now 24lb less well handicapped so will stay in France for another run.

Hamandio

Next up on the sales front is Arqana at Deauville next week – 2yo stores, horses in training off the flat and jumpers in training as well.  It’s been a very lucky sale for us so we will be searching hard again though with temperatures forecast to hit 38 degrees I will have to ensure I spend sufficient time in the shade sipping something cold.

Elvis Mail the day we bought him, one of several talented horses we have bought at Arqana – do let me know if you would like us to find you something…

A few excitments looming at this end; we plan to have three runners at Perth next Thursday (Everyday Champagne, Beat the Retreat and Maillot Blanc), I hope to be back but please forgive me if I am too hot to post a blog in advance from France.  Then Mack the Man runs in the Ladies Charity Race at Carlisle next Saturday with team member Katie Morrison on board.  Well done her for volunteering, it may be Mack’s swansong so hopefully he will run well.  Katie is raising money for Racing Welfare and if so inclined you can donate here

Crikey it was hot!

The Ascot / Highland Show double header is always a favourite week of the year but I can sympathise with those who find it all a bit tiring