The Blog

October 31st

The plan was to head down the M40 into London, meet my brother-in-law James Berry for a drink in the Turf Club, and then for us both to head over to the Inner Temple for a Cricket dinner with old school mates.

All was going swimmingly, until an alarming clunk approaching Oxford services lead to me getting off the motorway to assess the damage. Now, I am utterly useless when it comes to the mechanics of a car - but even I could tell that the bit of metal dangling from the undercarriage was not quite positioned where it should be....

Some ingenious use of binder twine, and I limped back Northwards in the slow lane. Until another clunk sealed my fate......

And so as the boys were settling into their dinners in London, GB trundled back up the drive of Far Westfields Farm on the back of an AA pick-up truck. A disappointing evening - the only tiny upside being that I feel pretty reasonable this morning.....

Good old Music Box Express is our only runner today, and he heads back to his favoured haunt, Wolverhampton. The draw has not been too kind - and he has shot up the handicap to a mark of 67 - but he remains in feisty form around the farm, and if he gets a decent break, who knows....???

We run in the 9.20 - usually about 4 hours past my bedtime. This is his final run for the original Betfair Radioheads syndicate who leased him, as well as SingleB and Thistle, up until November 1st. Many of the syndicate have rolled forward for another 6 months (with Three Lions taking the place of Thistle who is having a break), but there are a couple of places left for anybody looking for a cheap involvement.

A 2% lease of 2 horses for 6 months from November 1st costs £400. This is a one-off, all-in fee - with no additional bills. The gang involved for the past 6 months have had 2 wins apiece from MBE and SingleB and numerous placings - I cannot promise the same results, but I can promise a lot of fun and involvement. E-mail me if this is of any interest - sod that annoying credit crunch thing......!!!

Paul Roy's racing manager Jane Allison here in a minute to watch Hawkspring work ahead of his debut - and then another of those fascinating admin afternoons. How I adore all the paperwork that goes with this job - a major incentive to train winners so that we can afford more help....!!  

October 30th

Just walked back in after heading home from Newmarket at "very stupid o'clock" this morning....

To find the paddocks under snow, and a very raw chill in the air. It has to be odds-against the tractor starting in a second.

We bought 4 horses at Tattersalls - Ghufa, La Diosa, Rio De Janeiro and Confederate. The last named is for an about to be launched Timeform Racing Club, and it was great to meet up with Timeform form gurus and the masterminds behind the Club, Kieran Packman and Simion Walker.

All sorts of share options available in the above - let me know if you have any interest.....

Newmarket at Sales time is always a buzzy place - and whilst the figures were down on previous years, there was still a lot of money around for the right horse. Several lots crashing through the 100,000 Guineas barrier as the jumps boys sourced their Cheltenham dreams.

Exhausting - but also very exciting. And some good craic in the bars as the Sales pushed on well into the night. Ralph Beckett's tales from Santa Anita a highlight, Ed Dunlop's impending move to his own yard, Kim Bailey deciding to head home but still with us two hours later, David Loder's hotel stories from downtown Miami a personal favourite.....

  

October 28th

A real frost out there this morning - and the tractor struggling manfully to get itself going. This Crimean relic is a little bit "fairweather," rather than "allweather", and needs a bit of TLC before the Winter sets in....

Apparently we are all in for a bitterly cold one. I am sure I hear that this time every year - and all we get is damp and grey. Give me bitterly cold winters any day - as long as long hot Summers were also guaranteed. Some chance....

To the Horses-In-Training Sales at Tattersalls in Newmarket yesterday, 6-year-old Barney Baker making his Sales debut. A long day for him - but fortified by Tatt's exceptional breakfast, he survived the day, before sleeping all the way home.

Barney was a little disappointed that we did not come home with a grey horse ( "but Dad, we have'nt got any greys....!!!), but we did manage to sneak away with one cheap one. El Diosa has decent placed form for William Haggas - and a drop into claiming company is on the cards for this cheap (3,000 Guineas) purchase. I own her - and would welcome anybody else who felt like taking a slice of this action........

Back to the Sales in a moment for Day 2 - and looking for the next line of Music Box' and Maddys.

Kangrina runs at Catterick today. She should have won for us by now - I have no idea whether today will be one of her going days or not, but I hope that her and Frederick Tylicki have a clearer shot at the target than they did last week at Lingfield.....  

October 27th

Phew - we were lucky with that weather. Over 200 people here yesterday for a Parade of our horses, followed by bangers and mash in a vast marquee.

Waking yesterday morning to the rains lashing against the window put us all on the back foot for a while, but the old adage of "rain before seven, fine by eleven" rang true and as the first people came up the drive (lead by my old mate Peter Penny who had failed to change his clock....), the sun even came out.

A fantastic turnout of friends and supporters - and a drama-free parade of horses, who were all on best behaviour.

And then into the tent for the aforementioned bangers, the team here showing their multi-tasking skills by rushing back and forth from the kitchen bearing hot plates of food...

Nobody, I hope, went hungry - and judging by the array of empty bottles this morning, nobody went back down the drive dying of thirst.

Very humbling that so many distinguished faces took the time out to come and inspect our madness - and a huge credit to the team here that the whole day passed off so smoothly.

And fantastic of Geoff Lester to stand up and entertain the throng, before toasting the future prosperity of George Baker Racing.

Patrick and Valerie, as always, to the fore, whilst the rest of the team all stepped up to the plate big time. Huge thanks also to Neil Clements who put together a DVD of our winners which kept us going long into last night. Not quite sure where the Chinese meal that miraculously appeared later on came from - but it was much appreciated.......

An exhausting but rewarding day. A chance for us to say a massive thank-you to those who have supported us through the embryonic days of our business. A chance to reflect on the fact that we have been lucky enough to train a few winners.

A good beginning. But only a beginning. All of us here have our feet firmly rooted to the ground. We have made a reasonable start, but it is only a start. We have a lot to achieve, a long way to go. But we are all hungry for that success. Bring it on !! 

   

October 24th

Ludlow is a fantastic spot. Deep in the Shropshire countryside, not much has changed for well over a century, and looking back from the course up to the stands, the view is one of refined Victorian splendour. 

Time for an excellent Steak Pie before the first. And then Sparkling Montjeu ran a fantastic race on her debut over hurdles - especially as, when Valerie and I walked the course, we were slightly alarmed by the size of the hurdles. Sparkling M jumped fantastically well for a horse who had never left the ground less than a week before, and turning for home she looked sure to be in the first three at least.

Slower ground over a longer trip will be her forte - and she has shown us in the past ten days that she will win races under both codes.....

Three Lions is not going to be taught new tricks at the age of 11 - and yesterday was one of his "off days". A cliche I know, but after his win at Fontwell the other day he owes us absolutely nothing. We will freshen him up for a Claimer at Wetherby at the end of November - he will be put in off a realistic weight and hopefully there will be a bit of rain about. A grand old horse, he has had a fine career - he was Eve Johnson Houghton's last winner as a jockey, but also has the much sadder association of being the horse off which the extraordinary JP McNamara had his terrible fall.

Maddy headed down to Brighton to be saddled by my mother in her first run back for us. She travelled well for a long way, and will come on a huge amount for this. She will be back in her favoured grade, Sellers and Claimers, for her next run.

Great fun to meet Ricky Walden and his mates after our runners. Ricky has just returned from Shanghai where he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the Shanghai Snooker Masters. A captivating tale - he was a massive price before the event begun, but has now come firmly to the forefront of his sport. A talented but wonderfully understated guy, and I hope we see lots of him in the future.

A day at home today - and plenty to sort out. We have a large gang here for lunch on Sunday, and there is a marquee attached to the horse (house, as cleverly spotted by some already this morning - get on with your jobs...??!!) which is giving Barney and Tallulah a whole new playroom.

The weather forecast looks reasonable - because the garden is prone to flooding, and watching a few Owners being washed down the drive with a plate of bangers and mash in their laps would not be ideal......  

October 23rd

Three possible meetings today has been whittled down to two. We send our first runners to Ludlow, whilst Maddy goes to Brighton.

Sparkling Montjeu is improving by the day and her Brighton victory has given her loads of confidence. A progressive 3-year-old, she has schooled really well and we are all looking forward to her hurdles debut in Ludlow's opening juvenile hurdle.

Three Lions won his first start for us recently at Fontwell when bolting up by 20 lengths - and has a decent chance of following up today. He is not as well in as he was at the weights at Fontwell, but I would be disappointed if he was not at least in the frame.

Maddy has been on her travels recently, having been claimed by Graham Smith when winning for us at Yarmouth. She has run poorly the last twice - and today will tell us whether she is back to her old form. This looks competitive enough for the grade, and it might well be that we need to get her back in Claimers to get her winning again.

Yesterday's schooling session and stalls work thankfully passed without incident - always a little nerve-wracking, especially when we are asking some of the horses to take off outside for the first time. We have an excellent indoor school, and we have invested in some plastic hurdles, and so many an hour is spent loose schooling inside before a hurdle is jumped outside.

Retired Jump Jockey Alan Dempsey is responsible for putting us onto the plastic schooling hurdles and we could not be more happy with them - they teach a horse to respect an obstacle, and have the added benefit of not falling to pieces when given a good kicking !!

To Tysoe School last night for Barney and Tallulah's Parents Evening. Whilst reading Barney's school work, I discovered that he always beats me at football and cricket. Glad to see the competitive instincts instilled at an early age......

But I just might have to bowl him my "doosrah" next time he takes guard in the garden.....   

October 22nd

I have just written the most entertaining, witty, effervescent, erudite, eloquent blog......

And then I pressed the wrong button and it shot off into the ether - Shucks......!!!

Although that is not quite the word I used to vent my frustration. The laptop has only just avoided being thrown out of the window - stay calm, GB.....!!

A wonderfully stress-free trip around the M25 to Leafy Lingers yesterday with not a traffic jam or hold-up in sight. Sadly the same cannot be said for Frederick Tylicki and Kangrina in their race - several horses got a better run in the Charge of The Light Brigade than she did....

Ah well - we live to fight another day, and all that b******s !!??

No runners today. A day for pushing annoying bits of annoying paper around my desk - and preparing for the possibility of three meetings tomorrow. That will be a first for us...

October 21st

Another day - another few hours on the motorway. Luckily, the advent of hands-free technology has turned some of our cars into offices, and those endless miles in the fast lane (sometimes...) can be usefully employed updating Owners.

Pontefract yesterday, and Valerie and I walked the track before racing to see if Bugsy's Boy could take his chance. Neither of us were quite aware of the fact that Pontefract is about 2 miles round, and it was only when we headed past the mile and a half start that we realised the extent of the expedition we had embarked upon.

Bravely we marched on, battling against a gale-force headwind and threatening skies. The occasional bit of tumbleweed came rolling by as we reached the furthest point from the stand, and I half expected the Magnificent Seven to come cantering by chewing on their cheroots. Turning for home, the final half mile is hard on the collar, a steep climb to the finishing post.

Breathless and thirsty, we staggered the final few yards up to the sanctuary of the Grandstand. Disappointing that Pontefract had not laid on a welcoming committee in recognition of our epic journey - all we got was a soggy egg sandwich in the Owners and Trainers Bar......

I now know what that Captain Oates fellow was on about.....

Bugsy's Boy ran a fantastic race in the Stayer's contest, finishing fourth having got a little tired on the final run to the line. I completely sympathised with him....

His two recent runs on the Flat will have brought him on a ton after his Summer break, and we can now look forward to a hurdling campaign with him. On soft ground, I hope that he will prove himself a serious recruit to the National Hunt game.

Kangrina at Lingfield today. Frederick Tylicki suggested that a mile and a half is her optimum trip - and so he gets the chance to get the job done today. She is very consistent, but just lacks that killer touch. Perhaps she can get it right today.  

October 20th

A whirlwind weekend of Racecourses and Motorways.....

A decent journey up to Kelso on Saturday and, whilst we failed to come home with any Scottish loot, I was pleased with both our runners.

In his youth, Thistle was firstly a John Gosden flying machine, and latterly work companion for Inglis Drever at Howard Johnson's. Approaching the second last on Saturday, he looked the likeliest winner, but it appears that his wind is not the best and he stopped pretty quickly on the run-in on the tacky ground.

We will give him a wind operation - and I hope and believe that we can have some proper fun with this horse in years to come. He travels like a really good horse in his races - and if we can improve his breathing, who knows how much improvement there is still to come. I am, in particular, looking forward to seeing him over a fence.....

Shut The Bar is another with an exciting future. Di Mitchell's 3-year-old travelled like a dream until the tacky ground took it's toll, but Andrew reported that this horse gave him a great feel. He has eaten up and taken his debut really well, and Warwick in the middle of next month looks a likely spot for step two along his career path.

To Southwell yesterday, a track where we have had a bit of luck, but never going to be the most attractive or alluring of venues. William Jarvis told me about a decent pub for Sunday lunch not too far away - we will be inspecting that one next time....

Mile High Lad is a fine stamp of a horse with a big future. I was very happy with his debut, as was Darragh O'Donohoe, and this uncomplicated 2-year-old took his debut in a most professional manner. A nice horse.....

Darragh, lucky b****r, is off to Dubai on Wednesday for the Winter. The palm trees that we were looking at beside the parade ring yesterday were swaying under a slightly chillier wind than that which Darragh can look forward to over the next few months. Note to self - improve horses so that they get the call-up to that Dubai Festival gig.......

Robustian is clearly in that handicapper's grip, and we will now turn his hand (or hooves...) to Novice Hurdling. He has shown a great aptitude for jumping both in the indoor school and out on the schooling field, and he will be making his hurdling debut in the next fortnight or so. 

To Pontefract today. A bit of rain would not go amiss - and the BBC man has just given me hope that it is raining up there as I write. I hope that he is correct.

On the subject of typing, I was definitely the only "one-fingered" typer in the Press Room during my time at The Sportsman - and things have not improved. Just not sure that I will find the time for that Secretarial Course.........       

October 18th

Taking the high road North in a minute to one of the UK's most beautiful Racecourses, Kelso.

Thistle and Shut The Bar had a gentle journey up yesterday and were lead out for a pick of grass before being safely tucked up for the night. Travelling Head Lass "Naughty" Nicky (she still has not told us why...??!!) is in charge in the Borders - and Pat and Valerie and I will head off in a minute, praying for a traffic and stress-free trip.....

Both horses in great order - but both look to have some pretty potent opponents to overcome if they are to end up in that Number 1 position.

And then two to Southwell tomorrow, Robustian and debutant Mile High Lad.

One more yearling on it's way as Book 3 came to an end at Tattersalls last night - an Observatory filly consigned by the Player's Whatton Manor Stud. And Neil Clements, who has done so much work for us behind the scenes, is now the Owner of a leg in her. Neil, Pat and Valerie were all on holiday in Miami recently with jockey Andrew Tinkler - and, for some reason, the catchphrase of their holiday was "Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner" (apparently the line from some B movie)....

I got a text from Neil suggesting that this phrase would have to be somehow incorporated into the filly's name. I am struggling to imagine Jim McGrath calling home "Chicken Dinner, the Winner of the 2010 Oaks"............!!!????