The Blog

August 20th

A bit more crossbar rattling last night from Chicita Banana - a "winner in waiting"....

C and I on the cusp of sneaking away for a few days to reintroduce ourselves to the kids. Being a dual purpose yard, we are (hopefully) not going to have any quiet times of year - and so we have to slip away when we can.....

But to have organised to be in mid-air when we have our first Group One runner in tomorrow's Nunthorpe has to go down as "average" planning........!!!

Blogging could well be irregular, or even non-existent, for the next few days. I am sure that you will cope. As will I knowing that the extraordinary and exceptional team that we have created here will cope with every situation thrown at them...

I hope that it is not long before we can all settle down to that 50th winner party. 

August 19th

Match day report - Phoenix Enforcer showed unequivocally at Nottingham that she needs cut in the ground to show her form. A short break - and then hurdling is the plan. Kangrina nearly (oh, so nearly) won her first race for us. This was moderate fare - but turning for home she looked to have stolen a winning lead, only to be collared on the run to the line. A creditable effort. And Mountain Beat in a head-bobbing photo for 4th place in the last, showing a gutsy and willing attitude.

The place to park at Worcester is the infield, close by the last fence. A good spot - especially if the car is suitably filled with decent provisions as was the case last night. We provided the liquid refreshment, Jane Starkey the food - notably some excellent sausages from the small Butcher's shop in Tysoe village. Close by Tallulah's school - we will be stocking up with breakfast ammunition.....

Another busy morning ahead. Owners aplenty - and Wayne Hennessey on his way having helped Wolves secure their first Premiership victory of the season away at Wigan last night. I guess he will be in pretty good form....    

August 18th

Disappointed at Wolverhampton, gutted at Yarmouth.....

KitKat showing categorically at downtown Dunstall that he is not up for this racing malarkey. He is a nice person, just slow. But he will certainly make somebody a fantastic riding horse.

And George Baker spurning a great opportunity out across the Anglian steppes, especially when J.Spencer was decanted from the odds-on favourite in the stalls. GB will win races - but on yesterday's evidence it will be at a modest level, and that is where we will head now...

Self-analysis and the drive for complete professionalism go hand in hand, and I have alluded to the fact on many occasions that we, as a team, do everything in our powers to attain even the slightest edge over our opposition. This can become a little obsessive and, whilst pofessionalism of the highest order remains our watchword, a sense of perspective needs to creep into our lives occasionally....

As I sat alone at my desk post Yarmouth's 5.50 yesterday evening, trying desperately to work out what we could have done differently to make up the 5 lengths that GB was beaten, my eyes fell upon The Daily Telegraph at my feet. "The Roll-call of the fallen". Over 200 men who will not come home to their families from Afghanistan.....

If you get a moment, scroll back through Kim Bailey's excellent blog on his website to 15th July.

And today a very special, and incredibly strong, lady begins a desperately draining course of chemotherapy in a hospital in Waterford, Ireland. All our love and best wishes go out to the fantastic family that is the Murphys....

We lost a couple of horse races yesterday. It hurts. But perspective is very important in our tiny, insular sport......     

August 17th

One of those "if only" days yesterday.....

If only the English Summer could guarantee more days like this. Warm enough to brave the wasps and have lunch outside. Dean and Alex Atkins, Patrick and Valerie with us for some spectacular Pork cooked to perfection by C - a spontaneous plan hatched on Friday when it became apparent that we would not have any runners over the weekend....

The children whizzing about the place on their ponies, Headley's Blue helping himself to much of their lunches, Barney's batting improving by the day (definitely helped by The Mongoose), our neighbour Tim Young and his team taking advantage of the dry day to crack on with the harvest and finding time to move our fences up to the schooling field - England, their England.....

Just about the only thing missing being Henry Blofeld or Richie Benaud reporting in the background on an Australian batting collapse at the hands of Freddie. We will have to wait a few days for that one.....

Yarmouth and Wolverhampton today. Not quite sure which way I am heading yet - accountants here first thing, and so I guess my final destination will be determined by the number of gremlins we need to exorcise from the paperwork mountain.  

August 15th

Wolverhampton yesterday morning. Two stowaways in Ken Gamble's huge horsebox in the form of Barney and Tallulah. Barney organising match bets on the pieces of work and somehow pricing up Excellerator at 12/1 in a two horse gallop...

A pleasing morning at downtown Dunstall. Excellerator on course for Friday's Nunthorpe (as long as I remember to confirm her entry before noon today) and a couple of the 2-year-olds beginning to thrive. And the highlight for B and T being the McDonalds Sausage McMuffins on the way home.....

A quiet couple of weeks on the Winners front - but not unexpected as we have given several of our likelier types a week or two off to freshen them up. We have only just started our training career, and so by definition we are surrounded by some pretty moderate horses. But moderate horses can still win races - but if they are to do so, they require exactly the same care and attention as the classier types. They need their breaks, their down times, and we are incredibly lucky to have so many acres of turnout paddocks for this use. A lot of horses will be ridden around the farm when they are having an easy time - keeping them well away from the gallops, but keeping them ticking over and, hopefully, fresh....

Some eyecatching pieces of work in the past few days. We had expected August to be quiet after a good run through July. But it is important that we have plenty of winners in September and October, especially as these are the months leading up to the Sales....

As I have mentioned before, we obviously hate being on the "Cold List". But, whilst it would have been great if a couple of the placed horses had nicked that elusive 50th win, I am completely confident that our patient strategy will be rewarded in the weeks ahead. Having said that, the team are desperate for that 50th winner and the party I have promised them. Let's hope it is around the corner - and arrives before I get a David Loder bollocking for being on the "Cold List" for too long...

David did tell me that the time to be "hot" is in the lead up to the Sales, a time when clearly one needs to have one's name in the frame. That is the plan. That is what we are aiming for. I hope that I am clever enough to make the plan work....

Trawling through the paperwork mountain yesterday afternoon when Barney suggested a trip to the Cinema. "Aliens in the Attic" was not exactly my preferred option. .....     

August 14th

Alarm clock malfunction....

Overslept to 5.15......

Horsebox about to head to Wolverhampton with 9 to gallop.....

Hoping the bubbles do not burst....

See ya !! 

August 13th - my sister's birthday.....

Boho Chic waiting a while after her Saturday run - and so no runners yesterday...

Everybody needs a "Carol" in their lives. The fact that our business has grown so much in the past year is of course great news - but the downside (albeit limited) to this is the paperwork mountain that I have to trawl through every day. A huge proportion of this being duplicated letters from various Racecourses advising me of their car parking procedures and the "free coffee and biscuits" available in the Owners and Trainers Bar....

Some courses offering fantastic facilities for Owners. Chester and Haydock spring to mind. Others, including some of our more local ones, making do with cramped rooms, peeling and stained ceilings and one gorgeous Lithuanian struggling behind the bar to cope with the masses. Not easy with a limited grasp of English. Unsurprisingly, it is at these lesser tracks with the below par facilities that the Racecourse executive are notable by their absence. Go to a track where a real effort has been made to entertain Owners (who, after all, are the backbone of the industry) and you will doubtless find Board members mingling with their guests. At the lesser tracks, they will be conspicuous by their absence, perhaps a little ashamed and embarrassed....

Anyway, back to "Carol". Carol worked with Candida at The Watch Security in Warwick. Carol is a worker. Carol is organised. Carol is going to save my life. After a couple of hours in her company yesterday, I could tell that getting her involved was a very good call. Papers filed, invoices sorted, telephone calls made, bills paid - as I said, everybody needs a "Carol".....

Cozmo Jenks, milliner to the great, the good and, undoubtedly, the very bad staying here last night with boyfriend "Bingo" and about 47 dogs of varying sizes. A timely call from H pointing us in the direction of the Godolphin horse in the 6.35 at Sandown, some ammunition for a pint or two in The Antelope, a delicious steak around the kitchen table....

Cozmo sending us two jumpers next month - anybody who saw her doing the fashion on Channel 4 from Goodwood will understand that having her around is unlikely ever to be dull....!!!        

August 12th

Newton Abbot yesterday - and a huge holiday crowd enjoying the sport. Sparkling Montjeu typically game and tough, travelling like the winner off the home bend before the petrol (and therefore stamina) guage ran dry...

Andrew Tinkler behind the wheel for the long drive to the West country - and understandably in jaunty mood on the way home having ridden a fine race to land the opener. Candida and the kids waiting for us in The Plough at the bottom of Jonjo's gallops (what an amazing training facility he has - a little green with envy...) for a most excellent Steak.

C attended her last Board Meeting at Warwick Racecourse as a Director yesterday. An enlightened appointment by Jeremy Deedes nearly a decade ago. Warwick forever hamstrung by being a 3rd XI cog in the grinding wheel that is Jockey Club Racecourses, but some decent people behind the scenes. As mentioned before, the name "Jockey Club Racecourses" telling it's own tale. Apparently there is "rebranding" afoot - it will be fascinating to see what cutting edge name they come up with this time....

And fascinating to see who will replace C as a Director. She was the life and soul of every raceday she attended - a rare spark of fun, vigour and glamour, and with no peer in terms of her ability to interact with Sponsors and paying customers alike. I am incredibly proud of her many talents. I am sure that the Warwick Board will be seeking a similarly progressive successor - watch this space.....   

August 11th

Alarmingly dark out there at "alarm o'clock" this morning. The nights drawing in. Never mind. I am sure that we are on the cusp of an unbelievable Indian Summer....

To London yesterday. Lunch with one of our Directors and massive supporter Jim St Johnston. Sitting outside on the pavement of a Jermyn Street restaurant. Much to discuss. My linguine stunning. And I won the fiver, for it was Jim who was spied first by somebody he knew....

Back home in time to bury Max. Barney's brace of gerbils reduced by one - Speedy still going strong, Max buried beside Daisy, our Dandy Dinmont terrier. Barney and Tallulah tearful. But nothing that a good game of cricket, a Coke or two and a packet of Hula Hoops could'nt cure. And I imagine that the lobbying for a "Max replacement" will continue apace in a moment or two when they stir from their slumbers.....

I am beginning to feel a little like a Cricketer nervously looking to edge a single to bring up his half century. We have trained 49 winners since our first runner on March 1st '08. We seem to have become a little marooned at the non-striker's end. I have promised the team a party when we crack one through the covers to bring up the 50. I just hope that it is not a Christmas party.....

We have gone a little quieter on the runners front as a few of the Flat team have just had a little mid-season break. They are well back on track now - and with the Jumps team out of the "holiday fields" and back in training, it is pretty busy around here. The likes of Divy, Bugsys Boy, Friendly King, Golden Feather, Wingull and Shut The Bar giving us plenty of hope for the Winter - but we still have plenty of the Flat team to run, and the not insignificant date with Group 1 action and The Nunthorpe for Excellerator hovering over the horizon....  

August 10th

An encouraging run from Boho Chic on Saturday night at Lingfield. A dismal performance from Legnani at Leicester yesterday, showing categorically that she has nil interest in being a racehorse. Frustrating - she works well at home but, for whatever reason, will not do it on the track. She is not a nasty person and will head off now to do another, less strenuous job. If only they could talk.......

Lingfield packed on Saturday night. The sun a factor, the Abba tribute band more of an appeal to most than the racing. And Leicester yesterday, with no Bjorns in sight, very busy as well. In fact, a random survey of the state of our sport that had taken in these two fixtures would have declared the game to be in a rude state of health....

But sadly these decent crowds are no more than a thin veil hiding the deep cracks below the surface. William Hill and Ladbrokes moving offshore will have a massive effect on the levy - and consequently the prize money we are racing for on a daily basis. When we launched this business, prize money could not be factored into my business plan - it is merely a tiny "bonus" that can in no way (at our lowly level) sustain or contribute to our overheads. We often need to win a horserace to justify the expense of travelling to a given track - second place prize money will not even cover the transport costs.....

But despite all this financial gloom, there are still a large number of Owners who find the allure of British racing utterly compelling. The unique nature of our tracks, the quality of horses on display, the fact that Racecourses are in the main understanding the needs of their customer base, the number of clever and forward thinking people at the helm of the sport beginning to outweigh the chippy and the wannabees......

It is not all doom and gloom. In an impossibly difficult economic environment, our business continues to grow. I am in no way complacent - but if we can keep the head above water in these troubled times, I hope that we will be in a position to really move forward when a degree of normality returns. We are in a "leisure" industry - people spend money on Racehorses when they have froth on top of the froth of their bonuses.

And one of the biggest issues at present (and one that prolongs a recessionary climate) is that a lot of people with money (and therefore potential racehorse owners) cannot be seen to be spending right now. By definition, the very rich are often large employers. Their companies are tightening their belts. There may well have been redundancies. But the business will survive and the very, very, very rich remain "very, very rich"....

But in this climate of job cuts and cost cutting, it is not necessarily the done thing to be seen spending hundreds of thousands of pounds (or guineas) at the bloodstock sales....

I guess we will have to continue to be patient (for the good times will come again - eventually), and, in the meantime, box a little clever.....