Days seem to be passing by quite quickly despite a relative lack of things to entertain us which I guess is a good thing!  There are still plenty of jobs going on at Pond House and I am managing to keep out of trouble!  The kids are settled into their home schooling routine and although it is quite stressful for Leanne things are going pretty well and she is doing a great job.

LOOKING FORWARD

The horses in training are still ticking along nicely and while it appears racing is ready to return as soon as government guidelines permit I guess we will find out more later this week when Boris Johnson sets out some plans to ease restrictions from lockdown.  We have about 15 horses in training at the moment while I have plans to bring another 10 or so in from the field in the next couple of weeks to be ready to run over jumps later in the summer.

NEW ARRIVALS

There is also still plenty of work going on behind the scenes to strengthen our team for the upcoming season with some new acquisitions.  Two lovely four year old geldings have joined us from the Irish point to point scene and our latest arrival is an exciting prospect bought off the flat in Germany by Tom Malone and he will run in the colours of Professor Caroline Tisdall and Bryan Drew.  Ladykiller, is a striking four year old chestnut by Kamsin and is the winner of four of his eight starts in Germany.  He is a Group 3 and Listed winner and has won from 1 mile to 1m7f.  Rated over 100 on the flat he is an exciting dual purpose prospect for the winter over hurdles and a race like the Cesarewitch at Newmarket could be on the radar as well.  He has literally just arrived so we will spend the next couple of weeks finding out a bit more about him.  He is still an entire so he will be gelded at some point before having a holiday and he is a lovely young horse to look forward to.

SEASONS REFLECTIONS CONTINUED

Continuing on from the last couple weeks I am reflecting on what was a good season for the stable.  I have talked about the multiple winners which have been fantastic but there were also several double winners that need a mention to.

STORY OF FRIENDS

Story of Friends was my first winner of the 2019/20 season when he won a bumper at Exeter in very gloomy conditions on 7^th May last year with David Noonan in the saddle.  He then went on to win his first start over hurdles at Warwick later that month.  He then finished runner up at Newton Abbot, after which we gave him a little break and he had wind surgery.  He returned at Kempton in November with a very close second but then disappointed at Taunton after this.  He didn’t like the soft conditions that day and so we kept him back for a spring campaign which of course never happened.  Still only a six year old he has a rating of 119 and I think there is improvement to come as he is only very lightly raced.  He is one that is currently out to grass but I will get him in shortly to run later in the summer as he wants better ground.

MR CLARKSON

Mr Clarkson was a dual winner last season and I was so delighted to get him back to winning ways last May.  He was a multiple winner in his younger days over hurdles but an injury enforced some time out and when he returned he had not been looking the horse of old.  We tweaked a few things at home and the handicapper relented a little and he returned with a bang at Worcester on 9^th May last year.  He then followed up in a valuable contest at Cartmel in July with Conor O’Farrell in the saddle that day.  He won off a mark of 121 at Worcester but after two wins he was back to a rating of 137.  Understandably he found things tougher when going for the hat-trick but still ran well at Cartmel last August to finish fifth in another good race.  He then had a little break and made his chasing debut on New Year’s Day.  It was thick fog at Exeter this day and you couldn’t really see the race properly but David Noonan said he jumped well and was happy with his third place in a competitive little race.  He ran too bad to be true at Ffos Las after this and was ready to run again when racing was cancelled.  He now on his holidays and will be prepared for an autumn chasing campaign as he does prefer a bit of cut in the ground.

HOT RYAN

Hot Ryan is another of the dual winners from over hurdles last season.  She carried the colours of yard sponsor Geoff Thompson and she is a homebred mare of former jockey Chris Honour.  After winning on her debut in a point to point bumper she was a bit of a slow burner to start with under rules and after some placed efforts it was brilliant to get her first win at Worcester in August last year.  She followed up back at the same track in September and then was placed twice after this.  She really has a great attitude and wants to do well for you which is always a delight to see.  She had a winter break and would have been back running now had racing still been going ahead.  She will be back when jumping returns in July as she prefers the better ground.

MISS TYNTE

Miss Tynte is another mare to have won two races last season.  Her form is always a bit in and out but on a going day she is really good.  She won at Worcester last August when it was pouring down with rain one evening.  She won very easily off a mark of 110 so we tried to run her again quickly with a penalty but this did not work out.  She went up to a rating of 123 and found things tougher but when she dropped a few pounds to 117 at Plumpton in December she won again.  She was below form over Christmas at Kempton in a much stronger race and was due to run again but a small injury put her on the side-lines.  She is now enjoying her holiday out to grass with the girls and she could be a candidate for mare’s novice chases going forward.

INDUNO

Induno was a winner of a bumper and a hurdle race last season.  He won his bumper nicely at Ffos Las and the won as he should on his hurdling debut at Sedgefield.  He then went back to Sedgefield on Boxing Day and was beaten as short priced favourite.  Nothing came to light after this run but we decided to give him a little break.  He was another that was ready to run again when racing was abandoned.  He is very lightly raced having had only four career starts and he has won twice and been placed twice.  I like him a lot at home and there should be plenty more to come.

CHAMPERS ON ICE

I have touched on Champers on Ice previously as he has now been retired but he was a dual winner who gave me great satisfaction with his two wins last season.  It was nice to get him to win at Ffos Las but he was back to somewhere back to near his best with a terrific battling performance to win at Newbury under top weight and he ran equally as well when he finished third at Cheltenham after this.  He unfortunately suffered an injury after Christmas and the decision was made to retire him.  He is now currently at to grass with Moon Racer and Un Temps Pour Tout in the care of Clare Poole.

PARICOLOR

Paricolor was a new recruit last summer that we got out of a French claimer after he finished runner up at Maisons-Laffitte.  He was disappointing on his stable debut but after a wind surgery and a little break he showed us what he could really do.  After a second placing and then an unfortunate fall when running well he won two hurdle races in the hands of Fergus Gillard.  He did not enjoy the heavy ground at Plumpton when disappointing on his latest start but he is another who was ready to run on better ground in the spring.  He is also out to grass and will return shortly for jumping later this summers as well as maybe a run or two on the flat.  He is a nice big four year old and we may look to exploit his weight for age allowance over fences like we did with Teaser and Malangen last summer.

ISRAEL CHAMP

Israel Champ is the final double winner we will talk about this week.  He came with a big reputation from the Irish point to point field and had had been impressive in his homework.  After disappointing at Worcester last October when he finished sixth but thankfully he went on to show us his true colours.  Impressive wins in Listed Bumpers at Cheltenham and Ascot followed and while disappointing in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival that was again too bad to be true.  He is on holidays now and has huge potential for novice hurdles next season.

This rounds up a look back at all the dual winners from last season but there is still plenty more to reflect on.  There were several highs and a few lows which we will have a look at next week.

Stay healthy and stay safe everyone.