- Monday, 02 September 2024 13:51
- Written by David Pipe
Watching Coldplay
Even though jumps racing has returned from its mini-break, it is still a funny time for National Hunt Racing with some meetings but it is a little sporadic with not a lot going on in between! There was racing at Worcester on Sunday but this is followed by four blank days with just Bangor on Friday and then Stratford on Saturday and Fontwell on Sunday to follow this weekend.
We had just a few runners last week with some placings but no winners to add to our 14 tally so far this season. Ocean Heights finished third over hurdles at Stratford. On latent ability, he should be winning off his current mark over hurdles but he is not the most natural over an obstacle and this can let him down at the business end of the race. There are more races to be won with our talented seven year old on the flat and I am sure over hurdles as well.
Pub Crawl missed the start in his race at Stratford and that put him on the back foot. He has ability but he is a quirky character. He can be winning when things fall right for him. On the flat at Ffos Las, Final Entry ran well enough on his first run for us in this sphere. He now qualifies for a rating on the level and while we plan to run him next back over hurdles at Newton Abbot, it an avenue we will look to explore a little further down the line. Full-brother, Mr Tambourine Man ran on the same day but did not enjoy the heavy underfoot conditions. He will next run again back over hurdles at Newton Abbot. Bashful Boy ran his best race for a while to a point at Fontwell but did still finish a little weakly. He seems to have come out of the race fine and he holds an entry in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket next month, a race he finished fourth in last year at big odds. Dindin didn’t follow up his good run at Newton Abbot at Worcester on Sunday while Groundbreaker also disappointed. Chemical Warfare ran another solid race to be fourth over hurdles and he can be winning again soon.
This Week
This week is fairly quiet on the runners front with not much racing but we do have a runner on the flat at Goodwood on Tuesday, Ben Lilly. We have not run him on the flat as yet but he has won two hurdle races for us and he is a seven-time winner on the flat already in his career. He has not run since January having picked up an injury but he is in good form at home and it will be great to get him back on the track. He has won off a higher mark in the past on the flat but this does look a competitive race. We have the assistance of Rossa Ryan in the saddle and I hope he can run well and pick up some prize money and this will put him spot on for hurdles next time.
Coldplay
Leanne and I went to Ireland to watch Coldplay at Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday. We went as guests of Tom Malone alongside Paul Nicholls, Jamie Snowden and Tim Vaughn. It was a great evening enjoyed by us all.
August Weather
We have had the second driest August we have ever recorded at Pond House with just 27mm of rainfall. August tends to be a fairly dry traditionally but this is the least amount of rainfall we have recorded since 2003 when just 17.5mm of rain fell during the month. The lower rainfall last month also means that the total rainfall for the year, while still quite high is not so far out of the norm. We have had 776mm of rain so far in 2024, over 50mm more than in 2023 and in fact the highest since 2012 when we had had 789mm to this point. We had a nice drop of rain on Sunday overnight; 19mm fell so a little more of this would be good throughout September for the racecourses.
National Racehorse Week
National Racehorse week is fast approaching with yards opening their doors to the public across the country from the 7th – 15th September 2024. Introduced a few years ago, it is something we have enjoyed taking part in and it gives people the chance to see close up the love, care and attention all the horses get on a daily basis. We are opening our doors on Sunday 15th September but it is a pre-booked event and you cannot just turn up on the day. It is a free experience and we have sold out our allocated spaces online but if you are interested in coming along, please do get in touch direct. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We have ITV West Country TV cameras here later this week to film a piece in the build up to National Racehorse Week so you will have to keep an eye out for that in due course.
For information about the week itself and to find out about other events going on, please click on the link below:
https://nationalracehorseweek.uk/about/
Did you know the average daily calorie intake for a racehorse is 35,000 calories? That would be the same as eating 600 Weetabix per day!
