Kieron_Edgar_1st_ride_Exeter_191010
                  Kieron Edgar

Although a fairly quiet time on the racing front at the moment it has been busy in many other ways!  I was in Ireland for three days last week for Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale and I am pleased to report we have six new acquisitions to the yard who are already settling in well at Pond House.  Five are un-named, unbroken youngsters who are long term projects and who hopefully could be potential stars of the future!  Last year’s purchases from the sale, include bumper winners and placed horses, Molo, Lady of Longstone and A Hairy Koala.  This year’s horses all have nice pedigrees and could literally be anything which is the exciting part!  They will now be broken in before being turned away for some grass with the view to them hopefully making their racecourse debuts in the spring of 2015.

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mr__mrs_p_ascot

I spent the last seven days in Bergerac in the west of France near Bordeaux with Leanne, her parents and the children and while we had a lovely time, there is only so much overindulging on fine wine and food I can manage before I need to get back to the grind.  I was never too far away from the action though with required bedtime reading being the upcoming Derby and Arqana sales catalogues.

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Lady_Of_Longstone_Worcester

Although quieter on the racing front with most of the horses now enjoying their summer breaks, the good form of the stable was maintained with the success of Lady Of Longstone (pictured above) at Worcester on Tuesday.  Making her racecourse debut in the bumper, our daughter of Beneficial ground out a workmanlike victory under a good ride from Tom Scudamore.  She would ideally have been suited by a stronger gallop so Scu sensibly produced her to challenge some way out and she stayed on gamely to draw away in the closing stages.

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Guess_Again_Perth_web

I was very pleased to keep the good early season momentum going with a couple of winners from our four runners over the sticks last week.  Mount Haven was the impressive winner of his bumper at Fontwell on Wednesday, while Guess Again (pictured above) took our seasonal total to sixteen when following up Problema Tic’s success of twelve months ago in the Perth Gold Cup on Sunday.

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Mount_Haven_head_web

Last week was certainly a quiet one with only five runners and while we didn’t post any victories during that period, at least the horses continued to run well with four places from our representatives.  The week ahead isn’t looking too demanding either – the stable has no runners today, while there are no jumps meetings taking place in the UK tomorrow.  Indeed, the next runners from Pond House will not be until at least Wednesday at Fontwell.

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  top_wood_towcester2.jpg

Although a quiet week on the racing front, we still managed to secure three winners from our seven runners to take our seasonal tally to fourteen, and thus keep the momentum going with our great start to the new term.  I was particularly pleased to see classy staying hurdler Top Wood (pictured above by kind permission of Matthew Wilkinson) make a seamless transition to the larger obstacles at Towcester on Monday – he enjoyed a relatively light campaign last season so will be kept on the go during the summer months and he is definitely one to keep on the right side of.  With most of his stable mates now out to grass for their holidays, we will be left with a team of around 15-20 horses to run.

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Blowing_Wind

I am saddened to bring you news that a grand old favourite of Pond House stables, Blowing Wind (pictured above by Bernard Parkin) was put to sleep peacefully this moring at the age of 21.  Twice a winner at the Cheltenham Festival and twice placed in the Grand National, he was a wonderful horse to have in the yard and will be greatly missed.

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