Thursday 6 September 2012

In which we finally enter the 21st Century

As the first installment of 'Stable News', this item is long overdue.

We have been enjoying a busy and very lively season which has taken us around Europe and claimed some nice prizes along the way. This week, however, has been one of those odd weeks, where a mid season lull offers little in the way of opportunities for our horses. Sometimes these quiet days are most welcome - we have had the chance to get little jobs done on the horseboxes and sort out some housekeeping around the yard and barns. We must grasp the limited opportunities we have while we can - with sales season already underway and the frantic end-of-season push fast approaching, our lads and girls (not to mention the horses and horseboxes!) will be flying in all directions. Some horses may literally take to the air as we prepare for another venture to the Breeders' Cup, held this year in Santa Anita, California. Caspar Netscher may go again and will probably be nominated for a couple of races and we will look and see which would be most suitable. Winged Icarus may also be found a race stateside, after his Frankel-esque victory at Southwell last week. His 12-length victory, smashing the 20-year track record without coming off the bridle left us astounded but delighted. We had hoped that he would win as we had galloped him on the surface and knew he went well on it, but the manner of his victory could never have been anticipated. He had disappointed us in the past and his six-figure price tag was beginning to look expensive but, with the application of a visor and a synthetic surface our American-bred Speightstown colt positively bloomed. It was a huge relief to all concerned to finally see what he had earlier promised.
As for this week's runners, they have been a bit sparse, as I have mentioned. Our next runners will be on Saturday, when we have four runners at four meetings. The logistics have now been sorted and Swerve will head for Ascot in a bid to atone for her sulky display at York when she wasn't allowed to dominate, the game and consistent Showboating will have a good chance under Ioannis Poullis at Thirsk, Blue Jack will be having his first run for us under Hayley Turner at Haydock and Sehnsucht, who has been working well, will take his chance to show what he can do at Wolverhampton. If all run true races, all should give good accounts of themselves.
Now I'm off to do a bit of housekeeping of my own - those walls won't paint themselves and I've only got two days to do it...

Toodle pip!