Out With A Bang!

The day that every trainer secretly looks forward to – the last day of the season – has finally arrived for our team. The Boss’ last day at the races coincided with the last Wales & West meeting, which was held at Almeley, Herefordshire on Sunday. Due to The Boss and Mrs B going on holiday on Friday, there seemed little point in keeping the horses in for another couple of weeks for meetings at Amman Valley that may not attract enough runners to go ahead.


Having returned from my week in Morocco to the news that Hamish (Bucklands Foxy Boy) had come second the weekend before at the same track, and Jingo had finished fourth from a bad draw, we set off hoping that on our last day racing in 2013 we could pick up a couple more rosettes.


We arrived at Almeley two hours before racing began, which gave us enough time to unload the horses, take them for a walk to stretch their legs, give them a quick brush and get the tack on. The Boss was to drive Hamish and Julie was to drive Jingo, however The Boss had put his back out the night before nailing up one of the horses so would decide after warming Hamish up whether or not he was going to be able to race. Julie got Jingo ready to warm up and I harnessed up Hamish. Both horses were warmed up before the qualifier as they were running in races three and four, then partially untacked and left to stand by the side of the lorry.


Race 1 was won by Trevor Knott with Talavary Prince; Trevor is one of the circuit’s ‘seasoned’ drivers, still going strong at 71! Although he was drawn one on the gate, he gave up his position and going down the back straight for the first time was sat at the back of the pack. I turned to my friend Emma, who usually parks next to the Knotts in the paddock, and asked her how he’d managed to land at the back having been drawn in pole position. She reassured me that Trevor claimed the horse to be a strong finisher, and I remarked that he’d need to be to get up from there. By the time the horses were moving down the back straight the second time Trevor had managed to wake his charge up a bit and was slowly moving past the tiring horses round the outside. Coming off the last bend, Trevor’s daughter Lisa, who hands out the rosettes after each race, was driving the finish for him in the middle of the track, whip hand flying and screaming ‘COME ON DAD’ as he somehow managed to inch his horse in front as they crossed the line.


The close finish was mirrored in the second race as Kite Hallmighty just held off Henson’s persistent attempts to pass in order to notch up trainer/driver Garry O’Grady’s first win of the season – better late than never for the Welsh leprechaun! Henson’s second place was John Howard’s best result of the day despite hauling six horses down from Lancashire with respected driver Mick Lord travelling down from York to partner them all.


The Boss quietly jogged Hamish around the paddock three times while the horses slowly came off the track, then I put his overcheck up, wished him luck and reminded him of his draw (not that he needed reminding on this occasion, as Hamish was drawn one on the gate). It’s a routine I’ve fallen into and, much the same as some people carry good luck charms or wear lucky items of clothing, if I don’t do it I wouldn’t be able to settle during a race. In the six years I’ve worked for him we’ve managed to
avoid any major accidents (horse or driver) on the track, and although I know me wishing him luck before a race and reminding him of his start position has absolutely no bearing on what happens on the track, it gives me peace of mind at least.


Mrs B, Julie and myself planted ourselves at the paddock end of the track just off the first corner; much the same as the week before when he was drawn one, Hamish sprinted out of the gate and held his position on the rail. Paul Evans and Shakalakaboomboom kept The Boss and Hamish under pressure for the whole first lap, sitting on their outside and ensuring The Boss couldn’t slow the pace. Huw Thomas had planted himself right in behind them with the grey Blue Daragh and at the start of the second lap as they passed us he was the main danger that we could identify. Shakalakaboomboom couldn’t handle the pace parked two wide and quickly tired, which meant Huw had the chance to pull out to try and pass, however he waited until the last two bends to mount his challenge. He looked to be gaining ground on Hamish’s outside, and us three up the paddock were all shouting ‘hold on Hamish’, without being able to tell clearly whether he was keeping his head in front (we were stood almost head on to the finishing straight). When Richy the commentator called him as the winner, all three of us jumped in the air and cheered!

I’d jokingly said to Julie as The Boss had gone on the track that whatever result he had, she would have to match or better. When Hamish won in 2.12.5, the challenge had been set for her not only to win with Jingo, but also to win in a faster time. As we only had one cart we had to wait for The Boss to come back before we could send Jingo out. I untacked Hamish while The Boss helped Julie get ready and get out on the track; I gave him a quick drink, washed him down, scraped and towel-dried him, rugged him, gave him another quick drink and managed to untie him for a walk just in time to see Julie hit the front after the first corner. Having been drawn three, The Boss told her to just go, and I’d identified the two horses inside her as slower starters than Jingo. I was right, and afterwards Julie said her only challenge came from the horse drawn outside her, but Jingo switched on as the gate pulled away and he shot out to start. Jingo settled in front and bowled along for seven furlongs, before Jamie Davies and the horse drawn one, Trysor Ffion, attempted to overtake in exactly the same place as Huw as challenged. Cue more shouting from us three up the top - The Boss and Mrs B hanging over the rope and me standing with Hamish a few yards behind them jumping from one foot to the other (me, not the horse). Once again, it was the commentator who had to confirm the result for us and as Woodstone Jingo was called out as winner of the fourth race in a time of 2.10 dead, I jumped in the air and cheered, much to Hamish’s alarm. What a way to finish our season!

Julie returned to tell us that she’d been told off by one of the stewards for hitting the numbercloth with the whip at the start of the race, ‘in case it scared the other horses’, which is pure nonsense, and also confirmed that Jingo hadn’t made a sound with his breathing, which has been an on and off problem for the last couple of weeks.


Once Jingo was untacked and washed down, and had had a drink, Julie and I took the two boys on a winner’s parade of the paddock, and for a munch of grass which they both deserved. We packed up their tack, the buckets, sponges, sweat scrapers, reins and water containers and headed to the bar for a celebratory drink with the owners, Mervyn and his family and Austin.



By the time we hit the bar, races 5 and 6 had already been run, with David Bevan adding another winner to his tally with Ithon Kiwi. The win simply confirmed his position as top trainer and driver on the Wales & West circuit for 2013, and he was awarded a trophy for each of these achievements after the ninth race. Roy Sheedy’s stallion Wellfield Official took the sixth in a depleted field, which also cemented Roy’s position as top owner for the season. He too was awarded a trophy before the last race. Both horses were following up wins at the track last weekend.


Race 7 saw Limelights Frankie finish in front of a blanket for the placings, with Sunshine Boy taking second and Mewith Forsure in third. Roy notched up a second winner on the day in race 8 with his good grey, Wellfield Ghost, who started as odds-on favourite and confirmed this as he cruised past the opposition from last to first in the space of one straight.


Race 9 saw old favourite Another Toto running for the last time, as he was to be retired following the run. He rallied well to finish fourth in yet another close finish, with Rudd Hanover and Jason Podmore just pinching the race ahead of Immortal Joe and Rhyds Panache. Rudd managed the fastest time of the day as well, clocking an impressive 2.07.9, so Jason’s wife Cheryl, the brood of kids and the dogs came running down to collect the appropriate trophy and pose for a photo.


As mentioned, David and Roy collected their trophies as the committee awarded various accolades in the break before the final race. Another Toto paraded for the crowd, as did Young Will who was also to be retired that day. Patrick Morris brought Ystwyth DT down to collect the award for WWHRA Horse of the Year, as voted on the day by the racegoers, and Trevor Morgans his owner collected the WWHRA Personality of the Year as well.


The last race soon followed, with the top horses battling it out over a mile and a quarter. Jason managed a double with Blue Incredible, the grey, pulling clear from the pack to beat long time leader Monkey Harris, who finished just ahead of The Bold Jack who was finishing strongly but was unable to find the space to run until Monkey drifted out to allow him up the inside.


We loaded up, dropped Jingo off at Austin’s place for the winter and headed home. Hamish will be picked up in the week when Mervyn gets a chance to head over, and then the stables will stand empty. Laddie has been turned out with Robbie the Shetland and much to everyone’s delight has settled to outdoor living brilliantly. As we stood stroking him over the gate The Boss commented on how far he’d come since the day the vets said it might be better to have him put down. It won’t be long until the scar on his lower leg will hardly be noticeable and he clearly hasn’t let the trauma of living out affect him as he looked happy as Larry to be out at grass with his wee pal.

 Melinda and Maverick are more than happy turned out with each other’s company; once The Boss returns from his holidays Melinda will be seeing the saddle for the first time and hopefully can go on to start her career as a riding horse, inadvertently promoting the breed as she goes. Maverick will remain out for a time and no doubt The Boss will give him another go in the new year. There’s untold potential sitting in that horse and fingers crossed he can overcome the physical problems he’s faced this year to reward all the time and effort The Boss has ploughed into him since he was born.


Mervyn assured us that Bongo is already putting weight on in a field up to his knees with grass. Hamish will be returning to join him very soon, and more than likely will hunt this winter along side Dark Fox (or will at least be ridden). Jingo will be spoilt rotten by Austin and undoubtedly return to the yard as a little pudding next year.

I don’t expect the stables will stay empty for very long, as the sales are coming up and although The Boss is taking Eryn & Olympic to be sold, there’s bound to be an associate of his who acquires another horse which will in turn need to be broken. There always seems to be plenty of work during the winter and I’ll not be able to keep away out of nosiness as to what’s there.


So there we have it folks. You’ve followed us through every high and even more lows this season as we attempted to keep a sport that we love going. Some days you wonder if it’s all worth it, the early starts or the hard work or the level of care and attention you give horses that can’t or won’t run for you. But winning really does make it all worth it. Hell, the day we came home with two seconds and a third made it all worth it! In every race there’s only one winner (unless it’s a dead heat, but don’t be pedantic), so as long as you know that your horse ran to the best of its ability, what more can you ask for? Luck plays a huge part in it, whether it be with the draw, the gap that lets you out up the home straight, or conversely being stuck behind a galloping horse – and at times this year it’s felt like without the bad luck we’ve had, we wouldn’t have any luck at all. That though is racing, of any sort, and we’ve returned week after week because despite the knockbacks and the disappointments that far outnumber the highs and the successes usually, not one of us could think of anything better to be doing on a Sunday afternoon.


I hope that, whatever your background or involvement in racing, you’ve enjoyed following our journey. I’ve loved writing about our adventures, although there have been times when I’ve really struggled to find the time or the motivation. As you can tell right now I’m still on a high from yesterday’s wins which explains the very prompt post! Next year I’m sure I’ll return to help with the breaking in and early stages of the training process, however the loose plan for me is to be moving up to Scotland once the season starts to live with Smarty the top bookie. That means leaving my charges in the capable hands of The Boss, with strict instructions to remain on top of the mucking out duties! I will of course be at a large number of the meetings down in Wales, and won’t be able to stop myself hanging around the lorry and cheering all The Boss and Julie’s drives home.


Who knows, maybe next year I’ll have some of my own horses to train?!


Over and out for the final time,


Sarah (#1 Groom and luckiest girl in the world to have had the job I’ve had)

A day for thirds

The final meeting held in Ceredigion took place at the brand new track in the vicinity of Lampeter on Sunday 1st September. I was on clerking duties not groom duties so didn’t have any hands-on involvement with The Boss’ horses. Julie was driving Jingo, while The Boss was steering Melinda around her first qualifier, and Hamish in a Novice race.


I popped to see them at the lorry and noted how quietly Melinda was stood whilst tied up. Some years ago we took her full brother, Meadowland Tom, to Lampeter races (albeit at a different location) for his first maiden and he too stood quietly, watching the world go by. But then, he was quiet at home, whereas Melinda spends most of her time eyeballing everything and stretching her neck as high as it will go, imitating a giraffe. She ran in the second qualifier, and although she paced for the full mile, she struggled to keep up with the pack and her efforts looked laboured. Having spoken to The Boss since Sunday he advised that she didn’t look or feel comfortable for the whole journey. This will no doubt be directly linked to the injury she sustained as a yearling when she got cast, however I think the team are all agreed that it was better to try her and see, than assume she couldn’t pace and race and get rid of her.


Hamish was out next, drawn four, and managed to tuck in on the rail in third for much of the race before taking up the running down the back straight. I was impressed with his determination to get to the front, and he was just passed coming home so finished in third. It was a plucky run from the little horse, who has been there or thereabouts in several of his races this season. He’s got a lot to do though to be better than his younger brother who will be hitting the racing scene next year!


Julie then drove Jingo in a race that was stopped after a furlong due to fallers. Roy Wilson’s mount hit the deck swiftly followed by Roy himself, and was then ploughed into by Jed Strickland on Pais-Y-Pentre, as he had nowhere to go. He took a tumble, as did Mike Evans on Rhyds Dilemma. Pais-Y-Pentre then took herself off for the remainder of the track at full speed, driverless and ignoring the shouts and leaps from stewards and her owner, Wesley. She then headed straight for the paddock, where she was caught immediately and returned to her owner. The rules state that if a horse falls and the race is stopped, the horse cannot run again in the re-run. We were also under the impression that if a driver fell off, a horse couldn’t run in the re-run, however both Rhyds Dilemma and Pais-Y-Pentre lined up for the second attempt. The Boss has since confirmed that provided the drivers get themselves checked out immediately by the ambulance staff and are deemed to be fit to drive, they are allowed to run. Jingo had a tough race stuck two wide fighting for the lead with David Bevan on the inside, but it was Rhyds Dilemma that stormed past them both to win. Jingo, in similar style to Hamish, finished third.


Roy Wilson was checked over by the ambulance folk and stood down from the remainder of his drives that afternoon, which paved the way for Huw Thomas to step in and take the drive on Ffynnon, who has been knocking on the door in all staying races this season. Huw steered the horse to victory, much to the delight of his owner and trainer, however it was a bittersweet win as Roy would have loved to have taken the controls himself.


My family’s two year old raced in race 11 in a maiden, and let Bobby Sox and Shae Price make all the running from pole position. Daisy and Michael tracked the front two horses for three quarters of a mile, until Gary O’Grady made a move on Shae’s outside which forced him to go after his own horse with everything he had. Now I, nor Kayleigh (Michael’s girlfriend) couldn’t see the gap that Michael saw, but it must have been there because he slipped up the inside of Shae like a rabbit down a hole. Shae had committed the cardinal sin of racing – NEVER let a horse up your inside! Daisy cruised past them and came home without Michael having switched his whip forwards or pulling the ear plugs.

Ystwyth DT added another trophy to Trevor Morgans’ cabinet when he came off 30 yards in the final to win the Lloyds Chip Shop sponsored final in some style. He is another great advert for the stallion The Cammissioner (Hamish & Bongo’s sire).


Smarty and I took note of the final sponsor and headed back there for our supper, which was absolutely delicious. It’s a shame we’re not down that part of the country more often!


At the yard
 

I was greeted on Monday with the news that Mac had joined the yellow-rosette brigade at Pateley Bridge (somewhere in England) on the Sunday also, which is an improvement on his sixth place at Appleby the week before.


The Boss confirmed that following her run the previous day, it had been decided that Melinda would not continue with her racing career, so would be turned out, backed and sold on as a rider. With some injuries sustained to racehorses, they only present a problem when the horse is very close to peak race fitness, or under extreme pressure (i.e. racing), and don’t have any impact on the horse’s ability to pursue a career as a pleasure horse. I have made the same decision with my mare, who ran so badly at Lampeter that even someone as uncompetitive as me was a touch embarrassed!


The Boss took her shoes off and we turned her out with Maverick, whose boxrest has finally come to an end. That left us with Laddie, Hamish and Jingo in the stables. Mucking out has suddenly become a whole lot easier!


Hamish and Jingo are entered to run at Llanandras (Presteigne) on Sunday, and as the season winds down let’s hope that we can sneak a couple of wins before we pack up for the winter.


Over and out,


Sarah (#1 Groom)

Tregaron 2013

And there we have it ladies and gentlemen; Tregaron 2013 is over for another year. The August meeting at Tregaron is, for most people, the pinnacle of the British and Irish harness racing season. It has fallen foul of the inclement weather in recent years, with the feature day being cancelled two years ago following two days of racing and heavy rain, and the whole meeting being abandoned last year and then relocated to Amman Valley hard track in the neighbouring county.


Fortunately for us all this summer has seen only a handful of meetings abandoned (either due to bad weather or lack of entries), and there was never any hint of doubt that racing would go ahead at Tregaron. Entries were down on previous years and the meeting opened up to maidens and novices, which played a massive part in the cancellation of the Monday meeting at Ammanford which failed to attract enough runners. There were only four heats of the Strata Florida handicap (the middle-grade handicap) and the same for the Welsh Classic handicap (for the highest grade horses), and rather loud whisperings that perhaps the meeting would have sufficed with only two days racing. But less about that, and more about the racing!


The Boss had entered our two for Ammanford so therefore had nothing entered to run at Tregaron. He did however pick up a drive on the Friday on a horse he steered to victory two seasons ago at Pembridge Show, J J Matters; that day he followed up his victory in the first race with another win in the second (on my mare), and it was the second win that won the trophy for fastest division of Grade 0 (maiden) and Grade 1 (this was before the novice grade was reintroduced). J J’s owner, Ashleigh, still begrudges me that half a second difference that saw National Hunt jockey Richard Johnson present me with the trophy! Unfortunately J J struggled having not raced before this season and didn’t find himself in the mix at the finish line at Tregaron.


I was on duty as clerk for the Smart one but abandoned ship half way through the day to watch the racing with my friend Emma and have a few drinks. We arranged a mini-tipster competition whereby we picked a horse in each race that we thought would win; the points system was 3 for a first, 2 for a second and 1 for a third. The loser was to drink a shot of vodka after the last race (I was confident that I was going to win as I can’t stand vodka). I’d opened up a tidy lead by the time I came off duty but Emma clawed it back to be only a couple of points behind me going into the final. To make things more interesting we decided to bet our picks in the race – she bet Styx Thunder to win and I bet Duggans Pride to come second. Fortunately for us both we both picked up money! As scorekeeper she declared a draw and that we both had to drink the vodka, so off we went with our winnings to the bar. It’s only during the week since I’ve returned back to civilisation that I’ve questioned whether or not it really was a draw. Last week at the yard The Boss confirmed that I had actually won by one point, but he suggested to Emma that she add an extra point to her score and declare a draw. What hope is there for harness racing with such crooks involved?!


My highlight on the Friday was seeing Rhyds Destiny come back into blistering form to beat Brywinsmagicpotion and returned British record holder Doonbeg in the Electric Mile. My family’s two year old filly ran in the Junior Welsh Dragoness (a series whereby foal owners pay subscription fees to entitle their horses to race; payments are made when the horse is a foal, a yearling and a two year old – even if
they don’t race at two the payments must be continued to entitle them to race in the series at three and four). Unfortunately she was drawn five on the gate and the driver pulled her back to try and get in on the rail; the three fancied fillies had too much of an advantage over her and even though she motored down the back stretch on the second lap, she tripped and broke, only recovering enough to come in fourth, some way behind the front three.


The Saturday saw me dedicated to my role as clerk and it was a day for the betting public, with favourite after favourite taking the spoils. Form stood up and Infinatey, winner of the Spring Handicap final at Tregaron in May, not only won his heat in style but also took the Welsh Classic Final in the hands of Mick Lord. Infinatey is the second horse by Anthony Fettah’s stallion Immortalized to win the Welsh Classic, following in the footsteps of Immpartial who took the title the year after winning the Strata Florida Handicap final. His brother, Im Immpartial Too, ran on well in a maiden to finish second on the Friday this year, and has shown great potential in the same way that his older brother did at that age. A future big final winner in the making?


My highlights on the Saturday included Kayleigh Evans’ face in the Cardigan Bay Members Race as she passed the bell and could hear Baby Rosa chasing her down on her outside – having made the running for the first half a mile on her own horse Comply Or Die, Rhys Evans decided to put her under pressure and despite looking quite cool, calm and collected at the bell, a quick glance behind her told her she needed to get her skates on! It was a real look of ‘oh hell’, followed by gritting her teeth with determination and really getting on at her horse. Comply Or Die and Kayleigh eventually finished runners up to Jamie Davies and Lakeside Pan, with Rhys and Baby Rosa finishing in third. This, I have been told by Kayleigh, will be her claim to fame – finishing ahead of American import Baby Rosa with her own little horse! Lakeside Pan’s victory was one of four wins for owner Ronnie John over the three days with his Lakeside horses, an impressive feat by anyone’s standards.


I resumed my clerking duties on the final day, only abandoning my post to put money on my friend Rachel’s horse, Wellfield Ghost, on her behalf in the final. He won his heat but only managed a fourth in the final of the Cors Caron Cup, the handicap for the lowest grade horses entitled to run in the heats and finals. The day was much like a normal Wales & West meeting, with several local runners and a reduced crowd as many had travelled back up north in preparation for the Brough meeting at Appleby. I can’t say that there were many stand out moments on the day, other than last year’s Strata Florida winner and the Musselburgh 2013 winner Springhill Alibi romping home in the Top Grade Stayers Handicap off a 40 yard trail. The race was run over a mile and a half, so three laps of the half mile track. Rocker appeared to give Alibi a ‘warm up’ lap, before sprinting down the home straight to challenge the leaders after the first lap. He then settled for the second lap and took up the running to win part way through the third. Emma, who knows more than me as she is a driver, explained that Alibi would have sprinted down the home straight early on, imitating the early speed behind the start car in a mile race; the two laps following that would have played out in the same style as a normal distance race and the horse would relax into his rhythm, plus the driver would be well aware coming into the last quarter as to how much horse he really had left. Essentially he drove him for the last mile of the race as if it was a normal mile race, having not been preceded by half a mile already. Whatever anybody thinks about that tactic, or if that even was his tactic, it worked!


Tregaron tends to mark the unofficial end of the season for us at the yard, and we begin slowly unwinding and turning horses out for the autumn. With Big Mac away ‘oop north’, there’s only two racehorses in the stables, along with the invalids and Melinda who still needs to qualify. I’m away to Morocco in a fortnight so will be missing the first meeting at Almeley, and The Boss and Mrs B are away on a cruise around the Greek islands at the end of September so will be missing any potential meetings that are held at Ammanford (subject to entries). They may be back in time for York sale, but just in case they’re not The Boss has agreed to give me his chequebook with a blank signed cheque ready and waiting. Alexander Camden will be coming to mid Wales at The Boss’ expense!


A quick note before I sign off – on Saturday night in Aberystwyth (following the racing at Tregaron), I bumped into the owner of The Fuffer Man. Still intrigued as to where his name came from, I felt compelled to take the opportunity to ask him. I now know, and I also know why The Fuffer Man’s half-brother is called Ook Whos Coming. I have however been sworn to secrecy, and having already told The Boss and Mrs B (and Wesley, who already partly knew), I am too scared to tell anyone else in case the owners find out and hunt me down! Besides, I like the idea that only a handful of people are involved in this little ‘in joke’! What I can tell you is this though: as The Boss didn’t ask what the horse’s stable name was, you will know that I nicknamed him Derek (or Deckers) after one of his owners. I have now been corrected by Mark, another of the owners, who told me that his stable name is Philip, or Phil if you’re really close to him. I have been informed that for the time being I am only allowed to call him Philip. Oh, and there were reports of him chasing his tail as a youngster in the field…


Over and out,


Sarah (#1 Groom)

Quick update

Hi all,

Apologies once again for the lack of updates, things have been more than crazy with my other jobs - putting together and printing over 600 newsletters for STAGBI, plus address labels for all members, and then at the Council too (where I tend to catch up on my blogging as best I can). It's not excuse, I said I'd commit myself to this and I'm not doing a very good job BUT I shall endeavour to try my best for the rest of the season.

Allensmore

We took three horses to Allensmore just over a week and a half ago. The Boss and me were the only ones that went, as Mrs B stayed at home to man the fort. Allensmore had proven to be our 'bogie' track up until now, and Mrs B warned us that if we didn't come home with a rosette, then we weren't allowed home at all. And Best Turned Out didn't count!

 As the horses were spaced out in races 6, 8 and 11, I set about plaiting each of them, firstly to try and win a Best Turned Out, secondly to kill time and thirdly because it seems to have a relaxing effect on them. After I'd done our three, my friend Emma asked me to plait up two of hers, Pendragon (Dragon) and What About Me (Jiggy). Earlier on she'd taken my mare, Star, out for gate practice which naturally went very smoothly as Star loves the start car. Not only did The Boss and me practice at home when she was 3 by jogging her behind the quad bike, I've also had practice out hunting during the winter whilst riding her. Conway, the starter on the circuit, is a hunt member and he used to slow down on the roads for my friend Jacqui and I to get close behind him on our pacers (Jacqui on Immortal Ocean aka Lucky and me on Star) and then he'd pull away and we'd pace behind him. Silly fun, and showing off our pacers really, but you've got to try and enjoy yourself!

Anyway, Jingo went out first and despite my best efforts he didn't win Best Turned Out, and being drawn 8 of 8 we all felt it would be a tough ask for him. Never won to be beaten by the draw, he had the perfect run sneaking up the rail when a horse broke and created space, and rallied on strongly to finish second. We were all over the moon as he had a lot of work to do to finish where he did and he ran exceptionally well.

Hamish went out in race 8 and this time my efforts paid off as he was announced as Best Turned Out. He was drawn 4 and landed in the pocket (on the inside rail behind the leader), where he sat patiently for a lap and a half. Going down the back straight for the final time The Boss appeared to have loads of horse left, being the only driver not chasing his horse, however the driver outside him had him boxed in. All of a sudden the front horse pulled away and I expected Hamish to shoot out into space but he appeared to slow down. It looked as though he was done. Then with the same suddeness he shot after the leader and was unlucky not to catch it on the line, finishing a respectable second. When The Boss came back to the lorry he wasn't happy, and explained that all the way down the back straight and into the two corners the outside driver had hooked his while inside The Boss', therefore stopping him from making a break. The Boss had shouted to the other driver to pull out, as the driver in question was guilty of cutting up Sammy a few weeks earlier at the same track. The Boss disappeared to the stewards to lodge a complaint and I set about untacking and washing Hamish down.

By this point we were both very happy. The two horses had won three rosettes between them, and Mac was last out with a small chance of doing the same. He didn't break going into the first bend, which was the biggest hurdle passed, and was just pipped on the line to come third. I was over the moon, because winning is difficult and going home with three placings out of three runners is a minor success!

Boughrood

The same three horses travelled to our local-ish track, Boughrood, for a 17-race bumper card last weekend. I was clerking for Smarty, having done the same at Wolverhampton racecourse on the Friday night. Harness racing returned to Dunstall Park for a successful evening of racing and general merriment in a 'proper' setting. Hopefully we'll be back there again next year.

Anyway, Julie was on groom duties at Boughrood and I was merely a spectator. She also drove Jingo, who ran out of his skin being drawn 9 of 9 and getting stuck two wide to finish second (I'd had a cheeky bet and was lucky enough to collect). Mac and Hamish both ran well to come home fourth. Emma ran Star in a qualifier as she had to requalify in order to race again. Despite having raced with British Harness two summers ago, because she took a year out (in which she ran with Wales & Border Counties) she had to prove again that she was capable of racing in the prescribed time and in a safe manner. Needless to say, my bombproofer did the job, starting with real gusto and running well despite a tack mishap which left a strap bouncing between her front legs for nearly the full mile.

It was the raiders from the north, Pam Haythornthwaite (sister to driver Alan Haythornthwaite) who took the final with Charlie Pan. It was a massively successful weekend for the family, as Alan also drove a winner at Wolverhampton, as did his son Richard. His youngest son James travelled over to Ireland for the racing on the Sunday and a catch drive on Meadowbranch Ash saw him winning the final in Portmarnock also. It's a family sport, that can definitely be said!

Unfortunately though, the weekend ended on a sad note. After the racing was finished I headed to the bar only to be intercepted by Mrs B. She told me that McKelvie had been sold, and was loaded on (what she believed at the time) Will Evan's lorry, as he had bought the horse on behalf of someone. I was devastated. Stupid really, as the horse has been for sale since Walton in June, but I'd once again let myself get attached to a horse. I dashed over to the paddock and found Kayleigh, Will's daughter, who explained that he was loaded on Andrew Cairns' lorry, ready to head up to York. Fortunately he hadn't left so I asked if I could say my goodbyes; I think his words were 'say goodbye, hug him, kiss him, go for it'. His wife asked what Mac's stable name was, which made me feel better knowing someone would call him what I'd called him. I told him to do his best, not break anything, and not be a grumpy git all the time. Then he couldn't go wrong.

I plan to write to the new owner once the transfer comes through to STAGBI, to explain that Mac is broken to ride and should he ever want to sell him once his racing days are over, to let me know. Mac may be big, ugly, grumpy and not really racehorse-shaped, but underneath he's quite a gentle soul and I think I could help find him someone who will pamper him, love him and dress him in pretty matchy-matchy tack!

So that's the past near-fortnight; it's been full of ups and downs, success and heartache. Tomorrow morning I'm setting off for three days at Tregaron, the festival of harness racing in deepest, darkest West Wales. Daisy (my family's 2yo) is racing tomorrow in the Little Welsh Dragoness, so fingers crossed she runs well. Star was entered to run with The Boss' horses at Ammanford on Monday but lack of entries has forced the committee to abandon, so all eyes will now be on Daisy instead.

Wish us all luck as we carry on racing these funny horses around people's fields!

Over and out,

 Sarah ( #1 Groom)

Breeders Crown 2013

I apologise for the almost two-week delay in updating my blog, however ‘real life’ has been more than manic and I have at times thought that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.


Fortunately for us all I have managed to find some time to set about writing up the past fortnight’s experiences/shenanigans, beginning with the annual Breeders Crown meeting which was this year held at Tir Prince on 6th August. I’ve already written up a small synopsis for the STAGBI Facebook page which, to save time, I will cleverly insert into this blog. It will be so seamless that you won’t even notice…


Tuesday 6th August saw the annual Breeders Crown meeting, which this year was held at Tir Prince. There were 9 races, restricted to British and Irish bred horses by nominated stallions (more info can be found at www.breederscrownukandireland.com).

The night kicked off with the first of two heats for the 3yo colts; Frisco Fiddler (Arts Conquest x Life Isjusta Dream) made the most of the inside draw, coming home ahead of Ontop Girlcharmer and Chinatown Kolt. The second heat was taken by Ayr Majesty (Daylon Alert x Ayr Queen) who finished in front of Meadowbranch Ash and Springhill Jaz. Race 3 featured the 2yo fillies, of which 7 made it on the night. Favourite Frisco Blue Moon (Hasty Hall x Life Isjusta Dream) was beaten by Rhyds Art (Hasty Hall x Arts Treasure) in what was a closely-fought duel from start to finish, with Fresh Ayr (Hasty Hall x Very Fast Cass) finishing clear of the rest in third. A 1-2-3 for super-sire Hasty Hall in this race.

Next came the 2yo colts, which due to the number of runners was split into two straight finals. The first of these saw Ayr Regal (Daylon Alert x Ayr Queen) beat a strong-finishing Ontop Blackjack and Cool Desire, while the second was taken by Lyons Mischief (Hasty Hall x Lyons Montana), who came home ahead of Camden Tino and Rhyds Design. Race 6 featured the 4yo mares, and the winner here was Camden Carley (Yankee Lariat x Jazzy Empress) with Rhyds Jigsaw finishing second and Hollieoaks in third. They were followed by the 4yo colts, and it was another from Camden Stud that took the spoils in this race. Camden Callen (Yankee Lariat x Rose Croix) finished in front of Makemeamillionayr who ran made all, and Oakview George who ran on for third.

The penultimate race featured the 3yo fillies, and it was Ladyford Indiana (The Preacher Pan x Ayr Katie K) who continued her winning ways to take the prize, beating Lyons Royal Flush and Ontop Wye Preach in the process. The last race saw the 3yo colts who had qualified from the earlier heats battle it out to win the final. The surprise of the night came in the form of one of the fastest losers, Rhyds Solution (Hasty Hall x CP's Village Jigsaw) who romped home in tremendous fashion to bag the prize.

The night delivered a fantastic showcase of British and Irish racing talent, and Hasty Hall retained his title as top stallion for the 7th year in a row. Ayr Queen (by Albert Albert) took the title of top mare. Congratulations to all winning connections, and also to those who took part. Getting to the races is a challenge in itself and it was great to see such a substantial turnout of horses. Photos can be found at www.pacingpics.com


See, you hardly noticed at all.


I travelled up with my parents and brother as our two year old filly was racing. I didn’t spend much of the evening itself with them as I was clerking for Smarty however they did come to see me after Fresh Ayr had come third. We were all pleased as although she’d raced three times prior to the BC meeting, she hadn’t actually been asked to show what she was made of (the first race she was stuck behind a horse that broke and although she made up ground well the driver didn’t push her too hard; the second occasion she was driven very quietly throughout and not really put into the race although finished strong in third, and the third time she was again stuck behind a horse that broke at the start but despite this finished well again to come fourth). On the night she was slightly caught up behind a filly that wasn’t travelling so well to begin with but when she saw daylight she really motored and was definitely finishing with the front two as opposed to the four behind her.

Fresh Ayr, aka Daisy, our 2YO filly warming up

 There was no hanging about once the racing was finished, as my family are the sort to be sat in the car waiting to go before the last race has even kicked off. I had just about enough time to help Smarty dismantle the joint, collect the LED board and battery and have a quick kiss goodbye before I was hurried into the vehicle to head home. We then waited to follow Smarty and his dad in the lorry back to the road as the driver and navigator in our vehicle didn’t believe I knew where I was going. It turned out that I was the ONLY person in the car who knew where we were going, however I was ignored and instead of carrying on on the A55 as instructed (by me), we took the wrong exit (three exits too early), ended up driving around Wrexham for a bit and then having to stop in a small village for my mother to go into a pub to ask for directions back to the A483.


As I was the only person who had to get up to go to work the next day – the other three were going to Penybont trotting races – I was a touch disgruntled about the delaying detour that we took. Oh well, we made it home eventually!


Over and out,


Sarah (#1 tired groom)

The British summer is over

That’s it folks, the rain has returned and the good weather is gone. As much as I didn’t enjoy having curly hair and being hot all the time, I definitely preferred working outside when the sun was shining and I could wear my shorts. Now it’s waterproof coats and leggings and hats and my hair is STILL curly.

The day started with straight hair - this is how it ended up

On Sunday I got to the yard early as the 16-race card at Tan-y-Castell meant the first race was moved forward to 1.30pm. Hamish, Mac and Jingo were loaded and we set off with a bag of jelly babies and Robson&Jerome’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (suggesting there was more than one) to keep us occupied on the way there.

Most of the journey was taken up discussing the alleged positive dope test from the two-day Ceredigion meeting a few weeks back. I had heard on the grapevine during the week that a horse had been tested on the Saturday of the meeting and had subsequently failed the test. The BHRC, the governing body that we race under, had received the results on the Friday before Musselburgh (I find it hard to believe it takes three weeks to get a sample to France, have it tested and then send the results back – this is the 21^st century after all, but then they took longer to do the Cilmery final winner’s test so it is unfortunately believable). The horse that had failed the test was due to run at Musselburgh, along with several other horses from the same stables.

Now this is the bit where I should tell you that much like when Al Zarooni was caught doping Sheikh Mohammed’s horses, all the horses were put on lockdown and tested and weren’t allowed to race until they had provided clear samples. But I made a promise to myself that I would take harness racing to the masses and I wouldn’t paint a rosy picture in order to lure people in under false pretences. There are cheats, as there are in all sports. Unfortunately though, our governing body doesn’t deal with cheats in a uniform manner, or in fact in a way that is fair to those of us who don’t cheat. Instead of stopping the offending trainer from running horses at Musselburgh, the BHRC waited, let the horses race (the horse that had failed its test came third, another horse won, another came second) and then notified the trainer on the Monday morning. This is unfair to owners and trainers whose horses had to race against them. There is a total lack of transparency as the BHRC has not issued any notice stating that there is a trainer currently under investigation. They have failed to explain how it takes so long for samples to be sent off and tested. They haven’t kept the relevant race committee involved in the process at all. Yet they expect all their licence holders to accept this and not question what actually happens behind closed doors.

I wish I could tell you harness racing is ready to be sold to a wider audience as a complete package, but sadly it isn’t. For all the hard work, commitment and passion put into organising race meetings, advertising the sport and becoming more professional, we as a sport are held back by our governing body.

My final gripe is that although I appreciate the silence from the BHRC may be because they are awaiting the results of the ‘B’ sample before they make a public decision, I am pretty confident that if the horse that had failed its test had come from the stable that the BHRC Chairman is desperate to catch it would have been shouted from the rooftops the minute the results came back (and there wouldn’t have been a three week wait for them either). 

So there is the truth, the sport isn’t perfect but the minute we arrived at the track all thoughts of the flaws left us and we got to work. It absolutely hammered down after we arrived, and in a break in the weather we put harness on all three of the horses who were due to run in races 9, 11 and 12. Hamish was crosstied in the back of the lorry and was a little bit…mental. I think he managed to kick The Boss at least once, and fidgeted and jumped the rest of the time. He decided to take him out first so Mac went back on the lorry and we set about getting Hamish ready. He continued to be a bit of a pain, and in between trying to kick us with alternate back legs he managed to twist my thumb back on itself as I tried to hold his head still. To say it hurt is an understatement. The joint is swollen and my boss at the Council says it looks like I have arthritis. I told him it looks like I was in a fight with a horse on the weekend. It will be a relief to you all to know that I will live.

Racing in the rain - are we mad?!

Hamish warmed up, then Jingo went out in the second awful shower and I took shelter in the lorry. The track was then closed for the qualifiers to start and we put them all back on the lorry out of the way. I headed over the other side to grab some lunch from my parents vehicle and watched the first few races with Smarty’s friend Mr Fettah.

The three boys in the lorry - can you see Hamish behind Mac?!

My highlight of the day came in the second race, when Bobby Richards, a gentleman I have met through my work at STAGBI, won his first race on Wellfield Picasso, a horse he has been driving in the qualifiers to get his confidence on. I wasn’t alone in cheering him in as he came up the home straight clear of the field when the second placed horse broke. Wellfield Willy chased him to the line but he’d done enough to secure his first win, beating Roy Sheedy’s horse with another one he’d bred!

When the time came to race I sent The Boss and Jingo out for race 9. He was drawn 7 of 7, and didn’t like the going at all. The inside on the rail was cut up following the rain, and two out was like an ice rink as the grass had been flattened but there was no cut in the ground. I could see Jingo was ploughing his way through the muck on the inside and when he pulled out on the second lap he did quicken on the faster ground and finished relatively strongly in fifth. There was a break after race 10 for the ‘Best Dressed’ competitions so I went to the Langford’s lorry to plait up Pendragon for Emma:

Mac went out for race 11; all hopes for a Best Turned Out were not resting on him as he has random bald patches, mismatching harness and a face only a mother (or me) could love. Despite being drawn 4 on the gate, The Boss did manage to get him in on the rail and he settled in fourth. Coming off the bend onto the back straight on the second lap though he slipped in the mud and that sent him into a gallop, and any hopes of a place went out the window. He trailed home in fifth position, with The Boss slightly disappointed as he’d felt slightly confident before and during the race up to the break.

Hamish went out in race 12, having finally calmed down. This is the same horse that fell asleep tied to the horsebox at Leominster and Walton earlier in the season, so I really don’t know what’s happened to him. Apparently Mervyn has told The Boss before now that he’s ‘a bit of a boy’. Yeh, understatement! Unfortunately he suffered the same fate as Mac, slipping on the corner and breaking stride briefly but enough to put him out of the race. Mervyn was pleased nonetheless, as the horse showed a bit more spark leading up to his break.

I cleared up around the lorry while The Boss went to take out Immortal Joe in the Over-50’s, which was a catch drive he picked up at the start of the day. The horses were watered, the harness was packed away and I grabbed my stuff from the lorry and headed off for a pint with Emma. I found my mother in the beer tent, surrounded by people who I believe were drunk; I told my father he should keep a better eye on her.

Meadowbranch Josh followed his Crock of Gold heat victory by taking the FFA, beating Appleby winner Camden Casanova into second and old stalwart Rhyds Destiny into third. David Bevan then won the final with Rhyds Panache, the same horse that struggled to get past Bongo last weekend. Just sayin’.

*****************************

On Monday I went over to the yard to resume my normal duties. The foal, Meadowland Export, was prancing around the field upon my arrival as he didn’t like the sound of my car; Mama and Robbie just looked at him with mild amusement.

After tea and cakes and more discussion surrounding the alleged failed dope test, The Boss and I headed outside to start an overhaul of the stables. The shavings have officially run out, so he decided that rather than buy more, we’d go back to straw. I remember when we first got the shavings, I was glad because they are much less work than straw, or so I believed. Well, now I’m glad we’re going back to straw. Deep litter systems on shavings with horses that are part pig do not make for a happy groom. I also didn’t have the correct implements with which to muck out said shavings, and conflicting advice as to how much of the mucky stuff to take out.

Straw is simple. For a start, our lot eat most of it. What they don’t eat they go to the toilet on. I then take that out, and we start again. Plus it’s much easier to muck out using a fork and my trusty barrow.

Mac seemed the most pleased to be back on straw – he rolled straight away, trying as best he could to get cast in the biggest stable we have. He then spent a bit of time trying to pull a piece of straw off his headcollar that was hanging down near his mouth. The jury’s out on whether there’s anything going on inside his head or not.

Jingo was moved temporarily next to Laddie while I mucked out, and was most put out that Laddie was eating and he was not. He spent the whole time stood looking through the bars at the food, completely ignoring me going back and forth with my barrow, and then The Boss whizzing past with a bucketload of straw in the Bobcat. He did one lap of his new straw-filled stable and then stood by his feed bucket as if to say ‘come on, that little one’s had his, where’s mine?’.

Maverick has completed his two months box rest and is now on two months of walking. Leading him anywhere isn’t really an option because he’s like a coiled spring, so it is times like these that having a walker comes in handy. I could hear him moving a lot faster than the walker allows which means he must have been pushing the paddle in front of him, and there were several kicks to the side wall as well. The Boss stayed with him the whole time just to keep an eye on him, and after fifteen minutes of that he came back to his stable.

We were on a roll at this point, having done four of the six stables so we decided to carry on with Hamish and Melinda’s. Once they were done and we’d fed them all I decided to call it a night and headed home, with the plan being that I return again on Thursday. I asked them all to *try* and keep their stables half-clean for me for when I come back, but it probably fell on deaf ears. The only sound I got in response was six happy horses munching away on their suppers. I think that’s got to be one of my favourite sounds in the whole word.

This week: Tir Prince for the Breeders Crown on Tuesday (Cassius Clay is running for Smarty, Camden Kinki is running for Emma and Fresh Ayr is running for my parents – wish us all luck), and Allensmore on Sunday (all three of ours plus Emma is bringing my girl Star for gate practice).

Update to follow!

Over and out,

Sarah (#1 Groom)

Farewell Sammy & Bongo

Monday 29th July 

As the title suggests, the team has had to say goodbye to two members in the last week. I arrived at the yard on Monday to the news that Sammy (Dark Fox) and Bongo (Buckland Foxtrot) returned home to their owner Mervyn’s farm after the racing at Amman Valley on Sunday. Sammy had apparently faded badly in the race and it was agreed by The Boss and Mervyn to send him home because continuing to race a horse that isn’t responding to training and various tips and tricks simply wouldn’t be fair. The Boss told me that Mervyn would continue to ride him and perhaps he’d come out again towards the end of the season if he improved, however I have a horrible feeling I may not see Sammy again. I’ll have to make a point of going to visit him before I head to Scotland next year because Sammy to me has been the epitome of all that is good about harness racing (and bad, if you look at the often bizarre handicap lift system). He’s a professional who treats every visit to the races as a day at the office – leave home, go out, do your job and come home. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve turned to horses at the lorry and said ‘Why can’t you just stand quietly like Sammy hey?’! He will always remain my absolute favourite, although in the interests of fairness and equality I’ve only ever told him that up the cross-ties where the other horses can’t hear me!

Sammy having a snooze before racing

Bongo on the other hand returned home under different circumstances. You may recall that The Boss had previously told me that Bongo was ‘better than his brother’ [Hamish], and I’d responded by telling him the horse would need to go better than 2.04.5 around Ammanford to do that (as Hamish had won a fortnight earlier in that time). On his first run there he cruised around in 2.09, and then followed that run up with a slightly disastrous attempt at Allensmore last week where he decided he’d done enough after five furlongs. On Sunday he was in a qualifier with a horse that was running a ‘test’ drive for his driver, and in circumstances such as this the older horse will go off a lot faster than the genuine qualifying horses as it is usually an open handicap horse (i.e. not a maiden or novice). The horse in question was Rhyds Panache, who has won several races this year for David Bevan. The Boss tells me that Bongo went straight to the front and settled; along the back straight on the first lap Rhyds Panache’s driver tried to overtake but Bongo held him out so he pulled back. They remained like this for the remainder of that lap and the start of the next, when the other driver again pulled out to overtake Bongo. The Boss could see the other driver getting on at his horse, using the whip and shouting etc, yet he was sat quietly on Bongo and still holding Rhyds Panache out. He once again failed to get past and made one last challenge coming down the home straight, where The Boss made the decision not to push Bongo as it was only his third time on the track. Rhyds Panache won the qualifier by half a length, however it sounds as though there was quite a difference in the way the horses were brought home. More interestingly the qualifier went 2.03.2 which means that, as The Boss predicted, Bongo went faster than Hamish (approximately 2.03.5). Ammanford is a fast track now with horses regularly clocking sub-two minute miles, however it’s impressive from Bongo for the following reasons:

* He is a green three year old, with this only his third time on the track;
* He needs to grow and fill out, as he’s not the strongest;
* A fortnight earlier he raced in 2.09 - in that space of time he managed to improve his PB by nearly six seconds;
* He did it so easily. As The Boss said, he didn’t want to ‘knock him about’.

He’s now gone home to eat, relax, grow and get himself ready to qualify next April in time for the first race meeting at Tregaron. The Boss thinks he’s got the next Meadowbranch Josh on his hands. I think he might be right.

Bongo checking out the competition

In exchange for these two, Mervyn sent Hamish (Bucklands Foxy Boy) back to the yard to see whether we can fire him up a little. When I walked out to the stables he was lying down having a siesta:

 

So coming over to us hasn’t had the desired effect just yet! It might be the stable though, as this stable was Meadowland Tom’s and we used to have to try to lift him in the mornings because he would be in such a deep sleep (the only giveaway that he hadn’t popped his clogs during the night was his ears flicking when you shouted at him to shift his lazy backside!).

In other news, Pinky has headed home to Wesley’s, so we’re now down to six horses in total, with three currently racing, one due to go to a qualifier in the coming weeks and two on box rest (one being Laddie the yearling).

Next stop – back to Aberystwyth for the Tan-y-Castell meeting on Sunday. Three horses to take, plus Mrs B’s stupendous hat ready for the ‘Best Dressed Lady’ competition.

Over and out,

Sarah (#1 Groom)