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)
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Monday, 19 August 2013
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.
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)
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.
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| Fresh Ayr, aka Daisy, our 2YO filly warming up |
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)
Thursday, 8 August 2013
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.
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.
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| 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 21st 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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.
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)
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!
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| 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.
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| 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)
Friday, 2 August 2013
Musselburgh 2013
The wanderer returns once again! My few days away in bonny Scotland
have not, unfortunately, rested me at all as Smarty likes to pack as
much activity into a short space of time as he can. Obviously the
majority of the weekend was taken up by the two day meeting at
Musselburgh Racecourse, however we still managed to find time to visit
all of Smarty’s horses and spend time with the Beagle puppies :D It’s a
good job I was flying home otherwise there’d be a new addition to the
Thomas household in the form of a puppy called Marple!
Back to the racing – Musselburgh Fair Day races have been run since 1893, and until 2009 were held on a Tuesday and Wednesday, when the meeting moved to the weekend. I went in 2011 when the meeting was moved to a Thursday and Friday, however last year they reverted to the weekend format. Smarty informed me over the weekend that, much like Appleby races, Musselburgh used to attract a large number of travellers however these days the crowd is mainly made up of harness racing folk with a few gypsies thrown in for good measure. The meeting is made up of heats and a final on both days, maiden, novice and Grade 1 races, the 3-year-old Scottish Grass Derby and a Free For All for the top handicapped horses.
On the Saturday we arrived early to find the racecourse packed with members of the general public, stalls, an Irish dance troupe and random people dressed in riding gear. I helped Vanessa write up Pinno’s ante-post prices for the final (she’d written them the night before but Baz wasn’t very careful loading the board back into the car after Haugh Field and they were subsequently rubbed off – she was not amused). Annoyingly, a message was then announced over the loudspeaker that everyone should vacate the racecourse in order for the harness racing to commence. I felt that this made it sound as though the general public had to ship out so we could come in, when perhaps they should have been notified that if they paid and obtained wristbands at the gate they could stay for the racing. For all I know people did just that, or perhaps not one of them wanted to stay and they had all planned to leave anyway. Sometimes I just wonder whether the powers that be actually want people who’ve never been before to come racing (Eric Witherspoon and Cilmery committee excluded).
Anyway, we’d been to Argos that morning to buy me a folding bar stool so that I didn’t aggravate my back again and I settled in for an evening’s racing. I must admit, Musselburgh isn’t my favourite place to race because for all the propriety that comes from having a paddock and a grandstand, some of the excitement of the racing itself is lost when you have to watch the horses on a big screen. That said, watching the horses coming past the crowd to the finish line does make up for it somewhat. My highlights from the Saturday meeting were turning around to catch sight of the Howard family exploding as Rhyds Fivestar powered home in the Free For All and watching Chris Nicol, owner of Ontop Girlcharmer, put his head in his hands briefly as his three year old colt hit the front in the hands of Stevie Lees in the Hurricane Pace Final.
Rhyds Fivestar was as much as 16-1 with some bookmakers, which seems hard to believe when the horse has won over £40,000 racing only in the UK. However, I have to admit that I was with many who believed that his best days were behind him. He’s been convincingly beaten several times this season and his owners, John Howard and family, would have been forgiven if they’d decided to retire him in favour of racing some of their younger stock. However, perseverance pays off. As Fivestar fought off favourite Forafewdollarsmore, the noise behind me in the stands caused me to turn around instead of watching the race finish. The whole Howard family, plus hangers on, were absolutely exploding in the grandstand; as the horse crossed the line, the winner by half a length at least, the group tumbled out of the stands and headed for the paddock to cheer their horse in. The whole scene made me smile – after all, it’s the people that make this sport so much fun to be a part of. Smarty later told me that Saturday was Fivestar’s fifth run at Musselburgh; this victory was his fourth, with only one horse having ever beaten him around the track – Stoneriggs Mystery beat him into second twelve months ago. It must be true what they say: it’s horses for courses and Fivestar is one for Musselburgh!
I’d changed the flashing message on Smarty’s board just before the final to read ‘THEY GO LIKE THE WIND, IT’S THE HURRICANE PACE FINAL!’ – and fly they did. Girlcharmer dead heated for first in his heat, but romped home in the final, the first three year old to do so since Pans Landing (so Smarty tells me). Mr Fettah was stood next to me shouting ‘Where’s Chris? Where’s Chris?’ as Stevie took it up comfortably a furlong from home, and it was at this point that I stopped watching the race and started watching the owner. I can watch replays of the race over and over, whenever I like. But Chris’ reaction wasn’t caught on camera, it will remain only as a memory to the few people who watched him and not his horse. The guy was absolutely ecstatic as his horse came home the convincing winner.
On Sunday the heavens opened and we were forced to set up in the rain. Thankfully it slackened off before the first race and the track itself wasn’t badly affected. The second day was more stressful for super-clerk (me) than the first, as we managed to dig ourselves a very big hole by race 7. To make matters worse, when Smarty picked me up from the airport on Friday night he told me he’d laid three ante-post bets for the final on Sunday. The most alarming of these was a £400 bet at 25-1 on a horse called West End Boy (owned and trained by the afore-mentioned Howard family). At the time, this didn’t seem like too scary a bet; however the horse qualified for the final with ease which hadn’t been part of the plan. Therefore, if the horse won the final, we stood to pay out £10,000 in one go. Thankfully our fortunes turned, perhaps because the gods took pity on us or perhaps because Smarty is a proper good bookmaker, and we went into the final where we’d started at the beginning of the day. When he shouted to me to ‘kill the board’ (turn off the prices from the computer at the back), I turned to watch the race with a feeling of dread. There were two other horses in the race that were losing us relatively substantial amounts of money; the rest were running for us. As the horses crossed the road, West End Boy broke stride badly, immediately hampering the horse behind him which in turn hampered the horse behind them both. As luck would have it the three losing horses for us in the race were taken out of the running in one swoop! In the space of five seconds our fortunes were completely reversed! I defy anyone to say horse racing is boring!
My highlights from the Sunday were Wellfield Official, aka ‘Fish’, winning his race in style; I put a fiver on for my friend Rachel who is his groom (you’ll remember that I went to visit Rachel and we took Wellfield Earl and Wellfield Official out for a ride earlier in the season). Rachel repaid me the favour by bringing me liquid refreshment in the form of a Bulmers – by this point I needed it! The other highlight was Ontop Girlcharmer returning from his double victory the day before to win the 3YO Scottish Grass Derby in style, ahead of an impressive Rhyds Yankee and in form Stamp Hill who just wasn’t good enough on the day. Smarty informs me this feat hasn’t been achieved for over 20 years – the last horse to win a heat and final on one day and the 3YO race the following day was Brave Decision (?) at Appleby, however as I’ve only been involved in the sport for six years he could tell me anything and I’d believe him. He is usually right though in matters relating to racing so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt!
One last thing to note: on Saturday a horse that my family bred was racing at Musselburgh. I was immensely proud of the fact that he was even there, and didn’t mind one bit that he didn’t like the course and trailed in at the back of the field having never settled throughout. As I said previously, it’s horses for courses and perhaps this course wasn’t for Donnas Dreamboy. It was wonderful though to see him after nearly seven years; the last time I saw him was as he was loaded into a box from the sale in Builth back in 2006 as a foal. I also had the opportunity to talk at length with his owner and trainer Allan, but was disappointed not to meet his partner and Don’s biggest supporter, June. Don will be racing again this week at Corbiewood and I sincerely hope he can return to his winning form that saw him clinch victory on his first two runs of the 2013 season leading up to his unsuccessful run at Musselburgh. Here’s a few photos of him before he raced:
Over and out,
Sarah (#1 Clerk this weekend!)
Back to the racing – Musselburgh Fair Day races have been run since 1893, and until 2009 were held on a Tuesday and Wednesday, when the meeting moved to the weekend. I went in 2011 when the meeting was moved to a Thursday and Friday, however last year they reverted to the weekend format. Smarty informed me over the weekend that, much like Appleby races, Musselburgh used to attract a large number of travellers however these days the crowd is mainly made up of harness racing folk with a few gypsies thrown in for good measure. The meeting is made up of heats and a final on both days, maiden, novice and Grade 1 races, the 3-year-old Scottish Grass Derby and a Free For All for the top handicapped horses.
On the Saturday we arrived early to find the racecourse packed with members of the general public, stalls, an Irish dance troupe and random people dressed in riding gear. I helped Vanessa write up Pinno’s ante-post prices for the final (she’d written them the night before but Baz wasn’t very careful loading the board back into the car after Haugh Field and they were subsequently rubbed off – she was not amused). Annoyingly, a message was then announced over the loudspeaker that everyone should vacate the racecourse in order for the harness racing to commence. I felt that this made it sound as though the general public had to ship out so we could come in, when perhaps they should have been notified that if they paid and obtained wristbands at the gate they could stay for the racing. For all I know people did just that, or perhaps not one of them wanted to stay and they had all planned to leave anyway. Sometimes I just wonder whether the powers that be actually want people who’ve never been before to come racing (Eric Witherspoon and Cilmery committee excluded).
Anyway, we’d been to Argos that morning to buy me a folding bar stool so that I didn’t aggravate my back again and I settled in for an evening’s racing. I must admit, Musselburgh isn’t my favourite place to race because for all the propriety that comes from having a paddock and a grandstand, some of the excitement of the racing itself is lost when you have to watch the horses on a big screen. That said, watching the horses coming past the crowd to the finish line does make up for it somewhat. My highlights from the Saturday meeting were turning around to catch sight of the Howard family exploding as Rhyds Fivestar powered home in the Free For All and watching Chris Nicol, owner of Ontop Girlcharmer, put his head in his hands briefly as his three year old colt hit the front in the hands of Stevie Lees in the Hurricane Pace Final.
Rhyds Fivestar was as much as 16-1 with some bookmakers, which seems hard to believe when the horse has won over £40,000 racing only in the UK. However, I have to admit that I was with many who believed that his best days were behind him. He’s been convincingly beaten several times this season and his owners, John Howard and family, would have been forgiven if they’d decided to retire him in favour of racing some of their younger stock. However, perseverance pays off. As Fivestar fought off favourite Forafewdollarsmore, the noise behind me in the stands caused me to turn around instead of watching the race finish. The whole Howard family, plus hangers on, were absolutely exploding in the grandstand; as the horse crossed the line, the winner by half a length at least, the group tumbled out of the stands and headed for the paddock to cheer their horse in. The whole scene made me smile – after all, it’s the people that make this sport so much fun to be a part of. Smarty later told me that Saturday was Fivestar’s fifth run at Musselburgh; this victory was his fourth, with only one horse having ever beaten him around the track – Stoneriggs Mystery beat him into second twelve months ago. It must be true what they say: it’s horses for courses and Fivestar is one for Musselburgh!
I’d changed the flashing message on Smarty’s board just before the final to read ‘THEY GO LIKE THE WIND, IT’S THE HURRICANE PACE FINAL!’ – and fly they did. Girlcharmer dead heated for first in his heat, but romped home in the final, the first three year old to do so since Pans Landing (so Smarty tells me). Mr Fettah was stood next to me shouting ‘Where’s Chris? Where’s Chris?’ as Stevie took it up comfortably a furlong from home, and it was at this point that I stopped watching the race and started watching the owner. I can watch replays of the race over and over, whenever I like. But Chris’ reaction wasn’t caught on camera, it will remain only as a memory to the few people who watched him and not his horse. The guy was absolutely ecstatic as his horse came home the convincing winner.
On Sunday the heavens opened and we were forced to set up in the rain. Thankfully it slackened off before the first race and the track itself wasn’t badly affected. The second day was more stressful for super-clerk (me) than the first, as we managed to dig ourselves a very big hole by race 7. To make matters worse, when Smarty picked me up from the airport on Friday night he told me he’d laid three ante-post bets for the final on Sunday. The most alarming of these was a £400 bet at 25-1 on a horse called West End Boy (owned and trained by the afore-mentioned Howard family). At the time, this didn’t seem like too scary a bet; however the horse qualified for the final with ease which hadn’t been part of the plan. Therefore, if the horse won the final, we stood to pay out £10,000 in one go. Thankfully our fortunes turned, perhaps because the gods took pity on us or perhaps because Smarty is a proper good bookmaker, and we went into the final where we’d started at the beginning of the day. When he shouted to me to ‘kill the board’ (turn off the prices from the computer at the back), I turned to watch the race with a feeling of dread. There were two other horses in the race that were losing us relatively substantial amounts of money; the rest were running for us. As the horses crossed the road, West End Boy broke stride badly, immediately hampering the horse behind him which in turn hampered the horse behind them both. As luck would have it the three losing horses for us in the race were taken out of the running in one swoop! In the space of five seconds our fortunes were completely reversed! I defy anyone to say horse racing is boring!
My highlights from the Sunday were Wellfield Official, aka ‘Fish’, winning his race in style; I put a fiver on for my friend Rachel who is his groom (you’ll remember that I went to visit Rachel and we took Wellfield Earl and Wellfield Official out for a ride earlier in the season). Rachel repaid me the favour by bringing me liquid refreshment in the form of a Bulmers – by this point I needed it! The other highlight was Ontop Girlcharmer returning from his double victory the day before to win the 3YO Scottish Grass Derby in style, ahead of an impressive Rhyds Yankee and in form Stamp Hill who just wasn’t good enough on the day. Smarty informs me this feat hasn’t been achieved for over 20 years – the last horse to win a heat and final on one day and the 3YO race the following day was Brave Decision (?) at Appleby, however as I’ve only been involved in the sport for six years he could tell me anything and I’d believe him. He is usually right though in matters relating to racing so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt!
One last thing to note: on Saturday a horse that my family bred was racing at Musselburgh. I was immensely proud of the fact that he was even there, and didn’t mind one bit that he didn’t like the course and trailed in at the back of the field having never settled throughout. As I said previously, it’s horses for courses and perhaps this course wasn’t for Donnas Dreamboy. It was wonderful though to see him after nearly seven years; the last time I saw him was as he was loaded into a box from the sale in Builth back in 2006 as a foal. I also had the opportunity to talk at length with his owner and trainer Allan, but was disappointed not to meet his partner and Don’s biggest supporter, June. Don will be racing again this week at Corbiewood and I sincerely hope he can return to his winning form that saw him clinch victory on his first two runs of the 2013 season leading up to his unsuccessful run at Musselburgh. Here’s a few photos of him before he raced:
Sarah (#1 Clerk this weekend!)
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