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)