Hi Everyone

November began for us at Hexham with BELLE LE GRAND running in the 2m Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. She finished down the field but she is definitely one to look forward to. She is now qualified for the valuable Ladbrokes Herring Queen Series Final at Kelso in March, a race we were lucky enough to win with LELOOPA last season. None of her owners could make the trip north so Lauren represented the team and upgraded six lucky racegoers to a complimentary owners and trainers experience.

​We then headed to Ascot where RUN AWAY JOE ran in the Ascot Round Table National Hunt Flat Race. He was a warm favourite but the race was over almost as soon as they started. The eventual winner grabbed a tidy lead under Brendan Powell and it was always going to be tough to make up the ground off an ordinary pace. Still, it was a beautiful day with our members and the hospitality at Ascot was outstanding.

Next came the Cheltenham November meeting where we ran JACK HYDE. This is one of my favourite meetings of the year and it did not disappoint. Jack ran his heart out to finish a close second in the 2m Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. Nobody likes losing but it was still special to greet our runner from the winner’s enclosure. The weather was dreadful but the rain didn’t dampen our spirits. We headed into Cheltenham with the team after racing and Taylor’s pub kept us going long into the night.

Then it was back to Ascot with SAINT JEANNAIS. I was more nervous than usual as I feel we have something a bit out of the ordinary with him. He was even money favourite after his easy success at Worcester and he ran well to finish a credible fourth. He was only beaten 5 lengths under a 4lb penalty. Racing can bring plenty of deflation but when they come home safe everything else is easier to swallow. The tactics were questioned but I was having none of it. If we want to aim for the Cheltenham Festival Bumper then he needs to be able to win from any position. Unfortunately he has come home with a small injury in the cannon bone which will need some time but I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.

Next up RUN AWAY JOE ran again, this time in the 2m Racing TV Club Day Maiden Hurdle at Ludlow. It was his first start over hurdles and he was running a promising race, in touch with the leaders, before a mistake at the last saw him unseat Liam Harrison. Both came back safe and they will live to fight another day.

In other news we have purchased RAINBOW TARA, a beautiful five year old mare who ran a great race on her only start in the Junior Jumpers Mares National Hunt Flat Race at Cheltenham earlier in the year. We are very excited about her. She has settled in well at Dan Skelton’s yard and early reports are very positive. As you can see from the video below she's schooling very well. There's one share remaining in her but it won't be around for long!

We have sponsored Tom Broughton and hope to build a long association with him. He has already ridden eleven winners this season and as I have always said he is definitely a jockey to keep an eye on.

As I write this I’m on the train to London for the 59th HWPA Derby Awards. Our podcast Unbridled is nominated for the Content Award. Win or lose I am sure it will be a brilliant day!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. If you are looking for a memorable gift for a loved one don’t forget I am only a phone call away.
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Paddy and the team

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Later in the month, we headed to Worcester for SAINT JEANNAIS. I was nervous about this horse, as he’d been doing things a bit differently to most horses I’ve sat on in recent years. I’ve thought this before, but this time, my gut instinct was right - we might have found something a bit special. Toby McCain-Mitchell gave him a beautiful ride, and from what I can see, he’s a young jockey going from strength to strength in the saddle. We had a lovely day at Worcester, and I took the Twiston-Davies team for drinks at the Hollow Bottom in the evening, which we all enjoyed. We plan to run SAINT JEANNAIS in the bumper at the Cheltenham November meeting, but, as with all horses, this is the plan for now.

​We then headed straight to Cheltenham for the October meeting, where we had our second-ever runner at Cheltenham with LELOOPA. Once again, she did what LELOOPA does and exceeded all our expectations, romping up the hill to win the 2m Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle under the very talented Tom Broughton.

Quickly onto the next race, we ran JACK HYDE in the Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle. Again, I felt like he did plenty wrong but still ran an unbelievable race, finishing 5th, beaten under 3 lengths. It was a week I won’t forget, having our first Cheltenham winner with the syndicate.

We also had a runner at Ffos Las in the bumper this week with A KING OF MAGIC, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Freddie Keighley, a young jockey who impressed me with his professionalism. Magic was a warm favourite, and even though he didn’t win, he ran a race full of promise. Paul assures us he’ll improve massively for the race, and we’re really excited about his future.

Hi Everyone,

October is upon us already and with that brings the build up to the jumps season. It’s a really nice time of year watching the horses step up their work and staff always seem in good spirits in anticipation of the season ahead.

September was a mixed month for us and our runners. Saratoga Lass was our first runner of the month who ran a brilliant race at Newton Abbot just getting beat close home. Initially I was gutted to lose but Fergal rang me from down at the finish, and as soon as I saw his name come up on my phone I knew there was a problem. Unfortunately she sustained a leg injury and at the age of 9 we decided amongst the members that it wouldn’t be fair to bring her back into training and therefore we retired her, with the plan to hopefully breed in the future. She is a beautiful mare and it was lovely to get her home the same evening from Newton Abbot thanks to the Veterinary team at Newton Abbot and Fergals staff.

Our next runner was Jack Hyde back at Newton Abbot where he was an impressive winner at the short odds of 1/7. I was really happy with him and this was always the plan before the Persian War at Chepstow which is where he will go next, all being well.

Leloopa ran on the same day and finished a credible third. Lindsey, my wife and Abi Stock represented our syndicate members that day and they are a valuable part of the team.

Our Lil was our next runner who ran at Chester, our first flat runner. We were so excited to switch codes and experience Chester Racecourse. I knew from watching she wasn’t that happy from quite an early stage under David Nolan and it transpired she had a leg injury and was pulled up. She also damaged a tendon and is recovering well at home. Thanks to the Vets and Dan Skeltons staff again for looking after her and bringing her home. It’s looking unlikely that she will race again but luckily the person we purchased her from in Ireland is keen to have her back with the plan to breed from her, so she will have a nice home for the future.

Dealing with injuries is new to me, it’s not easy, but from my Jim Bolger days I’ve always tried to deal with these situations through good communication and it was important for me to speak to each syndicate member individually and fortunately they were all extremely understanding.

In other news Belle Le Grande headed back to Dan Skelton’s after a nice break here. She has settled well and Dan is happy with her.

Also in September we managed to have a Morning on the Gallops with a nice breakfast down at Paul Nicholls’s yard to see A King Of Magic and I think everyone would agree it was a fantastic morning and we were well looked after by the team Paul’s and at the local pub,The Manor.

We also had a morning at Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies, where we had breakfast on the side of the gallop and watched Saint Jeannais in action - another beautiful morning with our syndicate members.

Hopefully onwards and upwards with Chepstow just around the corner where we plan to run Jack Hyde and Run Away Joe. We are really looking forward to the season ahead.

I’m off to sit on a new horse today - the next potential syndicate horse, I will keep you posted.

Paddy.

Hi everyone!

I plan to do a blog every month to share the journey of our syndicate. The Paddy Brennan Racing syndicate has been up and running for just over 12 months now and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone to date. Everything is new to me, except finding the horses, I’ve always loved sourcing nice horses even when I was riding I was looking for horses for the following season and I’ve been involved with buying many over the years. 

We’re currently up to 8 horses which equates to nearly 80 members and the most enjoyable part of this so far has been meeting so many like minded racing enthusiasts from all over the world. 

Our first season we had 20 runners with 5 horses, winning 8 races, 9 placings and over 90k prize money which exceeded all expectations. I’ve tried to match the horses to the trainers and so far it has worked well. This includes Fergal O’Brien, Dan Skelton, Nigel and Willie Twiston-Davies and Paul Nicholls. Looking forward to the new season ahead we have some exciting horses to run and we can’t wait to get them started. 

August is a month where most horses are back in full training and are starting to step up their work. Some will be ready to run before others but it’s all ground dependent at the moment with the dry summer. 

Our next planned runners will hopefully be next week with Jack Hyde heading to Newton Abbott with Leloopa and Our Lil turning her hoof to the flat hoping to give Dan his first flat winner. 

Let it rain

Paddy and team