October is upon us

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.