Youngsters' progress

It's been said more than once, but there's a large percentage of unraced, or lightly raced, youngsters at Dodlands Steading this season. It's quite deliberate as our buying policy over the last 3 years has been based upon around 4 purchases each year at the NH Store Sales that take place at Doncaster and Ireland from May to August.

With the size of our stable, and owner profile, we base our selection list on a realistic budget in the knowledge that most are unlikely to be sharp sorts (in NH terms) who will be mature enough to win a bumper. But we do target bumpers as an excellent race in which to introduce our youngsters to racing, looking for promise in these early runs to gauge the level of potential in each horse.

So, a fair number of horses bought as unbroken 3yr olds may be in training here for 18 months to 2 yrs before being forward enough to run.

Dodlands Steading is currently home to four 3yr olds and one 4yr old who was bought in August

'Reeva', 'Sting' and Eternally Yours have all been on the gallops and given their initial exposure to morning exercise. As has Paper Roses' 4yr old sister 'Brooke', who as the oldest horse of this quintet is that bit stronger and spent a couple of weeks more in work during this initial spell. All four have been set aside to mature and strengthen and will be re-introduced to exercise at various times in the first couple of months of the New Year.
Dali Mail is a French bred gelding, and maybe it's centuries of French breeding but he's quite forward for a 3yr old and he's maturing well in size, strength and 'know how'. He's in full work, and may make a debut in the early weeks of 2017.

Dali Mail (Garry) impresses in work with Side of the Road (Pinky) and 'Cliff' (Callum)

Of the group of five who are a year older, 'Spud' is enjoying a spell of being confined to his box to recover from a leg injury (more of a strain but needing complete rest all the same).  The more forward of the quartet in this category are 'Cliff' and Side of the Road who have been in full work for the last month or so, and may take a trip down to Newcastle for a racecourse gallop in the next week or so. Slightly more backward, but coming along nicely are Night Comes In and 'Sid' who don't seem to be the fastest horses in the yard, but we said that about Shades of Midnight before his debut run (third) in a bumper, so what do we know.......

From the 'class' of 2014, the trio of unraced horses included Paper Roses (bumper placed) and Baby Ticker (hurdles placed) whose careers are well underway, and Keyboard Gangster (just one bumper run) who must be the unluckiest horse ever at Dodlands, picking up just about every 'niggle' and 'issue' you could name. He's in roadwork at present and may return to the gallops in a couple of weeks time.

And we've missed one out - Goodknight Percy who wasn't a traditional 'store' horse when arriving at Dodlands in last summer  having been bought off the flat. Regulars will have noted that he broke a blood vessel on his hurdling bow at Newcastle last Saturday. Our initial thoughts were 'that was it' for a racing career but we'll nurse him along, change his training routine and see how he's doing over the next couple of months before reaching a decision.

 
Night Comes In & 'Cliff' track Tomahawk Wood