Saturday morning workers

Saturday is one of our two work days at Dodlands Steading (Wednesday is the other) and this week we thought in addition to the regular report on the Saturday work, that we'd dispatch our underworked and overpaid web team (you mean we pay these loafers? - ed) onto the gallops for the very much easier Sunday exercise.

But first our Saturday work. There were 5 horses who came up the gallops three times. Tomahawk Wood, Hartforth and Paper Promise have had the 'three times' as part of their work mornings for several weeks now, and were joined by Big Bad Dream and an unraced 4 year old 'Dessie'.

Doing just the couple of pieces of work, but slightly faster were another quintet of horses - Eternally Yours and 'Reeva' worked upsides with 'Sting' tucked in behind while Dali Mail and Baby Ticker came up together.

Having run as recently as Wednesday, Side of the Road and Paper Roses just had the one gallop Up-the-Middle with both mares having come out of their respective races in excellent condition.
Which just left Keyboard Gangster (back in work having got over minor issues), Shades of Midnight and Night Comes In to do a couple of standard, morning exercise gallops.

Sunday gallops - on the easy side

Lot 1 - Big Bad Dream, 'Sting', 'Reeva', Dali Mail and Tomahawk Wood

The atmosphere in racing stables on a Sunday is of a more laid back nature. In many of the larger yards, this is a staff day off and as a consequence also a day off for the horses. We try a balance between the two, juggling staff breaks with reduced exercise for each horse. We do try to exercise each horse, but with a 'Sunday Driver' approach - as you'll see from the two videos below.

With our trio of 3 year olds enjoying a few weeks break, the 15 horses in full training were divided into three lots each consisting of 5. Our weekend team of work riders rode in each lot - Sarah, Murray, Callum, Garry and Kingy. Fun times! 

Lot 2 - Paper Roses, Keyboard Gangster, Paper Promise, Baby Ticker and Side of the Road (hidden)

Lot 3 - Hartforth, Eternally Yours, 'Dessie', Shades of Midnight and Night Comes In

A couple of videos from Sunday, click on the Lot # to see more.........Lot 1......Lot 3

Running Plans

Are you ready?

First up on Wednesday is an outing over 2 miles in a handicap hurdle at Hexham for Tomahawk Wood.

A fortnight today is Northern Lights Finals day at Carlisle featuring five 0-125 handicaps, each with £25,000 added prize money. Using the outer hurdles course, which would suit one of our entants but not the other, our probables are Hartforth (Stayers final) and Paper Roses (Mares final) with possibly Tomahawk Wood (2m final).

Before that though, there will be entries in bumpers for week commencing 27th November for Paper Promise (looking for soft ground), Eternally Yours (not if 'firm' is in the going description) and likewise 'Reeva'. Lots of fun over lunch today coming up with an available racing name for the 4 year old filly - watch this space!

Shades of Midnight next appearance in a novice chase may be the 'Paris Pike' at Kelso on Borders' National day in three weeks time.

Side of the Road is very well, and a suitable novice hurdle - 2m 4f , soft - is on her remit in the next fortnight (maybe Carlisle in the one non-Finals race), and Dali Mail will be itching for an outing on a galloping track, with soft ground, towards the end of December.
Similar to Side of the Road, Night Comes In is in excellent health and will run in his third novice hurdle, probably at Ayr on 12 December.

Phew! Now if half of this works out as planned, it'll be a first...............

Look out for - Hartforth, Tomahawk Wood, Paper Promise.............at a racecourse near you soon