Weekend Gallop News
As long as each horse is looking healthy, has eaten up etc., each morning's exercise will see the individual striding out at half pace on the Up-the-Middle gallop. The horse may come up once, twice or even three times depending on various factors such as maturity, fitness, proximity of racecourse appearance and so on.
For example, our flat runner Wor Lass has been fairly busy during the summer, running about once a fortnight. She seldom needs more than one spin on the gallops each morning to keep her in fettle for her next race.
Anyway, during the (jumps) season we have 'work' mornings which are usually Wednesdays and Saturdays. Traditionally named in racing yards, the term 'work' defines faster pieces of exercise - in our case, horses coming up the gallops upsides in pairs. Care is taken to match horses in work so as not to overface a lesser horse, not in terms of pure ability but more in the make-up of the horse. I mean, it wouldn't be ideal to match up a stamina laden 3 mile hurdler with a sharp 2 mile bumper sort.
So, Saturday was just about the first work morning of the season for the winter horses and, whilst not present as a group, there were smatterings of The Saturday Morning Gallop Watchers (TSMGW) on the hill braving the rain or enjoying the sun, depending upon their luck.
Another young visitor joined us too, pictured above striding out purposefully across the grass.
Great to see Nick, Ron & Eileen, and Al but where were you Fozzo?
In detail
Lot 1 were out at the crack of dawn, certainly too early for our
web-team photographer, so no photos from that quartet. But, as Les Dodds
quipped later on, Wor Lass would be travelling too quickly to be
captured by him anyway!
Wor Lass and
Side of the Road
travelled up the Up-the-Middle gallop together a couple of times, and
pleased their work riders.
Wor Lass runs on Tuesday at Ayr in a Class 5 1m 7f handicap off a BHA
rating of 72, with Rowan Scott in the saddle. This probably represents
her best chance for a couple of months. Note that Ayr are using their
hurdles course for this race given recent waterlogging problems which
forced the cancellation of their Western Meeting last month.
Side of the Road is one of a few horses for whom we'll start
planning a race in 3-4 weeks time.
A couple of unraced 5 year olds made up the second pairing, doing the same
routine as the above duo but at a lesser pace. 'Sid'
and 'Spud' are
progressing, but are still a wee bit backward, so each will be given
more time to come to full fitness before a racecourse debut.
Similarly, Lot 2 was made up of a quartet of horses.
Doing just the one gallop were
Shades of Midnight
(looking in marvellous condition),
Dali Mail and 'Sting',
and joining this trio was
Tomahawk Wood who did a couple of solo pieces of work (went well).
'Sting' is in the same category as Sid and Spud from Lot 1, in that
he'll need a steady few months of cantering before a racecourse debut is
considered, which will probably be next Spring.
Shades of Midnight and Dali Mail have been on the gallop now for a week, and
their exercise will be stepped up gradually during the course of the next month or two.
The rain is falling as Tomahawk Wood strides out tracked by Shades of Midnight, 'Sting' and the grey Dali Mail
Lot 3 were welcomed by bright sunshine.
Travelling upsides in pairs, the quartet did a couple of pieces of
fairly steady work. Night
Comes In and the unraced
Eternally Yours seemed happier leading the pair of chestnuts
Hartforth and
Paper Promise.
Night Comes In and Eternally Yours set the pace for Hartforth and Paper Promise
Our final group of the morning (Lot 4) was split in two. 'Reeva' and Keyboard Gangster were put through their paces by work riders Sarah and Pinky respectively, and each rider reported back 'well pleased' to The Trainer, both travelling well in two pieces of faster work. At this stage 'Reeva' (a filly by Oscar), who along with Eternally Yours, looks the most forward of our unraced youngsters and may be the first in that group to make an appearance in a bumper, probably towards the end of the year.
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'Reeva' and Keyboard Gangster
All of which left a trio of horses making up the second part of Lot 4, and doing a gentle canter once up. Big Bad Dream, Paper Roses, and Baby Ticker are coming along steadily.
Left to right : Big Bad Dream, Paper Roses, Baby Ticker
