Recent racing round-up, plans for the next few weeks

There's been a couple of runners from the stable in the last 10 days, neither of which set the heather on fire if we're being honest.

Side of the Road travelled well with the leaders at Ayr a week past Sunday, but weakened 3 out. She'll be tried back in trip at 2 miles next time.

Keyboard Gangster was up in trip to 2m 4f in his handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter, and was held up in rear to help him settle. Making some progress 4 out to get in touch with the leaders, he didn't make any further progress and finished well beaten in the end in 6th. 
He has yet to show the sparkling form of last season and we'll probably have him checked over this week.

Other than that the horses are in fine health but, like so many National Hunt yards, we can't commit horses to run with the ground riding fast at almost all of the racing venues.

Musselburgh are trying desperately hard to maintain safe jumping ground for their flagship winter meeting this weekend and with little rain around the track has been watered. Now the frost covers are in place as temperatures drop in the run-up to day 1 of the meeting on Saturday.

Ayr are slightly better off in the West of Scotland having a bit more precipitation this month. But the overall lack of rain this winter is on the back of a warm, dry summer so the level of the water table below the surface is low.
Like Musselburgh, Ayr have worked extremely hard to provide safe jumping ground.
This month, the racecourse have held 3 meetings and in chronological order the official going has been soft, good to soft/soft in places and good to soft/good in places. If you were to look at replays of races held, you can see that the hooves are making an imprint.

However, just how fast has the ground been below the surface?

For decades, Raceform have published in weekly form, a record of each race run under National Hunt Rules in Britain. Most of the information can now be found on-line in the results section of the Racing Post, but the printed version does give a bit more detail.
And one such item is a re-assessment of the going in terms of time and class of race when compared against the standard for the course/distance.

Interestingly, Raceform have assessed the going significantly differently from that of the official going at these last 3 Ayr meetings referred to above.

• 2nd January : Official going of SOFT was re-assessed by Raceform as 'HARD'
• 8th January : Official going of GOOD TO SOFT/SOFT in PLACES was re-assessed by Raceform as 'FIRM'
• 20th January : Official going of GOOD TO SOFT/GOOD in PLACES was re-assessed by Raceform as 'FIRM'

Clerk of the Courses have an unenviable job this winter in preparing courses to provide safe jumping ground, and then providing an accurate advance going description to aid trainers.
It is uncertain just what effect actions such as watering and frost covers are having. We have experience of horses returning slightly jarred, or which have been hanging unexpectedly during races in recent weeks.

There are the odd one or two horses here at Dodlands that are suited to good or good to soft ground, but we're very reticent to even run these types as there are under 20 horses in our winter string and to have 3 or 4 on the sidelines for a spell would be less than ideal.

So, there you go.......horses are well, a couple of gallops away from fitness to be ready for a run but we await lots of rain, a rise a temperature and genuine soft ground.
It may be some time.....................

Friend of the Stable - Rob Bewley goes Pointing

Rob has sent over 2 or 3 horses from his Jedburgh base to Dodlands to race Under Rules in the last couple of seasons, but he also trains the odd horse or two to compete on the local Point-to-Point circuit.

And he achieved a fine second place on Sunday at the Jedforest Point meeting at Friars Haugh (near Kelso) with his 6yr old Kalanisi gelding Just Don't Know. He comes over to the yard occasionally to use our gallops so we have admired this strapping horse who is a half brother to Sue Smith's very useful staying chaser I Just Know.

Anyway, despite clear signs of green-ness, much to the delight of Rob and wife Kathy, his horse finished runner-up in Div 2 of the Maiden on what was his first ever race.
A nice chasing prospect.