December News

 Well, it was all going swimmingly, until.....

Let's backtrack a couple of months though.
In the second half of last season, a couple of our handicap hurdlers just weren't seeing their races through to the finish. So minor wind operations were carried out at the back end of the Spring but come August both Eden Mill & So Many Roads were welcomed back into the yard. And in very fine fettle too from Summer grass.

Our 4-time winning staying handicap hurdler returned around that time too along with Cowboy Cooper. However, Nights In Venice didn't seem to enjoy his summer break and returned looking very sorry for himself. Happy to report though, that after a few weeks of good stable food and love & affection, our winning chaser was back on the gallops and working well.

And, in early October, the yard had a winner with our first NH runner of the 2024-25 season. Shoeshine Boy ridden by Murray Dodd, now a conditional jockey claiming 7lb, won a Class 3 handicap hurdle at Hexham over an extended 2m 7f. He was outpaced most of the way, but as is his way, battled on doggedly from the entry into the home straight and got up by a nose!

Eden Mill was meant to run later that month but developed a bruised foot and didn't make his engagement in a handicap hurdle at Carlisle. The ground was drying up all over the country by the time Shoeshine Boy was ready to run again, and he took his chance in a staying handicap hurdle at Ayr in early November. The ground was probably on the fast side and he seemed flat to the board from halfway, and finished 3rd.

And on the jumps front, that's about it as for the last few weeks, many of our string have been coughing. So, we've backed off, applied the required medicine and bided our time. The recent cold snap(s) should've helped in killing off any lingering infections (or so the theory goes) and we're now looking at the Racing Calendar to pencil in races for those who are healthy.
It's a shame, as horses like So Many Roads were looking nice and strong and working well with our early season yardstick Shoeshine Boy.