Horses in Training

Ajay was bought at the Ascot Sales in May 2022 and has been given plenty of time to recover from an injury. He is a good looking horse who has won twice from only 12 starts, each time over chase fences at Fakenham, including most recently when he won by 12 lengths. He looks a good fun horse – could he be a chasing version of Glimpse of Gold?

Another Mystery (aka “Scoobie”) is a lovely, strong chaser in the making. We bought him this summer. He had clearly taken time to mature, fill his frame and strengthen up but won his last two starts, both over hurdles. He is very well handicapped and we expect him to do well, whether continuing hurdling or going chasing.

Scoobie is being offered for syndication. Please contact me for further information.

Fulgurant means dazzling and so this beautiful grey is called “Daz” at home. He is a well-built powerful sort and moves beautifully. He is also well-bred, being closely related to two French listed hurdlers/chasers. He has run in three Irish point to points, showing a lot of promise and being placed 3rd of 14 in his first run (with the 4th and 6th horses winning subsequently). His second run was disappointing but it became clear that he was badly affected by oil seed rape pollen. He was looking sure to win on his last run, 12 lengths up over the 2nd last and his jockey was perhaps too confident when he was suddenly challenged approaching the last and a change of rhythm caused him to fall over the final obstacle. The winner (who was given the same rating by the judge as Fulgurant) was subsequently sold for £200,000 to Gordon Elliott. Daz is a very exciting prospect and we look forward to him running soon.

Gold is a 9 year old son of Passing Glance. He joined us from in 2020 and runs for our racing club, Yen Hall Farm Racing, winning on his debut for the yard (and for the Club) on 9 September 2020 at Uttoxeter and has since won on a further six occasions. Despite now being an 11 year old, he is running off a career high handicap mark of 122, up from 95 when he joined us! He is nicely bred, his grandmother being a full sister to Lord Windermere, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2014, and a half-sister to Sub Lieutenant. He loves his life and racing and has the energy and commitment of a horse half his age. Long may he continue!

Gloire d’Athon (aka “Glory”) is a very good looking, tall and imposing individual. Although only five, he has had a busy life, winning in France and then running 7 times in Ireland, including a win and four placed finishes. We bought him for Mrs Pitman in September 2021. He had shown significant ability but, given his size and age, we felt that he was due a break and so he didn’t race for us until January 2022. After four hurdles races for us, where he improved in each race and was placed on three occasions, including second twice, he then went chasing in June and won at Huntingdon on his debut. He has since followed up with a win over fences at Worcester in October 2022. He is an exciting prospect.

Jacks Touch (aka Jet) is a tall, strong and good-looking mare. She is well-bred being by Jeremy, the leading sire at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, and her sister, Dime a Dozen, has run in 20 races, winning 6 and only once being out of the first three home. Jet herself, has just run once, in a maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse in March 2021, finishing 2nd beaten only 3 lengths and being a full 15 lengths ahead of the 3rd horse home. She is an exciting prospect.

“Terry” stands a magnificent 17h 1″ and yet is remarkably balanced and light on his feet. He has plenty of winners in his family, including his two half-siblings, and his dam was a multiple-winning hurdler and was half-sister to a number of very successful National Hunt winners including Bobowen, Shantou Tiger and Sun King. Although Terry has only won one race from 17 starts, he has been placed in 5 of his last 6 starts and we expect him to win and to do an excellent job for Yen Hall Farm Racing.

Milan Bridge is a lovely, big chasing sort, bought by us for the owners this Spring. He has plenty of ability and won three of his first four starts over hurdles and was then 2nd in a class 2 hurdle at Aintree off a mark of 126. He then had a challenging start to his chasing career, winning a walk-over at Ascot and then being thrown in at the deep end as favourite in a novice chase at Sandown (won by Gloire d’Athon, trained by us). He was then sadly brought down at Wincanton, another tough track and that clearly affected his confidence on his next start at Taunton where he only finished 4th of the five runners – but the 5th horse won on his next outing. Milan Bridge has now had a wind operation and has enjoyed a good summer holiday but is now returning to work. We are excited about seeing him build his confidence and achieve his undoubted potential as a chaser.

My Dream (aka “Maggie”) stands 16hh and is a very striking, good looking mare. She joined the yard recently, having run in just two bumpers and being placed 4th of 14 runners at Chepstow on her second outing. She is not really a bumper horse and she will want three miles in time and her full brother, who is now 7 years old won four times (and has been consistently placed) once moved up to run over the longer trip. Maggie needed to strengthen and fill out when she joined us and she has done so very well. She is now back in work and we are looking forward to seeing her run from the end of September onwards in novice hurdles before going handicapping. She jumps and schools extremely well and is tough and determined and has a great attitude. She will be a lovely fun horse who should win plenty of races and give connections lots of good days out at the races.

Maggie is available for syndication. Do contact us for more information.

Nickle won in great style at Fontwell in October 2011, achieving a handicap mark of 136. The form of that race is good, with the 3rd, 4th and 5th horses being subsequent winners, two of them at least twice. He unfortunately then sustained an injury that kept him our for the rest of his novice season but he is now back in work and looking forward to continuing his career in the autumn of 2022.

“Pumpkin” is Call At Midnight’s second foal. Call At Midnight was owned and trained by me and won her bumper, two hurdles and a chase and is full sister to both Call Me A Legend and Call Me A Star and so there is plenty of black type in the family. Pumpkin is a lovely stamp of filly and could be very special. Clovis Du Berlais was a smart hurdler and chaser in France and half-brother to the high class Caid Du Berlais. Pumpkin is among his first crop of foals.  She will run in the autumn of 2022.

“Rosie” is a lovely, big filly who still has some filling out and strengthening to do. Before we bought her, she had run in three Irish point to point races, being placed each time, on the last occasion being placed second, in a mares’ 4 year old maiden, beaten only by a horse that then sold for £235,000 at the Tattersalls Sale at Cheltenham in November. She has been placed in several hurdle races this spring and now has a very workable handicap mark. She will come into her own once she starts chasing and that is the plan for her in the autumn of 2022. Shares are available for sale.

“Ruby” is a strong and powerful mare. Having been backed and turned away in 2021, she is now back in work and will be aimed towards the new juvenile National Hunt hurdle series starting in the autumn of 2022. She has an exciting future ahead of her.

Stop This Train (aka “Annie”) is a lovely young mare and an exciting prospect, who we have syndicated to a group of our owners, although one share remains available. She was second in a 5 year-old mares’ maiden point to point race in Ireland in April 2022, beaten just over 2 lengths by a horse that was then sold for Euro 85,000. The horse that finished 5th that day has gone on to win since. Annie’s next run was a non-event as, although sent off as favourite, the jockey tumbled off at the first fence! She ran once more and was travelling very well in the lead but tired quickly after the third last fence and it seems probable that she was suffering from an oil seed rape pollen allergy and can be forgiven for a below par performance. We are very keen on her and expect her to do well.

Templier (aka “Tom”) is a lovely, big old-fashioned stamp of a National Hunt horse. He has a number of winning half-siblings who have won on the flat in France and Tom has shown himself to be versatile, having won on the flat, over hurdles and over fences, most recently at Warwick at the end of December 2021. He has a great presence and clearly relishes winter ground. He is having a late spring/early summer holiday but will come back into work in mid-summer with a view to running in the autumn.

The Wise Traveller (aka “Sam”) is our latest acquisition to run for our racing club, Yen Hall Farm Racing. He has won two of his last six starts and been placed 2nd or 3rd in each of the others. He runs on good and good to soft ground and should therefore be a good combination with the other two horses in the club, Le Tueur and Templier, both of whom were dual winners for the club last season. Sam won his point to point and we would expect him to do well chasing as well as hurdling.