Horses in Training

“Annie” is a very good looking filly bought as a 3 year old at the store sales. She has been backed and is now in work. She shows a great attitude and excellent potential. She is closely related to Academy Sir Harry who was one of the leading Irish bumper horses, winning his bumper before going on to win a maiden and a novice hurdle race before his career was sadly cut short after only five runs.

“Rum” was bought as a 4 year old store and is unraced. He has taken to his work very well and is an exciting prospect. His dam won a bumper and over hurdles and another of her progeny, Ballymoy, won a hat-trick for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the Spring of 2018, including the valuable Novice Championship Final at Sandown. His dam is half-sister to Invictus who was a prolific winner for Alan King and had a handicap of 150 over fences.

Arcadian Sea (aka Brian) is a lovely 4 year old who has won and been placed 6 times on the flat. He stays well and will run over hurdles as well as on the flat. He ran well and was beaten just 6 lengths over 1 mile 6 furlongs at Catterick on his first start for me. He was ridden that day by William who was having only his second start under rules.

Avocet is a strong mare who has already won two staying flat races on the all-weather. She has been schooling well and will soon be tried over hurdles.

Bisoubisou is a very good looking mare. Before joining the yard, she had only run on the flat but, since joining us, she has taken very well to schooling over hurdles and we have been very pleased with her. She ran in her debut hurdles race at Huntingdon on 4 October and was sent off at 50 to 1 in a field of fifteen runners. Ridden by Sean Bowen, she jumped beautifully and travelled very well through the race, finishing 3rd. This was a fine effort for a debut run and she will surely come on for the run. She is one of the five horses in Yen Hall Farm Racing and we are looking forward to some good and exciting racing with her.

“Brecon” is a very exciting member of the team. He is only five and has run in just five races, three bumpers and two novice hurdles. He has won two of them, just beaten by a head to finish 2nd under a penalty in another. He is half-brother to Double Discount who was rated 95 on the flat as a 5 year old. We are very much looking forward to running him again this season.

“TJ” is the first foal of Silver Lily who we used to train and who won 4 hurdle races for us and who had a great fighting spirit. TJ seems to have a similar attitude and is showing a lot of promise. He will start in juvenile bumpers this autumn. Mawatheeq is a young stallion by Danzig and part of the Nashwan family. He won several races, including the class 1 Cumberland Lodge Stakes over 1 1/2 miles at Ascot, and he has produced a good crop of winners already. If TJ can combine his dam’s attitude with his sire’s speed, he could well develop into a very useful hurdler.

“Hattie” is a strong, powerful 6 year old mare. Given her size, she would have been very weak when she was placed in an Irish point to point as a 4 year old. We bought her last year but have given her plenty of time to fill her frame. She is now much more powerful than when she arrived and she may run in a point to point or two to start her career with us.

A six year old bay gelding by Vision d’Etat out of Lyli Rose (by Lyphard’s Wish), “Star” is half-brother to the very useful Rolling Star, a class 1 winner who was 6th in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2013 and rated 150 over hurdles. Star has run in two bumpers, beaten only 1 1/2 lengths on his last outing and the 4th horse from that race has since won. He then twice in novice hurdles in the Spring of 2018 and was then given a wind operation, returning to the track in October 2018 with a much improved display, finishing 3rd. Star is a very good looking, athletic sort who still had some growing to do when he arrived with us but is now a much stronger and more mature individual. We are looking forward to running him again soon.

“Eddie” is out of our mare, Pentasilea, who we trained and who won on the flat as well as over hurdles. “Cilla” was a lovely, strong mare and Eddie takes after her. He has the look of a classic chasing type. Given his size, we have given him plenty of time to mature into his frame. He is surprisingly light on his feet and is well balanced. He is working well and will run in a bumper this autumn for experience before moving on to staying hurdles. His future will be as a staying chaser.

Local Show is a 10 year old strong, athletic gelding who joined the yard in the spring of 2017 and ran with considerable credit in the Kim Muir Chase at the Festival. He is a very classy horse who moves very well. He will run for Yen Hall Farm Racing this year, probably as a pointer for William initially and may then go hunter chasing.

Parsonal was placed in three Irish point to points before joining the yard. Being by Oscar, he has taken time to mature and, having been placed in a bumper for me in April, he had a break over the summer but is now back in work. He is a winter horse and we look forward to running him once the ground softens up.

A seven year old, brown mare by Robin des Pres out of a Presenting mare, “Bridget” has won twice and being placed five times. She is well-bred and her full sister is rated 127 over hurdles and her older brother, who is also by Robin des Pres, is a multiple point to point winner and, having made a late switch to running under rules, has won twice and been placed once over regulation fences from his last three starts (being his only runs under rules to date). She had a wind operation earlier this year.

The Happy Chappy is a lovely, big athletic gelding with enormous scope. He won both his maiden and restricted point to points in the spring of 2016 before moving to Paul Nicholls. He was third in his first novice hurdle to No Hassle Hoff before being sold as part of a dispersal sale. On his first run for us he was third by 2 lengths to Step Back who then ran at the Cheltenham Festival. Chappy then won a staying hurdle race at Huntingdon in May. After a summer break, he was a very good second in a beginners’ chase at Worcester on 17 October and then won with a superb round of jumping in a 3 mile 2 furlong novice chase at Sedgefield on 2 November and followed that up with a win in the feature race, a 3 mile 1 1/2 furlong race at Ludlow on 16 November. As the Racing Post commented, “he is an exciting young chaser”.

“Tyson” (as yet not officially named) is younger brother to Call Me TJ (see above). He loves to spend his time lying in the sun and “playing dead”! He is shaping up into being a lovely, big, strong and athletic sort. He has now left play school is now being brought back for more serious training.

Virnon has an impressive track record, showing remarkable versatility to win twice on the flat plus two bumpers, twice over hurdles and once over chase fences. He has also run on a wide variety of going, from good to heavy. We are very much looking forward to running him over hurdles again very soon.