Has returned from his summer break looking well and we are looking forward to sending him novice chasing. Progressive over hurdles last season, he got better as the year went on. A dual winner at Ayr, he was runner-up in a listed event at Perth over three miles on his final start. We haven’t schooled him over fences yet, but he is a lovely jumper and I don’t envisage any problems. We will probably start him off over two and a half miles, but he is a three mile chase in the making.
We ran two in the same bumper at Ayr in January and I was expecting the pair to run well but neither handled the ground, which was bottomless. Thankfully, he performed much better next time at Perth in the spring, but our horses weren’t at their best during the last few months of the season. He is a big strong horse and anything he achieves over hurdles this year will be a bonus. We will start him off over two or two and a half miles and he is capable of winning races over hurdles. His long-term future is over fences though and I am expecting him to end up being a three miler.
Similar to Crystal Glory, he is an interesting horse who has joined us having run in point-to-points in Ireland. Previously trained by Colin Bowe, he was unlucky when falling at the last when looking like the winner. We made a few enquiries and bought him and he is a nice type of horse who will make a lovely chaser one day. The horse who won his point has won a bumper and finished second over hurdles since for Oliver Sherwood. He will go novice hurdling and hopefully have a bright future.
A nice big unraced horse we bought at the Goffs Landrover Sale as a three old. He did some decent pieces of work last season and was nearly ready to run but had a minor setback. It is possible he will have a run in a bumper, otherwise we will send him straight over hurdles. He is a proper chasing type for the future though. His owner, Mrs Starkie, formerly had horses with my father.
Nells Son
From a family we know well being a half-brother to Rubytwo and the recently retired Amberose, he was won two of his three bumpers and could be anything. Beaten a nose on his debut at Doncaster the previous season, he won both his starts at Ayr last term. He has done nothing wrong during his career and we are hoping he will develop into a high-class horse. His schooling over hurdles has gone well and he enjoys soft ground. More than likely, he will start over two miles but will have no trouble staying two and a half miles.
Made his debut in the same bumper at Ayr as Everyday Champagne in January but got bogged down in the ground. We thought he would run well beforehand but didn’t handle the conditions. He ran much better next time though finishing second at Bangor in the spring. It was an encouraging performance because he kept galloping. We may give him another run in a bumper in Autumn before going hurdling. While he is likely to end up being another three miler, he will run in two or two and a half miles novice hurdles to begin with.
Long-term, he is a chaser in the making but ran two nice races in bumpers last season. Fourth on his debut at Kelso in February, he was subsequently disqualified and placed last having gone the wrong side of a wing at what is normally the final hurdle. He then stayed on well in second at Hexham last time. Staying is going to be his game and he appreciates soft ground. He jumps well and I think he will develop into a nice horse over hurdles this winter.
A lovely unraced filly owned by Mrs Pat Sloan who kindly sent her to us last year. We gave her plenty of time during the winter. She goes nicely at home and has had a racecourse gallop too. We will start her in a mares’ bumper in the Autumn and we are looking forward to seeing her run.
Ran three times over hurdles at Carlisle and performed well on each occasion. An easy winner on his second outing, he finished third last time having got racing too far out and paid for it late on. Rated 122, we will probably give him one more run over hurdles before going chasing. There is every chance we will drop him back to two miles on his reappearance. He jumps well and is a promising young horse.
A lovely horse who won both his starts in bumpers last term. He won well first out at Musselburgh and Brian Hughes was very pleased with him. He then defined a penalty at Market Rasen having hit the front soon enough. It takes an above average horse to win two bumpers and he ought to make a very nice novice hurdler. Better ground seems to suit him and we will run him over 2miles to begin with.
Serious Ego is an excellent eight-year old. The horse is a consistent competitor, who has won in the past and we believe he will win again. He is a mudlark, ideal for winter conditions.
Serious Ego is the first horse in a hopefully successful new syndicate that we have set up. The plan is for him to race once a month across the season.
A big strong chasing type, he was trained last season by Brian Harding and dead-heated in a point-to-point bumper at Sandon on Easter Saturday. We knew a bit about him because he had worked here before he ran and we liked him. The other horse who dead-heated (Another Brown Bear) has joined Nicky Henderson. I am delighted to be training for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing and he will go hurdling this season.
Out of a mare we trained to win twice, I bred him and he ran a lovely race on his debut. Runner-up in a bumper at Kelso in the spring, he wasn’t beaten far but would have been even closer with a clearer run. It can get quite tight on some of those bends at Kelso and he was still green. We will probably give him another run in a bumper before going hurdling. He is a grand horse.
