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Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April 2024 - Go North Finals and Our Biggest Day Ever

Laura with Velasco after his win!

As most of you know, I'm absolutely passionate about the Go North Series. Ebony Rose was our first winner when they started it all, and the whole point is to provide Northern trainers with a series of races offering really good prize money - we're talking £30k prize pots!

You have to qualify through the season, and this year it was run as a qualifier plus three Northern races at Doncaster and up North. I'm fairly obsessive about getting my horses ready for the finals at Musselburgh, Kelso (Les's Legacy won last year but sadly it was cancelled due to rain this time), and Carlisle.

So off we went to Musselburgh with five runners! We borrowed a trailer and made the journey full of hope and nerves.

First up was Blame Rose, ridden by her regular jockey Nathan Moscrop, and I have to admit I was absolutely terrified about overfacing her in the Mares Final over two miles four furlongs.

She was 14lb out of the handicap - meaning she should have carried 9 stone 2lb rather than the minimum of 10 stone 2lb! That's a massive disadvantage. But she's been improving steadily, and she ran from the front to finish fifth. It was a tremendously good run, and she still picked up £1k in prize money - well done her, and Nathan!

Me, Samantha and Laura

Our Next Race Was A Stunner!

Fair to say Champ Royal, ridden by Sam Coltherd, was ahead of Velasco in the betting, and the Northern Racing Club had every right to think he would win after winning four out of six since joining us. However, Velasco had other plans!

He put in a brilliant front-running performance under Edward Austin, who claims 5lb, while Champ chased him home to give us a fantastic one-two result. I could hardly believe it - our own horses finishing first and second in such a prestigious race!

Next up was Beaumesnil in the two-mile final, and he finished third. He's such a quirky horse who sometimes stops when he thinks he's won! Then This Is Bob was back in a normal race over a longer distance and did very well to be second in a desperately tight finish. He's an improving horse who'll do even better when the ground improves - he's owned by the Susan Corbett Racing Club.

Ivy grooming Bahrikate

Phew! Was that really all in one day? It leaves us 80th out of 640 in the Trainers Jumps Championship with a best-ever prize money total of £145k, and we still have three weeks to go...

It was disappointing that Kelso was called off - we really hope they'll put the finals on again. Hexham is also off, so hopefully it'll stop raining soon!

I have to give credit to our jockeys - it was brilliant to see all three of our regular jumps jockeys in the frame: Edward Austin as our claimer of 5lb, Sam Coltherd, and Nathan Moscrop. They all ride out every week here to get to know the horses they're riding in races, and I think that partnership is worth its weight in gold. Today proved it.

As for the team - I have to say we're a very small operation, but what we lack in numbers we make up for in heart. Days like this make all those early mornings and frozen fingers worthwhile. But with three weeks still to go in the season, who knows what other surprises are in store?

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April Week 2 - Aintree Adventures and Photo Finishes

A sign for the week ahead

The week started with a rather disappointing run from Dandycan - we're still trying to find the key with him, to be honest.

Then we had Aintree looming, and I'd been banking on heavy ground being ideal for Pinot Rouge in her first - and our first - Grade 1 Class 1 race over three miles for novices.

But when we arrived, wouldn't you know it, the ground was drying up! I was absolutely sick with worry that she'd be left trailing in the wake of these top novice horses rated up to 150 against our modest 117. I've always said I'd only go to the big races when we had the ammunition - but here we were, committed!

However, Pinot was an absolute star. This was only her fourth race in her life and third for us. She struggled to keep up early on in that ground, but when the going got tough, she got going! She came from absolutely nowhere to finish fourth in a photo finish.

Phew! What a day out for Stuart, Steve, and all the connections - even the extra hour's journey home passed quickly with all the excitement!

Pinot Rouge gains 4th place at Aintree

Next up we had baby Charizard at Newcastle in only his second hurdle race for the Goodfellow Partnership. He was never going to catch the McCain horse, but what a brilliant account he gave of himself to finish second in absolutely horrid ground.

Then Atomic Angel was up, ridden by Edward Austin. The trip was too short for her really - she loves three miles plus - but with everything being cancelled, we had no other choices. However, she probably ran the race of her life to finish second, beaten just half a length and hampered continually by a loose horse throughout the race.

Charizard 2nd

So the jumps season, with just two weeks to go, is looking absolutely amazing! We've got twelve wins and forty-five places over jumps - just one more win to beat our best-ever year. But we've already smashed the prize money record with £146k versus £104k, and we've done it with a third fewer runs. It's not just one horse either - every single horse in the yard is improving and doing their part. Go my team!

Now for next week's action!

Kelso - 15th April: The reorganized final that Les's Legacy won last year - he's trying again tomorrow. Johnny Dogs runs in his third novice race for us. He'll need the run but should still make a good account of himself.

Redcar - 15th April: Yes, same day! Infinite Honour goes over a mile while Clear Angel, our superstar Flat horse who was fourth in the Spring Mile, also goes over a mile in a race he should do well in.

Thirsk - 20th April: Kaidu may decide not to get any issues and actually turn up at Thirsk over six furlongs for Daryl and the Girsonfield Racing Club.

Diary Dates:

• Owners Open Day - date in August next week
• National Racehorse Week - provisionally 7th September
• Christmas Party - 14th December

With the season heading into its final stretch, can we get that one more win to break our record?

And will our Flat horses continue the yard's incredible momentum?

The pressure's mounting, but if this week's taught me anything, it's that our horses love to rise to the occasion!

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April Week 3 - A Busy One For Susan

What a week it's been! I keep saying this, but honestly, they all seem to be flying by at the moment - and long may that continue, because busy is good in our game!Monday's Mixed Bag

Monday brought us Johnny Dogs back in action, and I was thrilled to see him finish third with a much more promising run than that disappointing effort at Kelso. He's now sitting pretty at a rating of 112, which means we're off to Perth in May - exciting times ahead!

Les's Legacy, on the other hand, didn't quite live up to last year's winning performance. But you know what? His day will come - I've got a good feeling about Hexham coming up soon. Sometimes these horses just need to find their moment.

Johnny Dogs Kelso 3rd

The Heart Murmur Drama

Now, here's something that gave me a bit of a scare initially. We discovered one of our horses had a heart murmur, so off we went to the Dick Vet for a proper heart scan. Fascinating stuff, really - turned out to be just a slight backflow into one of the heart chambers. The brilliant news is that it won't affect his racing ability one bit!

The real challenge wasn't the diagnosis though - it was getting this horse to stand still for 45 minutes next to a machine worth thousands of pounds! Bless him, he was an absolute star about it, just standing there watching his own heart pumping away on the big screen like he was at the cinema.

Thirsk Troubles

Yesterday saw Kaidu head to Thirsk with Paul Mulrennan in the saddle. Unfortunately, Paul reported that he absolutely hated the ground and just stopped trying. So it's back to the drawing board - we'll be looking for faster ground or maybe the all-weather next time, probably over 5 furlongs. Sometimes you just have to listen to what the horse is telling you.

Farm Life and Changes

Lambing season is nearly behind us now, thank goodness! Some of our horses are looking forward to their well-deserved holidays, while others are gearing up for summer campaigns or transitioning to the flat.

I've made some changes to our Sunday arrangements too. We now have different people covering Sundays from our usual Monday-to-Friday team - this means our regular staff get every Sunday off, which I think is only fair.

Plus, Bobby has started giving riding lessons to some of our junior staff to help develop their skills. Always good to invest in the team!

Looking Ahead - Next Week's Runners

Hexham on Monday brings us Blame Rose - honestly, the negative reports this mare gets! But I see this as a perfect opportunity to set the record straight tomorrow. Raffles Wonder will be the danger, but Nathan chose to ride Rose over that one, which tells you something.

Perth is going to be busy for us:

• Wednesday the 24th sees Bob running in the amateur race over 3 miles
• Thursday the 25th might feature Beaumesnil in the 2:40 (0-115) and Champ Royal in the 0-130
• Friday the 26th could be Beaumesnil's turn in the Novice 0-105 (unless he runs Thursday instead)

Ripon on Saturday has Clear Angel penciled in - if the race goes ahead, if we get in, and all those other ifs that come with this game!

Wetherby on Sunday should finally see Infinite Honour get his chance. He's the most entered horse on the yard who never seems to actually run! Not his fault, mind you - just the way things have worked out.

Clear Angel, Rocky And Bob

Exciting Partnership Opportunities

I'm thrilled to announce two fantastic opportunities for anyone wanting to get involved:

First up is 'Ladies that Race' - a brand new syndicate exclusively for lady members. For £600 for a 5% share plus £100 monthly, you'll be part of a group with a £12k budget at the May sales. We're planning to go jumping and have some serious fun along the way!

We're also launching a new partnership for four members who want to buy either privately or at the May sales. If you're interested, just give me a shout for all the details.

Susan Corbett

email:girsonfield@outlook.com

Tel: 7713651215

What a time to be involved in racing!

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April Week 4 - The Highs and Heartbreak

Racing has a way of reminding you why they call it the sport of kings and heartbreak all in the same breath. This week has been the perfect example - soaring highs with Blame Rose, Bob, and Champ, but also the devastating loss of our beloved Beaumesnil.

Saying Goodbye to a Champion

Beaumesnil - where do I even begin? He was always such a character, a real favorite around the yard, though admittedly accident-prone. It had been such a long road with him, but we were finally seeing what Jamie meant when he called him "the best horse I've ever sat on."

One of Beau's quirks was thinking he'd won the moment he put his head in front - bless him, who could blame him for that confidence? The trouble was, sometimes that celebration came before the winning line! But Nathan had really gotten the measure of him. That win at Wetherby was pure Beau - Nathan became unbalanced over the last and gave him such a fright that he ran on to actually win! Then there was that brilliant third in the Go North Final at Musselburgh, though I still think he threw his toys out of the pram when Sam gave him a smack.

Nothing - absolutely nothing - prepares you for what happened at Perth. He was right there in contention, jumped the last beautifully, then stumbled and broke his leg. My heart goes out to his wonderful owners Samantha, Steve, and Julia, and especially to our staff - Josh who was there at Perth, and Jamie who rode him work every single day. You know, my staff wouldn't be working here if they didn't get upset when things go wrong. That's exactly the kind of people I want around these horses.

Beaumesnil Happier Times

The Sweet Victories

But let's talk about the triumphs, because racing giveth as much as it taketh away. Blame Rose - what a mare! She was given a 17lb rise after her last win, which was a massive ask at Hexham. Nathan got off the favorite to ride her, and I'll be honest, he was more confident than I was when he came up that hill only to be headed. But tough as teak, that's our Rose - she battled back to win by a neck. No doubt she'll be up even more pounds come Tuesday! The Nelson Racing Club were absolutely delighted.

Then off to Perth we went, where This Is Bob gave young Natasha Cookson her first taste of racing under rules. Natasha's just started riding out with us - she's won point-to-points before, and she did nothing wrong securing fourth place in that amateur race. A great learning experience for her.

Champ Royal absolutely thrilled his Northern Racing Club members by finishing second in the 0-130. What a performance that was, bringing his record to 4 wins and 2 seconds from just 8 runs. You can't ask for much better than that!

The Ones That Got Away

More frustration with Clear Angel, who missed his excellent chance at Ripon after getting cast in his box and being a little sore. Nothing that a few days won't cure, but still - when you've got a good thing lined up, these little setbacks are maddening.

Today we have Infinite Honour at Wetherby running in his grade, so I'm hoping he can at least finish in the front half of the field. It's a quiet week ahead as we're in that limbo period where one jumping season ends and another begins.

Season Wrap-Up - Our Best Ever!

I'm proud to say our 2023/24 season ended as our best result ever:

• Trainers Rank: 78 out of 650
• Prizes: 57 from 115 runners
• Wins: 13
• Total Prize Money: £159,388.66

This Week's Runners

• Kaidu heads to Newcastle Friday for Daryl and GRC
• Atomic Angel, Johnny Dogs, and Wotyoudunnow Buddy all go to Hexham on May 4th - the start of the new season

A massive thank you to all our owners for supporting us through thick and thin. You make this rollercoaster worth every moment.

But as I watch Atomic Angel, Johnny Dogs, and Wotyoudunnow Buddy prepare for Hexham on May 4th, I can't help but wonder - will one of them give us that magical moment that makes all the heartache worthwhile?

And with whispers around the yard about a potential new arrival that could change everything... well, you'll just have to wait until next month to find out what I'm talking about!

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In March

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In February

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In January