Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In December

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In December: New Beginnings and Christmas Spirit

Winning Racehorse Kilmore Rock

Exciting New Syndicate Opportunity!

We're about to start a brand new racing syndicate with a budget of around £10,000 for a horse. We're looking for a maximum of 20 members with flexible options:

£500 to buy in, then £100 per month (5%)
£1,000 to buy in, then £200 per month (10%)
And so on!

Please let me know if you'd like to be included or know anyone who might be interested. It's a brilliant way to get involved in racehorse ownership!

A Busy Week of Racing and Discoveries

It's been a hectic week! First up were Rocky (Kingston Rock) and Wee Alki at Hexham. Rocky was 7/11, and I wasn't happy with him at all. We've had his feet X-rayed, and he needs them rebalanced as it's harming his joints. The vet's coming tomorrow, so I hope we've hit the spot to help him realise his potential – Nathan reported he absolutely hated galloping down the hills, which explains a lot!

Meanwhile, Wee Alki was 5/9 and heads for his final novice to get his handicap mark. Once he's in his own grade, I expect to see much better results. Nathan was very happy with his progression – young horses just take a little longer to come into their own.

Then came our busy Saturday! Josh took Dancer to Newcastle where we hoped to see improvement, and we did! He's still got a way to go, but he ran well and jumped brilliantly for a long way. He hung up the home straight, and we're looking into why that might be.

Wee Alki

Meanwhile, I headed to Doncaster with the mighty Velasco. He was beautifully behaved for Bekah and me to saddle but got a little on his toes in the paddock. Then he showed us the Velasco of last season was back – just faded into fourth at the eleventh hour, but what a very good run!

Next year we've decided to raise funds for two causes:

Air Ambulance
Dementia

We already have some exciting gifts to auction at the summer owners' event!

Upcoming Dates:

17th Dec Catterick – Atomic Angel for Daryl & Shaun (Castle View)
21st Dec Haydock – Champ Royal for The Northern Racing Club

Staff Parties, Wind Ops, and Festive Racing

The staff had their own Christmas party this year – funny how Josh and Jamie manage to get invited to both parties! I would like to thank all of you who have given gifts to the staff this year. They really appreciate the thought, especially on those windy, wet days when they're out there doing their best for our horses.

Atomic Angel showed she still has that will to win when she was just pipped into third in an amateur race ridden by Natasha Cookson, who rides out for us.

It was a strange race – the Kirby horse went forward by an absolutely huge measure and did win, but only just. Should the rest have gone with him?

The stewards asked the same question, and the second, third, and fourth all received a caution. Harsh, I thought, as no one could call whether Angel would have lasted home if she'd gone at his speed.

Atomic Angel

Nathan, who is proving a real asset to the yard with eight winners for us so far, jumped up and down until we took Velasco for a second opinion on his breathing. We went to the market leader in wind operations, Ben Brain in Cheltenham, only to find that Velasco was a past customer!

Basically, the overground scope didn't show the problem at home as he's not under the same pressure as in a race. Lesson learned! He'll be a much happier horse in his next race. Jamie went off at 4am and returned at 9:30pm – a long day for horses and people alike.

Champ Royal was back over hurdles at Haydock and much happier, although a disappointing fifth. Either he's at the height of his capabilities and needs the handicapper to drop him a few pounds (he went up 25 pounds with us last year), or he needs more energy to finish off his races. Work in progress! He's heading for a lower-grade race on 9th January.

Champ Royal

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In December: Looking Ahead to the New Year

Sadly, no runners over the festive season, but we've got plenty from the 29th onwards! Wee Alki comes out of his 'loan' period and heads for the sales at the end of January.

Hopefully, by then, he'll be showing what he's capable of in a handicap in his own grade. I'd love to get a small partnership in place to buy him back onto the yard (currently he belongs to Josh and his friend David in Ireland) as he's a tough little cookie.

His 'loaners,' Race4Fun and The Nelson Partnership, have their own horses back in training now.

Dates:

29th Kelso – Wee Alki in his final novice for his handicap mark
1st Southwell – Sunset Hill
1st Catterick – Atomic Angel (P)
2nd Ayr – Pinot Rouge
3rd Musselburgh – Beyond the Verge
4th Newcastle – Blame Rose and Les's Legacy
9th Catterick – maybe Atomic Angel/Blame Rose and Champ Royal
11th – Rock Steady Eddie

As we head into the Christmas break and look forward to 2025, I want to thank every single one of you for your support this year.

It's been a year of incredible highs and heartbreaking lows – from charity successes and brilliant wins to Amanda's accident and losing Jimlis. But through it all, you've been there, and that means the world to me and the entire team.

Here's to a new year filled with hope, winners, and wonderful moments with all of you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We hope you have enjoyed reading our Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In December, and for other months of the year click the links below.

Susan: email:girsonfield@outlook.com Tel: 7713651215

https://girsonfield.co.uk/

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Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In May

Racing Stable Daily Life Stories In April