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You may have realised that I have been rather quiet of late and for this I appologise. There have been some tough decisions to be made and it is with great sadness that I must report that I have sold my mare Zoe. Unfortunatley Zoe just didn’t want to be an event horse and with my dreams still set on the Olympics I decided that she would have to go. Luckily she has gone to a lovely home where they will take her point to pointing and hunting and generally love her so it’s all worked out for the best.
This however left me with a dilema……what do I do now? For Felix is a 3 star horse but his Olympic days are over since he’s 14 years old and has arthritis (but don’t tell him that!) Luckily by a simple twist of fate a solution was just around the corner.
It is with great delight and joy that I am able to inform you all of my latest acquired horse, The Artful Archie (or Archie ). He is a very beautiful 15.2hh Piebald Irish sports horse. Not may normal big bay but I am totally in love with him.
He arrived in a bit of a whirl wind to be honest. I took a call from his owner on the friday asking me if I’d be interested in taking on the ride of his horse. Well, what is a girl to do when asked such a question? Say yes of course…..so 48 hours later I was picking up the cheeky chappie and quickly had him installed in his new stable. Archie came over from Ireland as a 4 year old where he’d been hunting for the previous 12 months as a 3 year old. His owner brought him and he’s since been primarily show jumping on the BSJA circuit. Whilst Archie has been enjoying the BSJA with winnings and double clears to his name in only a handful of outings his owner believes that his true calling is as an event horse. Therefore as a result I got the phone call to take on the ride and go eventing with him. He’s now been with me for 9 days and we’ve already been out Autum hunting and cross country schooling. We are aiming to have him out eventing on the BE circuit in time for the last event of the season so fingers crossed all goes to plan. He’s a special little horse and definately got a huge future ahead of him.
Master Felix is very very well at the moment, having had 2 runs since I last blogged. We seem to be suffering from a case of 11th – itis and are desperately trying to get into the top 10 but when competing against 4 star riders it can be very difficult. We did however manage to be 2nd after the dressage phase at our last event so hopefully it wont be too long until I break that barrier!
On an up note Felix and I competed the other weekend at a local event in between our BE runs and with great jubilation we won easily. West Wilts is our next event on Friday so keep your fingers and toes crossed for us xxx
So, it’s been a while since I last blogged about the awesomeness that is Master Felix. Our first event was at Shipton Moyne where I managed a 39 in the dressage, clear Show jumping and 1 stop cross country. I was pleased with this result as I hadn’t had Felix long and it was our first time out. I was however a little dissapointed with my dressage score as I had scored far higher the previous week in a local competition. I guess that the step up onto the national circuit demands so much more.
Putting that behind us I decided to have a lesson with his previous rider who got me to ride in a far more advanced outline than I had been. Being honest it felt quite alien and took me right out of my comfort zone and demanded far more from both me and horse. I then spent the next 4 days drilling myself and felix in what we had learned in preperation for our 2nd event last weekend.
We arrived at Ascott under wychwood and quickly realised that there would be a lot of walking involved. The event was spread out over 4 fields with the lorry park right in the centre. Luckily we had arrived early so we set off at a brisk pace to walk the cross country course. The course was well built and up to height with several cotswold stone walls and technical corners and combinations. Having had a stop at the previous event I had decided that I would take all the direct routes and not the longer but easier alternatives. My refusal at Shipton I am now convinced was due to me wiggling my way around the direct route into the water and subsequently spooking off a sharp turn to jump in off the lower bank. I was not going to let that happen again I can tell you!
After walking the cross country it was time to get ready and head down for the dressage. As soon as I got onto Felix I could tell that he was a different horse to one I have ridden since having him. He had a spring in his step and walked out from the lorry with the presence of a God. The wind was blowing really hard and for some reason the show had decided to put flimsy white plastic boarding around the dressage arena which vibrated and rattled in the wind. One even fell off whilst I was mid test! Ridiculous. I had 2 choices for my dressage test. I could either play it safe and ride how I had previously and hope for a score around 35 of try what I had been taught in my lesson. So I went for the latter. If I am to be honest I came out of the test and I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. I knew my position was better and that I had good uphill impulsion but it all felt so out of my comfort zone that I couldn’t tell if it had gone good or bad.
Whilst warming up for the show jumping Felix’s owners came across to give me my result and to my utter shock I had scored a fantastic 29.5. My nerves suddenly disappeared and I entered the show jumping ring with a huge smile on my face! Felix had been jumping really big and clean in the warm up, giving everything far more space than possibly was necessary but he was enjoying himself. We rolled 2 poles in the show jumping, mainly from us jumping everything really big and then struggling with the 2nd part of a combination and a related distance. I was pleased 
despite this and quickly turned my attention to the cross country.
There was quite a back log of riders when I arrived at the start and Felix was already starting to shake a little with excitement so I had to keep walking him around in preparation as standing still was not helping anyone! We popped a couple of practice fences and I could already tell that he was going to be strong. I think felix can count as he was watching the starter and as he mouth 1 we set off at such a speed I’m surprised i stayed on. We flew around the course just eating up the ground, galoping at all the walls and when ever Felix approached a tricky fence or combination he just steadied himself, popped it with ease and then set off again at a gallop. It was amazing. As we approaced the water I growled at him going over the jump in, I growled galloping through the water and I growled jumping out too! No stopping for us. Apparently the commentator was heard saying “they are going quick to the water, very quick through the water, very very quick!” I’d made the mistake at our first event and therfore was not going to let it happen again.
We finished within time and no time penalities to add so finished the day on a score of 37.5 and 12th place! I was over the moon despite losing all power in my arms by the end of the day. It was a fantastic day and I can’t wait until our next outing at Homme House at the start of August. So wish me luck and I will let you know how it goes.
xxx
Newsflash!!!!
I can now say that we are on the road going forwards! Yay. When I last left you I was about to compete in a dressage competition. We managed to score 75% and landed ourselves 2nd place. I can not begin to explain how ecstatically happy that made me. Hard work and learing to understand your horse can really pay off. We retunred to the same dressage venue two weeks later (last week) and scored another fanstatic 2nd place. Things really are on the up! Happy days 
Yesturday we managed to complete a 9 mile fun ride without throwing any major strops. She pretty much led the whole way round which 4 weeks ago would have been only a dream. I am finally enjoying my horse for the first time in 2 years. I truelly love her, despite all the ups and downs because now the rewards are beyond belief.
The aim is now to cure her from her fear of leaving other horses all together and get her leaving the start box on the cross country without getting upset. I now feel that this is possible. We have another fun ride this weekend which will build her confidence and hopefully we will be flying round eventing courses before the summer out.
Anything is possible….maybe more now than ever before!
After several weeks of not knowing what horse would great me each time I went to visit my Mare Zoe, I finally decided that somthing needed to be done to help her. Many people over the last few weeks and probably months have been trying to tell me that I am wasting my time with my hormonal mare but I have never agreeded with that. Some days she would be happy and really keen to work and please me and other days she just didn’t want to know. And yes I can totally say I know where she’s coming from!!! So after a chat with my vet she is now on a presciption hormone balancer and the results are incredible. My happy horse has returned and we are even hacking on our own (something that has been impossible to get her to do for 12 months or more!)
Tonight we are competing in a local Dressage competition and after scoring a pleasing 37.0 out eventing on the weekend I am keeping my fingers crossed for another well behaved performance. I will mention that I don’t expect us to have a completely easy ride and I’m sure she’ll have at least one tantrum tonight but now at least they are not so irrational. For now you can tell her off without being galloped and sent flying into the next county!
Wish me luck and I’ll let you know how it goes, good or bad
x
So…with great thanks to the horrid british weather, my first BE event at Howick was cancelled. Thankfully I have managed to get into another on the 24th April so I will keep you all posted.
Training seems to be back on course after 2 backward weeks due to a severly “in season” mare!! Oh what a joy that was. We are now on a lovely herbal supplement especially for “Stroppy Mares” so fingers crossed it seems to be working. We spent last saturday Cross Country schooling which went better than expected with Zoe happily jumping round the open course which is far bigger than we will jumping in 2 weeks time. Then to continue with our flat schooling we are competing on thursday in 2 prelim dressage classes followed by a hunter trail on the following sunday. It all looks rather busy and somehow between now and the 24th i am fitting in a trip to Dublin and the Punchestown Racing Festival. So for now I better crack on with some work and get back to being retired from the 9-5 !
The time has come for me to take back the reins from our fabulous Racing Guru and finally update you all on what i’ve been up to.
To say that I have jumped in with both feet would be merely scratching the surface. On sunday I shall be competing in my first BE event in 3 years. It will be Zoe’s first national competition and I think we are both starting to feel the pressure. It will be the culmination of two and a half years of hard work, full of highs and lows but mainly highs due to Zoe’s liking for waving her front feet in the air!!! I just hope this doesn’t occur on Sunday.
The last 6 months has found little time for friends, socialising and generally being a twenty-something year old. Striving for perfection can be a lonely place but hopefully it will be worth it. I belive that if you want something badly enough, put the hard work in and don’t give up then the rewards will be greater than you could ever have imagined. So please wish me luck and I will let you all know how it goes with a full report after the weekend.
We all have dreams….it’s time to make it happen!
So it’s been almost a week now and I’ve since travelled the width of the country, twice, but finally I can sit down and review a memorable, and slightly wet Gold Cup Friday at Cheltenham.
It started nice and dry, and with that in mind and the ground still on the good side Barizan ran back to his late summer and early autumn form and it took a well paced chase by Barry Geraghty on Soldatino to catch him up the hill. That, in itself, was a marginally predictable result, but what followed in the next two races followed the theme of the week, namely long price winners, long price places and a succession of favourite flops!
Off the back of this and the week to date it should have been fairly obvious that the Gold Cup itself was never going to be the two horse race it was widely publicised to be. I had written a fairly glowing recommendation of Imperial Commander as the chief rival to Kauto Star, though I still couldn’t see the latter being beaten. However, jumping is the name of the game and it only ever takes one mistake! The atmosphere surrounding that race is as unique as I have ever experienced, every jump received a reaction from the crowds packed into the racecourse with clear divides in support between the “big two” in the race. Denman jumped pretty solidly throughout but Kauto started really well, jumping with some real zest, almost too well, too keen, pinging way over at least two of the first seven fences. Just as I was pleading with Ruby to settle him down and hold him back a little he hit the eighth, and when I say he hit it I mean he went straight through it, it was a minor miracle that Ruby stayed on board frankly. Though I probably wouldn’t have admitted at that point, being firmly in Kauto’s corner (emotionally and financially), his race was pretty much over there. To make a mistake like that in a Gold Cup would require either the kind of comeback even Frank Sinatra couldn’t manage or a similar mistake from his principle rivals. He probably would have run on to finish third had he made it, however he didn’t. 6 days on I still don’t quite know how both horse and jockey came away from that fall in one piece, it makes my stomach turn to watch it again, a fall with broken neck and crushed jockey written all over it! Thankfully Kauto walked away, with Ruby on his back, to fight another day. What mental scars remain, however, is a completely different matter.
Throughout all of this Imperial Commander under the supremely confident Paddy Brennan was moving smoothly, jumping perfectly, stalking the great tank in front of him who is supposed to run the legs off his rivals. Before two out I was staggered how good he looked, he had the race “in his pocket” as I might have said a few times in the run to the second last. He won, going away up the hill…he stays three and a quarter miles alright, and he certainly loves Cheltenham. He’s now the second highest rated horse in training off the back of the performance, and rightly so. Had Kauto finished he’s probably be the highest right now but Kauto’s mammoth King George effort still dwarfs him, in rating terms at least. The Commander will be a tough nut to crack in 12 months at a track he loves and he’s improving all the time.
In fact if you line up all the possible for next year’s Gold Cup it’s a pretty mouth watering prospect to keep you going over the next 12 months.
I could see Paddy Brennan’s point when he crossed the line, this race had been wrongly hyped up as a two horse race, “The Decider” and it did a disservice to at least two other top class Grade 1 winning horses and a Grand National champion who ran a blinder of a race to finish third. I don’t think he chose the right way to do it but the point was valid, having said all that, the hype that was generated around the Gold Cup really pushed racing to the fore of the news and sport for a few weeks and long may that continue.
That victory kick started a Nigel Twiston-Davies powered treble in the last four races, with his son making all in the Foxhunter and a favourite in these parts, Pigeon Island winning the Grand Annual to round it all off. Better late than never I suppose.
If the first three days were unpredictable then the fourth more than matched it, and the headline was taken by a new star in a race that was expected by many to be dominated by the existing axis of power in the Paul Nicholls yard. I, like many left the week much poorer in pocket but we got 4 days of supreme racing and some new superstars of the sport putting down their markers to join the elite. My mind is already racing ahead twelve months and who we might see contesting the championship races, but there are still the small matters of Aintree and Punchestown to come before the curtain falls on this long and unpredictable season.
So it’s finally arrived, for so long so far away it’s now just a few hours away! It’s the most hyped up race for a long time, but rightly so. You have two of the best racehorses of modern times with the two best jockeys in the game on board, and they’re stable mates to top it up!
It’s not just a two horse race; there are five very live contenders for the crown, all of whom have real claims. Tricky Trickster is the outsider of the five, but I’ve been massively impressed with the progress of this horse, and in the absence of Sam Thomas, picking up Barry Geraghty for the ride is a real tick against his name. He’s the popular outside choice and if you can get ¼ odds for a top 3 finish then something in the region of 4/1 for a place is a very good price indeed. I fancy him to run another career best today and he’ll be well in the mix.
Cooldine causes more questions than answers! He hosed up by sixteen lengths in the RSA last year and looked like the Gold Cup contender to emerge from the novice field, but he’s followed up with some disappointing results this season. His early season progress was hampered with some injuries and he showed an improvement when second behind a very likable Irish horse in Joncol who was running at his peak in their meeting a few weeks back. If he replicates hi RSA form he stands a live chance but his time may be 12 months in the future.
Denman is the clear second favourite for the race, the 2008 champion who was so impressive that day running the legs off Kauto and forcing a fairly ragged round of jumping from the champion. But he’s had health problems since and has been unconvincing since his return, well beaten twice and looking beaten when he fell at Aintree last April. His performance in the Hennessey deserves massive respect and while What A Friend has franked that form to a degree I’m still not 100% convinced by it. His subsequent run at Newbury was not that clever, ignoring his unseating of AP, which isn’t the major thing to look at, but he was struggling to extend from Niche Market at the time and as a 1/6 favourite he was struggling to shake off the challenge. I think he may well have won, but Tricky Trickster, as we subsequently saw was well held by Ruby and would have got close. I felt prior to Newbury that he stood a chance on soft ground, and soft ground only; this morning the ground is good and will be good at 3.20 this afternoon. At his best he could run Kauto all the way and exploit any chink in the armour, but I think we may have seen the best he has to offer two years ago and I’m not sure he’ll figure a prominently as the hype would suggest.
For me, Imperial Commander is the big threat. This is a horse that enjoys Cheltenham, has won at the Festival and ran Kauto within an inch at Haydock in a race I’m still convinced he won! He stays three miles, that much that performance proved, but whether he stays 3 and a quarter around Cheltenham is another question. I’ve always felt that the Gold Cup is a three and a half mile race with the undulations in the track and whether that’s in his range is the big question, but then I wasn’t convinced he’d stay three miles in the Betfair Chase and he was finishing stronger than the champion.
However, heart and head are both leaning in one direction! The better half has already warned me there may be tears if Kauto Star makes it an historic hat-trick and a fourteenth Grade 1 and I may be just the same. He’s a truly wonderful horse and if he jumps as well as his last three or four starts, particularly the 2009 Gold Cup and King George where he was unbeatable, he’ll win by a distance. I’m trying not to let me heart rule my head in the betting ring but I look at it and on good ground Kauto Star is ten pounds better than the field, he is the one horse who will benefit from a good ground Gold Cup and I can’t see another winner and I think he’s till massive value even at his odds-on price.
The rest of the card is top class, as always at Cheltenham. A couple of highlights are the Triumph Hurdle with five or six showing real claims. Alaivan and Advisor head the field for me, I think the former will overturn his form with Carlito Brigante this time, Nicky Henderson has another strong hand with Soldatino but I think the value stands with Westlin’ Winds at a general 11/1 to get the day off to a good start. Another to benefit from the good ground is likely to be Barizan who was so impressive early season and he’s worth keeping an eye on at a longer price.
Both the County Hurdle and the Grand Annual will represent some real value throughout the field and I’m sweet on Bellvano to back up his Newbury win over Tito Bustillo by giving him 5lbs and winning the County Hurdle. He was widely derided after a convincing defeat by Menorah at Christmas but that defeat doesn’t look so bad now does it? I think he’s great value at double figures. I really like Paul Nicholls hand in the curtain call as well, but I’m slightly surprised Ruby has chosen the impressive Free World over the novice Tataniano, a horse that I back for the Arkle and despite recent disappointment if he’s back to the form he showed around this course in November he’s real value.
Today’s Nap – Kauto Star, Cheltenham Gold Cup 3.20pm
Next Best – Bellvano in the County Hurdle, 2.05 looks good value given his recent boost in form
Best Bet – I have a gut feeling Denman won’t run into the places in the Gold Cup so any combination of a Kauto-Imperial Commander, Kauto-Tricky Trickster exacta or a Kauto-IC-TT trifecta will be worth a gamble. Also, Tricky Trickster as an each way bet looks massive value.
You may have noticed a lack of update to this blog last night and this morning! I think that a couple of long days and constant beatings (with a big old stick) from the bookmakers had taken their toll so I needed to recharge my batteries with a good and long sleep.
Anyway, just thought I’d have a quick look back over the last couple of days and a few things that had caught my eye. Now, to say this has not been the most straight forward of Festival’s would be understating slightly, only 3 favourites have crossed the line in front in 19 races and often the winners have not come from a “usual suspects” shortlist.
St Patricks Day started with a battle up the hill, at the end of four miles, between two ladies from the Emerald Isle ending with a beaming Katie Walsh holding off Nina Carberry to become the second Walsh to get a victory this week, much to father Ted’s delight. Peddlers Cross confirmed his obvious potential winning the Neptune in a race where I felt the drying ground would play right into the hands of the flat experience of Rite Of Passage, wrong again!
Weapon’s Amnesty added the first of a double in the big two races for the Irish lengthening away after the last to win by seven lengths from the much improving Burton Port – there is a lot to like about the way that horse has improved and will surely go onto better things. Long Run was always pulling a little hard and ultimately that caught up with him inside the last half a mile and he tired up the hill. Still only five years old he maintains all the ability and scope I saw before this day and it seems he will be aimed at a mouth-watering King George clash with Kauto this Christmas!
My feeling in the immediate aftermath of the Champions Chase was one of disappointment, Wednesday was all about Master Minded for me and not to see him complete the hat-trick was a real downer. However, on reflection we got to see a horse that has always possessed the potential to run a race like this and Big Zeb, aided by the better ground, jumped well and had too much in the tank for his more experienced counterpart. Master Minded just couldn’t keep up with the pace and, ultimately this may be his last crack at a Champion Chase with maybe a step to the “in between” distance beckoning? Forpadydeplasterer confirmed last year’s Arkle form and given an injury free run next year he must prove a major player!
Spirit River gave Barry Geraghty a quick-fire double in the Coral Cup, in which I thought I was onto a good thing when Wishfull Thinking stumbled on landing and fell 2 out on the run down the hill. James De Vassey ran on well in third and he’s a horse I still very much like the look of. Ruby landed the second Walsh winner of the day, cruising past the field on Sanctuaire for a comfortable win in the Fred Winter.
The Bumper however produced one of the most striking winners with the little fancied Cue Card producing a devastating burst of speed to run on past Al Ferof up the hill to score by eight lengths! Both of the first two look impressive types and I look forward to seeing them over obstacles next year.
So another victory for the bookies on day two, but I returned for Ladies Day feeling well rested and ready for round 3, and to an extent my faith in racing was restored with Big Buck’s ultra impressive victory in the World Hurdle. He’s fast becoming a favourite horse of mine and the manor of his win today was as bloodless as you’ll see in a championship race at Cheltenham for a long time, he simply cruised up past the impressive Time For Rupert with Ruby motionless on board. He’s never the most straight forward and he’ll never win a race by 15 or 20 lengths but he’s held expertly until the right time and wins with the minimum of fuss.
Other notable performances saw AP McCoy pick himself up from a heavy fall to win on Albertas Run in the Ryanair Chase, one I have to say I didn’t see coming but the champ seems to be having a good week of it at present.
Anyway, that’s all I can muster at present, I need a good night’s sleep before the biggest day of the year tomorrow. I’ll post some form of preview post before heading off for the day but I’m pretty sure it will centre around one race and one horse, with honourable mentions to few others!
It’s been four years since the two biggest Irish holidays; St Patricks Day and the Festival have combined. In 2006 it was Gold Cup Day itself, but today’s atmosphere will be no less special and might just help to heal the wounds of those from the Emerald Isle who piled into their first two “good things” yesterday afternoon only to see them disappoint. The score ended yesterday 3-3 but it was definitely 5-1 to those pesky bookies, or about 28-0 in my own personal battle…oh well, today is as they say another day!
I have to say that today much like the Wednesday last year is a day that transcends gambling and more about watching a class performer than many other days. Master Minded is a true superstar of the sport and, as the tone of a couple of my preview blogs may have slightly given away, he’s a massive favourite of mine. I’ve seen his previous two Champion Chase wins and I can’t wait to see him ping round the Old Course this afternoon, I just don’t see him getting beaten. Famous last words – I believe I said something similar about 5th placed Garde Champetre yesterday?!
Prior to the Champion Chase is the race I’ve been looking forward to for some time and at this point I was expecting to be tipping up Weird Al again at a decent price, however his chances went up in smoke over the weekend (along with my big price antepost bet) and it’s a real shame as I think he has the potential to be a real superstar, but he’s just a little fragile. The big talk will be about a match between Long Run and Punchestowns but Diamond Harry and the Irish raider Weapons Amnesty have serious claims also. Having reviewed his couple of performances, and those of Punchestownns, I’m massively impressed with Long Run. On his UK debut he hosed up at Kempton on Boxing Day, his time over 3m was about 8 seconds behind the time that Kauto later posted in demolishing the King George field, so based on that he would have just about finished second. Would Punchestowns have finished second in the King George? I don’t think so. Now that’s possibly a bit misleading, and whole I have concerns over his jokey, Long Run is going to win some big races and I think he could lay down a massive marker as a five year old chaser today.
There are a lot of big fields and handicaps to get your teeth into today, it’s always a hard punting day but if you can pick one winner from those races you’ll have a good day! From the four miler to the Bumper it promises to be another excellent day. Just a quick couple of horses that have caught my eye are Massasoit to retain the four miler for Paul Nicholls and another couple of his horses to run well; Ghizao at a decent price in the Neptune though his future lies over the larger obstacles next year and Al Ferof in the bumper, though it may just prove too good in the ground for him.
Today’s nap: Master Minded – Queen Mother Champion Chase, 3.20 pm
Next Best: Long Run – RSA Chase, 2.40pm
