News

A couple of runners this week and both finished third. Wily old veteran SHAW’S CROSS made a very solid debut for us at Fakenham, just being outpaced from the second last, after he had helped scare half the opposition into defeat. He saw out the race to the line, and that should have teed him…
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In the last month the novelty of staying indoors to help the leg repairs has rather worn off. I did promise everyone that if they let me go out in a field, I would not indulge in any bucking, kicking, larking about or anything that may cause an injury setback. Obviously that promise was not…
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The November unleashing of the string took a few days extra to begin due to Lingfield being off and then BACKINFORGLORY being balloted out at Huntingdon, where they have marked a busy run of fixtures by starting building work that reduces the stable capacity to fifty-one. And seven race cards do not help chances of…
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Just a quick addition. We have yet to field a runner this autumn as the dry weather meant that we had been unable to get the horses out for an essential couple of gallops on grass. However, recent rain has meant that it has been possible to get over to the hills of Woldingham on…
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Since announcing my retirement the quest has been on to decide what my next career move should be. In an ideal world it will involve being in a field when it is sunny and in a stable when it is not. Rain is fine, as long as the sun is out at the same time.…
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A big thank you to the many people who visited for our National Racehorse Week event last Saturday. The weather was very helpful and we hope that everybody who came to Shovelstrode had a good visit – and that it carried on for those that moved off to Lingfield in the afternoon. The horses all…
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It seems that since my last blog entry that I have retired from racing. I have no recollection of making that decision, but everyone considers it a fact, which kind of means that it must be one. My leg is a bit sore, so it is not something that I necessarily disapprove of, but I…
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I have been having a stressful time of it since the last update, harassed by people who accuse me of hating elephants. As is the way that social media works, this apparently means that I therefore approve of them becoming extinct. This is clearly not true. Like all right minded animal folk, I merely consider…
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July has come around quite quickly this year, and so far I have not been to Worcester. Travel does broaden the mind, even when it happens to be to a place that you have visited before. There are exceptions to that. Kempton always seems to be a shambles, but then again, it is not much…
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It has been a quiet part of summer as our main summer jumper has been off with a minor knock – he should be back around the end of the month. His summer colleague, Harry Hazard, has been retired. Something of an injury magnet throughout his career, he has been sound lately but no longer…
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