Hotting up

Mick and I went down to Lambourn early on Thursday to catch up with a few trainers.

We started with Tom Dascombe, and watched all four horses in light work. Conservation has recovered from the gelding operation and also from an accident he had on the horse walker - he's still a while away from a run though. Master of the Race is in good heart and comes out in a couple of days. He's been a bit disappointing but his form is improving and he has a nice handicap mark - we'll be looking for a win from him. Baldovina is looking better than she was when I claimed her, but she hasn't grown or filled out much which is a bit disappointing. I'm hoping she'll do better over longer distances - she'll come out around June time. Shawhill hasn't been in the yard for long and Tom's just kept her ticking over - we'll find out a bit more about her on Monday. I had a good chat with Tom. I watched Bold Diktator work - Tom quite fancied him for Saturday with AP on board.

Next stop was Barry Hills, although he was away at an auction. I had my first look at Effingham, and I was really taken by him. He's a real bull of a horse with a bulky physique and as thick a neck as I've seen on a young horse. He is also well behaved and friendly, which is a big plus - unfortunately he has a sore shin and won't be out for a while. He should make a 2yo though. I had a good look around the Hills yard - well run and tidy.

On to Whatcombe and Paul Cole. The whole Cole family were there and I stuck around for a while. I had a look at Ollie Fliptrik - a nice looking horse by Essence of Dubai. He's a short while away from a run - I don't know a lot about him at the moment. I looked at a few other horses and we went into the house to watch some racing. I had a bet on News of the Day, a horse running at Beverley that had finished second to my horse, Shawhill. He was narrowly beaten. We then watched a claimer from Longchamp - I rang my man on the course, and after a bit of debate we put a claim in for the horse that came second. I bid a fair bit above the minimum but I was outbid.

I headed back to the office to get some work in - in the evening I went up to town to captain the Betfair team in the Moorcroft sports quiz at the Landmark hotel. We were the holders and we scraped home again, just beating the Racing Post team. I stuck around gossiping until late and didn't get home until the early hours.

I had a busy day on Friday, packing as much work as I could into the early part of the day before heading off to Sandown to meet with a few people. I backed Yeaman's Hall, a tip Andrew Balding gave out at the poker night a week ago, and that won at a decent price. I was busy all day Saturday and I realised later I had missed a couple of opportunities - Bold Diktator which Tom had fancied and New Seeker which Alex Cole had told me was working well. I spent time going through the French claimers but still no joy there.

I have a lot of entries this week, and there should be winners there. Shawhill goes tomorrow night and I'll find out a bit about her. Tuesday marks the beginning of the new jumps year, and any horse that was worried about losing its novice status can come out again. A couple of my novice hurdlers may line up at Wincanton - Master of the Race and possibly King's Head. Both should have decent chances. Thunderbolt Jaxon goes to Southwell, and a decent run is expected there - he's improved since his last run. On Wednesday Major Eazy may go at Ascot, and he should be a lot better for his first run - we will find out how good he is. On Friday we may see the long awaited return of our group winning horse Captain Hurricane. I'll feel quite emotional to see him on the course again - he probably won't be one to have a bet on for now. There are other entries, including some for Mon Michel and Prince Ary. It should be an interesting week.

Lying low

It's looking like King's Head won't run at Punchestown now, and I've decided not to travel over - I'm feeling a bit travel weary a the moment and it's nice to have a quiet week.

My good betting form is continuing - I had a decent bet on Fong's Gazelle last night. He beat Shawhill last time up - I claimed Shawhill in her next run and we think a lot of her. Backing horses that have previously beat the fancied ones of my horses has been quite a good plan this season.

I'm just having one bet today - Monkerhostin in the Gold Cup at Punchestown. He may have hit form and looks as if he's one of the few horses in the race that will appreciate the good ground.

Back to earth

It was a bad day on Saturday - I had four bets, one of which won at around 16-1 (Bustan at Thirsk) but still finished well down on the day as I had such a big bet on Dutch Art. I made some amends today by having a chunky bet on Missis Potts who had impressed me when she beat Prince Ary in a race I was expecting us to win. Prince Ary himself came second earlier in the day - I had a small bet on him for sanity's sake but that was bad discipline and I should have left alone.

Pete was upbeat after the Greenham, suggesting it could be very different in the Guineas. I'm not inclined to give Dutch Art another chance - I think he's a top class horse and I've no doubt he can improve, but Major Cadeaux beat him fair and square and can also come on for the run. The 2000 Guineas could be a classy race this year - at this stage I'm inclined to side with Major Cadeaux as the value at 6-1.

It looks like it's going to be a fairly quiet week runner wise. King's Head may well go to Punchestown, and if he does could be my only runner of the week. If the ground is right (good or better) he could go well enough - Artadi franked the form of his one hurdle race today and Gary thinks a lot of the horse. I'll probably go over - Betfair do a lot of entertaining at Punchestown and I could catch up with the Irish team.

Update

I had a long chat with Pete this morning. Winker recovered from the race extremely well. He's a very uncomplicated horse and appears to be a true professional - we will probably go straight to Ascot with him now. Lord Snooty will come out in two or three weeks, either at Newmarket or Windsor - he wouldn't want it too firm. I asked about Dutch Art - he will improve for the run but is a top class animal and should win. I'm having a proper bet on him.

I spoke to David Pipe. Prince Ary will go tomorrow and we'll take our chances against Artadi. I doubt I'll have a bet in the race. I asked DP about his other runners today. He didn't think there were any clear betting propositions - he thought Raslan was his most interesting runner but was up against a horse of Jonjo's that was difficult to assess. I like Raslan - I may have a little bet.

I've been trying to get through to Gary Moore but his mobile's been off all morning. I note he runs Altilhar in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. Gary loves the horse but this is a big ask - he's a backable price and I may well have a go. Brian runs Admiral's Cruise at Newbury, a horse he's always had a big opinion of. I'll be watching out for him, but I'm not sure Brian's horses have really come to hand yet - I'll leave it until later to decide whether I'm having a bet.

Winker breaks the spell

A winner at last! It's a real relief, and it was great to be back in the winner's enclosure again. I'd had 24 runs since my last winner, with 8 seconds, 4 thirds and 3 fourths - I was beginning to think I was cursed.

I got to the course early and I had the chance of a good look at him. He'd come on a mile physically from when I last went up to see him - I couldn't pick any holes in him conformationally and I thought he was the pick of the paddock. From what I'd been told and from what I know of Pete I thought he was as close to a certainty as he could be - I'd expected him to be odds on but his price went the other way and he touched 3-1 on Betfair. I had a large bet - he won very easily.

I had a couple of other bets on the day, including one on Phoenix Tower of Henry Cecil's which won at a nice price. I think Henry may finally be properly back in business - I plan to have a horse or two with him one day. I had two nice winners from three bets yesterday, and in two days I've managed to square off most of my losses of what had been a pretty bad year to date.

I'm hoping to have a few 2yos at Ascot this year and Winker is among the best of them - he could turn out to be the best. If all goes well he may go for the National Stakes at Sandown and then go to Royal Ascot, or he may just go straight to Ascot. We think he'll be better over 6f than 5f.

Prince Ary is down to run at Wincanton on Sunday - if he goes he probably just has Artadi to beat. I have a big opinion of Artadi though. He trounced King's Head two runs ago, and he then ran very badly against Mon Michel at Ascot. I asked Paul Nicholls about that run - he said it came too soon and should be ignored. We have a tough race on. King's Head is declared at Punchestown in what may cut up to be a very weak grade 1 juvenile - we may stand our ground and if we do I may go over. Mon Michel is currently targetting the Chester Cup - despite his failure to win in our colours I retain all my bullishness here. He can go on and become a serious racehorse. Some of the others may come out soon, but no declarations at the moment.

The Winker Cometh

I travelled up to Newmarket to watch Major Eazy run and arrived forty minutes before the race - I met up with Jeremy, who with his brother Ed are the co-owners. The horse looked pretty well in the pre-parade ring - fairly lean and very calm. Richard Perham joined us - he said that he'd been riding Spirit of Sharjah on the gallops and he was special. We met up with Brian and went into the ring - surprisingly we were favourite. We think a lot of the horse but Brian's 2yos don't normally win first time up - the price was so short that I didn't back him.

We came third, beaten fairly convincingly by Spirit of Sharjah. Richard Hughes was pretty upbeat - he thought it was a decent race and the time was less than a minute. He will improve a huge amount for the run - whether he can improve enough to justify a tilt at one of the Ascot races remains to be seen, and his second race is critical.

I went for a drink with a French guy called Marc-Antoine who I am using to look at French claimers. We've looked at a number but haven't made any claims yet - I'm hoping to pick up a few horses this way in the coming weeks. Marc-Antoine told me that he claimed 44 horses for clients last year, and 2 of them went on to win stakes races - the standard of French claimers, particularly at the Paris tracks, looks a little higher than in the UK.

Later on Jeremy and I wandered up to the Owners and Trainers bar for a cup of tea. There was an old guy on the table next to us - he looked about 80 - accompanied by a good looking buxom blonde, perhaps in her twenties. We were wondering if it was Sir Robert Ogden (I'm pretty sure it wasn't) who owns Sander Camillo, a horse he named after his young Brazilian girlfriend who has since been replaced by another young Brazilian girlfriend. Good luck to him - unfortunately his filly came second on the day.

The vet's report for Shawhill is through, and it's pretty good. Some minor niggles, skin and coat can be improved, weak with a lack of muscle tone which is a positive. I'm confident that she will turn out to be a good buy.

Vicky Coren won the poker tournament and collected a £12k cheque.

Winker Watson comes out tomorrow in the first at Newbury. He's a proper racehorse and we're expecting a big run. Andrew Balding played in the poker tournament on Monday - he said he thought his horse, Flying Indian, would run well at a big price.

A few to watch

No runners today, but I'll be watching a few. Brian runs two in the first at Warwick, and it should give a good indication of how forward his 2yos are - ours runs tomorrow. Later on in the 4.30 Pagano makes his debut for Alan King. I went to the sales intending to bid for this horse, but decided against it - he was quite pricy and we thought there were signs that he could develop the odd problem over time. He was a nice horse though and could run well for King - I'll be thinking about having a bet.

Still searching

12 days on from my last post and still no winners. Kings Head ran well to come fourth - the trip was probably to long and we'll drop him back. Master of the Race also did well in coming third at a big price. He'll get a handicap now and should be able to pick up a small race, but he's not looking like the star of the string at the moment. Prince Ary ran on Saturday, coming second. He made a mess of the second last and blew his chance - he was probably booked for second anyway.

I had a nice Easter break with the family, and kept away from the racetrack. On Wednesday night after work I travelled up to Aintree for the National meeting. We sponsored a few races and we were doing a fair bit of hospitality - our box was buzzing with a mix of racing people, press, big punters with one or two celebs thrown in. John McCririck spent all three days in the box - he is Channel 4 and Aintree is covered by the BBC, so he was of duty TV wise. He's quite quiet and ponderous away from the cameras. We had some footballers along - we had hoped Michael Owen would come, but he had to be on duty at Newcastle. He is very interested in horses and is opening a stable. I managed to find a few winners, but no luck in the National. I finished slightly down on the week.

I claimed a filly called Shawhill today in the 3-05 at Windsor. Mick flagged her a week ago - she had shown reasonable form but still looked very immature and looked as if she could fill out and improve a fair bit. I had a bet on her in the race - she won and I collected, not enough to buy her but a decent percentage of the price. We put the claim in - there were four claims but we were drawn out of the hat. She cost £17k.

There were two horses claimed in the race - Shawhill who had cost £1250 and Dr Fab who had cost £136,500 - more than a hundred times as much. I'd rather have a cheap horse which has surprised than an expensive horse which has disappointed. I'm very positive about it, but await the vet's report with a little trepidation as it looks as if she may not stand up to a lot of training. The previous owners have a website, and they say about the claim;

As we run in this races this is one of the drawbacks, but how long will she stay sound!

She will go to Tom Dascombe - the vet will check her out on Wednesday.

I've just got back from a charity poker tournament that Betfair were sponsoring. It was a good fun event. I started out sandwiched between Sam Torrance and Teddy Sheringham. Sam is very jovial and jokey. Teddy was quieter and was concentrating on his game - I lost a big hand against him. I had A3 of spades and the flop came down SK, S10, D2. Teddy bet and I called. The turn was H7 and he went all in - after a bit of soul searching I called. He had AQ and ended up winning with an Ace high. I didn't think much of it, but a friend criticised my play later - he said I should have gone all in after the flop. Of course he is right - it probably wouldn't have made any difference but I might have seen him off at that point. I was moved to another table with Victoria Coren and Clare Balding. I played OK for a while - I went out chasing a straight later in the evening.

I've got a few entries this week. Major Eazy will probably run on Wednesday - should go well, sure to improve for the run but could nevertheless win first time of asking. Winker Watson goes on Friday at Newbury, and should go well. Mon Michel may come out fairly soon - Gary had wanted to put him away but we may look to run him again now.

Catching up

I've been very busy lately - a lot to write about but not enough time to write it. I don't seem to be able to update this blog from work due to firewall issues which makes matters worse.

I went to Milan ten days ago - I had lunch at San Siro one day and watched a few trotting races. It was an eye opener - I don't think trotting is for me but I did manage to break my losing run and back a 10/1 winner. The stadium was virtually empty - not that surprising as Tuesday lunchtime trotting has never been a crowd puller (I am told) as it is more for the betting shops than anything else, but horse racing is on the decline in Italy.

I flew back on Thursday and in the evening I went to the sport industry awards, where David Beckham picked up the main prize. He made a very engaging speech. On Friday I bought three horse paintings at auction - I'm trying to get a collection going. I went to Ascot on Saturday where Mon Michel was running. I flew out to Malta on Tuesday, and in the afternoon Thunderbolt Jaxon ran at Folkestone. Both horses came second. Ho hum.

I got back last night, and today I drove down to Paul Nicholls' yard to present the connections of Kauto Star their cheque for winning the Betfair million. I got there an hour early and took the chance of a good look around - it was a glorious day and it's a beautiful stable. I went to see all the stable stars, taking particular interest in Kauto Star and Denman. Clive Smith and Ruby Walsh arrived - we did a photo shoot and headed off to the pub for a long lunch. I've had tougher days.

King's Head probably runs on Saturday at Kempton, switching back to the flat. Master of the Race is declared at Plumpton on Sunday and may run. Major Eazy is declared at Bath on Wednesday and will be my first 2yo runner of this season if he stands his ground.

I've tried and failed to buy a number of horses recently, and three of those have run in the last couple of weeks with two of them winning. It's an interesting extra insight that comes with the buying - if a horse checked out but we were unable to get him it's probably a sign that he is a decent animal and is worth following. My betting luck seems to be changing - I've had a couple of good days recently. Maybe my fortunes as an owner are about to tick up - I certainly hope so.

Bridesmaid again

I went to Ascot on Saturday to watch Mon Michel run - I took a box and invited a few mates along. MM was in the first race - Rodger arrived at the box fairly early, and he was unhappy about the jockey bookings.

Jamie Moore normally rides MM on the home gallops, and often MM works with Altilhar. Both horses were in the race, and Jamie had chosen to ride Altilhar. Jamie has the right to choose whatever horse he likes, but it was a blow to lose him - MM is not the easiest of rides and there was a lot of value in him having his regular pilot. We had targetted this race a long way out and missed Cheltenham whereas Altilhar was coming here opportunistically having come second at Cheltenham. Rodger has supported the stable and Jamie for many years, and is probably the biggest owner there by value.

The race came and we headed down to the ring. Chocolate Thornton took the ride - we had a short chat but didn't over egg the instructions. MM looked better than ever in the ring - he's developing into a great looking horse. He was a bit keen early but that is normal and he settled ok - as they came away from the second last Thornton was still motionless and looked to have the race at his mercy, but Jamie came upsides on Altilhar at the last. The two of them fought out the finish, with Altilhar just prevailing and MM getting his third consecutive second place.

After the race Gary looked mortified - he came over and said how sorry he was. I smiled and said that was the breaks, but he carried on apologising. Jamie didn't look too happy either. Rodger was clearly upset - to lose out to Jamie by a very short margin in a driving finish was the worst possible outcome.

I sloped off quietly back to my box to reflect. Altilhar had come second at Cheltenham, and Gary had been highly critical of the ride that Noel Fehily had given him. Jamie had missed Cheltenham through a ban, and no doubt felt very guilty that he had not been able to ride Altilhar as he may have cost the owner a Cheltenham winner. He'd have been keen to make amends and would have felt a strong obligation to take the ride this time around.

I believe MM is a very good horse - he was beaten in receipt of a lot of weight, but I don't think that this is very relevant. He travels incredibly well, but once he hits the front he can idle a little. He needs the race to go his way if he is to win, and it is more likely that he will get the right factors going for him in a competitive handicap than a weak maiden.