A Week Of Racing

A very enjoyable week at Cheltenham and I hope that those of you who read them, enjoyed my daily previews (posted on LinkedIn) of the action.? I hope that you also stuck with them as after a terrible Tuesday and Wednesday, I turned things around on Thursday and Friday and finished the week ahead in terms of betting which looked highly unlikely on Wednesday evening!

There has been plenty of negativity in the press around Cheltenham, but much of it is just people winding each other up into a frenzy.? Yes, tickets are expensive but compare them to a night at the theatre in London or to another big sporting event and they are similarly priced.? The atmosphere was definitely a bit subdued on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I felt that it really picked up on Thursday and Friday and some of the negativity was over the top.

We kicked off last week with a second run over hurdles for Bella Cavalla and more on that and details of her likely run next week are included below along with an update on Stryder’s injury niggles.

Bella Cavalla

A decent run again from Bella Cavalla at Warwick last Sunday.? It was very wet and much softer than she would have liked, but she showed a good attitude again, her jumping was better and she stayed in contention for much longer before being beaten by less distance than she had been at Ludlow.??She also lost a shoe during the race which would not have helped her.

Bella Cavalla seems in good order post-race and we are considering giving her a third race over hurdles next week.? There is a maiden hurdle at Wincanton next Wednesday which looks suitable.

I have reworked my share prices for both horses as we are now well into the year and both have been racing already.

2% shares of Bella Cavalla are now available at a cost of ￡390 covering to the end of June.? This is only a short period but it will be her busiest time with regular races between now and then as long as she stays fit and well.? Please get in touch if you are interested.

Stryder

Two steps forward and one back with Stryder at the moment as he looked uncomfortable again last Friday.? The issue seems to be with his foot, he did seem fine on Monday and was moving OK, but the farrier found some soreness in there this morning and we will get the vet to take another look tomorrow.

It does mean that Stryder has missed another gallop and we will have to see how he is in the next couple of days to start replanning.? I will go to the stables this week to discuss this with Michael.

It is all very frustrating especially after he ran so well last time out, but hopefully, we can get to the bottom of whatever is causing the issues and get it fixed so we have a clear run with him.

2% shares of Stryder are now ￡546 to cover purchase and all training fees to 31st August 2024.? Fingers crossed that once beyond this issue, he should be running regularly during this period.

Syndicate Events

Jockey Club racecourses are running several syndicate events this year with opportunities for syndicates to have trade stands.? The first of these is on March 27th at Wincanton.? I will be there, so please come and say hello if you are at the races.

Inside The Rails

The latest episode of Inside The Rails launched on 1st March and included an interesting interview with bloodstock agent Matt Coleman.

You can listen by searching for Inside The Rails on any podcast app or by clicking the link below and if you know anyone who might like the podcast, please also tell them about it!

https://www.spreaker.com/show/inside-the-rails

Winners From Our?Stables

Inoui Machin got the period off to a great start for Neil Mulholland when he showed some great battling qualities to get ahead in the last half furlong for a win at Hereford on Saturday 9th March.

The next winner(s) were on Friday as Neil had a winner at Fakenham when Double Powerful continued his progression to win overcoming an odds-on favourite in the process and Michael Attwater also saddled a winner when Thismydream was successful at Wolverhampton.

On Sunday, Thor De Cerisy recorded Neil’s third winner in 10 days, but in the end, he did not have to work too hard to deliver it.? Two non-runners left a field of three and all were in contention when one of his rivals fell at four out and brought down the only other competitor.? This left Thor De Cerisy with three fences to jump in his own time to win the race.

It became four winners for Neil yesterday when I’m On My Way rallied on the run-in to just get her head in front before the line which looked unlikely until the final strides.

Get Involved

If you are interested in finding out more about racehorse ownership, then please get in touch as I would be delighted to discuss things with you.

Standing order payments can be made to spread the cost of share purchases and shareholders get regular email updates along with the chance to come to the stables with me as well as to the races. There are also shareholder social events during the year.