13th January 2025

Monday 13th January 2025

Welcome to our blog. This is my first blog as a licensed trainer and exciting times ahead.

I planned on taking out a full license for a few years now and it’s fantastic it has finally come through. It’s been a long journey through point to pointing and the process of taking out the license but a well worth one.

The point to point ranks is where I leant my trade and what a tremendous sport point to pointing is. It taught me about training, placing horses and I could make my mistakes (and there were plenty of them!) on a much smaller stage. I look back on some fantastic times on the point to point field and hopefully pointing will continue for many years to come.

After 24 winners last season and lots of support from some brilliant owners, it was clear to me the time was right to make the transition under rules and I took out my license at the end of November with our first runners at the start of December. I’m under no illusion it will be tougher, but hopefully we can get plenty of winners on the board and keep driving the yard forward.

We have a brilliant team heading into this season with the experience of David Bass as our stable jockey and Tom Broughton as our conditional with a very valuable 5lb claim. Jack Wilmot is our amateur jockey alongside James King who rode all of our point to pointers last season. Our full time staff and rider out staff work incredibly hard with a smile on their faces, rain or shine, and certainly don’t go unnoticed to make our yard a fantastic environment for the horses to thrive.

All the horses are in great form and have run some good races since taking out our license.

Lady Fortune ran an encouraging rules debut at Carlisle in a bumper. She’ll improve for a step up in trip and some hurdles. She’s schooled incredibly well and will make her debut over hurdles in the near future for new owners BDR Syndicates are a brilliant syndicate run by Colin Burr and his team. We won a bumper with Lady Fortune on her sole start in point to points last season and she will be an exciting horse for the future with plenty of ability.

Head Over Hinds ran a great race at Hereford mid December for Richard Bailey and Stephen Mattick to finish 3rd at 150/1. He’ll be a chaser in time but looks like a lovely horse with a big future.

Pretty Punctual made an encouraging debut in a bumper at Catterick for a horse who is bred to want 3 miles +. She’s certainly one for the future and galloped through the line. We have shares available in her and she will certainly be an exciting horse to get involved in. She’s a half sister to a grade 2 winner!!

Kaproyale was running a lovely race on Boxing Day at Sedgefield before making a blunder at a crucial point. James King looked after him from that point.

Julliou De Grissay kicked off the season for our point to pointers, which are looked after by Elen Wylie, at Horseheath on New Year’s Eve. He was tough to win the maiden in a 4 way photo finish. An encouraging start for a horse that looks like he could climb through the grades.

Just Her Type headed to Ayr last Monday in the mares novice hurdle. She travelled and jumped through the race and finished 2nd in a very tight photo finish. She’ll be winning races very soon. We bought, broke in and trained Just Her Type last season where she finished 2nd first time out in a maiden point to point. She’s a horse we rate highly from a staying family and will be a better horse next season over fences.

And the cold weather stopped any further plans last week. Like every other trainer in the country, I’ve been watching the weather forecast religiously and seeing the optimistic reports. Musselburgh, Plumpton and Chepstow came under pressure last week but Wetherbys very honest going report did make me chuckle on Wednesday morning;

“Course still covered in snow, but also extensively flooded and frozen! Internal Dykes have burst their banks, so the back straight is mostly underwater, along with several other areas.

PROSPECTS OF RACING ARE SLIMMER THAN ME!”

Anyway, a warmer week forecast this week and hopefully we will be back racing after the cold snap.

We have a few entries this week (13 January):

Pay The Tab at Newbury on Wednesday

Pulse Of Camelot at Wincanton on Thursday

Trudie Glen and Pretty Punctual at Taunton on Saturday,

Rockadenn at Haydock on Saturday

Land Girls Luck and Lady Fortune at Fakenham on Sunday.

The festivities of Christmas and New Year are now behind us for another year, but what a great time was had by all.

Christmas Eve we hosted a rather enjoyable morning of refreshments at the yard for owners. Champagne, Bucks Fizz, Pigs in Blankets, Mince Pies. Brilliant to see everyone and so many happy faces.

Our staff Christmas party was good fun as always.

And Christmas day we had great fun riding out the runners for the following week, and plenty of helpers who very kindly rode out Christmas morning… Christmas theme of course.

All good fun.

I will upload a blog every Monday and hopefully you enjoy staying informed on the latest news at the yard.

Have a good week,