2009/2010 Season

Round-up of the 2009-2010 Season

In all, we had a really fruitful season, with 12 wins on the flat and 20 jump winners from only 89 runners. Plus 12 second placings and 9 thirds, resulting in a highly satisfying 22% strike rate.

The season began with King Cyrus at Huntingdon on the 6th of May, his first start over fences, having never won over hurdles in 16 attempts and only his second time on a racecourse for us.

Hypnotic got the yards flat season off to a great start with his win at Brighton in June, with Starstruck Peter firing out a quick double in the next couple of weeks.

The following months saw wins coming from many of our hurdlers, including the outstanding Calzaghe owned by Chipstead Racehorse Owners Club; who after winning on the level for us in April ('09) went on to notch up four wins over hurdles. A fantastic buy for his owners - we bought him for a mere £3,000 out of a claiming race in March ('09).

Another of our horses who gave his owners a lot of fun this season is Canni Thinkaar, a really tough little gelding who had not previously enjoyed a very successful hurdling career- he gave us four wins from five runs! His owners, Fruits Incorporated, were encouraged by his wins to ask us to find them another horse with potential - this came in the form of Barrel of Fun, who won his first start over hurdles and who we are very bullish about racking up the wins with in the future.

One of the stars of our yard is Anak, owned jointly by Messrs Frank Golding and Bill Wallace respectively. He was purchased privately from John Oxx upon our selection. He won his juvenile hurdle for us at Plumpton under A.P. McCoy in November on heavy ground; very testing conditions for a young horse, but it is testament to his determined attitude that he won easily by eleven lengths.

He continued to impress everyone throughout the season with two second placings to very decent juveniles and a win at Kempton, beating some highly thought of up-and-coming hurdlers, again in gruelling conditions, but fitness and talent shone through. Anak has been put away for a well deserved break and will come back for the new season and hopefully have a crack at some good races which we think he's more than capable of taking.

Unfortunately, the weather played havoc with racing in the first month of the new year, but with our all weather gallop and hard work from our team at the yard, led by head-girl Kayleigh Bridger, we managed to keep all the horses in work. What it did mean was no races to enter, as all the jump-meetings were abandoned!

Once racing resumed we had plenty of winners, including more on the flat (all weather meetings) such as Jiggalong and Lastkingofscotland plus many others winning and being placed.

Our jumpers were in sparkling form, and a stand-out horse would be Gamester's Lady. We claimed her for Mark Klaton of M&R Refurbishments for only £7,000. She had been on a long losing run for previous connnections and was actually beaten 50 lengths in the race we claimed her from; but we can spot certain things in the form history of a horse that tells us we can turn it around and get it winning races. Gamester's Lady won first time of asking for us at Wolverhampton and with three consecutive wins over hurdles she remains unbeaten for us.

We are really looking forward to the new season, with a yard full of horses we know we can win with, supportive owners and a strong team.

Here's to 2010-2011!

Winners and places:

19th April Pearly Star 1st at Plumpton
8th April Skye But N Ben 2nd at Taunton
5th April Barrel of Fun 1st at Plumpton
5th April Lady Pilot 2nd at Fakenham
4th April Geography 1st at Plumpton
25th March Gamesters Lady 1st at Chepstow
24th March Gamesters Lady 1st at Hereford
20th March Geography 3rd at Fontwell
15th March Count Boris 2nd at Plumpton
15th March Gamesters Lady 1st at Plumpton
14th March Man of the Moment 1st at Towcester
5th March Barrel of Fun 3rd at Lingfield
5th March Lastkingofscotland 1st at Lingfield
3rd March Canni Thinkaar 1st at Folkestone
20th February Calzaghe 1st at Uttoxeter
19th February: Gamesters Lady 1st at Wolverhampton
14th February: Canni Thinkaar 1st at Hereford
13th February: Jiggalong 1st at Lingfield
6th February: Lastkingofscotland 2nd at Lingfield
6th February: Anak 2nd at Sandown
24th January: Conington 3rd at Market Rasen
18th January: Count Boris 2nd at Fakenham
16th January: Anak 1st at Kempton
(First half of January snowed off!)
18th December: Conington 3rd at Uttoxeter
14th December: Anak 2nd at Plumpton
13th December: Jiggalong 1st at Kempton
30th November: Count Boris 2nd at Fakenham
23rd November: Calzaghe 1st at Kempton
22nd November: My Les 1st at Towcester
19th November: Canni Thinkaar 1st at Huntingdon
18th November: Calzaghe 1st at Market Rasen
16th November: Ice Bellini 3rd at Plumpton
16th November: Anak 1st at Plumpton
15th November: Calzaghe 1st at Market Rasen
14th November: My Les 3rd at Wetherby
12th November: Canni Thinkaar 1st at Ludlow
9th November: Lady Pilot 2nd at Southwell
8th November: Dew Drop Inn 1st at Hereford
31st October: Lady Pilot 2nd at Wetherby
15th October: My Les 1st at Brighton
14th October: Hellow Moscow 3rd at Wetherby
2nd September: Choreography 1st at Brighton
2nd September: Hypnotic 2nd at Brighton
1st July: Starstruck Peter 1st at Chepstow (Flat)
23rd June: Hypnotic 1st at Brighton (Flat)
6th May: King Cyrus 1st at Huntingdon
27th April: Misbehaviour 2nd at Plumpton
26th April: Rapid City 1st at Brighton
19th April: Calzaghe 1st at Lingfield
12th April: Dan Tucker 1st at Plumpton

See reports for the 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2010/11 seasons.