Super Gold & More

  Gold in the Rivers Winner at Market Rasen

Leanne and I had three nights away in Tenerife last week and it was lovely to get away for some sunshine and we missed the worst of the rain back here at Pond House.  The team did a great job of keeping things going in difficult conditions as it is not easy when you keep getting soaking wet through every day but they are all still here and still smiling on my return!

We had just the four runners last week and it was great to get a win with Gold in the Rivers at Market Rasen on Sunday.  He had been a little frustrating up until this point and has always gone better at home than perhaps his runs have suggested.  He is a lovely big old fashioned chasing type of horse and he took to fences well earlier this season with two good runs at Lingfield.  We then gave him a wind op and put blinkers on him at Newbury on his first run back and Jack Tudor felt he didn’t ‘face’ them.  We always try them at home first and he seemed fine but this can happen on occasions, the same happened I imagine with Solness in the Champion Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday!  Returned to hurdles and with cheek pieces replacing the blinkers he seemed a much happier horse from the start at Market Rasen.  He travelled and jumped well and responded well to Jack asking for his effort at the home straight.  He always looked in control when taking the lead but it is a very long run in at this track and it felt even longer on Sunday with some rivals closing in!  I do think he was just idling on his own but it was lovely to get a win from him and I am sure this will have done his confidence the world of good.  He will find life tougher going back up in the ratings going forwards but I hope there is more to come with this win under his belt.

Royal Mer ran his usual honest race to be third at Hereford but the ground was not soft enough and the track too sharp.  He looked like he was in top gear from and early stage and it was too his credit he ran as well as he did, finishing in front of the same horses he finished ahead of at Exeter last time.  He will be better back on a more galloping track next time.  Turenne didn’t do much wrong in finishing third at Ffos Las on Friday.  He was favourite and galloped all the way to the line but was not good enough on the day.  A slow jump at the third last just put him on the back foot from which he could not ever really recover.  The winner is probably okay and we may want a little further in distance so while a little frustrating not to win there are plenty of positives to take from the race and he will be winning soon.  Bashful Boy ran his usual honest race as well, and while he finished unplaced on the flat at Lingfield, he was not beaten that far and he will win one of these contests in the near future.

This Week

It is a quiet start on the runner’s front for us this week but it gets busier towards the end of it and over the weekend.  On Thursday, we have entries at Doncaster, Huntingdon and Lingfield while on Friday Kingston Queen has an entry in the Jane Seymour novices hurdle at Sandown. While initially disappointed with her run at Cheltenham back in December, hindsight is a wonderful thing and with the winner now favourite for the Supreme it wasn’t too bad a run at all!  She is in good form at home at present and while I hope there is not too much more rain at Sandown before Friday, she also has an entry at Warwick on Saturday and she is likely to run in one of these.  Phantomofthepoints also has two entries coming up at Sandown and Warwick while Itseemlikeit will either run at Newbury or Uttoxeter on Saturday.  No Walkover has an entry in the Listed Bumper at Newbury on Saturday.  Gentleman Toboot and Gericault Roque have entries at Exeter on Sunday amongst others, while recent Uttoxeter winner Eton Mes has an entry at Newcastle.  Keep checking the Daily News on the website for all the latest news on the stable runners. 

Record Rainfall

January 2026 will go down in our Pond House history books has being the wettest month we have ever recorded in 26 years.  Not only was it the wettest January but the most rainfall in any month in all that time.  Only three times previously in our records have we gone over 200mm in a calendar month, in February 2024, July 2009 and November 2022.  Not only have we beaten these totals’ we have beaten them by quite some way as we had 244mm last month.  Add that to the 194mm we had in December last year and you can see why everywhere is so wet at the moment! The previous highest recorded rainfall for the yard in January was 181mm back in 2014 and last year we had 139mm.  Our gallops and staff have coped very well in some extreme conditions for which I am grateful and while the rain looks set to continue we must not complain too much as we will only be moaning soon the ground is drying up!

Pointing and Pony Racing

On Sunday, we have Ben Lilly entered at Larkhill point to point in the novice riders race for Mia Holmes to ride.  He is not certain to run as yet but with not many options coming up over the next few weeks he might take his chance and with the track drier than most, he will appreciate the better conditions.  I must take this opportunity to say well done to Mia as well who recently passed her driving test, watch out on the roads!

On Saturday, Jack Pipe could be heading to Higham to take part in his second pony race with Little Chiefy.  HIghham is situated between Colchester and Ipswich and is not one I have been to before but have pony will travel or so the saying goes!  There is very limited opportunity for races coming up in February a little closer to home and not wanting to lose the benefit of the recent experience we have decided to venture a little further afield.  Jack and the pony have to complete in three point to point pony races to qualify for the racecourse series which is the ultimate aim.  Jack learnt a lot from his first ride at Cocklebarrow, mainly about the start and we will see if he can put that experience to good use this time!