- Monday, 07 September 2015 15:45
- Written by David Pipe
You can always trust the British weather to make a fool of you and it has certainly shown-up more qualified people than me over the years. Even so, only a week ago I was writing off this summer as a lost cause only to look through this week’s forecast and see a warm, sunny, dry spell is on the cards…not that I am complaining you understand. This certainly has to be considered something of an unexpected bonus.
- Monday, 31 August 2015 11:58
- Written by David Pipe
Talk about the Great British Summer! Sadly, I think it is probably fair to say that we have seen the last of any meaningful sunshine with 110.5mm of rain falling at Pond House in July and a further 129mmm in August, these have been the two wettest months of the year so far. Indeed the rainfall for August has already surpassed the totals for April, May and June combined!
- Monday, 24 August 2015 15:32
- Written by David Pipe
Despite only a handful of runners, the stable continued in good form with Purple ‘N Gold making a winning chasing debut at Worcester on Sunday and Standing Ovation landing Newton Abbot’s feature race, the Listed Lord Mildmay Chase that I had won in previous years with Star Of Germany and Shoegazer. Those two successes took us to eighteen wins for the current campaign and propelled us back up into second place in the trainers’ standings.
- Monday, 17 August 2015 15:50
- Written by David Pipe
The stable enjoyed a good week last week with three winners at Fontwell, Market Rasen and Southwell taking our seasonal tally to 16 and while I am not normally superstitious, I must admit that I was pleased to get off the ‘unlucky’ 13 mark! With the winners beginning to flow again after the summer mini-break it is time to consolidate and build on the sound start we have made to the season.
- Monday, 10 August 2015 13:09
- Written by David Pipe
Prince De Bersy in the Show Ring
The last week seems to have flown by and while the mini jumps racing break is nearly over it feels like no such break has been had back at the yard!! This is a good thing really and I enjoy this time of the year as we are building the foundations for the season ahead with lots to look forward to.
Before jumping resumes at Newton Abbot on Wednesday our first runner of the week is on the flat at Nottingham on Tuesday. Street Entertainer runs in the 1m6f handicap with Mikey Ennis on board claiming five pounds. The ultra-versatile eight year old has been a little star since joining Pond House having won eight races, seven over hurdles and once over the flat. He has just started his chase career this summer and has been placed and I hope his turn in this sphere will not be too far away either. He will bid to repeat a course and distance success on the level tomorrow first. I only wish we had a few more horses like him!
- Monday, 03 August 2015 15:45
- Written by David Pipe
We head into the summer break with the stable lying in third place in the trainers’ standings with thirteen successes and over £130,000 in winning prize money. When racing resumes the fixture list starts to step up a gear but until then we are faced with nine days without National Hunt racing…what on earth am I going to do?!
- Monday, 27 July 2015 15:26
- Written by David Pipe
With runners at just Worcester and Uttoxeter, it was yet another one of those disjointed weeks last week where there was precious little jump racing to focus on. The week ahead seems to offer a more balanced programme with National Hunt racing taking place from today through Friday despite the excellent ‘Glorious Goodwood’ meeting going ahead on the level. Even so, come Saturday there are six fixtures and not a single jumps card among them, why on earth not?!
