- Monday, 11 January 2016 16:48
- Written by David Pipe
The weather continues to play havoc with the going and the fixture list and looking ahead it looks as though we are in for more of the same and we could be thin on the ground with action for this week. Still, a winner last week courtesy of Mount Haven (pictured above) took us onto the 49 winner mark for the campaign and I hope it is not long before we are celebrating our seasonal half century.
- Monday, 04 January 2016 16:34
- Written by David Pipe
Out with the old and in with the new and I am pleased to report that 2016 has started in the best possible fashion for the Pond House team. Gallant victories from Champers On Ice and the admirable veteran Soll followed a highly promising chase debut success from Baltimore Rock. Those successes mean that we have now enjoyed 48 wins this campaign and has vaulted us back into fourth place in the trainers’ table.
- Monday, 28 December 2015 13:03
- Written by David Pipe
Well, here we go with the final blog of 2015…where have the last twelve months gone? There have been some great successes to look back upon over the last year with the likes of The Package and Moon Racer scoring at the Cheltenham Festival in March, while Ballynagour and Un Temps Pour Tout (pictured above) scooped big prizes over hurdles in France during the summer. Meanwhile we have made a solid start to the current campaign with the stable currently fifth in the trainers’ standings with forty five winners on the board heading into 2016.
- Monday, 21 December 2015 16:32
- Written by David Pipe
This is my final blog before Christmas and I can barely believe that with less than a week before the big day we are experiencing temperatures in the mid-teen’s…so much for the coldest winter in thirty-odd years! Even so, the weather is still taking its toll on the fixture list with the seemingly endless rain in the north of the country meaning meetings are being abandoned due to waterlogging rather than frost.
- Monday, 14 December 2015 16:57
- Written by David Pipe
I am pleased to report that the horses continue in good form and three more winners last week kept the scoreboard moving along and at the time of writing our seasonal tally stands at 44. A winner with our first runner of the week, another at our local track and a weekend winner as well meant that it was another productive week.
- Monday, 07 December 2015 10:53
- Written by David Pipe
Bella - Winner at Ludlow Last Week
As I write this I am sat on the train en route to London for this year’s Racehorse Writers Awards so you will have to forgive me if I am brief this week…I will probably have lost my train of thought! It should be another great day and I would like to thank my perennial host, commentator Mike Vince for his continued and generous hospitality. I must say, as only the second jumps trainer to be nominated for the International Trainer Award, I am extremely honoured, although with the likes of John Gosden in opposition and the heroics of Golden Horn overseas any thoughts of victory are right at the back of my mind.
- Monday, 30 November 2015 16:44
- Written by David Pipe
With trips to London for the Premiere of A P McCoy’s film ‘Being AP’ as well as the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Awards Lunch and plenty of runners it has been a busy old week. Three winners (including one at Newbury’s Hennessy meeting) and a handful of places means that it has been a productive one as well with our seasonal tally now standing at 39.
- Monday, 23 November 2015 16:29
- Written by David Pipe
It was good to be back among the winners last week with the victories of Katkeau and Vieux Lion Rouge taking our seasonal tally to 36. Meanwhile several of our other weekend runners picked up some decent prize money for their placed efforts to make it a productive week all told.
- Monday, 16 November 2015 15:35
- Written by David Pipe
The Paddy Power meeting has been and gone for another year and one of the principle meetings on the National Hunt calendar has passed by without the Pond House team managing to get on the scoresheet for the first since 2007. While it is disappointing not to have been among the winners I am pleased to report that all of the horses returned safe and well and there will be other days for them. That is not something that can be said for many after the horrific turn of events in Lebanon and Paris over the past seven days. It puts things very much into perspective and our thoughts are with those families who have lost loved ones at this tragic time.
- Monday, 09 November 2015 16:44
- Written by David Pipe
What an exciting week in prospect! As far as I am concerned the season proper always begins with the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham in November and for very good reason…my father long farmed the meeting with no fewer than eight successes in the feature race on Saturday, while my record isn’t too shabby either. We won the Paddy Power Gold Cup in 2011 with Great Endeavour as well as Sunday’s feature, The Greatwood Hurdle with Dell’ Arca in 2013 who was one of a memorable four-timer on that day.
