19 May 2004
The best news for me this season has been the return to form of
John Hills' stable. For two years The Croft has struggled with a
low-grade infection which just takes the competitive edge off the
horses and is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to treat.
Like a sort of equine M.E. Anyway, the Hills' horses are firing
on all cylinders this year and will hopefully bring recompense to
the trainer, the long-suffering owners, and of course the staff
for whom it is also expensive and depressing.
The breeze-up sales at Doncaster and Newmarket were very successful
- the quality of the stock and the skill of the consignors improve
every year, and some good horses of stakes class have begun to emerge.
I bought two nice horses at Newmarket, a 60,000 gns Dansili colt
for Bob and Pauline Scott, and a 27,000 gns Cat's Career colt for
Stuart Barnett and friends. Both have gone to Amanda Perrett to
train - good luck to all concerned.
I am convinced that the breeze-up format would be much improved
if an all-weather surface e.g. the Al Bahathri gallop at Newmarket
was used instead of the turf. Very few of the consignors, if any,
have access to grass gallops before the sales, so these poor two
year olds find themselves confronted with a completely alien environment
when asked to show their paces. Maybe the proposed construction
of a new polytrack racecourse at Newmarket will solve this problem.
I do think Doncaster's sale will continue to suffer if they do not
find an artificial alternative to the unsuitable jumping track at
Doncaster. It is also unnecessary for Tattersalls to tie their 2
y.o. sale to the Craven meeting - it would be better placed in the
following week when there is little racing of any consequence.
Congratulations to Barry Hills on his great family success in the
Two Thousand Guineas. I thought I had purchased my first Guineas
winner in Young Generation in 1979, only to be beaten by Barry's
Tap on Wood, piloted by a young Steve Cauthen. I did subsequently
buy two Guineas winners - To-Agori-Mou and Dancing Brave so it was
a great pleasure to see Mr. Grumpy land his second success in the
race. And having experienced the joy of seeing my daughter ride
point to point winners, I can only imagine what it must be like
to see your son ride a classic winner.
It might have been an all-Hills festival - 1000 Guineas winner
Attraction started her training with John Hills at Lambourn. Her
owner subsequently removed her to Mark Johnston while still a yearling,
and replaced her with another filly he had been unable to sell.
John has won with the replacement, but sadly she is not quite as
fast at Attraction. Mark Johnston has done a seriously good job
with Attraction, because she is not straightforward and has had
her share of problems along the way. If she stays sound I do not
expect to see her beaten.
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the Derby Trials
not being competitive. It is true - would it be a solution to impose
a Derby qualification that required a horse to be placed in a Group
race before being eligible to run? The Kentucky Derby eligibility
is based on earnings - if your horse is not among the leading money
earners, you don't run for the roses.
Finally, on a higher note, I am happy to report that after several
blank years, Julian Richmond-Watson finally caught a salmon on the
Spey. Actually he caught six lovely springers in four days before
heading south for Senior Steward duties at Chester. So glad you
have not completely lost your touch, Julian!
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