Yearling Preparation.

 

Staff at the stud are busy preparing the yearlings going to the sales. Up until now the yearlings have enjoyed a relatively lazy time grazing out in the paddocks. At the beginning of August life changes quite dramatically for the young horses. Now stabled overnight, the yearlings spend time on the horse walker building up their fitness. Daily in hand exercise around the manege teaches them to accept a bridle and prepares them for leading up at the sales. Of course every youngster needs down time and ours enjoy daily turnout to unwind.

Curious Things Horses

 

On Monday I went out to the fields to take pictures of this years foals for the blog. Thank goodness for digital cameras. Anyone who has ever tried to take a decent photo of a horse must be able to sympathize. I spent over half an hour trying to capture a decent shot only to return to my computer to find pictures of ears, rumps and foals half in and half out of shot. From about twelve shots I was able to use one!!! Better luck next time.

Foals at Foot

 

The foaling season is well and truly behind us; our seasonal boarders have returned to their homes, leaving us with our 14 permanent boarders and followers. Although it is a quieter time with the horses work continues to maintain and improve the environment of the stud.



Pictured above is Stella Marine with her chestnut colt born on the 4th February 09, by Medicean.



Stella Marine was purchased by Freedom Farm at Newmarket's December Sales and this is her first foal.

Zowington Flies Home at Folkstone

 

Congratulations to Mr. Owen Pointing and connections on Zowington's win in the 4.15 at Folkstone.

How nice it was that he was ridden by a Mr. William Carson, who is in fact the grandson of the great Willie Carson.

Zowington was bred at Freedom Farm out of Mr. Pointing's mare Carmela Owen.

Bill Turner

 

Some years ago, Bill Turner trained one of Vague Shot's sons and I seem to remember he won a few races with the horse.

But that pales into insignificance when compared to his latest training feat that has just been recorded in the Racing Post.

He's broken and ridden a zebra!

Good to see that he rides it without a hard hat! He's also 61! So he's still got a lot of life yet!

Interesting that as I write, that this story has only appeared so far in the Racing Post. I would have thought it was the sort of tale, that most newspapers would find worth printing.

Stella Marine

 

Times may be hard with the credit crunch hitting many, but it didn't appear that way at the December Sales at Newmarket yesterday. Quite a few broodmares changed hands for over 100,000 guineas, with one, Princesse Dansante, being purchased by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley operation for well over a million.

We had hoped to purchase Tenderly, but she was out of our league at over half-a-million guineas. But as Michael and I joked, at least he has taste!

Around lunchtime, we were in the ring again hoping to buy a mare called Stella Marine, who is a full sister to the Group winning mare, Stella Blue. Judging by the prices earlier, we felt we would be unlucky, but we got the four-year-old filly we wanted at a price we could afford.

Little Carmela

 

Congratulations to Little Carmela, a filly bred on the stud for Owen Pointing, that won nicely at Kempton yesterday.

Poor Stuart Williams, the trainer, is in bed with chicken-pox.

Bold Bunny

 

Bold Bunny is a horse that Celia bred from her mare Bold and Beautiful. Records show that she was not the best of racehorses, but if you look at the family, they have certainly produced their fair share of winners. And not all at the lowest level!

I would also claim that she wasn't the luckiest of racehorses and deserved better than her two third places. But what owner wouldn't say that?

She was actually called Bold Bunny, because her mother was Bold and Beautiful and her foster mother was nicknamed Bunny. Bold and Beautiful died soon after Bold Bunny was born.

On Thursday though her Needwood Blade colt was bought at auction by Shadwell Estate for 58,000 guineas, after being sold in December as a foal for 40,000. So it does seem that she produces the good looking horses which appear in her family.

Chinese and Eights

 

The Olympics will open at 8:08 on the 8th of the 8th, 2008.

Perhaps they will be lucky as eight is the Chinese lucky number!

Twenty years ago, Celia had a horse called Golden Panda, who she had named after a Chinese friend’s restaurant in Ipswich. On the 8th of the 8th, 1988, Golden Panda ran in a handicap at Nottingham. Given a superb ride by Steve Cauthen, she won easily at odds of twelve to one.


Some Chinese restaurateurs couldn’t hold back and there were rumours of bookmakers losing large sums of money. Whether these were true or not, I do not know, but we did get lots of free meals!

Mares and Foals

 

Sunday morning had a sensible amount of sunshine and here is some video footage of the mares and foals in the fields by the house and offices.

Playdate - 2

 

She did better yesterday in that she won at Tipperary. That is very pleasing for us, as she won as an early two-year-old.

We also have the yearling colt by Whipper out of Far Post and her colt foal by Alhaarth.

Playdate

 

Playdate, the Kyllachy two-year-old filly out of our mare Far Post, was second at Dundalk yesterday. She is trained by Kevin Prendergast in Ireland.

This was the first time out, so let's hope that is promising.

First Foal

 

Our first foal is now successfully on the ground.

It's always a good thing when this happens, as you know the New Year has properly started and the nights start to get shorter and hopefully a bit warmer. Not that it's been anything other than freezing for the last few days.

Stallions at Lanwades

 

On the second of December, 2007, I went to St. Simon Stud to see the presentation of the stallions at Lanwades.

Hernando


Piccolo


Selkirk


Sir Percy


With Approval

Milk It Mick

 

Milk It Mick is a stallion who for the 2008 season will be standing at Lone Oak Stud. This is our old stud and I walked across the fields with Anna to see his presentation on Sunday.

Needwood Blade - Bold Bunny

 

Celia sold a colt foal today at Tattersalls.

Lot 548 wasn't the top lot of the day (it was sixth!), but it gave us all a lot of satisfaction as the rather nice Needwood Blade colt out of the unlucky Bold Bunny, sold for forty thousand guineas.

It's a Foal's Life

 

This five really are a lazy bunch.

Foals in the Mist

 

This picture was taken in the early morning mist, just after some of this years foals had been fed.


Here the next group of foals are being fed.

Hyperion

 

This was prompted by an item in the FT diary today concerning who was born in the North.

Out of curiosity I looked up who was born in Suffolk and sent him an e-mail.

I forget one of Suffolk's greatest sons, Hyperion.

Here's the statue of Hyperion in Newmarket High Street outside of the Jockey Club.

Panda Power

 

She hasn't proved to be the most genuine of race horses. Surprising really as she is such a big string horse and has the excellent temperament of all her family.

She is for sale as a riding horse.

St. Leger Yearling Sales - Doncaster 2007

 

We are sending two yearlings to the St. Leger Yearling Sales at Doncaster this year.

Both will be sold on Tuesday, the 28th of August.

The first is Lot 118, who is a chesnut colt by Medicean out of Degannwy. Degannwy has bred three winners including Keen Winner, who won the Hong Kong Derby.


He was nicknamed Moon and Sixpence on account of his distinctive face markings.

The second is Lot 149, who is a bay colt by Kyllachy out of Far Post. She is a full sister to Moonlight Angel who is in training with Walter Swinburn.


Celia is saying goodbye to Moon and Sixpence.

Vague Shot and the Ducks

 

This picture was taken by Steven Keane, who works on the stud.


It shows our four ducklings attempting to raid Vague Shot's morning feed, whilst their mother looks on.

Foals

 

This years foals are now getting large. These are the two smallest on the stud and they are giving a demonstration about how to chew head collars.


Note that the foal on the right with the unusual markings is nicknamed "Works Wonders" as he has a Double Diamond on his face.

Yearlings on a Horsewalker

 

Two yearsings are being excercised on a horsewalker.

They will go to the sales in the Autumn.

July Sales

 

As we haven't finished the new stud yet, we didn't buy any for ourselves at the July Sales at Tattersalls this year.



We did buy one for a Kevin Morgan, who trains in the wilds of Herefordshire.

Panda Power

 

Panda Power runs at Windsor tonight in the 8:20.

Golden Panda

 

Today is the seventh of the seventh and the seventh year of the new millennium.

In 1988 on a similar day, the 8th of August, our horse Golden Panda won at Nottingham.


Nothing that odd you might say, but that day was the lucky Chinese day and the horse was named after a Chinese Restaurant in Ipswich.

The Chinese apparently cleared out Ladbrokes in Mildenhall.

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud

 

It's not only hippopotami who like to roll in mud.


We had a couple of violent storms and several centimetres of rain, so Vague Shot made the most of the opportunity.

Anybody fancy cleaning him up?

Panda Power

 

This is a picture of our three year old, Panda Power, working on the gallops at Newmarket.


She is in training with Stuart Williams at Diomed Stables. Stuart won the Vodafone Dash on Derby Day yesterday.

Cold and Wet

 

The weather has been awful over the last few days and especially on the Bank Holiday.

We've even had to put Vague Shot's winter coat back on.

Yearlings For Tattersalls

 

These two pictures were taken when Tattersalls came to see the yearlings.

This picture shows the colt nicknamed "Moon and Sixpence" because of his blaze, who is by Medicean out of Degannwy.


He is a half brother to several winners including Keen Winner, who won the Hong Kong Derby and Sunshine on Me, who won three races for Chris Wall in Celia's colours.

The second picture shows the filly out of Far Port by Kyllachy.


She is the second foal from the mare and her full sister is called Moonlight Angel and is in training with Walter Swinburn.

Vague Shot

 

This picture of Vague Shot was taken in April 2007.


He was born in May 1983 and is still fairly fit for a horse of his years.

Lasting Delight and Her Avonbridge Foal

 

This is the broodmare, Lasting Delight, and her filly foal by Avonbridge, who was born on the 18th of March.

Mare and Foal Video

 

The software that comes with the network cameras allows you to take a video clip directly from the camera.

View a Video Clip of a Mare and Foal!
This has been uploaded to YouTube.