Complicit Improves from Derby to Easter Stakes. Berkshire likely re-routed. 2 year olds to look forward to.

Of Interest

We have had a handful of runners, headlined by Complicit who ran a great race in coming 4th in the Winter Derby after an interrupted prep because of a pulled muscle.  He then improved from his last race as expected and ran in the Easter Classic at Lingfield and was runner up to Tryster who looks to be a very good horse.  On reading Charlie Appleby's stable tour, Tryster is now heading for the Brigadier Gerard Stakes - he will be a very interesting horse to follow.  Complicit will head either to the Swago Paradise Stakes at Ascot on the 29th April or The Royal Windsor Stakes on 11th May.  He is in great shape but there will need to be a bit of ease in the ground.

Berkshire may be re-routed to the Prix d’Ispahan, he is still in the Prix Ganay but we feel it may come a little too soon for him.  He is working well and seems to be in good form and well in himself.

Results in Britain

Nottingham's ground leaves us scratching our heads!!

Sir Henry Raeburn was bought at The Craven Breeze Up this time last year and after a quietish 2 year old campaign, where he managed to come third at Newmarket, he repayed us and won nicely at Kempton.  He then ran at Nottingham where he was not suited to the track or watered ground and finished a very disapointing 8th.  We have always thought a lot of the horse and expect him to do better.

Imperial link ran at Nottingham and she also did not seem to handle the tracks watered ground, she ran a lot better there last year when she came 3rd.  I am sure we will find a suitable race for her where she can get her head in front.

Our first 2 year old runner was Caitie who ran a bit green.  Having jumped out of the stalls quickly, she was then a bit slow into her stride, but caught up nicely and stayed on.  We hope the next time she will be further educated and put up a true performance of herself, she has ability.

Our very well bred Fitri Hay owned Galileo filly, Jasmine Blue, won nicely at Newbury and looked very encouraging.  The handicapper has put her up to 87.  She may head to Royal Ascot next.  She has always had a lot of class.

Lyfka ran really well in the Fred Darling in coming seventh.  The handicapper has put her up 3 to 92.  She is owned by her breeder Henry Robinson and may head to France in search of Black Type.

Upstaging ran  really well in stepping up to seven furlongs from six.  The jockey reported that the ground was too firm and that he did not let himself down.

Coming up.....

We have a few interesting runners coming up.  Rotherwick, who won three times last year, is working well and heads to Sandown with Kirby who won on him last year at Newmarket.  We have a nice Invincible Spirit colt who may run at Windsor on Monday. 

France 

Rockaroundtheclock has run four times in France this year, all in Claimers; he has won one in Chantilly on the all-weather and has been placed in three - 2nd at Saint-Cloud beaten a short head, unlucky, 4th at Fontainbleu and 3rd beaten by a short head at Maison-Laffitte.  He has picked up just over £14,000 in prize money.  He will be entered in a claimer at Chantilly on 4th May.

Jasmine Blue

Londonia Swimming

£17,752 pounds already won in France from only a handful of horses, Update on Berkshire, Complicit and Dutch Art Dealer.

Looking Ahead:

Complicit heads for the Winter Derby on Saturday.  He is fresh after a break, it is a big ask for him to take on the likes of Side Glance, Captain Cat and Graphite etc.  He will head for The Coral Easter Classic All Weather middle distance Championship on Good Friday which is over 1 mile 2 furlongs, this race is for four year old's and upwards.  He always runs better on the All Weather and has only been beaten once when he ran on Good Friday last year where he was interfered with on the bend. 

Dutch Art Dealer may head for The Lincoln at the end of March, he is very clean winded and all being well he should make the meeting at Doncaster.

Berkshires intended target is the Prix Ganay at the beginning of May, he should be suited to the track. He seems to have grown up and is more settled this year.

Results in France:

We have had five runners in France this year already: Rockaroundtheclock has won and been placed second, Silverheels came second in a conditions race and Stormbound came third in a claimer.  Bluegrass Blues was badly ridden and unplaced.

Prize money so far of £17,752 it is far better than pot hunting around the UK for a couple of hundred pounds here and there.

Results England:

Danegeld won nicely at Kempton, having come last in his previous race in September. He looks like he may become a very nice progressive handicapper, he has got the physique and strength.

                                                                         Berkshire

                                                                          Berkshire

                                                                       Complicit

                                                                     Meritocracy

It looks like we have some nice horses to go to war with this year. Most of the older horses look like they might win and we have some good looking, good moving two year olds. Most of our horses are trotting at the moment and I have given you a short summary of the three year olds and the older horses. The yearlings have all cantered before Christmas and we always give them time to grow during January so they just trot.

Older Horses

Berkshire = He is trotting at the moment and will head to the Prix Ganay, he has really grown up and we could not be more happy with him.

Bluegrass Blue = He will run this month but there is a shortage of races as he is quite high in the handicap, rated 87. There is an open handicap at Lingfield over 7 furlongs on the 23rd Jan, this may be to hot. 

Complicit = Heads to the Winter Derby, he has had a short break and seems in good terms with himself. I think he is a big improver.

Dutch Art Dealer = He had quite a hard campaign last year and will probably come out in May.

Dark Days = Ran very well last time out and should improve again. He has definitely got bigger and stronger.

Elysian Prince = He seems to have grown and strengthened and is very capable of winning and we think he will improve.

Meritocracy = The closest he came last year was second by a length. He will probably go to St Moritz on February 22^nd.

Silverheels = He may run in the same race as Bluegrass Blues he does appreciate 7f and Lingfield.

Three-Year Olds

Azilian = He ran consistently last year and he should come into his own this year.

British Art = He was off for quite a while last year and we think that effected his performance at the end of the year. We have always liked him and think he is very capable of winning races.

Dancing Aces = He is a very nice horse in the making, he had niggling problems last year but is cantering now and going in the right direction.

Danegeld = He only ran once last year and came back wrong. He is cantering with Dancing Aces and will come out early-ish.

Expensive Date = She won twice last year and was placed five times including third in the Bosra Sham Stakes listed. She could improve again this year. 

Falmouth Harbour = He ran two bad races, but went a lot better here. We castrated him because he was a rig, the vets said the testicle that was up would of hurt him when he galloped.

Fast Romance = We always thought she had a lot of ability and she should win a nice race this year. 

Finagle = She is a full sister to Gifted Girl, but was too backward to run. We don’t know too much about her other than she is well bred and very good looking.

Foxy Boris = He has always shown more at home and has strengthened over the winter.

General Potempkin = He is very backward and will start cantering in February.

Gipsy Doll = She is handicapped now and hopefully we will find the right race for her to win.

Imperial Link = She ran some very nice races last year and is very capable of winning.

Jasmine Blue = We have always liked her a lot and she is by the right stallion Galileo.

Kipuka = She was fairly backward last year, but she showed she had speed. If she learns to settle she will be a horse of interest.

Ktclouseau = She had an injury last year, so we do not know too much about her. She is a big filly that will come into herself this year.

Kubeba = He is very game and keeps on putting up good performances, a good bit of placing should put him in the winners enclosure.

Lisamour = She won her last two races at Nottingham and Salisbury and is very capable of improving still.

Lyfka = She won nicely at Kempton and her penalty probably just got to her in her final race. She improved all last year and the break would have done her good. 

Molten Lava = He was quite backward last year and has strengthened up nicely during the winter.

Pendo = Alice Mills gave him the ride of the year at Salisbury and he was placed there after. He has a great attitude and that will take him places.

Sir Henry Raeburn = We always thought a fair bit of him last year he is a full brother to Christoforo Colombo and it will be interesting to see how he goes this year.

Rotherwick = He won three races last year and is rated 89. He should be capable of picking some more up this year, as he is so game.

Rockaroundtheclock = Will carry on running this winter and may end up going to a valuable claimer in France.

Russian Reward = He always showed a lot of promise at home and ran nicely on the track coming third twice in two competitive heats, he will be of interest this year.

Secret Fantasies = She was always backward, but we needed to get the run into her at Kempton for experience.

Tioga Pass = She had a long year last year and won two races. Towards the end we thought she was over the top she will improve again this year, she is useful.

Upstaging = We have always thought a lot of him and he won very nicely at Kempton.

West Sussex = He is a very well bred son of Teofilo and has always gone well.

Scimittara = She is very game and well bred and she has strengthened up over the Christmas Period. 

Two-Year Olds

Arch x Muneefa
Archimedes = Invincible Spirit ex Waveband
Battle of Bosworth = Duke of Marmalade ex Muskoka Dawn
Cape Blanco ex A Mind of Her Own
Tuolumne Meadows = High Chaparral ex Seren Devious

Honiara = Rock of Gibraltar ex Indian Maiden
House of Commons = Sea The Stars ex Reality 
Kheleyf ex Scarlet Royal 
Lilbourne Lad ex Montefino 
Recent Acquisition = Approve ex Dear Catch 
By the Rules = Aussie Rules ex Bay Tree
Caitie = Canford Cliffs ex The Shrew 
Cliffhanger = Canford Cliffs ex Copy Cat
Jazz Cat = Tamayuz ex Chelsea Rose 
Pilot Hill = Intikhab ex Song of Passion 
Pink Angel = Dark Angel ex Xarzee
Sweet Dragon Fly = Oasis Dream ex Sweet Cecily

17/11/2014

OF INTEREST

Berkshire has come out of his race really well, and the plan with him is to head to the Prix Ganay next year. Gifted Girl, who was very unlucky at Salisbury earlier on in the year heads to the Tattersalls December Mare sales. Meritocracy may be heading to St Moritz for their festival next year. We have bought some very nice yearling and we may still have a couple to Syndicate which are a Kheleyf (lot 536, Tattersalls) and a Cape Blanco (lot 224, Doncaster) these horses can also be bought outright should someone wish to. Please contact us for more details if interested.

We have had a number of winners in the last couple of weeks and the stable is in good form:

FRANCE

In France, Elysian Prince took our tally up to eight winners, its not over yet. We head to the Deauville meeting, which starts on the 1st December. Complicit who will run on the 2nd December in a Listed. Bluegrass Blues, Rockaroundtheclock, Dusty Blue, Silverheels, Stormbound and Elysian Prince will also run during that month in conditions races and claimers.

BRITAIN

Upstaging, who we have always liked a lot, dissappointed us when running down the field first time out at Kempton. After that, on his last outing he won very nicely at Kempton and has now been put away for next year.

Dutch Art Dealer won two on the bounce and went to the sales, didn't sell, so we will aim for the Lincoln next year.

Rotherwick won very well at Newmarket under Adam Kirby which took his Tally to three this season. Remarkably, he won over 1 mile 1 furlong considering he is by Starspangedbanner, who was a sprinter himself. He has now been put away until next season.

Lyfka has gone up in the weights 18 pounds from her first win at Wolverhampton on the 21st October, and was unlucky not to have won another, she was nearly taken down in her penultimate race at Wolverhampton. She won last time out and she now runs at Kempton on Thursday with a penalty. Its usually quite hard to win with a penalty of 6 pounds but the handicapper is going to put her up another 10 pounds.

Falmouth Harbour is going the right way and will start at Kempton on Wednesday over a mile, will need a mile and a half in time. He is still developing and will hit top gear next year.

Foxy Boris has been working well and will head to Lingfield on wednesday where he should have a good chance.

PHOTOS OF INTEREST / SOCIAL

                                                                  Berkshire with Lucy.

Paul Cole, Oliver Cole, Barry Hills. 

The ultimate selfie caught by the Racing Post.

It has been a very good couple of weeks for Whatcombe

The horses have been running very well in the last couple of weeks.

Berkshire our stable star romped home in the Darley Stakes to win easily by a length and a half.  It is very satisfying for us as we have always had faith in him.  There was a genuine reason he did not run well in the Greenham and this was because of the Entrolith.  It is a possibility he will now head to the Pre Ganay next year.

Lyfka ran nicely under Martin Lane to win by 9 Lengths, she will now head to Wolverhampton on Tuesday in a Handicap over 7f.

Dutch Art Dealer won at Wolverhampton from an unlucky draw and is now rated 90 he will head to the sales at Newmarket on Wednesday.

Elysian Prince won a claimer at Wolverhampton and will possibly head to France in the near future

Dusty Blue is another nice filly that we like she came second at Kempton and holds an entry at Kempton over 6f, she should go well.

British Art ran nicely at Kempton and will come on from the race.  It was a long time since his last race.

Complicit The ground at Newbury was very soft for him and he didn't get home in the ground. There is a possibility he will run in France on on Friday on the all weather track at Chantilly, in a conditions race, depending on if he recovers well from his race at Newbury where he probably had quite a hard race.

Gifted Girl runs later on in the week and has been working well, we expect he to put up a better performance

Its Lady Mary has come on from her last race and she probably runs at Kempton later on in the week

Upstaging ran very disappointingly first time out at Kempton, but we think he is quite good and is entered again at Kempton where we hope he puts up at better performance

Sir Henry Raeburn is another horse we quite like, again disappointing at Windosr first time out, but should put up a better account of himself.

There could be a couple of winners around this week so look out!!!

New Horses to the Yard

Dark Angel x Xarzee (Xaar) 2013 Grey Filly

Good Looking Dark Angel Filly out of a Xaar mare who has already breed two winners and is a half-sister to Paco Boy. 

Cape Blanco x A Mind of Her Own (Danehill Dancer) 2013 Chestnut Colt

A strong colt whose damn is an own sister to Birdman from the family of Fa-Eq

Invincible Spirit x Waveband (Exceed and Excel) 2013 Bay Colt

Good bodied colt whose dam is an own sister to Bungle in the Jungle from the family of Crime of Passion.

High Chaparral x Seren Devious (Dr Devious) 2013 Bay Filly

Own sister to 92 rated Tioga Pass and half-sister to Group 3 winner Circumvent

France

After yet another winning trip to France with Silverheels at Chantilly we have plans for more over there in the near future.  Having had 17 runners out there this year with a win strike rate of just over 33% only two have finished out of the prize money.

Runners

Upstaging – runs tonight 8^th October, good looking 2 year old who has shown ability at home.

Secret Success – runs tonight 8^th October, frustratingly has a high draw which we hope he can overcome

Complicit – Ran very well last time in a Windsor Listed race to finish 3^rd, if handling Wolverhampton he should run very close

Kubeba – Is working well at home and we hope the step back up in trip to a mile ½ furlong should benefit him

Results

Silverheels – Was given a great ride in France from his customary wide draw to get in to a handy position to kick on up the straight and win cosily by ¾ length

Rock Around the Clock – Ran on gamely for 4^th place though not quite showing the pace to stay with the first three

Silverheels – Always seems to get a high draw and ran well to finish 2^nd

Dutch Portrait – After a tardy start ran a great race to be beaten frustratingly by a short head

Dark Days – Ran a very game race, but was unlucky to meet a good thing

Londonia – Ran well for a long way, before being done for a bit of speed on his 3^rd run, he will have a break now to be ready for handicap next season

Elysian Prince – Ran well to keep on for 3rd after not getting enough cover earlier on in the race

Imperial Link – A little bit to free in her first try at a mile, but still kept on well for 3^rd place

Foxy Boris – A much improved run on his second outing

Kubeba – Ran a game race finding the 7f around Wolverhampton a little too sharp will step back upto a mile

Candy Kitten – On her first run since May found the 7f a little bit to sharp and will come on from the run

Gifted Girl – Ran to freely in first time blinkers and faded towards the end of the race

Rock Around The Clock – Got squeezed up from his inside draw, and lost his place ran on well up the straight without being able to get involved in the finish

The horses have generally been in great form lately with a few hitting the cross bar and generally been unlucky.

BRITAIN
(Runners/Results)

Lyfka - was unlucky at Kempton having come 2^nd, she broke a bit slowly from the stalls costing her the race. She has done a lot of stalls work since then and she should be capable of winning.

Kubeba - came 4th at Kempton after a bad draw of 14.  He is now rated 70 and will run on Thursday, sadly he has another bad draw.  He will probably run in a claimer over 1m at Maison Laffite on the 7th October.

Meritocracy - has run twice in the last couple of weeks, we thought he would win at Kempton, but he just tied up before the line over 6 furlongs, so we ran him at Salisbury over 5 furlongs, the ground was too firm.  He may take his chances again over 5 furlongs at Kempton.

St Paul De Vence - ran in a tongue tie at Brighton, which seems to have made a difference as he came second.  He may run at Newbury on Friday with Luke Morris aboard.

Dutch Portrait -  ran well at Salisbury, he could of probably been a couple of lengths closer, but he was to out of touch during the race and had too much ground to make up.  There is a 0-70 at Kempton on the 2nd October that should suit him.

Stormbound - ran a nice race to finish second at Kempton he will now cross the Channel for a claimer over one mile on the 6th October at Chantilly.

Londonia - runs again at Newbury on Thursday over 7 furlongs, his first run was over a mile at Kempton where he seemed to show some speed.

Russian Reward - ran a nice race at Kempton to come third. We have always liked him, but think he is slightly immature so will not run for a while now.

Silverheels - ran a good race in the London Mile final, but the draw 15 of 16 cost him the race.  Ashley Morgan reported the he would have been “bang there”.

Dutch Art Dealer - ran a very nice race to win by 3 lengths under Silvestre De Souza.  The handicapper took no prisoners and has put him up 7 pounds to 87.

Ssafa - won nicely at Kempton under Martin Lane, the handicapper decided to put her up 9 to 79.  She then ran at York and came fourth under Loius Steward. We may have to wait some time before she can win again.

Pendo - ran really well again after his win at Salisbury under an enterprising ride from Miss A Mills. He then ran again at Kempton where he was just touched off in the final stages. He has really come on since being with us and we hope he gets stronger and better as he gets older.

Blue Grass Blues - won nicely on the grass at Lingfield, someone backed him in from 11-1. He seems to be in better form after his break and should improve.

Rotherwick – won nicely at Yarmouth today under Luke Morris, after being 3^rd in a competitive nursery at Doncaster where he was unlucky to find himself a bit too far off the pace and had a little too much ground to make up only 3 days ago.

Ardingly  - had her first run for us at Bath she has recently come from America and the 1m2f was probably too far for her. She has talent and should win off her current mark.

Imperial Link – ran a tough race at Yarmouth today, to finish 4^th beaten by just over a length.

RUNNERS

Gifted Girl – is running at Yarmouth tomorrow 17^th September 2014



FRANCE
We have had some success in France with Skaters Waltz winning a claimer and getting claimed for 32,000 euros with the prize money the owner came back with 43,500 euros. Although Skaters is quite a good horse he had some soundness problems.