30th June, 2010


Been too busy to blog this week. Monday seems a long time ago and I can't remember what happened. Yesterday thanks to John ‘The Wheels' my driver, I made a visit to the Surrey and Buckinghamshire area. However before that I had a visit from Roz Underwood who has a share in Mr Tingle. We had some breakfast at Daylesford, our local organic farm shop which is always a treat.

Then it was off on my journey to have lunch with Ian Brown. Ian spends much of his time in Malaysia but comes over for the summer. Ian has had Averted View and Gentle Guru with us amongst others in the past and has an unraced three year old, Fair Breeze who is a half sister to Gentle Guru. It was the first time I have able to catch up with Ian since he has been over on his summer visit and it is always good fun.

In the afternoon I visited Walid Marzouk who has recently purchased Amore Mio and Drussell. We are looking forward to syndicating parts of them, and discussed this yesterday over very nice coffee and cake.

On the way home I popped in to see Lizzie and Peter Prowting. Whilst there, I saw Rich Buddy on his summer holiday. He is maturing over the summer and looks a nice prospect for the coming season. Following a glass of champers I was treated to a wonderful Dover sole at the local Italian. Lizzie and Peter are always great company and it was great to see them in such good form.

This morning we worked a few horses and after going around with the vet doing flu vaccinations, I am now on my way to Worcester where Whenever, Petroupetrov and Robello have been declared. Whether the ground will be good enough for Petroupetrov, but if it is not, we will not risk him.

With the sun beating down, there are not many runners at present. However we do have three entries at Worcester with chances on Wednesday.

On Friday following a morning on the gallops, I travelled over to Idbury with Les Tomlin to show him Bobby Donald. We have several horses turned out at Teresa Stopford-Sackville's wonderful farm some fifteen minutes from Adlestrop. Bobby Donald looked great and inevitably we then went for lunch.

After evening stables it was return to Idbury to show Sue Phillips, Pak Jack. Pak Jack is summering well and we look forward to going for the Becher Chase this year.

On Saturday following a pleasing work morning, it was off to Newmarket races. Bunny Roberts owner of Ata Boy, kindly invited me to lunch with her in the Animal Health Trust marquee. As you will probably know, we are very keen on helping the trust as it is a great cause and Bunny in particular has been a great help to them.

After an excellent afternoon's racing it was back to base where Mike and Mandy Hawley came to visit Thompson, who has recently had a wind operation. Obviously I had not eaten for a few hours so it was off to the Horse and Groom for supper and sitting outside in this weather is like being abroad, only much nicer.

Yesterday, Jo and I were lucky enough to be invited to Jilly Coopers for lunch. Jo and I have helped Jilly with the manuscript of her new book and she invited a few others who had also helped with her new novel, Village Horse. The book will be released in September and the book comes highly recommended.

Anyone who knows Jilly will know she is a wonderful person and she also invited, Nicky Henderson, Martin and Carol Pipe - who are a great fun couple and Kim Bailey. It was lovely to see Nicky, Martin and Carol in good form. As ever there was much banter between Bailey and Phillips. According to Kim, wearing sunglasses is rather common, I must remember tell the Prince of Wales this. However I did comment that Kim couldn't have had much of a season as he couldn't afford to wear socks.

Yesterday after a busy mornings work it was off to The Adlestrop Literary Festival. This was the second one they have held, run by Adlestrop inmate, Erno Johnson, better known as ‘The Major.' This year's guest was Joanna Trollope, who was wildly interesting and very amusing. We were treated to a fabulous lunch which included rose, and something we don't see often enough, iced coffee.

I was delighted to be sat on the same table as my owners, John and Pat Cantrill and Tot Calver. All in all, a very jolly afternoon that could not have gone better set in the wonderful setting of Adlestrop House -where many of you will know, Jane Austin used to visit and write from. What a cultural village we live in!

Yesterday we made entries for Worcester on Wednesday, including Petroupetrov, Whenever and Robello. Hopefully if the ground is right, we will have some chances.

The horses that are turned out are very much enjoying this weather and I am pleased to say they look in great condition and we look forward to bringing them in a few weeks.

24th June, 2010

Having asked my secretary what I was doing on Tuesday, apparently I was around all day in the office being a complete pain. In the evening I went to see our horses which are turned out at Idbury, about fifteen minutes from Adlestrop. It is a wonderful area for grazing and the horses look great.

On the way home, I had supper with Tot Calver. Tot has a share in Giovanna and is responsible for supplying the office with flowers and smelly candles. Having been married to a trainer, she understands all the problems that go with it and is always an enormous help. Tot's garden looks like something from a television programme and the food was exquisite too.

Yesterday morning we worked a few of the horses that are still in, then it was off to the Gentlemen's Night Out Golf Day, run by owner Arnie Kaplan. It was in aid of the Gentlemen's Night Out which is a wonderful charity that helps so many great causes. We played on the Brabazon course at the Belfry, where the Ryder Cup has been held in the past and the whole day was a joy and much money was raised.

At Worcester yesterday Giovanna disappointed in the handicap hurdle, however we may have diagnosed a sinus problem. These are quite prevalent in times of very little rain, as anyone who suffers from hay fever will know.

We were all pleased with Penhurst Lad's performance at Windsor last night. He is quite an idle type and was at the back of field before staying on nicely to finish sixth. His jockey Jim Crowley was certainly very positive about him. With his action, he wouldn't want very firm ground but we will look for another mile maiden in two or three weeks time.

Our owners and sponsors Sue and Martin Harvey took most of their company, Tori Global along to support. In the paddock we met Robin Oakley, the former BBC political correspondent. Robin is a great man and was writing an article for the Financial Times about racing at Windsor on a Monday evening. As Martin's favourite read is the FT, he was delighted to exude the delights of the Berkshire track.

Giovanna has been declared at Worcester tomorrow in the 4pm. One of the main reasons for running her is to stop Gordon Clarkson watching the football. She was third in the race last year and was unlucky to take such a heavy fall at Stratford last time. It is a very competitive race as these three mile handicaps are few and far between in the summer, however as we know she is a tough nut and let's hope she performs well.

Another busy morning with Sean Quinlan coming in to school a couple. This is also the time of year when jobs get done and boxes get painted. We also had three horses going to the vets to have wind operations this morning. Many think that the summer is an easy time for National Hunt yards, however preparing for the season ahead takes equally as much work.

Before going to Windsor yesterday, I got a clean bill of health from my Wantage dentist and on the way to the races I popped in to see my god son Jack Nash. Son of Chris and Carol. Then it was off to see Roddy Armytage who was staying with his daughter Gee. Roddy is a real character and was an excellent trainer in his time. It is always good to catch up with Roddy and his views as they normally coincide with mine.

What a busy week that was at Royal Ascot, I attended four of out of the five days and what with Ladies Day at Royal Adlestrop to boot, it was a marathon. I am a lucky man in the fact that I was treated to great hospitality by my owners all week and saw lots of clients and some potential new ones with a bit of luck.

As previously stated, the Scott, Payne and Powell box is one of the best areas in the grand stand. I am not allowed to repeat Friday's incident, however if it was an edition of Fawlty Towers , it would be called ‘The Catering Manager'.

Yesterday was the Adlestrop Village Open day which is always a fun occasion. The gardens open, stalls, teas, raffle and fun dog show are always well supported. The stables were also open for visitors although there are very few inmates at present.

Jilly Cooper judged our fun dog show and I entertained Jilly, Marcia MacLeod and Tot Calver to a Marks and Spencer's lunch before the show. Next year there may well not be a dog show, as Beanie did not win a rosette, however this could well be put down to the fact that Barnsy lead her up in the ‘prettiest bitch' class. As one of my owners said, the day was mix of ‘Midsomer Murders' and ‘The Vicar of Dibley' and we are lucky to live in such a lovely village.  To see the dog show photos, please click here.

A busy morning in and out of the office and following a visit to the dentist, I am off to Windsor tonight to saddle Penshurst Lad in the 8.40pm. Hopefully he will show some promise and will do best when he is handicapped.

Petroupetrov does not go to Hexham as the ground will be too firm on Sunday.

Good to see the Gosden filly win the Queen Mary as tipped on the blog, but today looks too difficult so like all professionals, will give tipping a miss today.

At Royal Ascot on Wednesday I was kindly invited to the most entertaining box at Ascot for lunch. Bob and Pauline Scott, Kim Franklin and Ian Payne, Adrian and Julia Powell were the best of hosts and a fun afternoon was had by all. Fortunately I caught up with a lot of owners in the car park as well, Ascot does have its uses.

Yesterday was a day off from the racecourse, as we had our Ladies Day at Royal Adlestrop with The Adlestrop Club. As usual there was a prize for the most tasteful and tasteless item from a charity shop. Winner of the most tasteful was Davina Heginbotham in a stunning green outfit, whilst the most tasteless was very obvious on arrival. Rick Allen's friend, Al James turned up in a stunning blue dress with blue boater hat. His accessories included a wicker style handbag and Al celebrated victory in some style and was lucky to walk towards the end of the evening.

The tipping competition was won by Heggers, who won the ‘Fred Cooke Cup.' Thanks to a raffle and an auction, we raised £400 for various charities including the Macmillan Nurses. A fun day was had by all except of course our local bookmaker John Salmon, who took a pasting thanks to Dandino.

The annual penalty shoot out at the end, saw Charlie Allan back in goal. This year the winner was George Kay, son of Brian who thanks to his multiple entry, finally got once past the ‘big man'. We all commented how we wished England goalie Rob Green had turned up.

Yesterday morning we were delighted to welcome Father Martin and his friend Liam Foy for a morning at Adlestrop. Father Martin is a friend of our sponsors Martin and Sue Harvey and they have named a three year old after him. He is a priest in Buckinghamshire, near the Harvey 's home and loves his racing.

Liam and he were present as a morning on the gallops was purchased at a charity event at their local golf club last year. I am delighted to report that Father Martin blessed the yard yesterday morning, so don't be surprised if the winners flow this season. Father Martin and Liam joined us for the Royal Adlestrop event and there is obviously something in the power of prayer, as Father Martin backed Rite Of Passage.

A busy day at Ascot yesterday. I saw many of our owners at the races and it is always a nice environment to catch up. On this occasion I didn't have lunch but had five and enjoyed grazing in the car park.

I couldn't believe the price of Canford Cliffs and hope you did the blog double with Goldikova. I had five out of six winners and should have known that Kingsgate Native never puts two good runs together. I was under bidder on Junior at the sales last months, so am chuffed about that.

Today is not a day for betting by the look of the card, however John Gosden's filly in the Queen Mary if I had to.

Both Whenever and Upper Deck ran well last night at Newton Abbot. Whenever was unlucky not to meet the last hurdle right and was beaten a length by the winner. Hopefully he won't go up too much in the handicap for running well without winning. This seems typical of what has been happening to us over the last year, however the horse deserves to win a nice prize. Upper Deck travelled well and showed a bit of greenness before staying on well in the bumper. We will try and run in another one as he appeared to go well on the ground.

I didn't get to Market Rasen and spent seven hours in the car. Robello ran fifth in the bumper and Choc reported that he was a bit green and that we should give him another run so that he can learn from this experience.

Petroupetrov looks as though he has come out of his victory well and we have entered him for Hexham at the weekend.

Yesterday my back had recovered enough to play in the Chipping Norton Pro-Am golf tournament. I played with David Mason and Geoff Lansbury. Our pro was Alan Lovelace who I have played with previously in this tournament a couple of years ago. My team has a habit of destroying a professional golfer's reputation and he was five over after two holes, so the rest of the day was spent enjoying a nice day out in the sunshine. Despite what anyone says, the golf course is an excellent place to catch up with owners and there was little worry back in the bar despite the fact our team finished last.

Monday morning is a time to catch up with jobs in the office and I also took a team up to the schooling ground with a tin of orange paint. It's amazing what a bit of paint can do to smarten the place up. Gordy has spent all morning steam cleaning, which he certainly prefers to do rather than ride out.

I am preparing for a long week at Royal Ascot, so this week's blog may be intermittent but look forward to keeping you in touch. There looks to be some great racing and I'm look forward to Goldikova winning the Queen Anne and Canford Cliffs winning the St James Palace.

Great to see Petroupetrov win last night at Uttoxeter. Especially for his owners as they have been very patient with Phardessa in the past and ‘Pete' was bought to give them some fun while Phardessa was off with injury. Pleased to report that Phardessa will be back in training soon.

Stop The Show was probably showing the after effects of Cartmel, whilst Ocheekobee jumped well on his chasing debut and will be better for the run.

A busy morning with a visit from Rachel Ablett to see her horse, The Snatcher. Then it was off on a nightmare journey to Market Rasen, where thanks to a white van man, Dave Mason and I have been stuck on the M69 for two hours and are looking doubtful to get to Market Rasen in time. Just collecting my biggest owner Charlie Allan on the side of the A46, he said he would be difficult to miss and thanks to his turquoise shirt, he was. We will be lucky to see Robello run in person but will give it a go – British traffic, I hate it.

Thursdays are an easy cantering day for most horses. Following a couple of lots, it was time for the trainer to take his crew up to the schooling ground to prepare the fences for the coming jumps season. Showing all my head boy instincts, we had a good mornings work and it was very satisfying to see all the fences looking pristine when we had finished. In case you didn't know, I am a Virgo and most of the time I live in a world of messy hell. If you suffer from OCD you will know what I mean.

Last night as ever, I got bullied by my staff to take them to Tescos. Luckily I refused to stop at the fish and chip shop unless they bought me some. Greedys in Stow is run by Bill Shoemark who we have mentioned in the past. Many of you will remember him as a jockey who rode many good horses including Grey Sombrero. His brother Leon was the first head lad I worked under in racing at Graham Thorner's and the Shoemark clan are a proper breed.

My back is getting better but I think I will be stiff getting out of the car when I got to Uttoxeter later to saddle three runners in the 7.40pm.

As well as Eastwell Smiles running tomorrow at Chepstow, we have declared Robello for the bumper at Market Rasen. He is a six year old half brother to Gold Reef, a useful hurdler of Alan King's and is from the family of Ile De Bourbon. He gallops nicely at home and hopefully the ground will be safe and we have Choc Thornton onboard.

We have declared three in the same race tomorrow at Uttoxeter. Three mile handicap chases are hard to come by and it's probably the last throw of the dice for the season for two of them. Both Petroupetrov and Stop The Show ran well last time and a reproduction of those runs will see them there or thereabouts, with Choc Thornton on Petroupetrov and Timmy Murphy on Stop the Show.

Ocheekobee also runs with Sean Quinlan onboard. He won a point to point in Ireland and has schooled well at home. Although probably not up to this class of race, we will see where we are going with him after this run.

Eastwell Smiles has also been declared for Friday evening at Chepstow on the flat with first time blinkers. He appreciated his new headgear this morning on the gallops and hopefully they will make him concentrate. Jim Crowley rides, who rode him last time at the same course and he is having a good year and is a really decent bloke.

Whenever has not been declared as the ground looks like riding on the easy side and he needs it firmer than that.

Dave Mason was here second lot to see bumper horse, Robello go through his paces. Hopefully he and Upper Deck will get a run in a bumper over the next few days if the rain continues.

John and Pat Cantrill popped in late morning to see their five year old, Great Hero. They brought with them some friends from Vancover who had a guided tour of Adlestrop and like all first visitors, were most impressed.

This morning Lizzie Prowting's groom Hannah, came to collect Rich Buddy in order to take him on his holiday back to ‘Paradise Prowtings.' He is a nice four year old but with the ground firming up, he was not able to get a run but hopefully he will return from summer grass a stronger horse and we are looking forward to him this autumn.

Last night I had a visit from bloodstock agent Richard Venn who was looking at horses in the area and bagged a bed for the night. Luckily he paid for supper. I am having a good run on that front at the moment, as most people know, I normally foot the bill. Which reminds me, Barnsy hasn't thanked me for Saturday evening's dinner.

Due to the blog, most will know I had a bad back yesterday. Today, I have been doing my back exercises thanks to David Mason whose daughter is a physio. Thanks to Beanie, I had my face washed at the same time.

Following a morning on the gallops watching the string go through their paces, the highlight of the morning for the staff, was the fact that the trainer did his back in while tidying the comfrey beds next to the office. He is at present walking around the yard, making Barnsy look like Usain Bolt.

I have now had to stop my practical chores, which frustrates any man who has OCD and have just returned to the office to annoy my secretary by dictating three thousand letters and sitting in a chair like Stephen Hawking. My secretary has pointed out this might mean I won't be able to play golf for the foreseeable future, which is not a good thought for her as this is the only peace and quiet that she gets.

I had my Royal Ascot haircut yesterday from ‘Bartie the Barber' from Chippy. Barty, has been cutting hair in Chipping Norton for decades and is responsible for Barnsy looking like Ray Reardon. Following this it gave me my last opportunity to look around the charity shops of Chipping Norton for Ladies Day at Royal Adlestrop. The Adlestrop Club event is always good fun and this year's rules of entry are that each attendee must buy something tasteful and something tasteless from a charity shop.

The Katherine House Hospice shop in Chipping Norton is responsible for a lot of my style and fashion. Obviously I don't often get the chance to shop but love browsing when I do. I believe I have a real chance of winning the most tasteless prize, thanks to my Margaret Thatcher nutcracker. Luckily I beat local MP David Cameron to this, but basically, the ‘Iron Lady' cracks nuts between her legs. On the packet it says not suitable for children under 36 months, or 36 years for that matter. My tasteful entry is that famous publication by Muriel Kent, ‘Exciting Crochet', which has surely got a chance.

Last night I went to see Melissa Chesterman, who as many of you know has broken in horses for us in the past including Gentle Guru and Good For Blue. We had supper at The Swan at Southrop which recently won dining pub of the year. The barley lamb comes highly recommended, especially when Melissa is buying.

Great to see the rain and hopefully this will give us a chance to have some runners towards the end of the week with Petroupetrov, Stop The Show and Ocheekobee entered up. The latter schooled well for Sean Quinlan this morning and hopefully this Irish point to point winner can improve for his chasing debut.

A busy weekend. I'm afraid Go All Out is now looking for a home as his tubing operation does not seem to have given him the confidence needed to be competitive. He has a great jump in him and anyone interested, please let us know.

Thompson was disappointing as he was going very well until half a mile from home where he stopped. Rapid Return did not seem to appreciate the blinkers either on Sunday and has had his problems and will be given one last chance. It was ladies day at Worcester where many girls made a big effort.

Pleased to see that Workforce won the Derby as his in my twelve to follow for the Twelve club. It was nice to see a winning jockey not punching the air. Lester Piggott never did and I am all for the ultra professional Ryan Moore behaving as he does, he is a decent young man and they should leave him alone.

Before racing at Worcester on Sunday, we had a visit from Maurice Hastie who has a share in King Jack and we went to see him in the paddock at nearby Idbury. He is turned out there with a few of our others, it is beautiful grazing and the horses always do well there.

This morning with quite a few staff on holiday, it was a chance to use my incredible DIY skills which included fence mending. I can bang a nail in straight, it may not sound a lot but you should see Gordon Clarkson try and do it. Unfortunately due to his eyesight, he can't see himself doing it.

This after noon I popped over to Amanda Langdale's to see a three year old American gelding we purchased as a yearling called Bluegrass Bid. He will be coming to us shortly for some education and has a distinct resemblance to Istabraq. Unlike Istabraq, he has not yet been beaten in a champion hurdle.

4th June, 2010


Thompson and Go All Out have been declared for tomorrow at Worcester whilst Rapid Return wears blinkers at Worcester on Sunday. Unfortunately the other entries were balloted out including our bumper hroses, Robello and Upper Deck. This is always frustrating.

Thompson will hopefully have the ground and trip to his liking tomorrow whilst Go All Out is hopefully building up his confidence following a wind operation. Rapid Return did not make much effort last week and hopefully blinkers and fences will make a difference with Choc Thornton onboard.

Last night it was the Nearly Derby Dinner at the Twelve Club at the Carlton Towers hotel in London . I was guest of owner Steven Smith and was joined by Peter Scudamore and Andy Lloyd on the table. Many of the great and good of racing were there and an array of trainers gave their views on the big race.

It was universally agreed that second favourite, Workforce, being by Kings Best is the equine equivalent of being fathered by Peter Sutcliffe, however he is a talented horse. Andrew Balding fancies Azmeel each way. Hughie Morrison was worried that Andre Fabre's influence will be gradually rubbing off since moving to Newmarket .

Amongst the trainers, their hearts were hoping that Mark Tompkins would win, but possibly he would have a better chance of winning the Triumph Hurdle. Whilst Bullet Train was also a popular suggestion. All in all an open Derby which will probably go to the favourite, Jan Vermeer.

We had our annual visit from the Bloom family yesterday. Darren owned Yann's and Gee Aker Malayo with us and we had a lot of success and fun over the years. It was fun showing his children around who were keen on feeding the horses. Luckily Darren fed me later at Daylesford for a quick lunch, where the Welsh rarebit comes highly recommended.

Then it was off to Fontwell with Sue Harvey, owner of Eastwell Smiles. He ran with credit but needs further really but there are very few races in the calendar at present. Fontwell is always fun and was the first National Hunt course I attended as a young boy. It was Sue's first visit so it was nice to show her the sights and sounds of the Sussex course.

It has been a busy morning at Adlestrop with much office work and a few visitors popping in.

I haven't studied the Derby in great detail but the winner will probably come from either Jan Vermeer, Workforce, Bullet Train or Rewilding. However the each way bets are Azmeel at 12-1 and Al Zir at 25-1. It looks a very open race.

2nd June, 2010



Now back from Cartmel via a drive through the lake district in the rain. Look forward to stopping next time when the weather is nicer. Apparently Ed Balls is caravanning in the area which makes it less attractive.

We sold Ballykelly and Departed at Ascot sales yesterday, hopefully to good homes. Ballykelly promised so much but his broken pelvis did not help his career whilst Departed did not the best of joints.

A work morning for those that are entered at the weekend, although sun is forecast which will not help. We did have two runners at Fontwell today but now only Eastwell Smiles runs and Ocheekobee will have to wait for another day.

Sue Harvey was up this morning to see Penshurst Lad go through his paces. He is an unraced three year old Bertolini gelding who should be making his debut in a few weeks time.

My anti post voucher on St Nicholas Abbey is now down the swanny thanks to his withdrawal from the Derby . I have yet to go through the form in detail but you can look forward to my Derby tips towards the end of the week.

1st June, 2010

A hectic time as ever. Giovanna was going very well before having a rare fall at Stratford on Friday night. Choc Thornton said she was felt in great form and it was very disappointing as we had always beaten the winner in the past. This looks like an opportunity missed. She took a fair tumble and has a few cuts and bruises but hopefully she will be fine, she is a real tough nut.

On Sunday, Bobby Donald and Mr Tingle were non runners because of the ground as they really do need some cut. Petroupetrov ran with great credit finishing third in the three mile handicap chase. Whilst Rapid Return failed to break into a sweat on his first run back after a wind operation and will therefore wear some head gear in a chase at Worcester on Saturday.

I was absent from Uttoxeter as I went to walk the course at Cartmel to make sure it was safe enough for Stop The Show the next day. The ground was just safe enough for him which meant that he could set off at 4.30am on Monday morning. It was a long way to go if you are not going to run.

In the evening, some twenty members of The Adlestrop Club converged in the Riverside Hotel in Kendall for drinks for our Cartmel trip. A great time was had by all, despite the picnic, and the racecourse looked after us in exemplary fashion. If you have not been, it is a unique place and comes highly recommended.

Amazingly on Sunday night in true Adlestrop Club fashion, Club members visited a club called Bootleggers where Barnsy was easily the eldest person in attendance. Much amusement was had when Davina Heginbotham, persuaded any attractive girl that walked past, that it was Barnsy's birthday and asked would they pose for a picture with him. Typically Barnsy joined in the fun, there is much photographic evidence of Barnsy's fake birthday and he was delighted to get so many birthday kisses.

I doubt if Cartmel has ever seen The Adlestrop Club's tribute band to Abba, ‘Bjorn's Belief'. Once again Barnsy was at the forefront, wearing Davina's new white hat which she had purchased with her winnings on the Placepot, whilst the girls of The Adlestrop Club made a frighteningly impressive Abba like dance routine, pictures will follow soon. Thanks go to all the Club members that attended.

Eastwell Smiles and Ocheekobee have been declared in the conditional jockeys race at Fontwell tomorrow. The trip may be on the short side for both of them but there are very few options at present and we have to take advantage of the rain when it arrives.

Click below to view previous months blogs:


MAY 2010



APRIL 2010



MARCH 2010



FEBRUARY 2010



JANUARY 2010