As always so much has happened in the racing world in that time. Not really sure about the real world. I find it's better not to worry too much about what's going on out there.
We've had three lovely recent additions to this stable from the yearling sales at Tattersalls: a first-crop daughter of the Derby winner Sir Percy, a filly by the under-rated Barathea and another filly by Tiger Hill, all of whom are lovely and at this very early stage of their careers hold great promise.As I sat at my desk by the window overlooking the yard, I suddenly noticed the Tiger Hill filly being led from her box with Adam on her back for the first time yesterday. I raced down to the yard with my camera and also found the Sir Percy filly being ridden quietly and sensible around the yard by Hannah. That both fillies were very well-behaved came as no surprise because they have been easy to handle since they day they arrived. What was alarming, however, was that the trainer had seen fit to use my unraced two-year-old as a lead horse for the girls. Oscar rose to the occasion like the angelic hack he's no doubt destined to be, possibly without ever making it to the racecourse, though the currently idle Panto, who has had most of this year off with me, looked pretty disgusted as Oscar kept sauntering past his stable doing the job he is usually asked to do. At this stage in his development it's hard to find much in the way of positive comments to make about Oscar but what I can say, without being accused of too much bias, is that he does have a truly wonderful temperament.
I've been thinking a lot about retired racehorses as I've just finished writing a very long piece for Horse & Hound on the retraining of three horses. I won't give away too much but it has been a really interesting piece to research and to write and I only hope it's vaguely interesting for people to read. The work being done by the RoR and other organisations in helping to get the message across that thoroughbreds really are the most versatile creatures is very important and becoming increasingly widely recognised.
One horse who will surely have no shortage of offers of a new home when he finally retires from racing is the gallant Monet's Garden. There have been many wonderful performances recently – Frankel, Twice Over, Workforce, Goldikova, So You Think in Australia – but for me nothing comes close to watching Monet streak around Aintree for yet another victory at the course he loves.Two of the above-named will have every one of my fingers crossed for them in next weekend's Breeders' Cup, as will America's first lady, Zenyatta. If she, Goldikova and Workforce can each win their respective contests I will be a very happy person indeed.
I'm fairly certain that, barring injury, we'll see Workforce (left, leading his erstwhile stable companion Harbinger on Long Hill) back next year and that's just as it should be. There's been a lot of talk this week about two-year-olds retiring to stud and I add my voice to the throng that says this is a negative step for the breeding industry. In email exchanges with the big group of lovely friends who form the Empire syndicate to which we belong in Australia, one of the team suggested this week that the dual Cox Plate winner So You Think could not be judged a champion until he had been tested at three, four and five. I agree with this sentiment. It's for each breeder to make their own judgement on pedigrees but I would have thought that one of the most important considerations was the durability and soundness of any prospective foal's parents. Only from stock with such qualities can we breed horses who might have the chance to be long-lasting champions.
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