Fancy A Share In A Jumper With Hen And Terry?

When Bally Conn won on his racecourse debut at Towcester that day it gave me a bigger thrill than I would have ever imagined. If you're ever going to win just one race the very first one is not a bad one to pick because it allows you to dream about what might come next. That memory will always stay with me and the fact it was always downhill with Bally Conn after that will never tarnish it.

I have also met some great people through being involved with BC, including Lord H, Dom (Shadow Leader) and Rory and the staff at West Lockinge and learned plenty.

Friends not involved in racing snort when I tell them what has been happening but as far as I'm concerned the whole adventure has been worth every penny I spent on my small share, which is probably quite a bit less than some of them spend on their wretched golf.

Far from being put off, Fal Agh Bagh now carries the flame for me in Hen's yard and I also have a tiny share in three cheaply bought fillies in Eddie Harty's yard. To anyone thinking about ownership, I would definitely recommend it.
 
Nice one Grey, poetically said, from the heart. I like it and feel the same about all of adventures and misadventures in ownership.

It is a wonderful life, worth every penny. What else would I do with my money? How many pairs of shoes can a girl have anyway .......

Nowhere I would rather be than on the gallops watching my 'bit' of one of my horses!

Good luck with the latest ones. :)
 
Grey, so many people own horses that never even get placed let alone win and to do that first time out for you must have been the most wonderful experience.

Good luck with the rest of your shares and I hope Bally Conn has a happy and successful life down in Devon with his new owners!
 
I shall watch that with interest; by the way, the latest recruit to the Knight ranks with forum and ex-forum involvement is a half sister to Joe Lively called Forest Perk who should be running in December, all being well. She will race under the Executive Racing banner made famous by Lord Noelie.
 
rorydelargy said:
I shall watch that with interest; by the way, the latest recruit to the Knight ranks with forum and ex-forum involvement is a half sister to Joe Lively called Forest Perk who should be running in December, all being well. She will race under the Executive Racing banner made famous by Lord Noelie.
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If she is as genuine as Joe you'll be happy. He truly is a lovely horse, who is a great ride and a real trier, all you can ask for in a horse really.
 
BC ran a good race to come third and Bernie rode him well. He had gotten quite warm in the preliminaries which is unlike him, and Bernie did well to keep him up to his work. First time up is probably the time to catch him and I hope that the yard can keep him sweet for longer than that! I hope he continues to run well for them and think that the change of environment to a small yard and the change of routine was what he wanted.
 
Haven't had chance to see the race yet but hopefully he can build on it.

Martin Hill has done quite well recently sweetning up horses that seem to have lost their way.
Apex and Ryedale Ovation spring to mind.
 
And build on it he did beating the bang in form Charles Street in a photo at Wincanton today ridden by Sam Thomas.
What did you think of that ride SL?;)
 
LOL!! You beat me to it Arkers :p


Seriously, he does seem to be thriving for being in a much smaller yard doesn't he?
Shows theere's hope for them all if they've shown a bit of talent at some stage
 
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Well, Thomas tried his best to put him on the ground a few times - the guy's such a spanner. He's riding more and more badly.

Great to see Conor winning and he looked very well today - was a lot more muscled up and looked overall much stronger. The change to the small yard has done the trick, as I thought it would.
 
Shadow Leader said:
Well, Thomas tried his best to put him on the ground a few times - the guy's such a spanner. He's riding more and more badly.
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Are you deliberately trying to wind people up? Sam Thomas has a 20% strike rate season to date, and this weekend alone had 4 winners from 13 rides. He won the Gold Cup with a brilliantly exectuted tactical ride and is one of the best young jockeys riding today, having graduated from the Aramstone academy.

Please tell the forum you were being ironic.
 
Not at all - I think Thomas is a bad jockey. He gets winners as he gets put on so many decent rides that despite his best efforts, he can't wrestle them all to the ground.
 
Shadow Leader said:
Not at all - I think Thomas is a bad jockey. He gets winners as he gets put on so many decent rides that despite his best efforts, he can't wrestle them all to the ground.
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He is getting a lot more winners since he landed the Nicholls job. Prior to that he was brilliant for Venetia Williams, and was one of the best value claimers on the circuit - it was like buying money every time he was put up on one of her handicap good things. I think Sam Thomas actually had a big part to play in the resurgence of Venetia's operation, and Aidan Coleman is proving what a fine fine judge of horsemen she is.

It is fairly obvious that Sam Thomas will walk into the No.1 job at Ditcheat when Ruby hangs his boots up (provided another top yard doesn't make him an offer he cannot refuse). And who has Paul Nicholls had as 1st choice jockey in the past? Graham Bradley, A P McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald and now Ruby. Hardly a poor judge of horsemen himself is he?
 
Not sure how it's that obvious that Thomas will be Number 1. The way he puts Nick Scholfield on his horses you think it's at least a 2 horse race.

People seem to forget the faith that Nicholls showed in Joe Tizzard (in his younger days), putting him on the good horses, riding National fancies aged 17 etc. It's far from being cut and dried. That said Thomas can't be more than 5 years younger than Ruby anyway can he? Is he going to wait till he's 30/31 to get the top job in a top yard?
 
Thomas is another Tizzard so far as I'm concerned - different types of jockeys granted, but both have an amazing capacity to feck up big style.

Like IS, I too cannot see how it's obvious that Thomas will be number 1 when Ruby retires - there's a lot of water to go under the bridge until that happens anyway and plenty of far more talented jockeys will come out between now and then if they haven't already. I'm not even so sure he'd get the job as number 1 if Ruby retired tomorrow.

Nothing anyone can say will persuade me that Thomas is a decent jock I'm afraid and he's not going to get the leg up on any of mine.
 
I think what sam has in his favour is he is a really nice person, and happy to chat to anyone. He also comes back and gives an honest briefing. Experience will see him in good stead and he does ride well if a bit erratic.

I doubt he would want the presures of being number one, and I severly doubt it will be Nick either. Jack Doyle on the other hand maybe.
 
All jockeys make mistakes from time to time, but Sam Thomas's record speaks for itself
 
Shadow Leader said:
Nothing anyone can say will persuade me that Thomas is a decent jock I'm afraid and he's not going to get the leg up on any of mine.
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May as well retire now then eh! I think Thomas is a very good jockey. Makes very few mistakes in a race and I can't believe you put him in the same bracket as Tizzard.
 
Thomas goes through spells when his mind isn't on the job but he has improved enormously in the past twelve months, much thanks to Denman et al. Shadow Leader doesn't forgive past sins that easily though.
 
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