Retirements & Departures 2011

Can't remember the name of the people who owned/trained her. Didn't they send her to a 'proper' trainer when it became obvious how good she was, but she then went home because she was homesick, and lived in the stable next to Just So.
 
Cab on Target was a favourite of mine. If you look at famousracehorses he was put down in 2001 after playing in the field where he broke a leg. Strong Gale seemed to produce very handsome progeny and he was no exception.
 
moehat said:
Can't remember the name of the people who owned/trained her. Didn't they send her to a 'proper' trainer when it became obvious how good she was, but she then went home because she was homesick, and lived in the stable next to Just So.
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Wasn't it Henry cole? Or something like that. I backed just so cos Simon Burrough used to ride my first mare (when I looked after her,not when she ran for me!) was loveley to shout him home!!
 
Oh, sad news, Rosefinch, but thanks all the same. I forget to check the site, even though I saved it to Favourites!
 
moehat said:
Can't remember the name of the people who owned/trained her. Didn't they send her to a 'proper' trainer when it became obvious how good she was, but she then went home because she was homesick, and lived in the stable next to Just So.
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Owned by Henry Cole, trained by David Nicholson and usually ridden by Dean Gallagher.

Smashing mare. I was a great fan and very relieved when she completed the Grand National course safely (fourth, to Royal Athlete).

RIP Dubacilla. Many happy memories.
 
I loved Dubacilla. I saw henry Cole at a trainer's yard in August and he told me she had been put down a month or so ago. I think they could not even bear to tell people about it until now she meant so much to them, like one of the family. An amazing horse and good broodmare also.

Sadly another of my favourites broke a hind leg on the gallops this morning. Razor Royale at Twiston-Davies. A real sweetheart, showed great courage always and never got the credit he deserved. :(
 
Now thats gutted me for the evening - always backed RR and he gave me some nice placed patents :( never seen until the last furlong or so in those amazing black and orange colours - RIP fella
 
We had a Dubacilla offspring in Triggernometry, who was a bit of fun before we gave up on him as he was too quirky and Colin kept him as a hack. Was a good solid family that's for sure.
 
Know what you mean about those orange and black colours. Really sad to hear that. As for Dubacilla, do the Coles have an email address? I'd like to send my condolences to them. Feel like part of my ife has ended when these old friends depart, so dread to think how they feel.
 
In light of the BHA being complete and utter pricks, who wouldn't run a p up in a brewery, Know No Fear has been retired with immediate effect and will never race again. A consistent and genuine horse who never puts in a bad one but forced out the game for no reason but the pricks who run the game can't organise the sport.

I will also state for a fact I will never run another horse at Lingfield Park, their stalls handlers are shit and don't know what they are doing, and as for the starter employed there perhaps reading their own notes would mean they wouldn't show themselves as anything but inept.

Quite simply Lingfield Park is a disgrace, no other course would this happen at and it's a case of people working there unable to do jobs or help and benefit horses. The BHA and it's team of "jobs for the boys" seem to be doing everything they can to push owners out the sport and making the game impossible. They also clearly won't put horses welfare first and seem incapable of doing things properly.

Know No Fear doesn't need to be retired and doesn't deserve to be, in fact he's been having his best season ever, but a wonderful tough horse has been pushed out the sport because the stalls team and stewards can't do their own jobs properly.

I will never attend or run anything at Lingfield again until Know No Fear's ban from racing and stalls test is removed, absolutely sickening to be treated like this, yet Timeteam who has no interest in racing after 4 refusals is still allowed to run and causes much more problems. Complete joke of a place is Lingfield Park.
 
I thought it was because he'd reared up in the stalls that he was taken out, Flame, possibly for welfare reasons? Are you saying that he's actually been banned from racing, and on what grounds? You can appeal against that, of course, but usually all he has to do following a stalls infraction is to take a stalls test - hell, there are enough of those every meeting before first race, so why isn't he scheduled to take one of those?
 
Yesterday Know No Fear was due to run in the 1.15 at Lingfield Park, by all accounts he was down to be loaded 2nd last and his stewards card report reads as follows "Fractious in stalls, normally rears on the spot, recommended to load late".

These notes are displayed on a file which every horse has and are for the starters discretion and stalls team to be aware of. Yesterday Know No Fear as he has done on many occasions reared up whilst being made to wait to jump off, no higher than normal, just what he always does. He then came down and was his usual self. 16 seconds later whilst the final horse was loading, he again reared this time with the tip of his nose knocking his stall number which fell to the floor. when he came down the jockey told the starter he was fine, the horse hadn't touched any part of the infrastructure of the stalls, had not injured himself, entered another stall or caused any damage to the starting stall, all he had done was knock down his number, which is a piece of card which is held on with blu tac and is removed by 60kg stall handlers between each race with minimal force, so a 400Kg + racehorse will have no problem just knocking this down.

The starter then instructed Know No Fear to be removed from the stalls and withdrawn, this was whilst he was back down in the stalls, standing fine and with his rider instructing that the horse was fine.

With this Know No Fear was a non runner, costing me my entry fee, a jockey fee and also transportation and stable lads expenses, basically around the grand figure of £500.00

Upon his exit out the back of the stalls the race was started, and Know No Fear and rider Leonna Mayor were ordered to walk back towards the unsaddling exit, towards the direction of which horses will be running towards them at racing pace, they also ordered she dismounted the horse.

Upon the race pulling up, horses galloped at speed towards Know No Fear, with the rider trying to hold onto him and him getting understandably fractious and upset, this manoeuvre not only put Leonna Mayor in danger, but also my horse, and any other horse in the race, none of the riders would be aware as they pulled up a horse would be there and it could have caused all sorts of problems, the fact he was dismounted was in fact even more dangerous, and in regards the horse who was fine should have been allowed to canter home behind the horses in the race, causing no danger to anyone and also this is what happens at 99% of other courses. The starter ordering Leonna to do the other has put peoples lives in danger through complete incompetence.

Know No Fear a horse who is well known to the BHA as fractious in the stalls (in their own words) and also is written down as being claustrophobic, in that it's not he is bad in the stalls but he is just scared and doesn't like being in them. The stewards ordered Know No Fear to partake in a stalls test before he is allowed to race again. The rules of a stalls test is that the horse with no company or assistance from any member of starting stalls team would need to stand patiently and comfortably for around 90 seconds, walking in and exiting without any problems.

As stated on their own files the horse doesn't like being in the stalls, he walks in fine, and jumps out fine, but because he is a big horse who gets nervy he doesn't like being in for long periods. Also he is not a horse that likes being on his own, so for him to partake in a stalls test on his own actually increases any chance of injury.

Yesterday the starter had two options. He could have withdrawn Know No Fear on the chance he might have injured himself, and therefore he wouldn't require a stalls test. This would fit in with him being withdrawn and asking the rider to dismount, however the starter didn't use this authority, he withdrew the horse for being unruly and causing damage to the stalls (if knocking a piece of card off the top is damage then I'm amazed, on windy days they don't display stalls numbers as the wind blows them off, so if that's the stalls damaged then surely they shouldn't be used on windy occasions) and therefore issued the horse with a "mandatory" stalls test.

The horses record states HE IS FRACTIOUS, and should be loaded as late as possible. However when he was loaded into the stalls the one remaining horse to load, was 40 yards behind the stalls with no stalls handlers near it. The horse then walked forward but took 35 seconds to load. This was enough time for Know No Fear to get upset. The BHA record of the horse to go in last drawn 2, had no marks, so why was the horse so far off the stalls and why did the starter not use his initiative for the welfare of the horse to load that horse 2nd last, or even make sure when Know No Fear was loaded that the horse to be loaded last should have been on Know No Fear's quarters or ready to load, therefore not delaying a start and doing the maximum to benefit a fractious horse. Regarding this the starter and his stalls team have failed to do their jobs properly.

Also under the rules of racing, when a horse rears or gets fractious in the stalls, a handler should enter the frame to assist and comfort the horse. On previous occasions this has happened but yesterday at Lingfield no handler entered the stalls frame to assist Leonna or reassure the horse, why ??? Yet they waited a further 15 seconds for the horse to rear so it's not a case of there wasn't enough time for a handler to enter the stalls, they have simply failed to act within the rules of racing, and in fact they have caused this whole matter themselves.

The starter didn't warrant to want to know the riders opinion, of which she said the horse was fine, therefore he used his judgement over the riders, when he didn't access the horse and neither did any veterinary team which if a horse is fractious in the stalls they are meant to.

Also by finally ordering the rider to dismount and head back to the unsaddling enclosure in the directions of racehorses travelling towards them at speed they have put the safety of horses and riders in considerable danger.

Basically the stewards, starter and their staff including veterinary offices have failed to act in a proper and professional manner, and they also haven't taken into consideration previous advices regarding Know No Fear and all they have done is caused what happened yesterday. Had I been able to raise these factors yesterday to the starter and the stewards I know full well, that they would have taken note of my intended objection of a stalls test and would have either given him a warning or taken no action, or they would have issued a stalls test with me having the right to appeal to the BHA. Sadly I wasn't allowed to represent myself as the owner, and none of these issues would have been raised and gave me no basis to formulate an appeal or take further action. This is very frustrating for me as I know the game inside out and having ridden I know the full stalls procedure and could have objected to their findings and contested them.

Upon this I know that Know No Fear is not a horse I would want to risk a stalls test with as he will fail. Three jockeys who have ridden him in a race all say to me he is no problem in the stalls and that's just him and would have happily stated the same to the officials there if they had been called for, but having not been able to handle it myself, the three jockeys who were all in attendance at Lingfield yesterday were not called for. My jockey yesterday Leonna Mayor stated to me, there is no way he needs a stalls test and that's the last thing he needs, this was echoed by Fergus Sweeney, who couldn't believe he was withdrawn, his own words said he done that with him 2 weeks ago, and also when he won.

This is another reason to be annoyed, In two of his wins, and in four recent starts Know No Fear has reared in the stalls in the same manner that he had yesterday, so it's not as if he isn't known for doing this regularly and this is on his file.

Know No Fear walks in and exits stalls fine, but he doesn't like being in for long periods of time as he gets upset and nervous and doesn't like being on his own, he is the same in a horse box and is a horse better with company, in fact the longer he is in the more likely he is to cause damage to himself or somebody. Why would I want to take a horse which is scared of the stalls in them at home and risk him hurting himself just to prove something which isn't essential. As of now Know No Fear is unable to race until he has completed a stalls test, and for him to do one he would have to go to a racecourse and do this, adding further cost to myself. The closest venue now would be Kempton which would still cost me the best part of £200 in transport and lads expenses, and then pay a rider to put him in, whilst two jockeys who have ridden him don't think he would pass a stalls test because of his nature, and it would also require time and effort at home to do something which will only upset and disappoint the horse.

Therefore unless the BHA revoque his stalls test, in my eyes Know No Fear is now officially retired and will return to my Coppington Stables this morning. I am not being made to bow down to people who can't do their job properly, and have not treated my horse with respect and also the way he should have been treated. I have no intention in allowing Know No Fear to do a stalls test as I doubt he would pass and I am not willing to risk him in the stalls. Therefore from this moment Know No Fear is retired. I will be speaking to someone who works for At The Races as I intend on putting this in the press and also making my feelings very clear on national television. The BHA and Lingfield Park have got this one very wrong, and I will not let this matter lye.

As for Lingfield Park, the way they have handled and treated my horse yesterday, I am disappointed in their staff and also the course as a whole and from today onwards, no horse that I own, part own or have any involvement in will be allowed to run at Lingfield Park until a formal apology is received and compensation for the costs of yesterday. I have contributed a lot to the course in the past three years and have had winners there, but the way they handled my horse and treated him yesterday in my eyes, makes them unfit as they put the life of my horse and rider at risk yesterday. Lingfield does have some welcoming and hospitable people working there but the fact is, at no other course has Know No Fear been withdrawn and treated so badly for something he always does and with that all my trainers will be instructed to never run any horses I have anything to do with at Lingfield Park until this matter is dealt with officially and properly.
 
I see that Know No Fear is entered at Newbury in a Hurdle race on 25th. Surely this means he must have been considered a jumps prospect before the incident at Lingfield (which I agree sounds pretty daft by the way)

Surely a stalls test doesn't need to be done for the horse to go jumping?

I think I would feel the same as you with regard to Lingfield, but fear they will ignore your representations.
 
It's not up to Lingfield Park or any course to hear an appeal. It's purely up to the BHA. Arena Leisure employs its own stalls handlers, but they are - like all stalls handlers - under the instruction of the starter, who is employed by the BHA. It doesn't matter whether all the stalls personnel, who are mostly long-time ex-RaceTech employees and highly experienced, are Ph.Ds. They can only do what they are told.

The starters have a download at each meeting of the quirks and foibles of all runners where known - that's what they're looking over on their laptops in the weighing-room before racing. They will note the bad boys and the good girls, the reformed and the dodgepots, and treat them accordingly. If the starter had the info that KNF was a serial rearer and then he'd reared twice in the stalls, possibly knocking his nose, it's up to him to decide whether to take him out. It's also then up to the attending vet to see if he's sustained any injury - fortunately not in this case, but any knock on the head could show up later, so a vet might err on the side of caution. They are not likely to be swayed by a jockey's opinion on the horse's condition, who obviously would want to keep the ride, and certainly not a claimer, who's still learning the ropes.

The starters are Steven Avis and James Stenning - they're at a whole load of southern tracks and well experienced. But they are the BHA's staff, as are the stewards, not Lingfield's, so bawling about the course and how often you've run your horses there or won't in future is pointless. I'm surprised at you, Flame, for not grasping this.
 
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No Vet checked him over Krizon, the starter ordered Leonna off, and let them go straight away. The horse had no marks on him and no Vet or anyone checked him at all. The fact is, had something happened to KNF or Leonna or any rider, due to the horse being made to walk back towards galloping horses on the same track, it would have been the racecourse held liable, that is a fact. Whether they are employed by Arena Leisure, or the BHA, the horse was ordered to walk back with a rider off the horses back with near to no control whilst horses galloped at speed towards them, Lingfield would be held accountable for this. The horse was poorly treated and it was certainly a breach of safety factors, of which the course cohere to.
 
Watched the race live yesterday - couldn't understand why he was withdrawn. Sometimes the whole world seems against you Flame but usually it's not. I had an issue with a handicapper who raised one of mine ten pounds for finishing 3rd in a shite conditions race. The form of the race didn't work out and my fella ran down the field on his subsequent 3 starts and wasnt dropped. I met the handicapper in question and as cooly and lucidly as I possibly could explained why I believed the horse was unfairly handicapped. He obviously didn't drop him for another few average runs so I learned the lesson to 1) never run a horse in a race where he could be murdered by the handicapper and 2) keep your mouth shut. Sometimes you can't beat the machine.
 
Flame, I can understand your anger as a keen owner at the affair, I really can. I'm a very warm supporter of the yard and I think KNF is just the sort of horse anyone would like to own. But if the starter ordered Leonna to walk back towards horses, had anything awful occurred, it really would be him in the dock for the incident. He is an official of the BHA, trained by them, and supposedly au fait with safe operating procedures - in fact, one of the remits of being a starter is to ensure the safety of horses and riders under his instruction.

Honestly, I would urge you to express your anger to the BHA and ask whether they think asking a young, lightweight claimer to lead a pumped-up racehorse back in hand towards oncoming gallopers during racing constituted best safe practice.

If you'd like to chew the matter over with Lingfield's full-time Health, Safety & Security Manager, Stuart Carrier, then why not give him a call? He's very much hands-on, always around on racedays, and probably unaware of your concern on the day. You could also write to or phone the course's Managing Director Paul Shrimpton, expressing your thoughts. But please do remember that the course cannot and would not be blamed for the actions of a BHA official. Courses get sent starters, judges, and stewards from the BHA on a rota basis - they have no input as to asking for one or the other to be present or not. In other words, they don't invite specific people, and they don't payroll them, either. If you think you have a case to be answered, don't weaken it by attacking the wrong target.
 
Flame: fwiw, I mentioned your ire to Stuart Carrier at Lingfield today and he confirmed everything I've said to you. The course has no input as to which officials are rostered to work there by the BHA. The starter - in no way the course - is fully responsible for the stalls staff, horses and jockeys coming under his instruction at the start.
 
That grand old stalwart Far More Serious collapsed and died in the yard this morning.....doubly sad as retirement was not far off.
 
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