Up-to-date entries; Horses for sale

First lot

Tuesday 9th March

'If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.' (Albert Einstein)

Faster work on Water Hall

Click here to see video clips and more photos from first lot.

"At long last we have a morning with no frost," said Mark. "So I was able to take all the ones I really wanted to get on with over to Water Hall. This entails one of my five-canter mornings - it certainly keeps the horses and lads warm and 'on the go'! I was absolutely delighted with how everything went, especially the two Lincoln horses that look as forward as I can have them at this time. There were several of the others which also really pleased me, so roll on the turf season!

"I will be doing a bit more with some of the others tomorrow and the two-year-olds will be getting a good spin as well.

"We are getting the swimming pool emptied and ready for painting at the present moment. My maintenance man Ryan is in the bottom of the pool scrubbing it clean to be ready for the first coat. I will have several men in there with paint brushes once it is ready to give it two really good coats of paint. Then hopefully all will be ready for the nice warm weather and the swimming can recommence."

 

Monday 8th March

Munro's Dragon

'The finish line is sometimes merely the symbol of victory. All sorts of personal triumphs take place before that point, and the outcome of the race may actually be decided long before the end.' (Laurence Malone)

Munro's Dragon on the grass canter last week

"Another hard frost and the grass is set solid this morning," said Mark. "In fact we had half an inch of ice on the ponds at Dullingham both yesterday and today. So, my ducks have taken up skating rather than swimming! But saying that, the all-weather canters continue in perfect condition and all the horses have got out and done a good canter.

"I will have to wait to see how the weather is during the week but I would like to step up considerably the work for the older horses and the earlier type two-year-olds. Also, I was hoping to get the first of the two-year-olds through the stalls this week, so let's hope we can get a bit of cloud cover and stop the overnight frost.

Cornish Beau (above and below)

"I see from the Daily Mail that the Northern trainers have had a meeting with the BHA about the north south divide and their thoughts that the Northern trainers and racecourses were being overlooked and, as they put it, 'being treated like hillbillies'. I have always said that, in my opinion, with offices in London most of the people who work at the BHA appear to be out of touch with the whole racing scene and a move to a more midland based office complex for all the racing associations would be of great benefit to everybody. It would also save a considerable amount of money in these times of recession.

Astroleo

"Sosumi foaled over the weekend at Dullingham Park. She had a lovely filly foal by Haafd. She is a very good broodmare as well as mother and usually her foals are of good size and health. This one is already driving her crazy with demands for milk and looks like she will develop into a cracker!"

 

From last week...

Friday 5th - Sunday 7th March

Youngsters on Warren Hill

'Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.' (Magic Johnson)

Walking to Side Hill canter

Second lot cantering around Side Hill yesterday

"Another really bright, sunny but frosty morning," said Mark. "All of first lot went down the Town Canter and then on to Railway Land, where we did two good canters in bunches of twos and threes. They are really starting to shape up now. As I said yesterday, some warm weather would help their coats, but I am as pleased as I could be at this stage.

"We run No Rules at Newbury on Saturday. There are only a few runners, but it is a very competitive contest. It will show me whether he is up to taking his chance in the 3 mile Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham. He has improved since his victory at Fakenham and I am hopeful of him at least putting up a good show."

Butch

And today we have the next of our 'Meet The Team' features. Today we talk to Butch Smith Eccles, often to be found at the front of the Flint Cottage string. He was a conditional jump jockey who had some 100 rides. His first winner was one for Flint Cottage, Elegant Friend. Mark added: "I always tell Butch that he was as good as his brother, Steve Smith Eccles, but without the aggression or cockiness!"

He came in to the sport, from the Derbyshire mining village of Pinxton, mainly due to Steve. He now is a starting stalls handler, flying groom and invaluable work rider.

Mark said: "Butch has been riding out here for as long as I can remember. He is the most brilliant man – always calm, very kind with the horses and he is a very good judge. I always tell newcomers to look to see how Butch rides and goes about his work, and he is a good role model for others. He has ridden all my top horses in work and really thinks about the whole business. He is one of those people that a trainer cannot do without. I value his opinion and respect it."

Butch kindly answered the following questions for us:

Name a horse you think will run well this season: Ted Spread

Name your favourite racecourse: Newmarket July / Rowley

Name your favourite horse that you look after / ride: Smokey Oakey

What do you enjoy most: Riding

Name your favourite food / film: Roast beef & Yorkshire pud; Shawshank Redemption

Name your best racing moment so far: Jenko riding more winners than I did!

 

Thursday 4th March

Circling after exercise

'When I joined the Tour I studied the best players to see what they did that I didn't do. I came to the conclusion that the successful players had the Three Cs: Confidence, Composure, Concentration.' (Bob Toski)

First lot cantering up Warren Hill

"They say that you can't be everywhere at once, but I think I must have walked for miles this morning to be with the string!" exclaimed Mark. "It was a good exercise for me as well as the horses!

"First lot cantered up Warren Hill before walking through the woods and then down Side Hill to join up with the all-weather canter there and then walk in through the woods again. It was a combination of steady conditioning canters as well as healthy walks through the woods to keep the horses happy. With weather like we have had this morning, it was one of those mornings where it was good to be alive and be able to do the job I am doing!

"Horses and humans will sleep well tonight after all that exercise - and have earned a good feed. Talking of that, my diet is going very well!"

The Guv'nor watching the horses pull up at the top of Warren Hill

Amno Dancer and others walking in to the woods

The Guv'nor watching the horses settle before walking down Side Hill

"Phil and I were discussing one of the changes that has just been made by the BHA, which is minor to most people but to us it certainly means something. They have changed the median and auction prices from guineas to pounds for race qualification, i.e. in auction or median maiden races. This is all well and good if we were selling in pounds, but the sales companies still sell in guineas and even the racecourse auctioneers sell horses after selling races in guineas. So, this new idea must be a bright 'Racing for Change' idea - like printing the jockey's first name on a racecard or the decimalisation of betting terms. What a waste of time and money!

Walking down Side Hill

Walking to Side Hill all-weather canter

Circling after exercise

Blinka Me after exercise

Homeward bound

More tomorrow.

 

Wednesday 3rd March

Edward Whymper heading out to exercise yesterday

'Champions keep playing until they get it right.' (Billie Jean King)

Dazinski

"It's another dry morning, not quite as bright or sunny as yesterday but dry nevertheless," said Mark. "After yesterday's busy morning, I have moved the lots around a bit and put out some of the more backward horses in first and second lot. This gives them a bit more work and brings them on well.

Spirit Land

Astromoon

"We have started the countdown to Cheltenham which starts in a fortnight. Both Phil and I will be having a daily tipping competition as usual. Let's hope the ground keeps this way and we get some warm weather to help the grass grow and make it a real Festival!

Akula

Imjin River

"And, we were delighted to have another new addition at Dullingham Park - a bay colt foal by Shirocco who is full of character (pictured below)."

Shirocco colt

Later this week we will have another feature on one of the Flint Cottage Team.

 

Tuesday 2nd March

Smokey Oakey at first lot this morning

'Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.' (Michael Jordan)

Smokey Oakey and others at first lot cantering down the Town Canter

"At long last we have had two days of absolutely lovely weather!" said Mark. "Early morning frosts but once the sun was up it was glorious. No wind and everything is starting to sprout!

"I took a big bunch of horses at first lot to Railway Land and we did three canters culminating in a good seven furlong spin on the Al Bahathri.

"Both my Lincoln entries are moving really well and look in good heart. This warmer weather will now help their winter coats to fly out and their summer ones to start to appear. I always tell people when the hair under their chins comes away, we have got the horses nearly right.

Smokey Oakey after exercise

Marvo

"At second lot we took a string of two-year-olds also to Railway Land and gave them a good spin on the turf. During this month I will be sorting the two-year-olds in to the ones that I think will be early and getting on with them more, whilst giving the ones that need a bit more time and distance not as much work. Their education will continue during the month, including stalls work and education in the horseboxes.

The Guv'nor watching second lot

Two-year-olds coming over the brow of the hill on Railway Land

"It is the Derby forfeits today and because of how the entry system works you have to enter them for the Derby as a yearling and then there is not another forfeit stage until now. You can never tell which ones may turn out to be good enough or not. This year we have kept in Ted Spread (pictured below) at this stage. He performed with great credit last year and ran a very good race on his last outing at Newmarket where he was staying on best of all. I will be aiming him at one of the Derby Trials to see if he is good enough to take his chance in the big race. Let's hope he is!"

Ted Spread (above and below) is in the Derby

 

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