11th May Update
Surrey Fire was dropped 2 pounds by the handicapper this week to a new official rating of 79. Fire is well, he should have come on for his seasonal debut and Hughie is looking for races up to 2 miles but there aren’t too many options especially with the firm conditions. Potentially he could run at Doncaster on Saturday, or Nottingham on the 20th but we really do need ground on the slow side of good. After that options are somewhat limited until mid-June but he’s ready to go when there is a race to suit.
His stablemate Surrey King has unfortunately kicked himself and has jarred a joint. He’s now on the easy list for a few weeks until that settles down and then he’ll be back to working. He has been x-rayed and there doesn’t appear anything untoward but there’s no point taking a chance at this stage of his development and a couple of weeks off won’t do him any harm.
Surrey Etoile continues to grow and grow; he’s a strapping colt which does mean that Tim must take some time with him, the racehorse owners are going to need some patience. Tim promised a video next week as he’s been at the Arqana Breeze Up this week. To think a few of us were in the ring this time last year and saw a Justify colt sell for €2.3m to Godolphin to collective gasps, it was one of those I was there moments. Money ‘justified’ after the now named Ruling Court won the 2000 Guineas and is a best price 4-1 for The Derby! Yesterday’s sale produced a top lot of €1.9m, a Night of Thunder colt, again to Godolphin, and he was one of four lots who made €1 million or more in the ring. Underlining the strength of the market, 87% of the lots offered changed hands for an average of more than €200,000, establishing a European record, and a median of €120,000, up 22% and 20% respectively.
We are going to have to pull up stumps with the NH horses as it’s not worth trying to force the issue with all the good weather about. Surrey Quest, Surrey Lord, and Sea Presenting are all going to have time off in the paddocks before returning to training at the end of June/early July so that they will be ready to run early September. Surrey Quest was surprisingly cut a pound by the handicapper this week to a new rating of 138 which means his hurdle mark will also go down a pound to 133.
Surrey Shadow is another with options coming up but unless there is a change in the forecast, he won’t be running this week, while Surrey Moon continues to do his thing.
We are looking forward to the Surrey Racing Golf Day on Tuesday and the forecast looks favourable. We have 20 syndicate owners going to the post, all colts and geldings, and it’s especially great to be joined by our special guests this year, including Tom Clover, last year’s Champion and still off a very reasonable mark of 34, how the handicapper has missed that is beyond us and he must surely be favourite to go back-to-back, although it’s never happened before. Unfortunately, injury has stopped ever present Hughie Morrison from playing but Charlie Harris will be representing the yard and he’s been putting in many hours of practice so that mark of 10 could be very competitive. Representing Henfold House we have Toby Lawes, still off 35, maybe the handicapper has got to grips with him, and for the first time we welcome James Standen, off 20, sometimes you must run in a competitive novice first time out! The rest of us are a mixed crowd of sprinters, stayers, one trick ponies, a lot of first-time outs, and many who really should have been put out to pasture! It’s a good job there won’t be any vet checks before the off!
Good luck to Fire and Shadow and connections if they run on Saturday and see those golfing on Tuesday.
Possible races and events.
May
Tuesday 13th – Surrey Racing Golf Day, Silvermere Golf Club – 10.15 am
Saturday 17th - Surrey Shadow – Thirsk, Newbury,
- Surrey Fire – Doncaster
Tuesday 20th – Surrey Fire - Nottingham
Saturday 24th – Surrey Shadow - Haydock
June
Saturday 28th – Owners visit to Chantilly