12th October Update
Just the one runner in the past week but what an outstanding run it was from Surrey Fire who came from behind to battle out a gutsy and somewhat cosy win at Wolves last Monday evening. With Harry Davies riding, who had previously won on Fire, the tactics were to go forward and take the lead but it was clear from the start that the favourite, Venezuelan, wanted to employ the same tactics, so rather than risk getting caught in a fight for the lead and burning energy, Harry pulled Fire back and settled in 2nd. Some owners will remember one occasion at Chelmsford where one of our jockeys continued to fight for the lead for much of the race until both horses were spent and faded away so it was good to see a younger, less experienced jockey showing initiative and thinking on the ‘hoof’. The worry then was could Fire come from behind as he’s hasn’t exactly shown a willingness to tough it out, but this time he did, and battled to head them all, with Harry checking the opposition on the big screen, he ran on well for a comfortable win. It’s worth bearing in mind that he was giving the 2nd and 3rd a 6-pound weight for age allowance which is a tough ask later in the season as the three-year-olds are mature by now.
Fire, who has had 3 runs in the past 5 weeks, trotted up nicely the following morning, and will now head to the HIT sale where this performance may had added a few pounds to his valuation. We will discuss with the owners on what sort of reserve will put on Fire, we wouldn’t want to give him away but are conscious his legs aren’t the best looking, but hopefully all this racing and training that he’s gone through will show he is the genuine article. He has only won on all-weather but there are plenty of jurisdictions (Scandinavia, Middle East) where that would appeal. That was Surrey Fire’s 3rd win from only 12 runs, it was Harry Davies’ second win (both on Fire) in yellow and blue, and our 4th win at Wolves which puts the track equal second (alongside Chepstow and Kempton) behind 6 times winning course Newbury. It was our 11th win with Hughie from 48 runs. It was our 48th winner (from 253 runs), our 3rd of the season (2 from Fire, 1 from Shadow), hopefully not our last!
Both Surrey Lord and Surrey Quest are fine following their race last weekend. Surrey Quest was dehydrated after the race and had to be given a lot of fluid but that seemed to have done the trick and he’s well. He was very impressive over hurdles but faded towards the end with tiredness. As horses get older it does take more to get them fitter, so he’ll be more competitive next time. There is a chance that he will be even better over hurdles, although if we feel he isn’t then, his chase mark won’t move, and he’ll be back to longer distance races. Although we don’t think his jumping is sufficiently good enough to aim for the Grand National, there are plenty of decent races to aim for as the year progresses. Coming up there are options at Cheltenham, Newbury or Aintree, weather, and opposition dependant. Surrey Lord was having only his 3rd hurdle race, and his first in handicap company so although we were hoping for a closer finish, the 5 in front, collectively, have had over 40 hurdle runs. He will be another who will surely benefit from the run and there’s races to be won with him this year, maybe over a slightly longer distance although Toby is quite happy sticking to 2 miles. There are loads of options towards the end of the month and into November.
Sea Presenting is getting fitter, and we hope to see her racing in a month’s time, possibly in a Mares Final Qualifier, one of which is at Ludlow on November 6th but they would need a lot of rain to change the current very firm ground, another, and more likely option is at Uttoxeter on the 15th.
Some good news, following Surrey Etoile’s juvenile tendonitis and Tim’s careful handling, his tendons have been scanned and there has been a massive improvement so Tim can now step up his work (albeit slowly) and start getting him ready for his debut. However, Tim doesn’t want to push him just to get a run in before the end of the turf season to appease the owners, so while it’s not 100% certain, I feel we should prepare ourselves that he won’t debut (which will be over a mile) until his 3-year-old career. That’s no bad thing as two of the last three Arc winners didn’t make their debut until their 3-year-old career! The turf season does start earlier in France, so it won’t be too much of a wait.
Surrey Shadow is working well, and we hope to have back on the track on the 21st – although there is an option if the rain doesn’t come on the 25th at Doncaster if Tom doesn’t feel that’s too close to the sale. Surrey King is edging closer to his debut later this month, while Surrey Moon is a little further behind due to his tendonitis over the summer.
Surrey King’s half-sister yearling (out of Lope de Vega) sold for at Book 1 this week for 400k gns – an unbelievable amount, it makes King look like bargain of the century! 2024 was a record year for Book 1 and so this year couldn’t quite hit the same lofty heights in terms of average and median, but the figures are the second best ever. However, there was frailty in the market beyond the top tier where the major buyers ensured fierce competition. A lot of buyers at our price bracket ignore Book 1 and concentrate on Book 2+3, meaning maybe there are some rich pickings to be had if you can be canny and smart. Does anyone want a yearling from a son of Dubawi out of a Frankel broodmare, yes really !!??
Possible races and events.
October
Tuesday 21st – Surrey Shadow - Yarmouth
Friday 24th – Surrey King – Newbury
Saturday 25th – Surrey Quest – Cheltenham
Surrey Shadow – Doncaster
Monday 27th Tattersalls HIT Sale – Surrey Shadow Lot 267
Wednesday 29th Tattersalls HIT Sale – Surrey Fire Lot 901
Wednesday 29th – Surrey King - Nottingham
November
Thursday 6th – Sea Presenting – Ludlow
Surrey Quest - Newbury
Saturday 8th – Surrey Quest – Aintree
Saturday 15th – Sea Presenting – Uttoxeter