14th September Update

What a difference a week makes, last week we were celebrating Surrey Fire’s latest win, this week we are lamenting Surrey Shadow’s poor run on Friday.  

The rain came as we wished and Sandown was very soggy come Surrey Shadow’s post time on Friday, with the ground heavy in places. We were confident of a very good performance as the horses entered the parade ring, however, things then started to go wrong, with an electrical storm hitting as the horses were parading and the heavens opening yet again. The owners scurried for cover, the horses returned to the stables, whilst jockeys rushed back to the sanctuary of the weighing room, a little confusing for everyone. After about 15-20 minutes, it was time for take two and we’ll never know how that affected the horses. However, Shadow seemingly went to the post settled, and as he entered the stalls, the expectancy levels rose again. They swiftly came crashing down as it was clear something was amiss and young jockey Sean Dylan Cowen (who was a late replacement for the injured but on red hot form Eddie Greatrex) did the right thing by just bringing Shadow home in his own time.  

A veterinary examination immediately after the race revealed that Shadow was suffering from an atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat), which seriously impacted his ability to run. It is possible this is an indication of a more serious underlying condition, but it can also be a one-off occurrence, usually brought on by stress. He was kept at Sandown until it was deemed it was safe to travel home and by the following morning the heartbeat had returned to normal levels. Shadow will undertake a fast gallop under the supervision of a vet this week, a requirement that needs the vet to sign him off as “fit to race” before he can get back on the track. If this happens there is no reason why he can’t race again in the next couple of weeks but it’s quite possible that there may be more serious issue and we face the reality that he may be retired from racing. Right now, all the owners can do is wait and then we will discuss options with them after the prognosis, whatever that may be.  

So, what about our recent winner, Surrey Fire. The handicapper was obviously impressed with the win at Lingfield and as a result has hammered Fire with a 5-pound rise to a new mark of 79 which will make future races a lot tougher. He came out of his race very well and is ready to run again, so he’ll have an entry at Southwell to race on Sunday, the 5.40pm is a class 3 handicap (0-90) which will be over a slightly shorter 12-furlong race with a decent prize pool (by UK standards!). He’ll wear blinkers again and we’d aim to adopt the same tactics as his winning race and hope the higher-class horses let him have such a soft lead.  

The NH horses are all well and progressing towards their seasonal returns in August. 

We are looking forward to seeing Surrey Fire and Surrey King on the gallops on Saturday where we have organised an owner’s morning at Hughie’s. Surrey King’s work is stepping up and all going well he will debut next month, but we’ll know more when we catch up at the weekend. Surrey Moon is back working but Tom hasn’t given any indication of when he thinks he will debut. He was asked at Sandown whether Moon would run this year, and he said, ‘we will see’. Surrey Etoile is also ticking along although he’s not doing any speed work. His tendons are a tiny bit inflamed but there is no heat coming from them which is positive. He has his legs wrapped in ice after working and that will continue until his legs return to normal and the fast work will restart; he’s a big horse who just needs time.  

We’re looking forward to seeing some of you in East Ilsey on Saturday and best wishes to connections at Southwell on Sunday.

Possible races and events.
                         
September
Saturday 20th – Hughie Morrison Open Morning (timings tbc ~ 9.00-9.30)
Sunday 21st – Surrey Fire - Southwell
October
Sunday 5th – Surrey Quest. Surrey Lord – Uttoxeter
Saturday 12th – Sea Presenting – Chepstow (EBF Mares Qualifier). 
Friday 24th – Surrey King – Newbury
Saturday 25th – Surrey Quest – Cheltenham