23rd August Update

Some bad news to start off, it does seem this is a theme. Surrey Etoile was due to have his final injection last Friday, but before going ahead we decided to take another X-ray to see whether the first three injections had helped. Unfortunately, the arthrosis has progressed, and the medical team’s opinion is that his chances of making it to the racecourse are now extremely low. With that in mind, we have taken the decision to call it a day and find Etoile a good, loving home. As he has been cooped up for the past few weeks, he’ll stay at the farm in Normandy for a little while longer. He needs some time in the paddock to clear his head and to ‘de-fresh’ before we find him his new home. There’s no point pretending that the French experiment has worked out as we had hoped, either financially or emotionally. But what we can say, hand on heart, is that we have given Etoile the very best care following his horrendous injury and have given him every possible chance of making it back to the racecourse. The fact that he has come through that injury and is now able to enjoy a normal life is a remarkable outcome. Racing clearly isn’t going to be his future but finding him a loving home where he can enjoy his life is now the most important thing. 

In hopefully some better news, Jackie is making progress with Surrey Moon and may have discovered the problem. The vet visited Jackie’s on Thursday and agreed that Moon’s action behind was not right. Following a thorough examination, the vet identified an issue with Moon’s neck, and a subsequent x-ray identified a “developmental deformity”  of the C5/C6 joint. At the bottom of the joint there is a small piece of bone missing, while at the top of the facet joint there are small spurs and some extra bone growth. This has caused the muscle to divert and the whole area surrounding the joint to become inflamed which would cause discomfort and impact on his action. The vet has recommended a steroid injection to reduce the inflammation, which should improve his movement. You may recall that Surrey Quest had an issue with his neck, and we saw a huge improvement after the steroid injection. Although Moon’s condition is different, the principle is the same.  Moon will have the injection next week and after a few days will be ridden again. It is then a case of building up the work with the hope he moves more freely and is willing to extend himself when asked to quicken. 

Surrey King is spending time on the walker and having the odd gallop and according to Hughie will have another check ‘soon’. Surrey Bolt is making progress; Tom feels that he needs a couple more pieces of fast work before his debut with options to be discussed with Tom over the coming week so we may finally have some dates to look forward to.     

Surrey Lord was still having a few issues with the area on his back that he bumped last week so he hasn’t had a saddle on yet. He did have x-rays to check just to be safe, but they clean so Toby will push on this week, probably starting with some lunge work before a saddle goes back on later in the week. Hillsyde Hope is doing great, the usual easy work that young horses go through to build fitness and confidence. He’s been enthusiastically popping over barrels and poles this past week and seems to be very elegant. We are planning an owners visit to see both horses and hear the plans for the season ahead, so a date for your diary, the morning of Saturday October 17th, more details nearer the time. 

We did look at a horse in the Arqana Yearling Sale this week, which was expensive, but another partner wanted at least 50% and Surrey Racing would have taken the balance. The bloodstock agents and trainer felt the New Bay colt would be a good buy at €200k, so Steve and I discussed how that might work within a Surrey Racing syndicate. In the end it was irrelevant as he sold for €260k, but it did open up an interesting discussion about whether we should be prepared to wait for a yearling to develop, or whether there is more merit in buying a breeze-up horse with the prospect of running in the same year. Our recent experiences have also made us look more closely at the breeze-up route. A horse that has made it through that process has, by definition, had to show a degree of physical robustness and development to cope with the demands of the sale, which can be a positive. The French also have a strong belief in getting National Hunt horses to the track at three, rather than allowing them to spend too long developing at home, and there is certainly an argument that early experience can stand them in good stead as they get older.

Patience is a vital commodity in horse racing, but ours has been tested more than usual this year, and that has inevitably made us look at whether our current strategy is still the right one. We will spend some time debating that this week (over a shandy or 2!!) - how we could broaden our approach, perhaps looking at the Horses in Training Sales and considering horses that offer a more immediate route to the track, as well as potentially changing how the syndicates are structured and how we want Surrey Racing to operate over the next few years.

We will of course keep you informed.

Possible races and events.                  

September

October
Saturday 17th – NH Owners Morning @The Lawes’ in Lambourn