3rd May Update
Back to the usual Sunday slot, albeit a little later today, as Surrey King made his seasonal debut at Salisbury this afternoon. We had some concerns about the ground beforehand, but Salisbury had done a terrific job with the surface. Officially it was described as good to firm, though in reality it rode better than that and was perfectly safe. Surrey King was led into the stalls without a jockey by the Witheford team and settled well before Harry Davies mounted. He was also professional once the gates opened, so that was two big positives on the day. Unfortunately, that was where the positives ended. He travelled well through the race and jockey, trainer, and owners all felt he was in a good position to run a big race, but when asked for his effort he simply didn’t pick up and eventually finished last. The vet examined him afterwards and found him to be sound, and notably he wasn’t even blowing after the race. That makes it all the more frustrating, because he is certainly capable of winning a race of that nature — especially given he is beating horses rated 85 at home while barely coming off the bridle. Hopefully, the penny drops soon, but for now the German Derby looks a long way off.
In other news, Hillsyde Hope may not be over from England in time for the morning at Toby’s next week, so we may need to reschedule to the Sunday or alternatively wait a few weeks. Apologies for that, but the sellers won’t release the horse until he is fully paid for. We are nearly there, however with a bank holiday in Ireland on Friday and in the UK tomorrow, combined with banking restrictions requiring payment in stages, travel arrangements are unlikely to be finalised until the end of the week. We will do our best to confirm one way or the other by midweek.
In addition, it is possible that Surrey Lord could have one final run this season at Haydock Park on Saturday 9th in a Class 2 open handicap over 3 miles. Entries are on Monday. However, we would not want to make the journey only to find the ground too firm. Frustrating as it may be, it is much easier to decide not to run when racing locally, such as at Sandown. Haydock is a long trip for horse, staff, and owners alike, so we will be cautious. If there is any concern that the ground may be firm, we will not travel and may not even make an entry.
We do have some excellent news though: Toby and Clare have purchased a yard in Lambourn and will be relocating to Berkshire at the end of June. We have noticed that when the horses have an away day using the gallops and facilities at Lambourn, they often improve on their next start, so we are delighted they will now have a permanent base there.
Surrey Moon and Surrey Bolt are both well. Please don’t forget to let us know if you would like to visit Tom’s on May 16th to see them both. Surrey Moon will hopefully have run by then, with Windsor on the 11th the target.
The annual Surrey Racing Golf Day is fast approaching and unfortunately clashes with the NH Doncaster Sale, meaning we have lost Toby and James for the day. We do still have two places remaining, so if anyone would like to join the 14 already signed up — or knows someone who would — please let us know.
Possible races and events.
May
Saturday 9th – Surrey Lord – Haydock
Owners visit to Toby Lawes – possibly rearranged
Monday 11th Surrey Moon – Windsor
Saturday 16th – Owners visit to Tom Clovers
Wednesday 20th – Surrey Racing Golf Day – Silvermere GC (2 spare places)
July
Sunday 5th – Surrey King - Hamburg