4th October Update
We are now back from our international break, with extra holiday blues as we returned to the news that Surrey Bolt has injured a tendon in one of his front legs. Bolt isn’t lame, but Tom noticed a bit of swelling and heat in the leg, and a subsequent scan showed a small hole amounting to about 5% of the tendon. This is relatively minor tear and considered a low-grade injury, but any tendon injury is serious. Unfortunately, we cannot escape the fact that although many horses recover and race again, tendon injuries can be career ending. However, If Bolt is to have any chance of racing again, we will need to be very patient. Rehabilitation would involve Tom keeping him in the yard for 6-8 weeks, to allow the hole to fill, before moving him to stud/farm where Bolt would follow an agreed plan including regular trotting to maintain elasticity in the tendon. That whole process would last at least 8 months, and if the scans and checks have shown the injury has healed, he would require a further 3-4 months to build up race fitness, meaning the earliest he could race again is September 2027. Tom has also suggested that we get Bolt gelded as it reduces the risk of him putting on weight, thereby putting extra strain on his legs.
There is a risk that despite the lengthy rehabilitation, the injury returns once he restarts fast work or racing. Surrey Racing has previously owned two flat horses that have suffered tendon injuries, albeit far more serious than Bolt’s with holes of over 25% in both cases, and neither of them recovered sufficiently to race again. We are in discussions with the other syndicate owners as to whether to continue ownership or cut our losses and find Bolt a retirement home.
Surrey Moon has had a week of trotting and walking over poles as Jackie feels it is more important to sort his balance and co-ordination out before he starts faster work which he will in the next week or so, so far so good with him.
Steve and I went to Lambourn yesterday for Toby’s Open Day and used the trip to visit Hughie.
Surrey King is beginning to fill out again having had four weeks of trotting and an hour a day on the walker. He’ll start steady canters this week which will slowly build him up to appear on a racecourse hopefully by the end of next month, possibly at Lingfield on November 24th or if it’s into December, then Southwell on December 11th. Having said that we wouldn’t expect too much from him in his first race back after the time off, he won’t be ‘race fit’ in what will be his last race before he gets an opening handicap mark.
Hillsyde Hope is still a bit weak behind and so is being trained with a bungee to strengthen up his muscles. There’s no point rushing him this season, he’s only 4 years old so now his debut probably won’t be until mid-November. Because of his high knee action, he’ll certainly need softer ground which is currently in short supply at the NH tracks. As we have mentioned before, he’s going to learn a lot this season, but we doubt we see him at his best for another year (or even 2 years) so this will be a bonus season whatever he manages.
Surrey Lord was like Hillsyde Hope in his first racing year, which was as a 5-year-old, he had 3 bumpers and a hurdle race (which he was beaten 50 lengths) before maturity set in and he got the hang of things. He looked great yesterday and looks to have an exciting season ahead. He hasn’t been schooled over the bigger fences yet, that will come this week, so we’ll find out if chasing is for him or it’s another season of hurdles. If the schooling goes well then his chase debut will be early in November with options on the 5th at Newbury, 9th at Kempton or 10th at Lingfield.
Unfortunately, October will now be a blank racing month although we are looking forward to our own gathering in Lambourn in two weeks’ time, more details to follow in the next few days.
Possible races and events.
October
Saturday 17th – NH Owners Morning @The Lawes’ in Lambourn