May 2025 Blog

Funchestown

What a Punchestown! The yard sent out a winner, a second and two thirds! Our two stars, Petit Tonnerre and jockey Richie McLernon, won by two lengths. Petit Tonnerre is a sweetheart with many nicknames: Pierre, Petit, Tonnie, PT, Tony… He’s a yard favourite and even bigger favourite of head girl Georgia Plumb. She deserves a mention because of all the extra care she’s given him, which finally paid off last season. He’d been trained from other stables and outside in the pens, but hadn’t won since February 2022. Punchestown was very different from that handicap hurdle on heavy ground at Market Rasen.

Those few days away took a lot of organising: of horses, staff, equipment, feed and paperwork. Everyone got stuck into the riding, leading up and general care of the runners. Even secretary Jade Aspell drove over, heading the organisation and she led in Petit Tonnerre on the off-side. The team also included AJ O’Neill, the boss Jonjo and his wife Jacqui. Hopefully, everyone partied and celebrated as hard as they worked. Even to us at home, this win felt special so it must’ve been amazing to those who were there, especially Jay Boulden, who led him up. It topped off Jay’s first full-time season here, bettering the second he’d led up at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Summer Has Arrived

Summer bloomed and Mayday bank holiday turned out bright and dry, continuing on from the rest of spring. The whirl and screech of machinery led the soundtrack of summer, whilst strimming, pruning and mowing filled the air with the sweet scents. The chug-chug of pressure washers accompanied the blast of water that removed the grime, dust and encrusted poo that had been left behind.

Occasionally on an evening's dog walk, I’d pass a small cluster of younger staff sprawled out on picnic rugs on the daisy and dandelion-dotted grass, basking in the lengthening shadows. On the darkening horizon, behind the undulating Cotswold hills, the sun set in the orange of hot embers. Their chatter and laughter carried off in the last of the daylight.

As the Flat readied itself for their most valuable races, snagging all the big headlines in the Racing Post, the jumps slid into holiday mode. The race days feel less competitive and serious, with certainly a lot less mud. The crowds are clad in a rainbow of hues, not that olive, herringbone tweed of winter. These floaty fabrics are often topped with a fascinator or wedding-worthy hat, especially on a ladies’ day. Racegoers take picnics, drink Pimm’s, G&Ts, rosé and cool ciders with condensation running down the pint glasses. The all-important ice cream van creates as long a queue as the bars. At the moment, our racing isn't as prestigious as the Flat but those winners start off the tally – they are the foundation for those winter days that, in this warmth and sunshine, feel so far off.

Winners

Our first winner of the season was Anne d’Arabie, ridden by Ben Macey, over fences at Huntingdon. It's always important to tick off that number one winner of the new season. The next day, Mammies Boy notched up the first win for the pens – the first of many, I hope.

Changes

Local trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies added son Willie to the licence, whilst Haverfordwest trainer Pete Bowen stepped down, leaving son Mickey in sole charge. In my early years as a groom, I remember seeing the trio of young boys, the epitome of cheekiness, Mickey, Sean and James, travelling round the country's racecourses with their parents and their runners. It couldn't be more fitting to see two of them riding many winners and the other one to be training them.

Happy retirement Rachel

Head girl Georgia Plumb with Rachel Blackmore at Haydock on Betfair Chase Day 2021

Having ridden a winner at Cork the previous week, jockey Rachel Blackmore announced her retirement from race riding. I doubt we'll see the likes of her again. Flat racing has had its Hayleys and Hollies but jump racing had its’ Rachel: the first woman to win the Aintree Grand National and the four championship races at the Cheltenham Festival. She always came across as a genuine, lovely person, often shocked at every big win that only men had won before, but there was no one more talented in the saddle.

Best of luck for the future, Rachel.

Donny HIT Sales

On the 22nd, four horses went up Donny sales. Broughshane, nicknamed Shaney or Broughy, was the first to go through the ring. I was on holiday so he was led round by Georgia, who was on a rare day out of the yard as her head lad duties have diminished as more horses are on their holidays. Shaney sold for £23,000 to Micky Bowen so I wish them lots of luck together.

There are many reasons why racehorses go to the sales. They might be devoid of ability or not as talented on a racecourse as their owner wants: a winner at Fontwell, not at Cheltenham. They might be older, or in need of a change of scenery. Some syndicates sell their horses regularly. Some horses require a drop in class to the point-to-point field, where it's nice to see a few excel under an amateur. For Flat racing, foals and yearlings can be sold for mega money – some are breeze-ups, which are watched do a piece of work before going through the ring. The market for winning or placed point-to-pointers, especially Irish ones, is huge and who knows if there's a future Cheltenham winner amoungst them?

Gone are the days that the sales are full of unscrupulous dealers selling the lame, the broken down or the dangerous. The sales are actually a fun day out, often busy and sociable, with the resounding commentary of the bidding in the background. Horses are trotted up, poked, prodded and checked by a vet, which can occur many times. The only quiet really is when you enter the ring, when the auctioneer’s bidding seems louder and clearer. There are crowds but they are sat up high or they mingle outside, so when you are walking round the ring, it sounds like it could be just you, the horse and that auctioneer. The nods, flicks of fingers, flashes of a catalogue are barely distinguishable but all mean bids have been made, adding to the excited undertone. There’s the excitement of selling but also of buying as those digits, hopefully, keep increasing. All is over at the crack of the gavel and the next horse is already entering the ring as you leave.

The summer will continue in a melee of race days, sales and all those maintenance jobs. And before we know it, those winter horses will have a date for coming back in but first, let's enjoy our holidays.