No Rain, Just A Few Missiles

Born and bred in the world of National Hunt, Lucy Hammond could not have found herself more immersed in Flat racing since taking over, in August 2024, the Head of Travelling role for joint licensees Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole.

After initially being assured that she wouldn’t be racing abroad this winter, Lucy took on a point-to-pointer, Foxtrot Racing’s Whizz Kid. Six days later, Jamie Insole asked if she could travel over to Dubai. Unable to ignore Basil her cocker spaniel (who went to her parents’) and that her horse would need to be worked (he subsequently went to a friend of the family), Lucy, 27, still couldn’t miss out on the trip. So, on 7^th January, she flew out to Dubai, landing the next day in the polar opposite to a British winter.

Straight away, Lucy relished the new routine. ‘The main track was on the dirt at the racecourse and there was a Tapeta training track open between 08.30-09.30AM. We had to book grass slots for the training track and the main track turf. Generally, I went on the main track because the Tapeta rode a bit quick,’ she explained. ‘First lot was at 05:00 and second lot was 06:30, and it was a good half hour’s walk up to the track.’

‘After coming back in, there was time for really good aftercare – thoroughly washing off, swimming, hand walking, icing legs, picks of grass. I only had two lots daily and two to care for at evening stables so I had lots of time to get to know the horses on a deeper level. Every evening, I’d hand walk them out again and give them another pick.’

‘Beforehand, I was sceptical if I would even enjoy it, especially as I’m from the countryside and it’s so different there – inner city, commercial, big and extravagant. Within a week, I felt very safe and started to love it.’

  In Lucy’s eight weeks out there, Dividend ran four times, finishing third, winning twice and second in a Group 2, rising 11lbs and earning nearly $215 000 in prize money. Witness Stand, winner of the Lennox Group 2 at Glorious Goodwood last summer, was less successful, but still joy to be over there with: ‘I had only previously ridden them a couple of times before but they were both great rides.’

Lucy also went to Abu Dhabi and Meydan Racecourses, which holds sixteen weeks of racing that concludes with the World Cup and is globally unparalleled. ‘Many employees are freelance. They go out to Dubai for particular trainers, such a Charlie Fellows, Michael Bell and Dylan Cunha. Some go to the USA after and they don’t have a set job or commitments at home. Everyone was really welcoming – a lot of people had been there since November, whereas I arrived in the middle of the season. Most have been going out for years and years.’

Both horses were supposed to come home on the 11^th March but Dividend qualified for the World Cup, in which he finished fifth. ‘It cost $50 000 to declare, $2.9 million to the winner and $50 000 of prize money to eighth place. Due to the missile situation, a lot of international runners stayed home so we all thought Dividend could run beyond expectations.’

Lucy dropped into our conversation about the Iranian missiles as if they had been enemies tossing insults. ‘The first night it kicked off, I received a text off Jamie Insole’s girlfriend Jess Stafford and I didn’t know what she was on about. I had been down the pool and was getting ready to go racing. When I got to the yard, there were a couple of really big bangs, which were caused by the intercepting of missiles, and the floors and walls of the stables shook as if during an earthquake.’

‘Then, in the racecourse stable yard, everyone was saying that racing surely couldn’t go ahead. The horses were so amazingly well behaved considering how loud the bangs were. Missiles were coming over the top of us like little fireworks. That was the night the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm was struck.’

Despite her family’s urgent insistence to travel home, Lucy couldn’t leave the horses. ‘The next morning, a missile was literally intercepted above our heads. Alerts were going off on everyone’s phones – take cover, keep away from windows and doors, go to lower levels – basically take shelter as if we were going to be bombed.’

‘A lot of us sheltered in the hotel reception until 03:00, and shock rippled round us and over the next week, that became the new normality. One alert would tell us to shelter and another alert would tell us it was safe to come out.’

‘Over the following week, it quietened down and then got livelier again as the weekend arrived. It was not as scary as the British media made it out to be. Some people carried on as normal – a few even went to a bottomless brunch but there was a real danger and locals did die. I didn’t take risks and stayed between the yard and my hotel. Initially, I even stayed at the stables so I could check on the horses throughout the night. It was very surreal.’

In true Lucy-style, she found it difficult to leave Dividend and Witness Stand. ‘I felt sad the day I left, as if I hadn’t finished the job and didn’t see it out until the end’.

A reminder why she returned home was a visit to the Cheltenham Festival on her first full day back in the UK. Yet, that feeling of being torn between wishing she’d stayed and coming home remained.

‘I had already paid for two months of training fees and my amateur license but if there had been less uncertainty over flights, I could’ve stayed longer. Dubai was basically in lockdown and, despite realising a runner in the World Cup can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, if it hadn’t kicked off, I probably would’ve stayed. I had to move my flights to Dublin two days early and the plane had to take a two-hour detour to avoid certain airspaces and an hour after taking off, Dubai Airport closed.’

‘I would definitely return, perhaps for a month as a crossover with someone else but not for longer because of my dog, horse, house and ‘pointing. At the start, I did a lot of sightseeing so the weeks passed quickly. Due to the missiles, I missed out on seeing The Palm and the marina because we were advised to stay indoors as much as possible. I became slightly bored as I was used to having every day different.’

‘There were many best bits, but riding on the track was a totally different experience to riding out on private facilities. I got to see Forever Young, winner of two Saudi Cups, and meet all different people from around the world.’

Lucy fitted in back at Dr Newland’s and Jamie Insole’s Worcestershire stables. ‘There were gallopers on the Monday, racing Tuesday, I collected my ‘pointer on the Wednesday and the two-year-olds were on the brink of running.’

Then, as if she’d never been away, Lucy finished second on Whizz Kid at Fakenham Point-to-Point…

Lucy finishing second on Whizz Kid - back safe in the UK