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MARCH NEWSLETTER 2017
Dear All
I really cannot complain about the last month. It has been a cracker. The horses are healthy again and as a result we have been visiting the winners enclosure much more often. I would like to thank all my owners for being so patient and understanding as it was a torrid couple of months over Christmas. The good times seem to be back again.
My jockeys have been good too. David Bass and Tom Bellamy my two main men in the saddle have done us proud as have the two youngsters in Conditional Mikey Hamill and Amateur Henry Morshead as they too have been slotting in the winners.
This time of year we are all geared up for The Cheltenham Festival. It seems that the whole world descends on this area next week. A hugely exciting and anticipated weeks racing ahead of us. Cheltenham just seems to get bigger every year.. almost too top heavy because everything else is moved aside to make room. That means media coverage is almost at saturation point.
We will have our runners and our main chance is obviously Charbel; as yet I am not sure which race he will run in. Arkle or JLT.. Probably the former.. Ground a big issue as it will be to so many runners there.
Anyway this time next week we will have new champions and some very happy owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and punters.. Lets hope we all have one of those?
Punt well and have a great week. I will be back in April with all the news on The Last Samuri and his Grand National Chances.
FEBRUARY UPDATE
Having had a rather quiet December and January the same can’t be said for February. We had ten winners in February of which Bandon Roc racked up a hat trick of wins. However, the first winner we had was with Another Venture at Sandown for The Racing For Maggies team Another Venture deserved his win after two good seconds.
AV is a nice horse who will only improve and next season he will be a decent chaser.
Delighted for the charity partnership and Maggies benefit with 20% of the prize money.. Loads turned up for the occasion and the racecourse looked after them all with a celebratory glass or two of champagne after the race.
Mon Palois followed up on the same day and was a great result for Paul and Elizabeth Kellar when scooting up in the bumper. Aiden Murphy found this French bred horse for us after he won an Irish Point to Point. Described as a fun whose who will win races.. Well he has started on the right note..
Bandon Roc as mentioned earlier had a hat trick of wins which started at Taunton. Bandon Roc in the last race bolted up.
Now here is a horse who we thought would go well last time but came home under the weather. Coughing stops most and now recovered we benefited from a further drop in the handicap.
Bandon Roc and young Henry Morshead did the job in fine style at Huntingdon. Never easy to assume you will win again after winning 4 days before, but BR escaped a penalty for his Sundays Taunton win, and won accordingly.
The ground was very very tiring but that did not stop Bandon Roc from completing the hat trick of wins in the last 10 days.
I have to say that watching BR start off yesterday he looked like he might struggle as he did not look to be going that well. Young Henry Morshead was slapping him down the shoulder to keep him up with the pace, which was probably too fast for the conditions.
Always jumping well they remained in contention and then 3 from home Henry asked for more and BR answered. They looked like winning then and before we knew it the opposition stopped as they had done too much early on in the ground.. race over.. winning in the end by far too far.. 26 lengths or more..I have to say it was by far the worst race of the three he ran in
Great for his patient owners who had a weak horse last year and probably none too healthy one when he ran before Christmas. The WOW Partnership of Russell and Leslie Fields (also breeder), Brian and Linda Cognet, Mark and Marion Hudson, Derek and Deborah Lovelock and John and Sue Stanley were all very happy after their win.
Ben Arthur who ran in the last race at Ffos Las won.
Sounds easy but let me tell you it was not. David Bass who last rode BA when he struggled to get out of his own way at Bangor was not sure if he had won.
Always travelling like a winner (that is what David said as we could not see) he arrived at the last and the petrol tank ran dry.. Somehow he managed to wring out a few more drops of petrol and they held on by the shortest of short heads.. Another stride and we were beat!
Happy days for his owners Mark and Melinda Laws who bought this chap at the Goffs (Doncaster) Sales last May after he had won an Irish Point on heavy ground. BA's win yesterday made up for the fact that last time he ran he finished virtually last and we all scratched our chins as to why.. a reason appeared shortly after when he started coughing..
Kim has never really understood why blinkers, visors or sheepskin cheek pieces (known as Fench Blinkers) should sometimes make such a huge difference to a horses performance, but they certainly can do. Thedrinkymeister became a completely different horse to one we saw about two weeks ago at Sedgefield where he never went a yard and pulled up; he was lifeless, unwilling or just plainly hated Sedgefield.
Yesterday was his second trip to Wetherby and last time he won well there and that was the first time he wore sheepskin cheek pieces; yesterday the visor was added and he did what he did again last time and won well.
Was it the visor or was it the fact that he actually enjoys running around Wetherby? Either way he had happy owners (John Perriss), trainer and for a change a smiling jockey (David Bass) after
What a funny old world Racehorse ownership is. Last season John Perriss had his best with 12 winners and this winter/season it has been very much the other way around..moderate to say the least.
Luckily John has been in this game for long enough to know that things change and when they do you smile, enjoy and celebrate.
24 hours is a long or even a short time in anybody’s life but to have 2 winners in 24 hours is certainly good news. The Drinkymeister was followed up by Rocky’s Treasure at Doncaster .. Rockys Treasure was actually pretty impressive, especially when you consider that he pulled hard for most of the 3 miles.
Matt Lambert went home very happy from Exeter when his mare Cascaye overturned a 1-10 on shot. David Bass was equally pleased as he did not expect that one. Cascaye is finally coming to hand, but she is still a big bay with huge ears!
Over at Warwick Diva Reconce confirmed the promise she had been showing at home when she scooted up in the mares bumper. Very happy owners.
It was the first winner I have trained for Nanette Sellars and Philip and Sandra Arkwright. I was simply delighted for them as they have been perhaps the most unlucky owners in the yard ..You cannot believe some of the things that have gone wrong for them.. It was a much deserved win and there were tears of joy from a hotel room in Dubai where the Arkwright’s are staying.
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL –
14TH – 17TH MARCH 2017
The highlight of the Jump season with an atmosphere that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The Festival epitomises and encompasses everything that is great about Jump racing, whilst delivering an unbelievable occasion as the finest horses, jockeys, owners and trainers battle it out for the highest racing honours, their reputations and over £4.1 million of prize money.
Join the party, as just over 260,000 people pass through the gates over the four days.
Champion Day - The famous roar as the tapes rise for the first race on Tuesday signals the moment when the 12 month wait is over and racing’s favourite fixture is back.
Ladies Day – We are delighted to announce our Ambassadors for 2017 are: Roz Purcell – “Team Captain for Ireland” and Miss England Elizabeth Grant “Team Captain” for Great Britain.
St Patrick’s Thursday - Celebrate St Patrick’s Day on the third day of The Festival. They’ll be plenty of Guinness available, Irish music to lift the spirits and all the action on the course, including the two big races The Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle and The Ryanair Steeple Chase.
Gold Cup Day - The Timico Gold Cup is one of the most significant Jump races in the season, and nothing can rival the Cheltenham roar as the horses come in.
The Going is currently Good to Soft, Soft in places.
VENI VIDI VINNIE………
I CAME I SAW I… BOUGHT?!
Not quite Julius Ceasar but this imposing son of Vinnie Roe was born on St Georges Day and is the latest Kim Bailey Racing Partnership horse that could conquer all before him.
This athletic unnamed 4 year old gelding is the apple of Kim’s eye and you now have the opportunity to own a share in him. He is by the up and coming sire Vinnie Roe, who won the Irish St Leger ( yet another link to a Saint!) 4 times and is producing many notable winners including the recent impressive Gr2 winner Neon Wolf and is from the same family as Irish Grand National winner Insure
He is currently in full training and progressing very well, you are more than welcome to come and see him, as he is seriously worth considering. See a short video clip of him working here, he is nearest the camera.
You will also have the chance to name him, choose a partnership name and racing colours.
Call Peter Kerr now on 07901 763643 for further information or email peter@kimbaileyracing.com
RANDOX HEALTH GRAND NATIONAL MEETING
AINTREE – 8TH, 9TH & 10TH APRIL 2017
Make the Randox Health Grand National Festival your must attend event of the year.
There's nothing like the iconic Aintree arena, as the finest sportsmen and women line up together for three days of incredible racing.
Splashes of colour, vibrancy, entertainment, fashion and style provide the backdrop for what is one of the most renowned festivals in the world, which is underpinned by the finest horseracing in the world.
No other event on earth will provide the passion and excitement of The Randox Health Grand National Festival 2017.
With so much happening both on and off the circuit, The Randox Health Grand National Festival 2017 promises passion, thrills and drama like nowhere else.
The curtain will rise on Grand Opening Day, when the racing action will be followed by sensational live music and entertainment.
Day two of the festival is when Aintree sees the ladies take the stage. As well as the breath-taking action on the racecourse, Ladies Day will include the search for the most stylish race goer.
And then, the day of the grandest show there is. The world will watch on Grand National Day.
Whilst 600 million people will be watching at home, you can experience the 170th Grand National in person.