Bailey's Blog

Plus 10 and drizzling when driving in.

We’ve always liked Warwick. It’s a proper racecourse, they look after you well and do things the right way. And yesterday they served up another good day for us with Step Ahead making a very pleasing start to his hurdling career.

Step Ahead finished a hugely encouraging second to what looked a very smart horse of Dan Skelton’s in Moneygarrow

We were absolutely delighted with him. He showed good form in bumpers last season for Don Cantillon, and we’ve brought him along quietly through the summer.

Step Ahead who won best turned out is every inch a chaser.. he has the size, scope, the whole lot, and you can almost see the hurdles getting in his way already. Give him a year and a fence and he’ll really come into his own. But for now, that was a properly good run first time over hurdles, and we’re very happy with him as are his owners Phil and Gill Andrews..

Last night’s charity dinner at Cheltenham was, without doubt, one of the most extraordinary evenings I’ve ever attended.

Five hundred people gathered with one purpose: to listen to, talk to, and simply be in the presence of John Hunt and his daughter Amy

What unfolded was remarkable. We all came away in absolute awe of what they have been through, what they continues to achieve, and the unbelievable strength with which they carry themselves. It was impossible not to feel humbled.

No matter how testing our own days can be, theirs have been unimaginably horrendous, yet they stood there on stage with dignity, courage, and an almost disarming grace. And spoke so calmly.

The room was filled with people wanting to help, to support, to give something back. The generosity was huge, and the sense of shared admiration for him even more so.

A very, very special evening indeed, one that will stay with all of us for a long time.. Thank you to Rebecca Davies for asking us..

To donate please click here.

Molly Armytage was in to ride out..Molly's Dad Marcus rode my Grand National winner.!

We have two runners today at Doncaster. Mat heads ther to saddle Moon Rocket and Top Target and for our thoughts please click here.

Mrs B and I are at Cheltenham as guests of Alan and Jane Parker and then I am heading to the Tattersalls sales after racing..

You know I like to help my owners and on that note if you short of Christmas ideas you might enjoy looking at this site..

To finish.. Happy birthdays today to Kirsten Loyd and one our most enthusiastic KBRS owners Peter Smith..

Plus 7 and dry when driving in.

We all like a surprise in life, and Amazing Cleni winning at Leicester was certainly one of those yesterday.

I’d mentioned to his owners some time ago that we would win a race with him, although after his run at Huntingdon last time, even I wasn’t entirely convinced. Everything went wrong there, they went an absolute gallop, and he simply couldn’t cope. Yesterday, however, they went more of a “married man’s speed”, and that suited him perfectly.

He jumped well, almost upside at the last and ran out a ready winner. A good ride from Tom Bellamy.

I’m so pleased for the team who own Amazing Cleni.. 'The May You Never Be Found Out Partnership 2'.. Stephen Cannon was there to enjoy it, Kevin Clancy was Scotland, Oli Bell was clearly doing something far more glamorous, and the other main members Matt Cannon, Michael, Patrick and Ronan Clancy, Andrew Fundell, Mary Hatch, Jerry and Elliot Mills were either working or probably having a very good lunch somewhere in London!! A brilliant result for them, and it really couldn’t have been a better day.

From Leicester we headed to Hereford, where Jukebox King – our first Racing Club micro-share runner – ran a very solid race to finish fourth in what looked a competitive contest on paper. The first three appear to be good horses, and we won’t be far behind them in time. He’s only just beginning to come to himself, and it was very pleasing to see him jump and travel so well. Johnny Burke, who rode him, was delighted.

These micro shares are new ground for us, but we had twleve 'share owners' in the paddock, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed their day out, and the racecourse handled it brilliantly with their Syndicate Tent. There were probably another thirty who paid extra to come along despite not having free tickets, which was wonderful to see. A good team, great fun, and a thoroughly enjoyable day all round.

Thursday morning brings in Johnny Burke to school  Moon Rocket with Isle Of Gold before he runs at Doncaster tomorrow.

We have one runner today at Warwick.. Step Ahead heads there and for our thoughts please click here.

Mat will be at Warwick as I am at Cheltenham Tattersalls sales looking at the horses that sell after racing tomorrow night.

Talking night.. Mrs B and I are attending the Charity Dinner at the racecourse this evening for racecourse commentator John Hunt..

Ed Cookson.. Is December going by fast or did I just eat an advent calender in one sitting?..

Answer Ed. Yes!

To Finish..If anyone knows of a little cottage / annexe for rent either short or long term relatively local to Thorndale, please let me know.... only requirement is that it's dog friendly ...excellent references and good people..

Plus 8 and dry when driving in this morning, thank God. 7mm since yesterday at 6am..

After yesterday’s horror show of weather, anything that isn’t blowing you sideways feels like a blessing. The wind and the rain… it was relentless. I even attempted to take photographs of a horse I’m desperate to promote because he’s such a lovely sort, but that idea was swiftly abandoned. 

Tom Bellamy and Ciaran Gethings were in to ride out. 

John and Mandy Battershall arrived for third lot to see their KBRS horse, Moon Rocket, who continues to be a firm favourite for them after his win a couple of weeks ago at Doncaster.. MR looks like heading back there on Friday.

Peter and Olive Smith were also here to see Peter Kerr's latest KBRS horse Double Ten.

Peter Smith was here to see his KBRS horse Matty's Getaway.

Going back to yesterday, in a moment of questionable optimism, I decided to do my first day of Christmas shopping.

I drove into Cheltenham, marched into the first shop, bought one thing  and instantly realised I’d had quite enough of Christmas shopping for the entire year. So, I turned around, went home, and did the rest online. Bliss. Honestly, I felt hugely relieved.. shopping is simply not for me.

The only highlight was bumping into one of our vets, Liam Kearns, who, unlike me, appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

We will probably see Liam at Hereford this afternoon where we have our first micro shared horse running.. the Racing Club horse Jukebox King. We also run Amazing Cleni at Leicester and for our thougts please click here.

Plus 12 and raining when driving in..21mm so far..

We were battered by Storm Bram..overnight.. Not as bad as some by any means

Storm Bram sounds more like a character from a Scandinavian crime drama than a weather front, but he’s brought an amber warning, heavy winds, and damaging rain. 

Our vet is here this morning for the usual Tuesday visit while this week’s movers and shakers in the BHA handicap charts were Does He Know up 6 to 147, I Spy A Diva down 1 to 118 and Wild Goose up a whopping 12 to 115.

Moving away from racing.. 

I love it. Roger Hart, who has never been known to miss an opportunity, was straight on the email yesterday morning to let me know that the travel agency, Black Opal, due to late availability now have tickets for tickets to the Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney Tests.

Apparently, a few people have dropped out because the cricket’s been so poor that they’ve decided they simply can’t face watching any more of it. So, if you fancy a little trip to Australia to take in one of those Test matches, do get in touch with Roger.. he’ll be absolutely delighted to hear from you.

You never know, you might even see a winning match. Well… certainly you’ll see the Australian’s win a match... What you will not see is Mark Woods who is now out for the tour.

And drifting even further away from racing, but still talking about winning..

Huge congratulations to Vince Birmingham and his team.. Vince, Lindsey and the team have won yet another award for Hendra House. This time they have managed the small feat of being crowned the best care home in the entire country. Quite unbelievable but entirely deserved. Vince has many shares in our KBRS horses....I can only assume Vince and Mrs B have been discussing contra deals on his next horse!

In a care home, there was a resident who firmly believed tea should always be served with two sugars.

One day, a new staff member mistakenly added only one.

The resident sniffed, tasted it, and declared loudly: “This isn’t tea, this is disappointment in a cup!”

To finish .. Happy birthday to one of our KBRS members, Phil Case.

Plus 11 and dry when driving in. 9mm in the last 24

Draco Malfoy won at Huntingdon..

I’m not quite sure how to sum up yesterday’s racing. On one hand, it was brilliant to see Draco Malfoy win his first race over hurdles. He’s always shown us plenty, especially after running some nice races in bumpers last season, so it was hugely satisfying to watch him get his head in front on his first start of the season..

Rewards for patience as DM has not been that well having suffered a nasty bout of ringworm which knocked him sideways.. A couple of weeks on the spa with Jason Maguire helped him recover…. As Richard Pilkington commented after his win.. expensive pampering did the trick. Richard was not with us, but Francis Brooke was .. fresh his daughter Olivia's wedding celebration. Understandably Francis was thrilled.. what a weekend for him…

Good to meet DM's breeder Wesley Loftus who came over from Ireland to watch DM and finally a big thanks to Kevin Ross for finding and buying DM..

The day didn’t exactly begin in storybook fashion. Leigh set off for Huntingdon, only to ring halfway there to announce she’d picked up a puncture. Cue a swift reroute for me: Tesla back home, jump into the four-wheel drive, and off again to sort out the problem. The people who should have arrived to help with the tyre didn’t!… let’s just say “not overly efficient” is the polite version. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

Leigh eventually managed to get the first two horses to the races, and I ended up in charge of the third.. Isle of Gold.. which proved to be something of a mission.

We did get him there, but he certainly didn’t repay the effort. For reasons only he knows, his jumping was diabolical. This is a horse who is foot-perfect at home, yet yesterday he deposited poor Tom Bellamy at the fourth with a shocking mistake. He was simply not in a going mood, and it was very frustrating for his owners, who had turned up full of hope.

In the first race we ran Guchen, who gave young Aamilah Aswat her second ride. That went perfectly well: she’s learning, and although they finished towards the tail, they were only beaten around six lengths. A good run, and plenty more to come from the pair as the season unfolds.

So, in the end, it was a good day..a winner, and an uneventful trip home. All horses back safe and sound, which is always the most important part. But yes… quite a day, and not without its share of “fun”. Well done to Leigh for handling a tricky situation well..

Fun.. Not when you mention Cricket.. England were shocking.. how could they honestly play that badly.. I feel sorry for the 40,000 travelling fans who are over to watch the Ashes series.. Even I am not sure how much I am going to enjoy the last test in Sydney.. I am sure I will find a way?

Great Britain has produced another World Champion. Lando Norris..won his first Formula One Drivers Championship.. well done to him.. just rewards for hard work and huge family support... He is our 11th world champion..

Plus 9 and raining when driving in. 25mm of rain so far.

Cricket.. oh no!

Ciaran Gethings and Tom Bellamy were in for one lot before heading off racing.. Not for us as we do not have a runner today.

Des and Chris King and Georgette Putley were here for a morning on the gallops and breakfast

Joe Berrett was here for a first visit to Thorndale.

Derek Eaton was here to see his KBRS horses Campaign Trail and Marsiac.

We have three runners tomorrow at Huntingdon. Guchen, Draco Malfoy and Isle Of Gold for our thoughts please click here.

Yesterday was spent with Patrick and Ed Bailey.. Amazing set up..

A woman went shopping. At the cash counter, she opened her purse to pay.

The cashier noticed a TV remote in her purse.

He could not control his curiosity and asked, "Do you always carry your TV remote with you?"

She replied " No, not always, but my husband refused to accompany me shopping today because of football match, so I took the remote."

*Moral: Accompany and support your wife in her hobbies...*

The story continues....The cashier laughed and then returned all the items that lady had purchased.

Shocked at this act, she asked the cashier what he was doing.

He said, "your husband has blocked your credit card..."

*MORAL: Always respect the hobbies of your husband.*

Story continues....Wife took out her husband's credit card from purse and swiped it. Unfortunately he didn't block his own card.

*Moral: Don't underestimate the power and wisdom of your WIFE..*

Story continues...After swiping, the machine indicated, 'ENTER THE PIN SENT TO YOUR MOBILE PHONE'.......

*Moral: When a man tends to lose, the machine is smart enough to save him!*

Story continues....She smiled to herself and reached out for the mobile which rang in her purse.

It was her husband's phone showing the forwarded SMS.

She had taken it with the remote control so he doesn't call her during her shopping.

She bought her items and returned home happily.

*Moral: Don't underestimate a desperate woman!*

Story continues....On getting home, his car was gone.

A note was pasted on the door

"Couldn't find the remote. Gone out with the boys to watch the premiership match. Will be home late. Call me on my phone if you need something"

Damn... He left with the house key too.

*Moral: Don't try to control your husband. You will always lose

To finish.. Happy birthday to Paul Vogt..

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday..

Plus 1 and dry when driving in.

What an extroadinary days cricket .. The first day of the second Ashes Test.. Staggering stuff from Joe Root.. That has shut the Aussies up.. for the moment..BUT.. Day 2 is in action now..Not so good..

This AM here..

Isabelle Ryder was in to ride out.. Her first visit to Thorndale.

You have to laugh....Not at the above.. but..

Over the last couple of days I’ve been inundated with text messages and emails wishing me a very happy retirement!

Someone even came up to me at Haydock, took a selfie, and said how sad they were that I was giving up. I had to say, rather firmly, I’m not giving up!

Mrs B has even had messages wishing her 'good luck!'

All this fuss.. it turns out to have come down from a Facebook post that didn’t quite finish the story. It was simply about us having to retire Chianti Classico but AI took it one stage further.. Many clearly didn’t read past the first line and leapt straight to the idea of thinking, “Goodbye Kim Bailey, he’s retired!”

So let me put the record straight, loud and clear: I am not retiring. Not yet. Not for a little while. I’m still very much here, and very much working!

Talking retiring .. the news that up and coming trainer Alice Haynes is stopping training is not good news and surely a worry for the sport as a whole.. Costs...

This time next week Mrs B and I would be probably feeling less chipper than normal after a charity dinner at Cheltenham Racecourse..For.. Racecourse commentator John Hunt…

There is a special online silent auction has gone live to raise money for the Hunt Family Fund, set up in memory of BBC racing commentator John Hunt’s wife Carol and daughters Hannah and Louise. 

More than 25 items are on offer, including behind-the-scenes experiences at Match of the Day and Sky’s Monday Night Football, plus a guided tour of Michael Owen’s racing stables conducted by the former Liverpool and England striker.

This amazing auction which opened on Wednesday and will run until the evening of Thursday, December 11. Please click here to see the auction prizes.. You can also donate of you would like to do so by clicking here.

Happy birthday to Susie Veigo...It has been a while since we last saw her.. Have a good one Susie..

Plus 7 and raining when driving in. 3mm so far..

A double on the day.. Does He Know at Haydock and Wild Goose at Ludlow. 

Haydock was where Does He Know strutted his stuff, and it was brilliant to see him genuinely enjoying himself again. His last win came in the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster some 18 months ago under David Bass. David’s style and Ciaran’s couldn’t be more different, but the end result was the same: Ciaran steered him round for a very easy success.

Sadly, the race wasn’t without its darker moment. Ilikedwayurthinkin who looked to be taking us on fell and was fatally injured. It was desperately sad, and our thoughts are with all those connected. These old boys give us so much pleasure, days like that remind us just how fragile the game can be.

I’m absolutely thrilled for The Yes He Does Syndicate. They’ve had an enormous amount of fun with DHK, and it was fitting that he delivered a birthday winner for Mark Laws, who has been involved with the horse from day one.

A proper Haydock day, and huge thanks to the racecourse team as well. DHK can be a bit bonkers in the paddock, and they kindly let us leave early, even silencing the tannoy, a moment of total quiet that the commentator Gordon Brown took in remarkably good humour. Naturally, he got his own back when interviewing me afterwards.

Down at Ludlow, Wild Goose was having his first run in a handicap. We genuinely didn’t know what to expect.. whether he was well treated or not, but the first-time tongue tie made a big difference. He had a wind operation two or three runs ago, and although we didn’t think he needed the tongue tie at the time, his last run certainly suggested otherwise. It definitely helped, and despite his rather sketchy jumping up the straight, he absolutely bolted up. Again, like DHK, he was helped by another horse coming down when in contention.

A good day all round, and I’m very pleased for Mark and Marion Hudson and breeder Hilary Fitzsimons.. Sadly, neither could be there; Marion was, I think, on her way home from Abu Dhabi where Mark works. Whether she arrived in time to catch the race or not, she’ll certainly get the news when she walks through the door.

The journey home from Haydock, however, was less glorious. The M5 was closed at Junction 4 and I sat for a considerable time. I was rather low on electricity and had a brief moment of wondering whether I was about to become a stranded motorist statistic.

Thankfully, after about 45 minutes, we crawled forward and all was well, and I even discovered that electric cars use next to nothing when sitting still. Just goes to show, they’re well worth having!

More horse news.. Records sales in Newmarket..Tattersalls..

Cricket.. Second Ashes Test.. Updates!! Not a good start.. 2 wickets down..Duckett and Pope only faced 5 balls between them!! Latest score..

Molly my PA has started using AI for music suggestions on our instagram account when posting our winners.. Yesterday music was from the nursery rhyme ''Goosey Goosey Gander": Interesting lyrics..

Upstairs and downstairs and in my lady's chamber” is an allusion to prostitutes — commonly known as geese in the 18th century. The rhyme also hints at the spread of venereal disease, which was known as “goose bumps” because of the swellings it caused.

Plus 1, foggy and dry when driving in.

I know I’ve said it many times before, but Southwell really is a shining example of how a small racecourse should be run. They make a proper effort to look after you, and for that I genuinely thank them.

Yesterday our two runners both ran very much to plan. In fact, they both ran very well.

John Dewen who was having his first runner as an owner with That’ll Be Oxo was delighted that his horse ran well and finished third in the bumper, a most encouraging start.

TBO is very much one for next season and the future, and we’ll look to give him three or four runs in bumpers this term before going hurdling next season. Definitely a horse to look forward to.

I Spy A Diva continues to improve, slowly but surely. She probably found the ground a bit too taxing over three miles yesterday.

ISAD will be better dropped back in trip..two and a half miles, maybe two-five on that sort of ground. But she’s an honest trier, and there are certainly races to be won with her as the season goes on.

Home last night in time for supper in The Frogmill with Mrs B’s parents Fred and Cilla who were celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary..

Tom Bellamy and Ciaran Gethings were in to ride out this morning.

We jumped Draco Malfoy, Guchen, Jukebox King, Sea Of Fortune. Seatoit, Name Me Nicely, Amazing Cleni and Two For Gold.

Sad to hear about Robin Smith.. what a great cricketer. He died yesterday in Perth Australia.. 62.. no age but he has been struggling for a while.. But he was a tough cookie on the pitch and a fantastic batsman. 

Taking cricket The Second Ashes will be playing this time tomorrow.. starts at 4am UK time..

We have a couple of runners today. I’m heading to Haydock with the old yard favourite, Does He Know, who runs in a veterans’ chase. Meanwhile, Mat is off to Ludlow to saddle Wild Goose. For our thoughts on their chances, please click here.

Robin Smith v Merv Hughes (Ashes 1989):

Hughes: "You can't f****** bat".

Smith (after hitting him for four): "Hey Merv, we make a fine pair. I can't f****** bat and you can't f****** bowl".

Robin Smith v Merv Hughes (2015):

Hughes: "It's four years since I bowled to you and you haven't improved".

Smith (after hitting him for four): "Neither have you"

To finish.. Happy birthday to Mark Laws..

Plus 4 and dry when driving in..18mm yesterday

Blimey, that was a very wet day yesterday. It never stopped raining here, not once, and it was so relentless that Ffos Las was abandoned early yesterday morning for today's planned meeting...

Hugely frustrating, especially for the owners of Isle Of Gold who was waiting to go down there..but that’s winter jump racing for you?

Anyway, on to today. We have our usual vet visit, and this week’s movers and shakers in the BHA handicap charts were Court In A Storm down 2 to 113, Marsiac up 1 to 127, Moon Rocket up 7 to 141, So You Know eneters at 111 and Matty's Getaway enters at 125.

Racing news

Sir Gino has entered the Champion Hurdle picture with Nicky Henderson considering his deployment as a super-sub at Christmas as the fallout continued from Saturday’s dramatic Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Cricket news.. Second Ashes test starts on Thursday morning..

I head to Southwell with two runners: That’ll Be Oxo and I Spy A Diva..For our thoughts on their chances, please click here.

A plane hit a patch of severe turbulence and the passengers were holding on tight as it rocked and reeled through the night.

A little old lady turned to a minister who was sitting behind her and said, "You're a man of God. Can't you do something about this?"

He replied, "Sorry, I can't. I'm in sales, not management."