Bailey's Blog

Plus 15 and dry when driving in.

Mark in today for our usual vet visit. Talking of vets, Leigh has kindly written today's blog about veterinary care for horses at the races.

There is always a large team of vets at the races, this is split between a group of vets brought in by the Racecourse to treat the horses during and after the races and veterinary officers employed by the BHA to oversee everything and check the health of the horse before and after. There is also a team of BHA integrity officers at each racecourse that sign the horses and staff into the stables and conduct the dope testing, they are always around and keeping an eye on the horses. If they see something that concerns them, for example a lame horse or a horse with a bad cut, they will report it to the veterinary officers.

The BHA are very strict on horse health and if they have any concerns over a horse, they will be checked over and trotted up before their race. This could be because he might have fallen in his previous race, or prevously needed veterinary attention due to a cut or lameness. They are also checked over after they have had a long time off since their last race, and in these cases I will be expected to explain the absence.
As of last year all courses are required to do an ‘all horse trot up’ at two meeting per season, this means that all horses will be required to be checked over by the veterinary officers to ensure they are fit to race. This involves checking their heart and legs and watching them trot away and back. If a horse is likely to be a little stiff or move in a strange way but is not lame the trainer can submit a video to the BHA so the VO can allow for this. I always make sure our horses have had a ten minute walk to loosen them up before they do trot to ensure they move as well as possible. If the VO is not happy with a horse they have the right to withdraw it and not allow it to run. This rarely happens as no trainer would send a horse to the races unless they thought it was 100% fit and healthy.

The veterinary officers can also be asked by the BHA stewards to check a horse post race if it has run poorly or below expectations, they will do the same checks and report back, generally the horse is fine and there is another reason for his poor performance but occasionally they will be lame or have bled from the nose and the VO is required to record this for the future.
The veterinary officers spend their time between the parade ring and the stables and are always on hand to offer help or advice.

The other part of the veterinary team are the vets that treat the horses and are usually part of a local practice commissioned to work on race days. There are usually about 5 vets and they are divided between ones that stay in the stable yard to attend horse post race and ones that follow the race in one of the many cars you see racing after them! This means they are on hand if a horse falls badly and can give him the care he needs immediately. They are very good and ensure that the horse does not suffer regardless of any injury it has sustained. They also carry oxygen to help horses that are not injured but too exhausted or winded to get up.
There are always vets in the stable yard to attend to any post race injuries, I always check my horses over after they have run and bandage any minor cuts, but if they are deep or bleed a lot I get them checked and cleaned. Sometimes they are not too bad once they are cleaned but the vets are good to reassure me and are patient even if they think I am over reacting! I would rather be told it was fine than have a lame horse in the morning!
Sometimes if a horse has run badly we will get it scoped after the race. This means putting a camera down his windpipe into his lungs to check for blood or mucus. This is carried out by the racecourse vets and is normally done 30 to 45 minutes post race. This helps determine the cause of a bad run and ensure we can treat the horse for any issue quickly.
It is very helpful and reassuring to have so many people on hand to offer help and advice. Although the outcome is not always the best one we can be sure that it is not for the lack of care and attention.

Plus 17 and dry when driving in. 

I'm running low on topics of conversation for the blog so thought I'd say a bit about my brilliant experience at the ROR National Championships at Aintree last month, and retraining racehorses in general (Mat says he's heard enough about Neil but hasn't offered any other ideas!)

I've had several racehorses off the track, all at different stages of their careers... some were in training for a long time, some had just a few runs before retiring. I've then kept them for varying amounts of time, found out what they like doing, what they are best at and then found a home for them doing that job.

I think they all have a niche... something they're good at and something they enjoy.. it's important to try get to know them for a little while and work out what they like. Some love trail hunting, some love jumping, some love happy hacking, and in Neil's case some love showing off and being centre of attention!

Neil is a special horse.. he's very talented but has the most brilliant brain. Not At Present (Neil) was bred by Davy Russell and trained by Ben Pauling, where he won 4 times and was placed 5 times before retiring from racing in June 2024. He started ridden work in October 2024 following a few months of niggly issues and downtime. We played about with some dressage over the winter, getting him out and about without going racing. I think exposure is so important... racehorses tend to be unphased by most things at competition venues in my experience. They're so used to going on the lorry, hearing crowds, seeing banners and other horses etc... you just want them to learn that going on the lorry doesn't mean they're going racing anymore, it's all about them learning to relax. Neil is as laid back as they come, so this didn't take long for him.

This season has been Neil's first season competing. He's won at 6 of his 9 shows, and placed in all bar one.... If he was still a racehorse, that would be pretty impressive form!!! We qualified for Hickstead, The Aintree National Championships and The London International Horse Show all on our first time trying.

The ROR Championships at Aintree were obviously a dream come true and couldn't have gone any better for us. The classes were huge and the atmosphere was electric. I was pleased with how he went in both preliminary judging stages, and we got through to the evening performance of the final 10 in both of our classes. It was both of our first times in an evening performance, I'd never worn a top hat before!!! The music was loud and the spotlights were bright but Neil loved the atmoshphere and we won the Novice Show Horse Final and the Amateur Show Horse Final, against some brilliant, talented and far more experienced combinations!

Little did I know that once you win a championship class you get asked to come back into the Supreme Championship, against all the winners and reserves of the evening... you get given a song that you have 30 minutes to make up a routine to and perform it in the main arena in front of the crowd. I was told to gallop as much as I can and get the crowd cheering...Our song was 'Hero' by Mariah Carey... Neil is very inexperienced compared to the other horses, so we just kept it simple and had fun. I've never had a feeling quite like it... the louder the crowd cheered the faster he galloped and somehow he managed to keep it in time with the music!

Astonishingly we were crowned Supreme Champions of the show, quite unbelievable! We won lots of lovely sashes, rosettes and rugs... but most excitingly we get to parade at the Aintree Grand National Meeting in April 2026.

The ROR promgramme has something for everyone, not just showing. They offer training clinics, endurance competitions, dressage, eventing and show jumping leagues, polo..even horseball!

I couldn't speak more highly of the charity, and if you have a former racehorse I really urge you to get involved with some ROR training or competitions. And if you don't have an ex-racehorse you're missing out!

I recently acquired the beautiful One For Rosie from Jason & Lauren Maguire in his retirement from racing and hope for him to follow in Neil's footsteps, but there's no pressure. We have our first dressage lesson tonight so fingers crossed!....

Plus 14 and raining when driving in.

Mat and Peter off to London today to have lunch with some Owners. Booking Mat's train ticket is always the highlight of my day... I let him struggle doing it on his own for about 5 minutes before I have to go and help. He ends up looking at the wrong day, the wrong station, doesn't understand how the ticket can go from his computer to his apple wallet, it's quite entertaining..... Peter manages on his own!

We had a great response to yesterdays behind-the-scenes on a raceday blog, we thought we'd do another.. this time a day in the life of a member of stable staff at Thorndale.... cue Erika...

A typical day for me starts at 5:00AM... I get changed and head out onto the yard. I live onsite in the hostel so travelling to work does not take too long for me!

Once I get on the yard I get my wheelbarrow and tools and go to my first stable to start mucking out. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are bedding up days so we take a bank out the stables on those days as they get bedded up with fresh bedding, but on the other days we just muck them out normally.

Every morning we will empty the haynets of the horses we muck out and fill them up with fresh haylage and all the water buckets get scrubbed out before we fill them back up with fresh water.

We have 5 horses to muck out and these are the horses you get to take racing. It takes roughly an hour to muck out our horses so once we have finished we will go back into the hostel to have some breakfast before pulling out, by this time everyone has woken up and started speaking as there is not much talking while mucking out, people take longer than others to wake up.

We all enjoy going to the tack room and seeing who we get to ride that day, and talk about what happened the night before, which is usually the main topic of conversation. We tend to ride 3-4 lots. I'll make sure to start tacking up around 7 so I’m not late, this gives you time to put a horse on the walker, or even put some quarter marks on your horse to make them look presentable. Matt or Charly will shout to pull out at 7:10, they will leg us up and we will meet in the school for 7:15, where we will get our instructions on what we are doing. Mondays and Thursdays are easier days, Wednesday and Saturdays are the work days then the other days we could be down the round gallop. After every lot we walk them round the school to cool off before untacking and washing them down. Some days don’t always go according to plan and people fall off, meaning they have to buy a cake!

After we have finished riding out usually around 11, we all get the yard tidy ready to finish for the morning. The barns get swept, Haynets get topped up and horses get brushed off and rugged up.

We all have our own jobs we do and mine is to make sure all the rubbers and girth sleeves are washed and dried for the next day. We are lucky enough that we can turn out a lot of our horses for the afternoon. This usually takes us up to 12:30 which is when we finish for the morning and head back in for a nap!

Evening stables start at 4:00pm. First thing we do when we go out is get all the field horses in. We will hose their legs down if they are muddy, pick their feet out and then put them back in their stables. We will then put certain horses on the walker. Two people work per barn on an evening, we tie every horse up before we start skipping out. Every horse gets fresh water and their haynets topped up again. Depending on the weather, we might have to change rugs. Once we have finished the horses, the barn gets swept and the horses start coming off the walker. 

Matt or Kim then come round at 5:00pm to look at the horses tied up, feel the horses legs checking for any heat, cuts or swelling. When they are happy, we then untie them... this is known as "letting them down". Charly will also start feeding at 5. Once everything in our barn is complete, we will help her feed. When all the horses are fed and tucked up in bed, we lock up and shut the gates around 5:30pm and then head back to the hostel ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Plus 11 and dry when driving in.

Great morning yesterday with the visitors from the ROA / Chepstow racecourse coming up for a yard tour and to watch a lot on the gallops, luckily the sun made an appearance and everyone managed to stay dry.

Campaign Trail ran well to finish 2nd at Kempton last night..... just!

Ciaran and Tom were in to ride out. Usual vet visit from Mark.

We have had a few people ask what happens behind the scenes when we take horses racing, what happens to the horses when they arrive, what do the staff do etc... so with the help of Leigh, we have come up with a brief A-Z of what happens on a raceday to anyone who is interested!

The horses aim to arrive at the races 3 hours before their race, so we try and leave ample time to allow for traffic. If it's an evening meeting, like Campaign Trail last night for example, they will do 1 canter in the morning to stretch their legs.

Our horses travel mostly in a 2-stall horse box, sometimes they will travel in a trailer, depending on number of runners, how they travel etc. On the whole racehorses travel very well.. they do it so often. Some need company, so we will bring an extra horse as a companion if they are the only runner. Some yards have bigger HGV lorries, but these require a special licence to drive and more paperwork... 2 boxes can be driven on a car licence. They travel with all 4 legs bandaged and their tails wrapped too, to prevent from any bangs or rubbing during transit.

When they arrive at the races the horses have their microchips scanned to check they are who we say they are on the passports...they are then allocated a stable on either paper or shavings bedding, dependent on trainer preference. We give them a nice warm bath, followed by a good groom and plaiting of their manes, we like to win best turned out! Not all yards plait, again often depending on the horses temperment or trainers preference.

We then leave the horses to relax in their stables for a while..the staff take the colours to the weighing room and then head off to the canteen. Most racecourses offer staff a free meal, much appreciated and often very needed after a long morning! The grooms change into their smart clothes and then head back to the stables to give the horses a final flick over, brush their tails through and put the bridles on ready to go.

About 30 minutes before the off the grooms lead the horse out of the stable yard, get the microchip scanned again and then start walking around the pre-parade ring, where someone will appear with the saddle and weightcloth (usually Kim, Mat or Leigh) ready to saddle the horse in the saddling boxes. Some horses will get saddled in the stable yard, it all depends on the horse. When he is tacked up and ready to go, the grooms lead them to the parade ring and begin walking around ready for the jockeys to jump on and head to the start!

Post-race, the saddle is removed and the horse is taken back to the stable yard for a good wash and walk around to cool down. Once he's recovered, Leigh or Mirella will inspect the horse for any cuts or grazes and will bandage accordingly... if there are no wounds, they have their legs clayed to keep their tendons and ligaments nice and cool after working so hard. Occasionally the BHA ask for a urine sample from the horse, most commonly when the win, to test for any prohibited substances. If the horse doesn't wee after an hour of waiting, they will take a blood sample. Some are a bit shy!

The horses are loaded onto the lorry about 1 hour after they run and head home, for a well deserved rest!

This is just a general routine and differs each day depending on how many horses run, how the horses act at the races etc but we try and stick to this plan as much as possible. Some horses head to the start early if they are prone to getting excited in the parade ring, some wear a red hood to the start which also helps them keep them calm, some wear boots if they tend to knock their legs into each other, some wear tongue straps to help them breathe..the list goes on! But hopefully this is a nice insight into what happens to both horse and staff on a typical day at the races!

Plus 11 and very windy when driving in.. 33 mm of rain over the weekend.

Cornbury on Saturday was fascinating.

The first running of the racehorse to eventing..Huge pot of prize money and plenty of interest. This is a class that will just become increasingly popular as the event grows and more become involved in the whole concept.. Certainly interesting, as were the people there, including quiet a few trainers and the odd jockey and insurance folk!

At lunch I sat next to Georgina Budge who is very much into her racehorse retraining, when not working at Ascot as Executive Assistant to the CEO Felicity Barnard.

There was a huge thunderstorm halfway through the afternoon and torrential rain. The horsebox car park became a mud bath and I assume all horseboxes needed towing out.. Tough for the competitors and organisers, but they coped magnificently.

Sadly for all but yesterdays weather played havoc and they decided to finish early to avoid the worst of the rain..

As expected, Aiden O’Brien won the St Leger.. just!

I can  John Stanley was a very happy man on Saturday night after watching his beloved Somerset win the T20 blast finals at Edgbaston. A brilliant match and deserved win

A busy morning here as we are hosting 25 ROA/Chepstow members for a tour of the yard etc.. Mat, Peter and Molly are in charge as Mrs B and I have slipped off for a few days. Our annual trip away.

On the above note Mat and Molly are now in charge of the blog this week..I know that any sugestions on ideas as to what to write would be hugely appreciated by Molly..

We have one runner tonight on the flat at Kempton. Campaign Trail heads there and for our thoughts please click here.

Recently, a large corporation hired several cannibals to increase their diversity, "You are all part of our team now," said the Human Resources rep during the welcoming briefing. "You get all the usual benefits and you can go to the cafeteria for something to eat, but please don't eat any employees."

The cannibals promised they would not.

Four weeks later their boss remarked, "You're all working very hard and I'm satisfied with your work. We have noticed a marked increase in the whole company's performance. However, one of our secretaries has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to her?"

The cannibals all shook their heads, "No."

After the boss had left, the leader of the cannibals said to the others, "Which one of you idiots ate the secretary?" A hand rose hesitantly. "You fool!" the leader continued. "For four weeks we've been eating managers and no one noticed anything. But now, you had to go and eat someone who actually does something."

Plus 11 and dry when driving in. 8mm overnight..

Tom Bellamy and Ciaran Gethings were in to ride out. 

The winter season must be about to start as we have our first Morning on the gallops and breakfast guests..Ian and Sue Westwood

We also have Christopher and Emily Hill here to see their KBRS horses Parc d’Amour, Phantom Getaway and Matty’s Getaway.

The oldest Classic (1776) is run at Doncaster today.. The St Leger..

It looks another for Aiden O'Brien.. He fields 3 out of the 7 runners and the first and second favourite..

Phil Salt has set his sights on becoming the "best in the world" as a T20 opener after smashing a record-breaking century in England's 146-run victory over South Africa. Highlights..

A rude one for the weekend from Ian Reid.

Last night, my friends and I went to a Lap Dancing Club.

One of the lads wanted to impress the rest of us, so he pulled out a £10 note. When the female dancer came over to us, my friend licked the £10 note and stuck it to her bum cheek!

Not to be outdone, another friend pulls out a £20 note. He called the girl back, licks the £20 note, and sticks it to her other bum cheek.

In another attempt to impress the rest of us, my third friend pulls out a £50 note and calls the girl over, and licks the £50 note.

I'm worried about the way things are going, but fortunately, he just stuck it to one of her bum cheeks again. My relief was short-lived.

Seeing the way things are going, the girl races over to me.

Now everyone's attention is focused on me, and the girl is egging me on to try to top the £50. My brain was churning as I reached for my wallet. What was I to do? The man in me took over... I got out my cash point card, swiped it down the crack of her bum, grabbed the eighty quid and left!...

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday..

To finish.. Happy birthday for tomorrow.. Jenny Winch

Plus 8 and dry when driving in. 8mm of rain fell here yesterday.

It was all about sunshine and showers yesterday.. more on the way.

Always a relief to go round the yard at evening stables and feel no problems after yesterdays schooling morning.. No bangs, scrapes etc..

The countryside is now totally green. Grass growing and that rich colour that we have not seen since May has returned. How quickly do you forget that we were brown only 10 days ago.. It looks like being a special autumn of colour with the trees and their leaves already on the move.

Cornbury Horse Trials have started and Mrs B and I are heading there tomorrow to watch th ARC Racehorse to Eventer Challenge Cup class. This is a new class and with huge prize money to encourage ex racehorses into eventing. David Howden and Jayne McGivern have really pushed this ARC sponsored event.

A young man who was also an avid golfer found himself with a few hours to spare one afternoon. 

He figured if he hurried and played very fast, he could get in nine holes before he had to head home.

Just as he was about to tee off an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee and asked if he could accompany the young man as he was golfing alone. Not being able to say no, he allowed the old gent to join him. 

To his surprise the old man played fairly quickly. He didn't hit the ball far, but plodded along consistently and didn't waste much time. Finally, they reached the 9th fairway and the young man found himself with a tough shot. There was a large pine tree right in front of his ball - and directly between his ball and the green. 

After several minutes of debating how to hit the shot the old man finally said, "You know, when I was your age I'd hit the ball right over that tree." 

With that challenge placed before him, the youngster swung hard, hit the ball up, right smack into the top of the tree trunk and it thudded back on the ground not a foot from where it had originally lay. 

The old man offered one more comment, "Of course, when I was your age that pine tree was only three feet tall."  

Plus 13 and dry (not for long) when driving in.. 8mm of rain here yesterday

Yesterday’s gathering of trainers and racing folk at the QEII Centre in London was a huge success. I was genuinely surprised at just how many people were there.. a tremendous turnout, excellent speeches, and, whether anything will ultimately be achieved or not, the most important thing was that the willing showed up.

It felt like a good and positive day and good to bump into old mates including Jeremy Bradbeer who I hardly see now that he has moved form Market Rasen to that flat track Nottingham..Surely they will return to jumping one day!

The journey added its own bit of colour. At the Oxford Tube stop the first person I bumped into was Jane Moat (prolific member of Hot To Trot), who said she rather expected to see me after reading my website yeserday morning.

I claimed my rightful spot upstairs at the very front, as you would, and before long Nick Cook rang to check whether I’d packed my greaseproof-wrapped sandwiches and flask of coffee. He clearly wanted to make sure I was travelling in proper style.

The trip up was straightforward enough, a couple of hours without fuss. The return was another matter altogether: London was completely gridlocked, and crawling out of the city felt endless. But once clear of it, we fairly flew. An interesting way of travelling, and by no means the worst I’ve ever come across except fo driving to Oxford.. Call it gateway to the Cotswold.. If I had to sit that traffic everyday I would not enter the Cotswolds!

All in all, a very good day.

Ciaran Gething and Johnny Burke were in to ride out.

Thursday morning and although our easy day we jumped a few.

Guchen, Driving Miss D'Azy, Moon Rocket, Matty's Getaway, Mr Grey Sky, The Kemble Brewery, High Tea, Reallynthruthfully, Isle Of Gold, Leo Wood, El Rio, Home Made Hero, Parc d'Amour, Destroytheevidence, Seatoit, Gatineau Park, Court In A Storm, Island Bridge, White Noise, Name Me Nicely, Lully Du Houx, Marsiac, Draco Malfoy Step Ahead and Coolanna

John Periss called over second lot to see his horses.

Charlie Dingwall's memorial service is on September 24 at 2pm St James the Great Church, West Hanney OX12 ...

There's a knock at Dave's door and a policeman outside says “there's a flood coming and you must immediately leave and go to higher ground”.

Dave shrugs and says “I have faith in the lord and he will save me.”

The water starts to rise and Dave moves upstairs where a boat.with some of his neighbours comes by and they shout “get on board Dave, the water’s still rising.”

Dave again shrugs and says “I have faith in the lord and he will save me.”

The water keeps rising and Dave climbs up into the roof and a helicopter swoops down and drops a ladder and the operator shouts “climb up quickly, we’re here to rescue you!”

Dave yet again shrugs and says “I have faith in the lord and he will save me.”

The water keeps rising and Dave drowns and is met at the pearly gates by Zeus and Dave is outraged and says, why lord, I had faith!

To finish.. Happy birthday to Sandie Wilkinson..

Plus 13 and dry when driving in. 2mm of rain last night

Ciaran Gethings was in to ride out.. A work morning for some of the horses.

Bloodstock agent Ed Bailey, son of Patrick (no relation) was here first and second lot to see some of the horses that he has bought us over the last few months.

I left him to Mat to sort after second lot, while I headed to London..

Today is a big day for racing. No Racing in the UK today....Why? 

Todays rallying cry.
 
Trainers and jockeys need to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and make our voices heard in London. .. We are meeting at the QE11 centre in Wesminster to listen to a rallying call from Lord Allen, John Gosden, Brant Dunshea, Martin Cruddance and MP Dan Carden.. Nick Luck will be on hand sorting questions etc..

The “Axe the Tax” campaign is something we all understand, and the only way it can have real impact is if we show that the whole sport is united behind it. We seek to spell out the major risks for its future viability should the tax harmonisation proposal be included in the next UK budget on November 26. 

We’ve seen farmers turn out in force time and again; for us, it’s just one day. But that makes it even more important that everyone makes the effort. Numbers matter and so does showing politicians just how much we care about the future of our industry.

As for me, thanks to the tube strikes, I’ll be heading upto London on the Oxford Tube (bus).

I can’t say I’m looking forward to the day itself, judging by the carnage of London as seen on last nights news. But I feel that is very important to be there.. 

A train would take me to Paddington and then a taxi ride from there to Westminster which will be hard enough, even if I was lucky enough to find one, whereas the Oxford Tube, with hopefully helpful bus lanes will drop me at Victoria, leaving only a mile to walk!.

What matters is being there. If we believe in our sport, then we must turn up and support it. BHA Podcast on Axe The Tax

Perhaps all of the above can be explained by the perception that..

Did you know that 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars.

Today, everyone has cars and only the rich own horses...

To finish.. Happy birthday to John Perriss and Huw Davies..Huw is a Jukebox King share holder

Plus 7, foggy and dry when driving in.

Ciaran Gethings was in to ride out before he headed South to ride at Newton Abbot.

A wonderful picture of Higgs .. Pat who works here at Thorndale helping Adam with the sheep is currently on holiday in Ireland. Pat always enjoyed Liam's (Higgs) company when he was here working for me and misses him, as we all do. Pat called in to see Higgs in his retirement on a his sisters farm.. 

We have a vet here as usual this morning and this weeks movers and shakers in the BHA handicap charts was Faerie Cutlass down 3 to 92...

This story made its way to me and although I assume it was true, I thought it funny enough to repeat.. Of course I have embelished the story a little!

Racecourses have always been full of excuses. Some are believable, some downright laughable, and a few defy all logic. But every now and then one comes along that’s truly unforgettable.

At Newton Abbot’s last meeting, there was a sudden drop in water pressure. A member of staff was dispatched to inspect the tank at the top of the stand. He was expecting a leak.

What he found instead was… well, how shall I put it? Two legs pointing skywards and a rather determined male bottom firmly engaged in its own plumbing operation against the side of the tank.

Quite whether the amorous pair accidentally knocked a tap, loosened a valve, or simply distracted the waterworks by sheer enthusiasm, history doesn’t record. What is known is that once they’d scarpered, frantically rearranging their cloths...miraculously the pressure mysteriously returned to normal.

So, if the taps run dry at Newton Abbot today, don’t call a plumber… just check behind the tank.