2020 Ben Haslam Stable Tour featuring Sandret, Auckland Lodge and Fortamour
Middleham trainer Ben Haslam continues the 'Our Friends in the North' series with his thoughts on the likes of Sandret, Fortamour and Auckland Lodge.
We are still managing and the main thing is that we look after our staff and keep everybody healthy. The National Hunt horses have already gone home for the summer and the Flat horses are ticking over nicely ready for when we get told we can race again.
The horses had been running really well before the shutdown - we had six winners in January and February before racing had to stop - and we'll try and hit the ground running when racing eventually resumes. We had a similar thing last year with equine flu and though that stopped us in the middle of a purple patch, we are were able to bounce back quickly from that and continue our good form.
The main thing is to keep everybody healthy and the horses happy and I'm sure we'll come out the other side of this. The wet winter we endured was a detriment to some of the horses so to be able to give some of them some time now the weather has turned warmer has been good.
Whatever happens with the calendar and whenever we get racing again, we'll just have to make sure we are ready to go and able to adapt to the situation. Hopefully we can get a proper structure in place and if that means pushing the season back to finish in December, then so be it.
We've got some really good all-weather tracks all across the country that could race nearly every day and it's not unusual for some of the turf tracks to have decent ground late into the year. It's definitely possible so we've just got to hope that at some point the health situation improves enough to allow life to get back to some sort of normality.
Our Friends in the North - Ben Haslam
Stable Star: Sandret
Horse to Follow: Sandret
Handicapper to Follow: Dream Game
Older horses
Deputy Star
It's hard to say you're disappointed when one gets beat on handicap debut but I was hoping for better at Newcastle when he only finished fifth. On reflection, plenty went wrong for him there; he got a nudge, was a little bit green when things hotted up, and I think lack of experience ultimately cost him. It's never easy once these horses step up to handicap company to take on older, battle-hardened horses and I think this one will be better with more experience. I remember getting Rey Loopy beaten in marks in the 50's early in his career before the penny finally dropped and he eventually finished up winning off a mark of 81. Hopefully Deputy Star can prove to be well handicapped once he gets the hang of things.
Epeius
He's a seven-year-old now and has been a real flag-bearer for us in recent years. He was banging his head into a brick wall off higher marks over the winter but the handicapper has been kind to him more recently and I think he's on a workable mark now. Fast ground on turf at tracks like Hamilton will be his bag this summer, particularly at 0-65 level, and I just hope that we don't lose too many of those types of races when we get going again. Epeius is the type of horse who typifies our stable in that the owners we train for like to keep hold of their horses and see them coming back year after year. I generally like to take my time with my two-year-olds so they can race on when they are a little bit older and he's an example of that - hopefully he can have another good year.
Fortamour
We like him a lot and he's 2-5 now. He was a good winner at Newcastle last time and I would like to think there is still more to come from him. Him and Sandret were always very similar and we very nearly ran Fortamour in the same race that Sandret made a winning debut in at Newcastle back in early 2019. He probably wasn't quite as far forward as Sandret was but since he's been gelded he's done what we thought he was capable of and I do think some cut in the ground on turf could be right up his street. He's a big frame of a horse who still looks to be progressing and though he's yet to run on soft ground on turf, that is more down to us wanting to give him time last summer. Again, there's no panic with him and if the ground is quick when racing does resume, I would have no issue with having another run at Newcastle before he gets he gets good ground or softer on turf. A mark of 80 looks workable.
Nataleena
I'm looking forward to seeing her run on turf with some cut in the ground. She's been in really good form on the all-weather through the winter, winning a couple of times, but if you look back through her form I actually think her second run on turf at Redcar last summer might have been her best run to date. She finished fourth day over a trip much too short and I think she'll be competitive when getting soft ground on turf. The stamina test of Newcastle has suited her as she's an out-an-out galloper, but the surface is probably quicker than ideal for her and when they quicken away from her she just struggles to go with them. She's a galloper, not a quickener, so she might have more to give when she gets her conditions at some point this season.
Sandret
I thought he ran well at Wolverhampton when plenty went wrong for him and all things considered, he ran a good race to finish fourth on a track that probably didn't play to his strengths. His win at Doncaster previously was impressive and he looked decent that day. My target with him had been the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar but whether that is still an option now, we'll just have to wait and see. Further down the line, if he progresses as I hope, something like the John Smith's Cup at York would be a nice race to aim at. He doesn't enjoy cut in the ground so the middle of the summer, when he will hopefully get quick ground, would be ideal for him. I do think galloping tracks see him to best effect - his form suggests that - so places like Redcar and York will hopefully have plenty of opportunities for him. He's a horse who goes well fresh so he should be ready to go once racing does resume and I hope he's improved over the winter. He's moving well and looking well so everything is pointing to him enjoying a good four-year-old campaign.
Three-year-olds
Auckland Lodge
I've been delighted with her. She’s a funny character with a unique style for one of ours; she just jumps and goes and we let her get on with it. Sharp, turning tracks such as Catterick really suited her last summer and she got a little bit lost when getting beat at York. Against her own sex this summer, I would hope that she’s going to be very competitive. She’s pretty versatile but she's got so much speed that I would be wary about very soft ground for her though I would like to try her over six furlongs at some point. She was strong at the end of her races over five furlongs last year, even when winning at Carlisle, and I'd love to see her trying to dominate over an extra furlong with tracks like Beverley and Pontefract potentially tailor-made for her.
Cock A Hoop
A big filly and I think three runs in a short space of time just caught her out. Her first run at Newcastle was a good one; the form has already started to work out well and she shaped well again on her second start. The third run just wasn't her and it might have been one run too many for her. She was a big filly who came from the breeze-ups last year and she went very weak on us like so many from the breeze-ups often do. We'll give her some time and with a bit of cut in the ground, I think she'll come into her own.
Dominic's Grey
An unraced three-year-old gelding by Sepoy who was actually due to make his debut the day after racing was suspended in Britain. It was very frustrating for all concerned but we'll just keep him ticking over until we can get him on the track. He's shown us a bit at home and he's certainly working like a horse who can win a race. I wouldn't expect him to win first time out or anything like that but I do think he's got ability.
Dream Game
She broke her duck in good style at Newcastle before finishing second back there last time when the winner got first run on us. It was a typical Newcastle run; the plan went wrong and just has been the case at that track all winter, hold-up tactics can often leave you looking stupid when it doesn't work out. That's the way it goes sometimes but while I was disappointed to get beat, I was impressed by the way she quickened up from the rear to finish second and she could still be on a fair mark. She was running against some decent males that day but I think back against her own sex, she could prove very dangerous. She's a robust, stocky filly with a good turn of foot and if we can put her to sleep early in her races, she should be seen good effect at places like Redcar and York.
Marengo Sally
She wasn’t ready to run last year but I thought she shaped with a bit of promise on her second start over seven furlongs at Newcastle. She's a typical Battle Of Marengo, she's needed time and wants a trip but we'll be patient with her and hopefully get our rewards at some point.
Roddy Ransom
A bit like Marengo Sally, he's been backward and needed time and I don't think we'll see the best of him until later in the year. He's a nice, big type with a nice pedigree so fingers crossed he'll be okay in time.
Two-year-olds
I'm really pleased with the team of two-year-olds we've got this year. They're a nice bunch and the gap in proceedings might have actually helped some of the fillies who wouldn't have been ready for the start of the season anyway.
It's been good to give the two-year-olds some time and like all of ours, we'll try and hit the ground running whenever we are told we can race again.
We've got a nicely-bred Kodiac filly to look forward to and a Camacho colt who has shown plenty of speed at home. We also have a colt by Estidhkaar who comes from a good family while I'm hoping our new Lawman recruit can develop into a nice horse in time. He's a big stamp of a horse and a good-moving type but he'll need time.