Owen Burrows Stable Tour: Guide to the Kingwood House team for 2020

ALFARQAD

Unfortunately he had another setback in the early spring and is back at Shadwell now. He’s a talented horse but isn’t the easiest to train and keep sound. He might be back in the middle of the season but will sadly miss the start of it.

BAASEM

Great, big horse and we always thought he was going to be better at four. He was impressive at Doncaster although I think the race was set-up for him a touch; they went a good gallop which helped him settle and he seemed to appreciate a bit of dig in the ground, even though he won on a fast surface at Lingfield. He just got trapped a bit wide at Ascot in a decent handicap when they went a bit quick and he could never get into it. He wasn’t beaten far even though he finished in mid-division and I’m hopeful he has a bit of improvement in him this season. I’d like to think if he settles and gives himself a bit of a chance he’ll get a bit further. He could be a horse to have a bit of fun with in mile-and-a-half and one mile six handicaps.

DANYAH

He semi surprised us with how he won at Nottingham on debut. He’d been showing enough at home but he lulled us into thinking he was a bit quicker than he is. It was bottomless that day at Nottingham and he handled it well before bombing out at Haydock next time. It was better at Kempton on his last start, when he still ran with the choke out a bit, and I think he’s a seven furlong horse or a miler. We’ve gelded him through the winter and hopefully that will take a bit of an edge off him and make him settle better. We’ve half a chance with him off his mark.

DAWAAM

He’s lightly-raced for a four-year-old but he’s won his two starts and is exciting. He was impressive at Wolverhampton and depending on how things go I’d like to think he’ll be a stakes horse. He’s rated 96 so we have an option of starting in a handicap if we wanted to but I’d like to think he’s better than that and he could be anything.

We’ll probably start over a mile but I’m sure he’ll get ten furlongs. He has a good mind on him and is an exciting one to have around.

ELWAZIR

It didn’t really happen for him last year. He was very disappointing early on at Sandown, running with the choke out. A few of my older horses in 2019 just took a bit of time to come to themselves and we gave him that and he ran well back at Doncaster. Again you’d like to see him settle a fraction but he didn’t run badly at Goodwood either when we took a punt on the ground.

He hasn’t got a soft ground action but without being trapped would only have been beaten half-a-length. For whatever reason he then ran no race at Chelmsford, maybe he didn’t like the all-weather, but stopped very quickly as if something was amiss. He was tested afterwards and nothing came to light so he’s in now and doing plenty and will be ready go when we get a fixture list to work through.

He's working well and is another who as been gelded over the winter. We could go for a decent handicap off his mark but we’ll see. He’s going well and is a little more relaxed at home so hopefully that will bode well for when he gets to the track.

HABUB

He wasn’t beaten far in a Listed race at Wolverhampton and obviously we were thinking about All-Weather Finals day on Good Friday with him. He would have gone there – now we’ll need to find another plan. He too thinks he’s a bit quicker than he probably is. His best run was over a mile in small-field at Chelmsford where he dictated and it suited him but he put in some decent performances in valuable handicaps there too.

He doesn’t help himself in his races and if he could settle and give himself more of a chance it would help. I think he is more of a miler, certainly a stiff seven, and there’s no reason why he won’t go on turf. He’s only run once on the surface but it was the easy side of good at Newbury and that probably didn’t suit him and on fast ground I think he’ll be fine. We’ll see what programme there is but it would be nice if we could pick up a decent prize with him.

HUKUM

He didn’t come to me until late last year, we didn’t break him in, and once he started working he started showing plenty. I was happy enough with his debut run at Newbury, seven was always going to be a bit sharp, but he just took his time to come back from that hence why he only ran once more, late on at Kempton.

At halfway I was wondering ‘what on earth is happening here’. It was around bonfire night time and Jim Crowley said there was a firework display taking place behind the grandstand in the distance and our horse was in the stalls a long time. It was as if he was half gawping at them and fell asleep and that’s how he raced for the first half a mile. Then when he straightened up and go into full stride it was a taking performance.

He’s done well through the winter. I had planed to go to the Listed race at Newmarket on Guineas day to start out so we’ll see what happens. The Dante looks like being rearranged as well and that would be a big step up but it’s going to be a very different type of year. None of us are going to get the chance to pick and choose much so we’ll have to see. He’s working nicely at the moment and he’s an exciting horse.

ITKAAN

I personally think he’s going to have to improve to win from his mark of 83 but he was impressive at Kempton on his final start. He’d shown a decent level at Ffos Las the time before too – behind a decent colt of Andrew Balding’s in Berlin Tango - so perhaps I’m talking out of turn. He liked the all-weather and appreciated the step up to a mile on his last start.

MIZAAH

He made a winning start for us but unfortunately has his niggles and is lightly raced. I was happy enough with his run at Haydock where he got squeezed at a vital time and he wasn’t beaten far. It went wrong at the start at Chelmsford next time, he leapt in the air and lost ground. He did too much early and weakened out of it. He’s rated 97 and we’ll hopefully have some fun with him in nice handicaps and the fact we know he goes well on the all-weather gives us a few more options.

MUHAARAR’S NEPHEW

We had a decent year with him. He won well at Beverley on ground that Dane O’Neill said he handled but wasn’t in love with, and was second to a horse of John Gosden's called Dubai Warrior who is now rated 114. My horse ended the season by winning a handicap at Chelmsford and will be effective at a mile or a mile-and-a-quarter. He is another one we’ll have some fun with this year.

MURAAD

He’s working well and ready to go. He was very disappointing at Sandown on his final start and lost a shoe that day. I thought he’d handle a bit of cut being by Dark Angel but he didn’t go a yard on it. He shows a decent level and can hopefully pick up a nice race.

SAWWAAH

A funny horse. I stuck blinkers on him at Ascot and he was as game as pebble in winning and then went to Newmarket and barely raised a leg. Jim Crowley said he half thought about jumping out the stalls which is very unlike him. He had us scratching our heads even before Ascot, he was working well at home and looked like he wanted further. We tried him over ten furlongs and that wasn’t up his street and then he goes and runs a game race at Ascot and wins a decent pot. He’s a law unto himself but on his day has a good level of ability and seems in good form. We’ll see what gets thrown out us programme wise.

SHABAABY

Won a conditions race at Haydock last year and had a problem afterwards but is back now and halfway through his conditioning and cantering. He has ability and likes a but of cut, he likes to get his toe in, and I wouldn’t mind trying him on the all-weather if there’s something suitable. He’s borderline Listed class and could pop up in something if the conditions are right.

TABDEED

He’s been a difficult horse to keep sound and I’ve always said cut in the ground is what he needed but I was worried ahead of the Bengough at Ascot as it was bottomless. He’d never encountered ground like that before. You wouldn’t gallop horses on it at home. Dane said he never felt comfortable from the off. I can’t put the ground down as a complete excuse but before that I thought he was certainly up to that Listed level. He was gelded over the winter and hopefully that will help him stay that bit sounder and fingers crossed we can have some fun.

THUMUR

It was an eyecatching run on his only start at two at Kempton. One or two of mine are just taking their time to come to themselves this spring and he’s one. He wouldn’t be ready when racing resumes but is from a very good family and will start over ten furlongs and go from there. He’s potentially a very nice horse but we’ll have to be a little patient with him.

WADILSAFA

Another for who it didn’t really happen for last year. He was very disappointing first time up in the Paradise Stakes then went and ran well at York on soft ground. He handled it well but I always thought he wanted it quick. He bounces off it. He was trying to give weight to Happy Power who went on and did very well afterwards.

I then might have stuck him in at the deep end at Ascot next time but Jim said he was flat out all the way in the Summer Mile and wasn’t quick enough. He looked like he wanted to go further so we tried that and he ran alright in the Rose Of Lancaster on bottomless ground. Chris Hayes said he wasn’t in love with the surface but he wasn’t beaten far.

Then he had an issue with his wind at Newbury when he stopped so quickly so we’ve had a play around with that. He won’t be ready straight away when racing restarts but won’t be too far off and whether he goes back to a mile I don’t know. He won his Listed race at the trip at Sandown, his best run last year was over the mile at York so we might just drop him back and maybe the wind op will help. Jim never heard anything all year until Newbury but it could have been bothering him and he’s a talented horse.

TWO-YEAR-OLDS

I have a few that are in work and really like the team in general. I have a nice Adaay colt out of Place In My Heart, who is a half-brother to Heartache and Heartwarming. Clive Cox has had the majority of the family and he’s going nicely and working well. He shows plenty of speed,

I have a full-brother to Havana Grey called KAWAALEES. He’s done a few bits of work and goes nicely. I’ve got a nice balance this year, there are a few more precocious ones and some of the more traditional Shadwell types that need more time.

I have a half-brother to Elwazir by Lope De Vega who’s a lovely horse. I’m really looking forward to the year ahead with all the juveniles.