The Horse Watchers stable tour for 2024 including Raasel
Chris Dixon of The Horse Watchers provides a detailed guide to the syndicate's team for the 2024 Flat turf season.
Raasel (Seven-year-old chestnut gelding)
In Dubai it didn't really go for him as we would have wanted last winter as in a lot of races he just saw too much daylight and he's a horse that wants covering up. But he came good through the course of the year.
His final run was a bit of a blowout, the ground was too deep for him and he'd been very busy, but it looks like the ability is still there from last season. His work early on has been good enough and he's not far off being able to start. There isn't an ideal race in this country for him in the short-term, so I think he's going to start his season at Deauville in early-April as there's a five-and-a-half-furlong listed race. He's got no penalties for those sort of races.
The ideal thing for him is decent enough ground over five furlongs, and on quick tracks he's a horse that's got a lot of speed. Deauville over five and a half is a nice start point for him and then he'll just build through his season over here in similar types of races to last year. Mick Appleby
Intervention (7 b.g)
He's been brilliant. The other day [at Wolverhampton] was probably a bit disappointing, but he's at the point now where, having been so consistent and been so busy, there's going to be the odd bad run and blip along the way - he's shot up the handicap.
But really he hasn't put a foot wrong through the winter. He ran really well in the Lady Wulfruna, he's won his races this winter and is just up to his mark now. He'll have one more go, he'll go to Lingfield on Good Friday. For the poorer run the other day he got dropped back 1 lb so that makes him eligible for the 0-90 over six furlongs, right on the ceiling rating. He'll then have a well-earned break.
The plan at the start of the winter, because he's a horse who does hold his form so well and you can run him regularly, was to campaign with the season-long bonus in mind. Picking up one of the monthly bonuses was literally a bonus for us because he managed to have such a brilliant month in December. But he's held his form since and is up there for some good prize-money in the yearly bonus and it's certainly been earned as if you compare him to a lot of the other horses in that list, and certainly towards the top of it, they started off much lower marks and have tended to campaign in lower-grade races, whereas he's been in quite good races all the way through. It's been hard for him, but he hasn't put a foot wrong and he's been a brilliant horse for us. Mick Appleby
Rhoscolyn (6 b.g)
Rhoscolyn is back in work, ready to go again and we're very happy with where he is. He got back on track last year having fallen in the weights and as a result his handicap mark has gone right back up.
We know what he wants. He has a brilliant record at Goodwood and, while he doesn't need Goodwood you'd be daft not to have races down there in mind for him. The second half of the season that's what he'll be doing again but earlier in the season there aren't as many races down there that are suitable.
We'll probably have an eye on Epsom for the Derby meeting again, in a race he won a few years back, as that's another track that suits him well enough. He'll be going for decent-quality handicaps and I think he'll work his way into the season. He progressed with racing last season and, while he goes on any ground, he's particularly effective on soft ground. When he has soft ground, seven furlongs and Goodwood he is usually there or thereabouts. David O'Meara
Mobashr (6 b.g)
He's a horse we didn't quite get to the bottom of last year. I think he's got the potential to do better.
He's got some solid enough form and I think we know what he wants - he wants covering up in a well-run race. Straight tracks are ideal for him but not imperative, and he just wants a gallop to aim at and a patient ride. He probably wants a sound enough surface as well. I think there's more to come from him when a race goes his way. Mick Appleby
Baldomero (6 b.g)
He's a horse that the handicapper just can't give a chance to because of his consistency. He's only won one race since we bought him and we've had him a good while, and unbelievably that was over ten furlongs. Since then we've dropped him right back in trip and campaigned him as a sprinter. I think he'd be fine still at a mile - he's probably not a ten-furlong horse nowadays.
He's been unfortunate and along the way a few people have called him the odd name and you can sort of see why given how many times he's finished second in tight finishes. But I don't think he always does a great deal wrong and has been literally beaten the bob of a head on a few occasions.
He's a horse that runs his race more often than not and if he was given a bit of slack by the handicapper he could go and run well. Mick Appleby
Zealot (6 b.g)
He's not been able to do what he did last winter [when he won seven times] but it was always going to be more difficult this year and he just had a setback ahead of the season which meant we've been sort of playing a bit of catch up with him.
The plan has always been to have him ready for Good Friday up at Newcastle and he's got qualified, but he was definitely in need of his first couple of runs and I think Wolverhampton, where he's been on his most recent start, just isn't his track really. He's had a couple of runs there and doesn't really like being on the turn all the time. At Lingfield he actually showed a bit, I thought, and you wouldn't have thought that would be his ideal track. He'll head up to Newcastle for Finals Day and he's much better suited to that.
He's not been competitive so his mark has dropped a bit. He needs to take a big jump forward from where he's been but it does look like the ability is there - he's worked nicely - so I think you'll see a better horse come Good Friday. Mick Appleby
Zozimus (6 b.g)
He goes to Chelmsford on Good Friday. A couple of races haven't gone his way but he's well able to be competitive. He's not got a great winning strike rate and there have been a couple of times when you thought he might have won but didn't, but he definitely has ability and when races go his way is well capable. I think he could have a decent year. David O'Meara
Goldsmith (5 b.g)
He's been a really consistent horse this winter and has won his races. He wants a good pace and when he doesn't get one it can be a bit of a mess, but when he gets a good pace he's capable. Alice Haynes
Heathen (5 b.g)
We had him with Ed Dunlop and Ed advised that we shouldn't let him go and that a change of scenery would do him good, so he went up to Dave [O'Meara] and won straight away up at Southwell. He hasn't won since then but has run well in defeat a couple of times. He might be better with a bit more time between runs but we're happy to give it a go at Lingfield on Friday considering the prize-money on offer. David O'Meara
Westernesse (5 b.g)
That was a really nice comeback in third at Newcastle and we were delighted with him. He ran as we thought he would. The favourite always looked like he'd be hard to beat but Westernesse ran a really good race and the time was good. He was probably a little further back than ideal but it was his first start in a while and we wanted him to finish his race off and he saw it out nicely. It was one of those runs that you think he can build on next time. David O'Meara
Sonnerie Power (5 ch.g)
I find it hard to believe given his final run for his former connections that he's gone downhill that quickly. There's something wrong somewhere and ultimately we don't know what it is. We've probably been riding him too handy to an extent and he'll be more patiently ridden next time which may well help. He's definitely got ability as we've seen that on the track for his former yard, and he shows it at home. He's in good form at home but we just need to find the key to him - there will be one and Mick's usually very good at finding it, so we'll keep on trying. Mick Appleby
Penzance (4 gr.g)
He's had a brilliant winter and we've had Good Friday aspirations marked down for him for quite a long time. He hasn't put a foot wrong and has been campaigned sparingly.
He's managed to win both of the trial races - one at Newcastle and one at Lingfield - which makes him eligible should he win on Good Friday for a massive bonus. So prize-money wise it's a huge day, potentially, as not only is it good prize-money for the race there is a bonus lying in wait should he win. Obviously it's going to be difficult, he's gone up another 6 lb, but our feeling and [his jockey] Ali's feeling was that Lingfield probably wasn't his ideal track. He managed to overcome it to win down there but going back up to Newcastle will suit him better, for all that he won by further at Lingfield than he had at Newcastle.
That Newcastle form worked out really well and I'm hopeful that he goes there with another good chance. I think he's progressing all the time and he's worked really well. We're very, very happy with him and I think there's more to come from this fellow. He's gone up the weights a lot but there's more there.
Ideally he wants a nice, sound surface and probably a track that doesn't have too much of a downhill element to it. Flat tracks or flat with a stiff enough finish are probably ideal. He doesn't want anything too undulating and he should go on the grass fine as well, for all his improvement has come on the all-weather. Mick Appleby
Island Native (4 gr.g)
He's done well. He was bought specifically for the ARC bonuses and had a few points on the board when he was in the sales ring, and the plan was to maintain what they had been doing. We thought he was up to winning some races, which he has done.
Unfortunately on his first run for us down at Lingfield he just pulled a couple of muscles behind and that meant we missed a month of the bonus period and it kind of became a bit of an uphill struggle to get the points on the board that we thought we might. That's why he ended up going to Chelmsford where there aren't any of those bonus points up for grabs, but he won well and has managed to win another one since. His latest run was disappointing but the way that race went didn't quite suit him and he never really looked happy, but when he's on a going day he's up to winning off his mark, for all he's gone up a bit already.
Ideally he wants to be out in front and dictating the terms of the race. He didn't get that at Chelmsford when he went down in a photo-finish on his penultimate start. He was pestered the whole way and ended up doing too much but he was only beaten in a bob of the heads and I think that hard run had probably left a bit of a mark when he went for his next start and was getting a bit of pressure on the front again. A bit of a freshen up, a smallish field ideally and getting the run of things and he'll be competitive again soon. Mick Appleby
Escarpment (4 b.g)
He took a while to come to hand but is just starting to. He was withdrawn down at the start by the vet last time and it looked like the ideal spot for him - we'd been targeting that race - so it was very frustrating. It was a minor thing, he basically caught himself on a hedge as the rider was getting legged up in the paddock and had a cut behind. It was insignificant but he had blood coming out so the vet couldn't let him run and he had to be withdrawn from what would have been the perfect race for him.
Having said that, I don't think he's really an all-weather horse. I think he probably wants easy ground on the turf and will be ready to go for the start of the grass season. He's on a nice enough mark and is a lazy kind of horse that will give him every chance of seeing out a trip on slow ground. Soft ground on the turf, with some headgear on, could be the making of him. Mick Appleby
August (4 b.g)
We've probably got a couple of things wrong along the way with him. After the really good run at Newcastle with Bystander we went back quite quickly and the surface was very slow. Bystander actually ran on the same night, backing up quickly, and they both bombed out. The times were like bottomless ground on the grass nearly, and he just didn't like it.
That was the excuse there and that had probably left a bit of a mark when he next ran. A couple of things haven't worked out since - we tried ten furlongs at Chelmsford and I don't think that track really suited him. His run over seven furlongs he got no cover and that didn't work out. I thought his last run was a bit better but he just looks like he wants to be back up in trip and when he gets that and a patient ride he's handicapped to be competitive. Mick Appleby
Nights Over Egypt (4 b.g)
He's ready to run. He's going to go to Chelmsford on Good Friday. He was picked up very cheaply and we were just trying to work him out. We think we know what he wants now and he's working nicely, so we're hopeful for him. Rebecca Menzies
Mr Le Philosophe (4 ch.g)
He was bought to go juvenile hurdling but hasn't really taken to it and has a very low mark. Perhaps we might give him another go over hurdles on better ground. But he's also got a decent enough Flat rating based on his form in France and he goes like a nice horse at home. He'll run in some mile-and-a-half-plus race, possibly two-mile races, on the turf through the summer and I think he'll do okay. Rebecca Menzies
Walsingham (4 b.g)
He's a new one for us and goes nicely at home. He's got a target at Musselburgh on Saturday and, all being well, he'll head there to start his season. Pedigree-wise you could say he'd get a bit further but he's shown his form at around a mile and that's what we'll do to start with. He doesn't look like a slow horse so we'll start him there and work him out as we go. I think he's one who could have a good season. David O'Meara
Different Tone (4 b.g)
He ran really well on his first start for us at Chelmsford behind a bit of a handicap blot, Kyle of Lochalsh, that franked the form after. That was a really good start but unfortunately he picked up a bit of an injury and that's why he hasn't been seen since. We're giving him plenty of time off and it will be later on in the summer when he comes back. Then he'll have a late summer and early all-weather campaign. Ed Walker
Helter Skelter (4 b.g)
He probably made his move too soon in the Spring Mile. He probably caught Ali [Rawlinson] out a little bit with how quickly he made up his ground as he'd ridden him on the all-weather when he wasn't quite ready and on a quicker all-weather surface he'd probably taken a while to pick up. But back on slow ground he got there pretty quickly and then just showed a bit of inexperience in the front and hung left. He's got an entry at Redcar next week and he could take that up back at seven furlongs, because it could have been that his stamina ebbed away a little bit, but I think with more patience he could have gone very close [at Doncaster]. Rebecca Menzies
Awesome Spirit (4 b.g)
We're struggling to find the key to him. He's a frustrating horse as you think there's more ability there but he's not showing it. I'd say he's just a horse that lacks confidence and maybe doesn't try that hard. Mick Appleby
Lope de Rueda (4 b.g)
His latest run was a step back in the right direction and a much better run than his debut for us. It still wasn't what we would hope for but probably where he was drawn on the flank didn't help as he was out in the middle of the track rather than in between horses for a little while. But he's not shown what he's been showing at home and we'll switch him to the grass now with a bit of give in the ground and probably go to Thirsk early next month. Rebecca Menzies
Daring Legend (3 b.g)
He was probably finding the surface a bit quick when third at Southwell. It's been quite quick there recently and he was just a bit free back up to seven furlongs and it did sort of stretch him a little bit. Ultimately he ran a nice race in what probably wasn't a bad contest but you can just tell from the way he was carrying himself and hanging late on that he seemed to be finding it too quick. There's also an element that he might be better on straight tracks and right-handed tracks.
Going back to six furlongs at Newcastle will suit him as he was quite impressive over that course and distance. It's a good race but coming back down in distance from Southwell will help him. It was all a bit of a rush job with him but it was the only way to get him qualified. He's come out of the race at Southwell absolutely fine but in an ideal world you'd have had a few more weeks to freshen him up a bit, but he'll probably have a break after his run on Friday.
We've been really pleased with him so far. He made a really encouraging start, won well at Newcastle and then the other day wasn't a bad effort, for all it wasn't quite as good as what he'd done before. We bought him thinking he's a sprinter and he's only had one go as a sprinter and he won it, so that's what we'll persevere with. Mick Appleby
Two-year-old
Calyx - Nilipatera (Galileo)
She was bought on a pedigree angle as if you look at the record of the progeny of Calyx crossed with Galileo mares it's very good. There have been seven or eight of them so far and most of them have won and the couple that haven't have run well in the one or two runs they've had. Ratings-wise they are pretty much all 80+ and a couple are in the hundreds, so, for all that two-year-olds aren't an area that we tend to specialise in, we said to Dave to have a look at the sales at the progeny of Calyx out of Galileo mares and he found one he quite liked.
She's out of an unraced sister to Study of Man who won a French Derby and, while she's not overly big, she's got a bit of scope and has done well and grown since she joined Dave. She won't be an early two-year-old but she's doing what she's been asked to do really well, and we look forward to what she can do when she gets on the track as she's a complete unknown quantity. You're having a punt with these two-year-olds but hopefully she's okay. David O'Meara
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.