Martin Dixon of The Horse Watchers takes you through their team and introduces some new recruits picked up at Newmarket’s July Sale last week.
New recruits
Awesome Spirit (Mick Appleby)
He was an expensive horse as a youngster - he was bought for 110,000 guineas as a breeze-up horse last year - and we've bought three horses from Michael O'Callaghan in the past, not with dissimilar profiles. They were all maidens and none had had much racing at the point we bought them, and the best of those was Garsman. When we bought him he was rated in the 60s and he went on to win three handicaps and was placed at York in a big handicap, and he ended up rated 90 and we sold him to Bahrain. We liked how this horse travelled through a few of his races and he's by Invincible Spirit who puts a lot of speed into his progeny, and we wouldn't be surprised if he wanted a drop back in distance.
Penzance (Mick Appleby)
He's a rig - one of his testicles is undescended - which can cause them a bit of discomfort and he's going to benefit from being gelded. He has a particularly strong piece of form at Chelmsford where he was second to Lucky Fifteen of Ralph Beckett's and Lucky Fifteen has won twice subsequently. The third and fourth home both ran to higher Timeform ratings subsequent to Chelmsford, so that looks like a strong piece of form and is working out nicely.
Serengeti Sunset, the third home at Chelmsford, was actually sold for 55,000 guineas at the same sale; Penzance [who was bought for 31,000 guineas] finished four lengths ahead of him off a similar rating.
Penzance showed a bit of promise in his early starts when he was quite green, then he went into a handicap and improved straight away in what we think is a strong form race. He was obviously disappointing at Sandown which is probably why we got him for the price that we did. He was tailed off, basically, but it was a very quick turnaround after Chelmsford and he clearly ran too badly to be true. He's a horse we want to give a bit of time to as he's immature physically, needs gelding and we think he'll benefit from being patient with him. We're hopeful that based on what he did at Chelmsford he is well handicapped.
Greenwich (Rebecca Menzies)
Greenwich was bought to stay in Rebecca Menzies' yard. He's a nicely bred sort who looks the part. He's a completely unknown quantity and will hopefully progress with time.
Horses with Mick Appleby
We were delighted with his run on Saturday [when he finished fourth in a heritage handicap at Ascot]. We stuck some cheekpieces on - I don't know if he needs them or not - and it didn't do any harm. He travelled really well and if he'd have got through between horses about a furlong out he'd probably have gone quite close to winning. But the gap closed on him at a key point when he was just about to make his effort and he flattened out.
We still feel like he's got all his ability and pace and we just haven't had a lot of luck over the last nine months. He's had various excuses - he's been drawn on the wrong side, had a bad position, met trouble in running etc - and the cards just haven't dropped right for him to get his head back in front, but he's run some really good races in defeat this year. We'll consider running him twice at Goodwood - there's a handicap on the Tuesday and the King George, which he was runner-up in last year, on the Friday.
Zealot had a bruised foot that frustratingly kept him out of All-Weather Finals Day. Subsequent to that he was a little bit sick in the spring and by the time he got over that we just thought it was the right thing to do to give him a proper holiday after a successful and busy all-weather season. We'll aim at some of the major all-weather races going into the back-end of this year and into the winter campaign. Given the way the Easter Classic went it's still a real frustration he didn't get there as I think he'd have beaten Notre Belle Bete.
He was very sick in the spring. He suffered from an infection - nothing physical, it was like a virus - and that's when he ran poorly at Newmarket. He came out of that race and he wasn't right and it took him probably two months to fully come to himself. Since he came back again his last two starts have been a little disappointing but we will probably try stepping him up to seven furlongs in the near future. We just wonder if he might travel a bit easier up in trip.
He's only won once for us but he's run some huge races and has been a real money-spinner. He was second in two of the big mile handicaps on the all-weather - the Lincoln Trial and London Mile - but we trialled him back in distance in the spring and were very surprised by the pace he showed in his races. He was ready for a break when we last ran him at Epsom, so he's gone on his holidays and is likely to be back in September/ October time and we'll campaign him between six furlong and a mile on the all-weather. I'd like to think he'll have another successful, money-spinning campaign.
Mobashr has been a bit of a headscratcher for a while as you see him go up the gallops and it's like watching Arazi or something! He's an absolute machine up the gallops, not many horses can work with him. For a long time he wasn't putting it in on the track, but he's moving really well now and he's found his confidence and his last two runs have been very good. We've worked out that a patient ride and a flat track is quite important to him to fill him with confidence through a race. I'd say he's one for readers to follow over the coming weeks.
Intervention is on a holiday at the moment. He's an absolute legend this horse, one of my favourite horses we've owned over the years because he's got a bit of character with plenty of ability. He's won us a load of races and is tough. He's a little bit quirky but he's tough, durable and a fun horse you could run every other day. He just loves it. He carries his head a bit high and hasn't won for a while now but he's as enthusiastic as you get in terms of the way he works and runs. He needs a bit of kid-gloves treatment in the finish sometimes but is such a fun horse as he travels well and invariably gives you a run for your money. He's versatile and you can do anything with him really. He's like the perfect syndicate-ownership horse really as we didn't pick him up for much money and he gave us a fantastic first season, winning seven times, and he'll be back around September.
He's been a bit disappointing so far this year but he works well, showing a lot of ability at home. Pontefract last time can be ignored as they went very wide looking for the better ground and he's a horse that hangs a bit to his left and it didn't suit him that they didn't stay to the inside rail. As well as that they were racing on pretty fast ground and he didn't let himself down on it. He also came back with a cut on his leg and although it was only a superficial one it was a potential excuse for his run. We'll get him on either the all-weather or easier ground the next time he runs. He's definitely capable of winning off his mark.
We've given him a few chances on turf but he does seem to be a better horse on the all-weather. He's ready to win again soon. The pace of the race didn't suit when we stepped him up to a mile and three-furlongs last time so he's likely to drop back in distance in the hope of a stronger pace. He's a hold-up horse who wants a good gallop to aim at and when a race tees up for him he's handicapped to win again.
David O’Meara
He's just lost his way completely this year. David thinks he feels well and still does everything right at home, but he just hasn't been producing it on the track this year. If he does bounce back to form he's thrown in, in terms of his handicap mark. We'll consider putting some headgear on him and at some point he's going to want his sights lowering to try rekindling his enthusiasm. He's been a fantastic horse for us for the last two seasons, winning at Epsom on Oaks day and finishing placed in the Golden Mile at Goodwood and the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He was fourth in the Cambridgeshire as a three-year-old two years ago. We were very patient with him when we first bought him last July and as soon as we picked him up we said we'd put him away for the next turf season. There wasn't a problem but we thought we'd give him the time as it would be a rush to bring him back for the back-end of the year and it seemed pointless.
He's steadily finding his feet for us and has run two solid races the last twice. He probably wants to go up in distance a bit and have more of a test of stamina. He's entered at Hamilton this week in a race over a little bit further and, provided we're happy with the ground, he's likely to take his chance and hopefully run well.
Starshiba was a bit sore after coming down at Chester but he's back being ridden at home and there are no issues with him. As soon as he's ready he'll be out again and I'd imagine that will be in August. He's got a lower mark on turf than on the all-weather and I think he can definitely win on turf. He had some good form on turf in his early years before we bought him and he's had excuses when he's run on the grass - he was carting through the race at Chester when he came down and would have run a really big race there. He's been a massive success for us as he's won loads of races and can win plenty more.
Westernesse has had a minor setback that will keep him off for the short-term, but he’s still open to plenty more improvement. He won at Pontefract in a race that has worked out well and then he went to York and tried to come from last, which was difficult to do, and was staying on nicely. We were encouraged by that as he saw the trip out really well and I think that's where his main potential is - over middle distances.
He's likely to be moved on at the August Sale at Doncaster. He's won three races for us but is a bit reliant on getting a solid pace to aim at. When a race develops in the right way for him he's capable of winning again.
Ed Dunlop
As the Horse Watchers we pride ourselves on good placement of horses, but by our own admission we probably got it wrong with him. This is a tremendously well-bred horse - he's by Lope de Vega out of a champion racemare, Group 1 winner Great Heavens - and because the dam went very well on soft ground we tried him on it at Thirsk in the spring, but he hated it. On the back of that we put him into a tough race at York and he travelled well but he just probably wasn't ready for such a competitive York handicap. He still hasn't had much racing.
He might prove to be better on the all-weather as both of his wins have come on the all-weather. After York he was given a month in the field and then came back into training and did his first piece of fast work earlier in the week.
We will aim to probably get him back on the all-weather once Ed thinks he's ready to run again. His Wolverhampton win was impressive and has proved to be quite a strong piece of form. We still think that given his pedigree, his homework and the strength of his Wolverhampton win that he's a horse with upside in his handicap mark.
Alice Haynes
Goldsmith is a horse to follow. He shaped very well at Sandown in an amateur riders' race on his first start in our colours. He tried to quicken through from off a steady gallop from last place, and we feel like he did really well to finish where he did. He briefly looked like he was going to come all the way through before a big move told on him. He's a horse that should give us a lot of enjoyment over the coming months.
We were very impressed with his wins around Lingfield in the winter, when he was picking up strongly from unpromising positions, and were notified about his availability to stay in the yard at Alice's and were very keen to take him on.
Mark Loughnane
He hasn't progressed as we hoped he would this year but he did come back from his Newbury race the other day not quite right so I would forgive that. We might try him up in distance before too long.
Donald McCain
He started encouragingly for us with good placed efforts on his first three starts. A series of good efforts probably took a toll to some extent and he lost his enthusiasm towards the end of the season, but Donald is confident that on the back of a break he can get back to the form he was in at the start of last season. Hopefully he can provide a first winner over jumps in our colours.
Rebecca Menzies
Painters Palette put in his first disappointing run for us at Ascot on Friday but he had a bad position through the race - he was isolated from quite an early stage - and we're happy to just draw a line through that. The Carlisle third on his penultimate start suggests he's still very well handicapped as he came from last and got close to a pair who were always first and second through the race. He's a well-bred Lope de Vega gelding and I'd expect him to resume his improvement before the season is out.
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