American Oaks

Zaskar & Hollywood Park

Just a quick update before writing up a full story.

Yesterday afternoon (about 1am UK) Zaskar ran her last race for Tom in the American Oaks, before going on to be trained in New York.

Tom's second Grade 1 runner looked magnificent in the paddock, having behaved brilliantly on a very long and difficult trip to the US. Not only did she look great but she was in a fantastic 'mood'. We all commented that she looked like she had a smile on her face!

The sun was out and it was very hot but she took everything in her stride. David Flores was given his instructions and legged up into the plate. Zaskar was led onto the track and we all made our way to our viewing positions. Tom went to the rail just in case there were any problems.

As the horses made their way, with the outriders to the back straight, we were all thinking how well it was going.....Zaskar spooked at something, the jockey fell off!

She stood there frozen for a second but then ripped the reins from the grasp of the outrider and sprinted off down the back straight. Luckily one of the other outriders down the back straight rode her onto the outside rail and she was caught within 2 furlongs.

Most of the time in the US they will scratch the horse if they do this but luckily, as a grade 1 they gave her a chance. The jockey was located and put back in the plate. They were loaded into the stalls. She behaved brilliantly again.

We were worried about her breaking slowly but she sprinted from the gate with them and Flores was able to get a great position. Down the back straight he was able to make his way through the field and get closer to the pace. Making his way out of the back straight into the home turn she was in 5th right between the eventual winner and second....SHE WAS GOING EASILY!

I said to myself "she's going to win this", Tom said "she's going to win this".....I just wish David Flores had said "she's going to win this"!

As these thoughts entered our heads, the French horse on her outside pushed into her and cut her off. David Flores panicked and ripped at her head and nearly fell off...again. Zaskar didn't know what was going on.

For some unknown reason the jockey just dropped his hands and rode to the line without pushing her out. We thought for a split second that something was wrong. But as she took a full three furlongs after the winning post to pull up and then 'cantered' back to the unsaddling area like a steam train taking a mile to pull up again it was obvious that she was still full of running. She wasn't even blowing!

The stats will read that she was 10th of 12 but we all feel that she would have been in the first three and dare say it "first" if she had been given a more positive ride round the home bend. We are all hugely disappointed.

Today I'm off to Vegas. Let's hope 'our' luck gets better!

Prix Urban Sea, Friday 13 June

Zaskar runs in the listed race, the Prix Urban Sea, for 3yo fillies at Le Lion D'Angers tomorrow, Friday. The race is due off at 4.05 pm local time and is over 1m 3f 110 yrds. This is the same race that Shawhill came second in last year. There are just nine runners and she must have a decent chance. She is now rated 82 having gone up 11 lbs for her win last time out. The highest rated horse running against her tomorrow is Without Precedent, at 88.

Michaela left with Zaskar last night and they arrived at Florent Monnier's yard about 10.00am this morning. The weather there is similar to here with some light rain. Zaskar will appreciate some give in the ground.

The owners Peter Deal and Michael Silver and their wives/ partners together with Tom and his good friend Stewart Little fly over tomorrow morning.

Declarations & entries w/c 26 May 2008

Today Tuesday 27th May Campbeltown Trader runs at Chepstow in the 2.20.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, both Zaskar and Naughty Thoughts will run in the 4.45 Fillies' Handicap Stakes at Great Leighs.

Friday 30th May Zaskar is entered in the 4.10 at Goodwood.

Saturday Shiva Adiva is entered at Newbury in the 6.50 and on Sunday in the 2.10 at Bath.

Declarations & entries w/c 19 May 2008

On Monday 19 May Savile's Delight runs at Windsor in the 7.10 Claiming Stakes.

On Tuesday 20 May Gross Prophet runs at Leicester in the 6.50 Handicap Stakes.

On Wednesday 21st May Zaskar runs in the 8.40 Fillies' Handicap Stakes at Sandown Park and on Thursday 22nd Doctor Robert in the 8.40 at Salisbury.

I would also like to say 'thank you' to everyone who kindly sponsored me for the bungee jump (which fortunately never took place) at the Lambourn Open Day. The total amount came to £320 and was very gratefully received by the organisers on behalf of the charities that they were supporting.

I have updated the Horses For Sale page on the website for a very nice colt by Refuse To Bend that I have available for sale. He did a very good breeze at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up and I purchased him for only 32,000 guineas.

1000 Guineas and this week's runners and entries

1000 Guineas

I'd like to thank everyone who sent me messages of support and 'good luck' for Max One Two Three's run in the 1000 Guineas yesterday. It was a huge thrill to have a classic runner in only my third season and although it was naturally disappointing not to have been in the prize money it was a fantastic experience from which lessons have been learned. We could not have had better publicity and I am very grateful for the coverage that I and the ONEWAY team received. None of this would have been possible without the support of some fantastic owners and, in the case of Max, from Bert Black and his family and friends. Thank you.

Runners and entries w/c 5 May 2008

Gross Prophet runs this afternoon at 3.45 pm at Warwick.

On Thursday I have entered Savile's Delight at Goodwood at 3.00 pm and both Clifton Dancer and Zaskar at 4.10 pm.

Saturday could be a busy day. At Lingfield I have entered Max One Two Three in a Group 3 for fillies and mares over 7 furlongs (3.40 pm) and both Desert Dreamer and Savile's Delight in a ladies amateur rider's race at 5.15 pm. I have also entered Old Father Zieten at Haydock in a 6 furlong maiden at 3.45 pm and Prince Desire in a 6 furlong handicap at 4.20 pm. Wing Home is entered in a maiden at Warwick at 6.25 pm.

Nervous anticipation

As I'm posting on here as much as anyone I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands that my views are my own and may not necessarily be the views of the other posters, especially Tom.

When Tom was riding I was very keen on National Hunt and enjoyed going to the largest meetings such as Cheltenham, the Welsh National and the 'Sandown' Gold Cup but now-a-days I'm finding it difficult to get that excited about it!

This year I've been invited by a supplier to go to World Hurdle Day at the Cheltenham Festival. I'm pleased to be going but I guess that unlike in the past, when I've been studying the horses and making sure that I know exactly what's going on, this year will probably start and finish in the bar.

It's now quite a few years since I worked with a bloodstock agent in Kentucky but it was probably that trip that made me much more interested in the flat.

Whenever I go to the States I always seem to cause controversy. As a teenager I remember staying with a family in Bay City, Michigan and upsetting the son by saying that I thought Bruce Springsteen was rubbish. I have since changed my mind. When working with Chad Schumer I probably repeated my conviction that National Hunt racing was much better than flat.

However, my appreciation for the flat started to develop the day I visited Nureyev at Stud. Just the fact that he 'sneezed' all over my jacket got instant respect for some bizarre reason. I was in awe of this magnificent beast. And it wasn't just because of his daily ritual!

Today I prefer to go straight to the AW form rather than a Kelso or Huntingdon. I do always stop to have a second look at Wincanton, Newton Abbot or Taunton but I think that this is just habit as I always used to turn to these cards to see if Tom was riding.

This year I'm really looking forward to that first Donny meeting. I can't say I have a horse in mind just yet for the Lincoln but I do like the look of a past winner.

ONEWAY has already saddled six winners from 12 flat runners during 2008. I know Tom is keen to beat last year’s total and he's had a great start to do just that. He's got a fair few 2-year-olds this year but nothing out of the top drawer on breeding. Of course he's been fishing in very different ponds from the big stables but hopefully there may be a star or two.

It was this time last year that Tom eventually sold Max One Two Three and look what happened with her. Let's just hope one or two of the new recruits can perform to the same level.

Max will be entered in many of the top 3-year-old fillies’ races this year. It's going to be exciting. But you never know what the season holds until that first outing.

It's funny but from my experience the really top horses cause more anxiety than excitement.

I guess it's because they will tend to do worse than anticipated.

The anticipation equation

Anticipation = 3-year-old will win the Guineas, the Derby or Oaks and a Breeders Cup or Arc.
So I’m looking forward
with excitement to Parisian Gift, Clifton Dancer, Zaskar.....

A busy week and another run for Savile's Delight

This week has been really busy at Oneway and my office. The first quarter of the year always generates new business opportunities and this year has been no different. Hopefully a few will come off and new business deals will be struck. This year might see a rapid deceleration in the marketing sector and, if it does, we need to be more protected against the credit crunch hangover. (Tom would also like to have a few more clients so please give him a call if you are interested in a horse or share).

The job at Oneway is not so different. 2006 was a great start with a handful of two-year-olds and older horses giving the stable a good start. 2007 was a brilliant continuation but with a slightly different profile of two-year-olds, a few older horses and only Ishi Adiva and Shawhill
in the three-year-old age group. This year Oneway has more two-year-olds, mostly bought by Tom at the sales last autumn, a few older horses and for the first time a handful of the classic generation.

Of course the most exciting of the three-year-olds, on paper, is Max One Two Three, the winner of the Rockingham Stakes at York. As Andrew Black (Bert) has hinted to on his blog we will be aiming her at the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. We might be trying to bite off more than we can chew but we will give it a go. Her form is good. A line through Rosa Grace her conqueror at Newbury (which Tom blames himself for!) would have seen her running in the first four in the Dubai 1000 Guineas run at Nad Al Sheba last week.

Apart from Max, Tom also has Clifton Dancer a nursery winner, Zaskar a dual winner last season, Parisian Gift a winner at Lingfield this winter and Gross Prophet a multiple winner and a seriously consistent type. There are also a couple of others that we will discuss over the next few weeks.

The reason I mention this is that the older horses are very well and seriously fresh at the moment! Tom is definitely getting his hands dirty both in and out of the saddle! Let's just say that Clifton Dancer one of the most passive horses of all-time has decided to 'drop' his rider on each visit to the gallops. This was previously unheard of I'm not even sure that she got this excited when she was being broken in!

Add the well being of the classic generation and older horses to the frisky two-year-olds and I'm sure that Alton Towers would be considered a breeze! Let's just hope that everyone and all the horses stay in one piece.

I'm guessing that it could also have a lot to do with the very mild temperatures that we are having this year. In our garden the daffodils are already out (my wife says that they aren't the winter type), the catkins are on the trees and the birds are in full song at 6.20 in the morning. I
imagine the horses also think it's spring, let's just hope we aren't surprised by a long cold snap. I remember when Sheikh Mohammed took some of his two-year-olds to Dubai to winter for the first we all thought that they would have a massive advantage on their return because they would be more forward in their coats etc. Well I think 'nature' may well be trying to even this out.....but that's definitely not a good thing!

Today Savile's Delight runs at Southwell. His last two visits to the track have produced wins over the minimum distance. I would hope for the same result today. His run at Wolverhampton on Monday was rather disappointing. There seems to have been lots of comments about the distance but I personally don't think 7 furlongs is out of his range. He has, of course, previously run and won over 7f even beating horses such as Fonthill Road. In the blog at the weekend Tom mentioned that he was concerned about coming round the home turn with a wall of horses in front, which was absolutely the case. As such the draw, losing a shoe and a bit of indecision probably cost him the race and so it's best to move on. Today would be a great opportunity to do just that.

Of course there are a couple of other beasts in the race and the most likely 'second' would be Spoof Master ridden by Tom’s good friend Jim Crowley. Jim is having a magnificent time of it on the flat and fully deserves to be 5th in the AW Jockey's Championship. Let's just hope he doesn't add another winner to his tally in the 3.50 at Southwell.

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