April 6th Update
No racing this past week but some handicap news to bring you. Surrey Lord has been given an opening hurdle mark of 100 which we think is fair, but it is also a mark which should be competitive. Maidens or handicaps are both in the reckoning for him now and we’ll look for a suitable race once the ground softens a little after all this sunny weather.
At the other end of the scale. Surrey Shadow has been raised 6 pounds for coming 4th at Doncaster which we feel is a tad unfair as he ran under a 5-pound penalty but didn’t win. Tom wasn’t unduly concerned and thinks Shadow would have learnt a lot from his last run and is sure to improve. He’ll be trained to race again in early May with two(not limited to only these 2) possible races to look at, the Cambridge Handicap at Newmarket on the 3rd of the Victoria Cup at Ascot on the 10th. He is another who would prefer softer underfoot conditions so the weather could dictate where he races next.
This week is another big week for us. Surrey Fire is ready to race and could run at Newbury’s Dubai Duty Free meeting on Saturday, which features three Group 3s. Fire would be aimed at the last race on the card, a class 4 (0-85) handicap over 10 furlongs, currently scheduled for 4.54pm. However, the ground is good to firm in places and without any rain forecast it would seem unlikely that he’ll race. We will look at the forecast before making an entry tomorrow. If he doesn’t run Saturday, then Haydock at the end of April is probably the next best option.
75 minutes prior to that we have the Scottish Grand National (race time 3.35pm) and Surrey Quest will aim to go one place better although can anyone stop the Mullins juggernaut, at this stage he has 13 entries, so we’ll be up against it ! We know who the ITV cameras will be focusing on. The ground there is being watered in the hope it stays good to soft but a sharp downpour at the end of the week would really help. The ground should be safe for Ayr’s prestigious meeting so we will be travelling up to Scotland and looking forward to another fantastic day at the races. Preparations have gone well, Quest will wear cheekpieces for the first time which should sharpen his senses, and Kevin is feeling quietly confident. Above all, lets hope they come back safe and sound after the gruelling 4-mile contest.
All the other horses are well, there are no new updates, we only have shares available in Surrey Etoile and we are hoping to nail down a date in June (27th/28th) to visit Etoile and take in a race meeting at Chantilly so will let you know once that’s confirmed, open to the owners and those who may want to buy one of the final shares. You all are aware of why we have a horse in France, here’s a stat on a similar theme, William Haggis has had 1401 runners in the UK and has amassed £8.23m – which is an impressive prize per race in the UK., however he’s had 20 runners in Sydney and collected nearly £7m prize money !
Possible races and events.
April
Saturday 12th – Surrey Quest - Ayr – 3.35 pm
Surrey Fire – Newbury – 4.54pm
Saturday 26th - Surrey Fire - Haydock
May
Saturday 3rd – Surrey Shadow – Newmarket
Saturday 10th – Surrey Shadow – Ascot
Tuesday 13th – Surrey Racing Golf Day, Silvermere Golf Club – 10.15 am