Newmarket
Dave Youngman is looking forward to the new Flat season getting underway at HQ
DaveYoungman with the latest news from HQ
HOW quickly time has passed since the turn of the year and April is here and our first meeting here at Newmarket on the 16-18. How I love the Craven meeting, it heralds the real start of the Flat season for us and we have so much to look forward to this season.
I like the Wood Ditton Stakes at this meeting and have seen some very good horses make their debut in it over the years.
I hope you like this photo that I took on the Rowley Mile course. It is looking down the track from the top of Bushes Hill. You are just two and a half furlongs from the winning line at that point and horses are just about to be put into the race, jockeys are getting animated on their mounts and there is no better feeling than seeing a horse gathering itself for a winning run to the line.
COME the summer when we are over on the July Course, we have some lovely acts booked for the Friday nights after racing including Kaiser Chiefs, Rudimental, Bananarama, Madness, Heart and Peter Tong. Do come if you can but please do book up quickly.
A huge thank you to all of you for entering my competition, I have been overwhelmed at the massive number of people, the winner will be announced later this month as people are still sending me their answers. I can assure the winning person and their guest that they will love the day with
me here at HQ on Saturday, May 4.
It is going to be a most hectic season for me as I have a record number of members in my Racing Club, with many more joining all the time. I feel so lucky to have a lot of well known past and present footballers in with me and how they like big bets, we should be in for an exciting time over the coming months.
TRAINER Tom Clover and his assistant Jackie Jarvis are preparing for their first season training out of Saville House Stables after moving late last year from Wroughton House. Jackie is the daughter of the late Michael Jarvis and they look set for a good year.
WILLIAM and Mo Haggas have their string in really good form at their Somerville Lodge yard and have some lovely two-year-olds this term. William travels around the gallops in his new Nissan and is certain to enjoy a good season yet again. Apprentice Cieren Fallon will come in for plenty of rides from this yard and have the support of many outside yards.
JOHN Gosden has, as always, got his team forward for the season ahead. TOO DARN HOT has just started doing more serious work and has thickened out and grown over the winter. Maisie Hainey has ridden him a lot on Warren Hill when he was doing two canters a day. ENABLE spent the winter just trotting but has now gone into daily canters. She will not be seen on the racecourse until June as her main objective will again be the Arc on the first Sunday in October in Paris. CASANOVER is ticking over nicely in the string and is being looked after like the good prospect he is.
SIR Michael Stoute has been in no hurry to press any buttons with his horses, patiently letting them tell him when they are ready to be stepped up to stronger work. The master of Freemason Lodge looks in for a good season, especially, with some lightly raced three-year-olds, that were given plenty of time to develop.