Emma Lavelle

YARD SUPERSTAR

“PAISLEY PARK [pictured] has been a wonderful winner for us in the stayers’ hurdle division, including winning the 2019 Grade One Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival and Ascot’s Grade One Long Walk Hurdle in 2018. He’s a fantastic horse who has taken us all on an incredible journey. His owner, Andrew Gemmell, has been blind from birth and adores the horse.

“He finished a disappointing seventh in the Stayers’ Hurdle in March and was found to have an irregular heartbeat afterwards. He is now back in full work and feeling very fresh.”

MOST EXCITING NEWCOMER

“GOLD LINK is a four-year-old son of Rail Link and finished second in a bumper in France when trained by Adrien Lacombe. He was due to have his first run for us in the spring, but then Covid-19 happened. He does everything easily at home and is a very exciting horse. He will begin his campaign in novice hurdle races.”

THE BIGGEST CHARACTER

“DAGUENEAU is the sweetest, kindest horse and the class clown really. Once he’s finished his food, he will always throw his feed manger out of his back window. So when it comes to feed time, the poor person has to walk all the way round to the back of the stables to retrieve it – which he finds highly amusing. He always has his tongue sticking out, there is no badness in him at all – he loves to entertain and he is enjoyable to ride at home, too.”

BOUNCING BACK

“BUSTER THOMAS had 18 months on the sidelines following a tendon injury, but is now back better than ever before.

He’s a big horse and probably has the biggest head in the yard. He’s lovely to deal with and is as hard as nails – he’s come back stronger and more determined. He also should have run back in springtime, but actually lockdown has meant we’ve given him more time and that has been a huge positive for him.”