Flat Season Preview 2023

Having last year enjoyed one of our best seasons in winner and prize money terms we are eagerly looking forward to getting going again this year in similar vein, God willing.

Brothers SWEET REWARD and TWO TEMPTING look to be the more promising types to look forward to from the older horses here. Old timer ORIN SWIFT can usually be relied on to pick up prize money but he is 9 years old now. WAY OF LIFE won five races before the handicapper took a hold of him and then he picked up a minor injury but hopefully he can return safely from that in the summer. 6 year old NEW HEIGHTS could have another race in her. STRIKE will have the greys race at Newmarket in mind again having won that last year. An interesting newcomer is 4yo ROSE LIGHT, switched from Andrew Balding’s stable. This Nathaniel filly out of a LIsted sprint winner is a lightly raced maiden and could be interesting off her current rating if the change of regime suits her.

G3 Cornwallis 2yo winner RUMSTAR will hopefully return to the track in May and then we can see how well he has trained on and make a plan. Five and six furlongs can be options and hopefully in Group company. Another three year old we thought plenty of last year is PUNTARELLE who was rested early in the autumn after some minor setbacks. She has returned to the track already this year confirming that promise. ENOCHDHU won two 2yo races and he always looked like this year and a longer distance would bring the best out in him so he could be interesting. A few of the three year olds start the year unraced or lightly raced. MRS VAN HOPPER is an Adaay filly out of an unraced half sister to Mrs Danvers and had minor knee surgery last summer. SNOW FORECAST is a lovely big gelding by Sea The Moon out of a Sadlers Wells mare with a decent pedigree. TWILIGHT DANCER has had a couple of promising runs already and from a family we know well that produced G3 winning Poster Girl. LYNWOOD LAD is a speedy looking little gelding by Mayson. ANNA AURELIA is an interesting filly by Wootton Basset. BONNE SUZETTE is a Ulysses half sister to dual 2022 winner Falesia Beach. SHOWY is a late maturing filly by Golden Horn out of and Exceed And Excel mare. ONE MORE WAVE is a gelding by Bated Breath who had us all rather excited last year when he was galloping. He had one rather tame run at Newbury at the back end but looks to have wintered well and could still be worth following. HIGHLAND FLYER, by Highland Reel, was one of our more expensive yearling purchases and was never expected to shine at 2 so hopefully he can show himself in better light now handicapping.

Excitement in this game usually comes from the unknown so it is to the two year old division that we look to in hope of the next Rumstar or similar. We were thrilled to purchase the second living produce of our star filly Mrs Danvers, who was a five time unbeaten 2yo in 2016. MAXIM DE WINTER is the colt in question and by the mighty Galileo. He looks the part and is growing before our eyes. Anna Aurelia’s sister by Churchill is a fine big filly who has an air of quality albeit with a slightly feisty temperament.BRINTON is a Zoustar filly out of a dual Listed 6f winner and one who might come to hand late sunmmer. We have a scopey looking Lightning Spear sister to Hill Cove who won two 2yo races last year from just four runs. Her dam is by Acclamation; a maiden herself but a full sister to a Listed winner and from the family of Hellvelyn. One that catches the eye currently is ROSADILLY who is by Due Diligence out of a winning Compton Place mare. An early type could be the Tasleet filly EASEL who is only small but very tough and forward going. It is well known that we love to stick with families that we do well with so it was no surprise to see the full brother to Two Tempting go our way at the yearling sale. This New Bay colt is much smaller that his aforementioned full brother and half brother Sweet Reward but he looks as though he will be able to gallop hopefully. NANCY ROSE is a Nathaniel filly out of a winning 2 year old half sister to two Listed winners who was fourth in a Group 3. CRY FICTION is a spirited grey filly by El Kabeir who was a decent American bred Grade 2/3 8f winner as a 2 and 3 year old. Her dam was unraced but has produced two two year old winners from just two foals and is herself a half sister to a Listed winner.Bonnsie won two races last year as a two year old and her full sister SI SI LA BONNE takes over. A bigger and stronger looking type she is and out of an Invincible Spirit full sister to a speedy Group 2 winner and a close relation to Group 1 sprint winner Iktamal who the trainer used to ride out in Newmarket over 25 years ago!