George Baker's Blog

Crashing out with a bang. Surreal scenes from the Midlands and beyond. The Bridge over the Tyne providing a spectacular backdrop to some remarkable photographs of lightning. Poor Chris Bealby's allweather gallop washed away in Lincolnshire. Flash flooding in many places....

What the hell is going on........???!!!

Our two runners headed to Leicester turned back before they hit the great floods. Abandonments commonplace at the end of June. More rain forecast.....

What the hell is going on.....??!!!

I was in London last night. A beautiful, balmy evening. A dinner meeting. Walking through the streets in warm sunshine, it was impossible to believe that the country was underwater a few miles north. A beautiful city on a summer's evening....

But I fear that Lords will not survive the monsoons later. England versus Australia at Lords. That always has a good ring to it. Although a sign of the commercial times to see the Aussies here in a non Ashes summer....

Two runners today. Newmarket and Doncaster. But much weather to get through before either runner heads to post. No certainty anymore that racing will not be threatened by unseasonal monsoon rains....

What the hell is going on....??!!

BRIGHTON TUESDAY

Petite Georgia - this tough and hardy little filly has come home with a few scratches and lumps and bumps after this, her second run. A rough race in which she was the chief sufferer, but the winner had been narrowly beaten on a couple of occasions and deserved this win for Phil Mcentee and owner Mike Mckeon. The most pleasing aspect of PG's run was that she suffered interference but picked up again to run all the way to the line. Her turn is not far away....

Waspy - was the paddock pick, but bumped into a well handicapped horse in Toga Tiger. Waspy well beaten in second, but easily winning the race for that position. She looked magnificent, and ran accordingly under a good ride from Kirsty Milczarek. This tough filly is steadily getting up the handicap to a mark off which we can make a plan or two. As opposed to the current state of affairs whereby we run where we can get in.....

SALISBURY WEDNESDAY

Jollification and Red Four - a fine start to the day, Jollification showing plenty of guts to prevail by a head from the well backed favourite. We had taken this filly to Thirsk on debut, looking for some half decent ground, but the rains came and ruined her chance. Yesterday's ground was on the easy side of good, which still would not be ideal, so we have much hope that we will see more improvement if we ever get better ground. Glorious Goodwood might just be "Glorious" ?? A first horse to run in the colours of Jules and Ali Pittam. And our first "Yearling Bonus". Good fun.....  Red Four made a most encouraging debut under William Buick in the same race. 5 furlongs was always going to be on the short side, but a trip to our local track for debut as opposed to a long lorry journey made this a decent option. Red Four travelled well, and was only just pipped for third by the Stoute newcomer. 6 furlongs next time, and I am sure further in time. A filly with a lovely relaxed temperament, this was a pleasing start......

Nenge Mboko - also on debut. 50/1. But belying those odds. At the two pole, there was half a moment when I thought he would at least be in the three. But he got a little tired, and Pat Cosgrave was not hard on him through the final furlong. A close up 5th from a horse who will benefit massively from yesterday's run. It has taken a while for the penny to drop, and his team of owners have been patient, but Nenge showed yesterday that he is a horse of potential. Thrilled with him.

Eton Rambler - this horse has always been pretty near the top of our "2-year-old tree". But yesterday he was too green to do himself justice, missing the break badly and taking a while to get organised. Pat was not tough on him, and allowed him to run on through a few horses for hands and heels pushing. ER surprised us with how "green" he was, but in hindsight he has done everything so easily at home and has barely come off the bridle. Our horses always progress from debut, and we will see a much more "streetwise" performance next time.....

National Hope - "Bones" Jones having his first ride in this amateur's contest. And doing nothing wrong at all. NH is confusing us now, and is in the very last chance saloon. She has loads of ability (used to work all over Belgian Bill, and did a good piece with Humidor recently ?!), but the mind appears to have wandered. Frustrating.....

BATH WEDNESDAY

Place In My Heart - I made the trek from Salisbury to Bath to saddle PIMH. She ran a blinder to be beaten half a length in second behind a clearly well handicapped horse. No disgrace at all, but we cannot wait to see her on her preferred fast ground. Which we have come nowhere near so far this "Summer".....

A long day. But a good day....





   

The English football team. Outplayed in every department. No wonder Mr Rooney looked a little jaded. Slightlyy different being provided nil service from journeymen players to the flair and elan of the continental and foreign players he is used to playing with....

At least the England football team will have a few more days in St Tropez now that they have been dumped out of Euro 2012.....

Two runners today. At Brighton. Petite Georgia having her second run, and taking on a solid odds-on favourite. We are looking for her to progress from her encouraging debut effort. And Waspy. Still rated in the 40's. So we run where we get in. And "get in" we have, so she will look to build on her Lingfield victory. The trip was too short at Bath last time out.....

The collective intake of breath. Utter disbelief. Simon Holt's pulsating commentary. "Has he blown it".....??

Luke Nolen easing up as he approached the line. Perhaps because no horse has ever come back at Black Caviar once she has hit the front. Nolen in cruise control. But a momentary "brain fail" so nearly spoiling the script. The first paragraph had been written way back on Tuesday. The first race. Frankel imperious....

And then we all headed back to Ascot for more. For the coronation of a Queen. In a Jubilee year....

The day cold and blustery. Almost autumnal. But a huge contingent of Australians brightening the day. Filled with expectation. Belief in the inevitable. Here to witness a procession. The prospect of defeat not even whispered. And for one rare occasion, Australian and British sporting aspirations polarised on the same outcome....

To the pre-paddock. And there she is. This bull of a horse. Not pretty. Plain at best. A rolling gait. A media scrum. Photographers everywhere. Including TLNCK....

Away to the paddock. And we take up our place on the rails. Not far beyond the winning post. Not far beyond the spot where it all nearly went wrong. Where Aussie dreams so nearly turned to Ashes.....

Very little can ever match the raw intensity of what happened next. Cruise control. And then desperation. The line upon them. The head bob going the right way. Just....

As she trotted away from us, a hint of lameness. But "job done". Thankfully. Thankfully for Mr Nolen. Who held his hands up immediately. He got away with it. And we all who were there could revel in the moment. Sport. Bloody Hell......

A few hours later, and the meeting gone for another year. Just one topic of conversation in the car park. Inevitably.....

And then a lone, slightly hunched figure passes not a hundred yards from where we are having a debrief drink with Ralph Beckett and Andrew Balding. One of Andrew's owners with us. He knows the man. "Peter, fancy a beer....?"

Peter Moody, Black Caviar's trainer, had intended to slip away to Newmarket. Shunning the London parties. Drained. Even exhausted by what had happened.....

But just as the big horse's engine had spluttered in the dying strides, so the Moody vehicle had failed to fire. Stranded. Waiting for the AA. A beer seemed a good idea....

And so, remarkably, we spent a happy hour interrogating Peter. No stone left unturned. A hugely amiable and entertaining companion. We all know the Black Caviar story. To hear the Black Caviar story from the "horse's mouth" was special. As the beer flowed, so the story unfolded. Remarkable, remarkable, remarkable.....

Like children outside the pavilion at Lords, we proferred our racecards for signatures.....

She won. We were there. A day in a million.....





     

Shackerlacker........!!

After an encouraging debut at Brighton, Boomshackerlacker took a massive step forward at Newmarket yesterday evening. Winning well, and in gutsy fashion, under Pat Cosgrave. Patrick and Valerie have always had great faith in this horse, and he will improve again. Another fine prospect for this particular PJL syndicate....

Meanwhile, at a wintery Royal Ascot, Belgian Bill emphasised yet again what a hardy and dependable horse he is. After running in the Hunt Cup on wednesday (he traded at 11/10 in runing...), he was back for the Buckingham Palace Stakes yesterday. The field splitting in two, effectively creating two separate horseraces. Bill finishing third in his gang. 7th overall. Glorious Goodwood. And then Turkey again would be the obvious plan......

Dinner in London on thursday night. With Victor Chandler. And a fascinating conversation with the owners of Indian superstar racehorse In The Spotlight. She looks pretty decent....

There is a pretty decent filly expected to strut her stuff at Ascot this afternoon.....

And the forecast looking a little "iffy". To say the least....

Approaching half time at Royal Ascot. As ever, some absorbing sport. And, as ever, many more losers than winners. We were in the former camp yesterday. Belgian Bill almost going too well through the Hunt Cup. Hitting the front three furlongs from home. Which is a very long way out to be hitting the front. Not discredited. But no cigar.....

Great company through the day. Many friends around the place....

I still struggle a little with the new stand. That is no longer so "new". I am not quite sure where to watch the racing from. Yet. I have tried several different places. And still find the best view is on the big screens...

A couple to Warwick today. As long as the monsoons don't get there. Petite Georgia is a very likeable 2-year-old filly, and Missus Mills will benefit from the drop to 6 furlongs....

One word. That just about covers Day One of Royal Ascot.....

A performance of sheer brutality. Awesome to watch. 11 lengths. Unextended......

It was a pleasure to be there to witness this demolition of a high class field....

A masterful ride from Richard Hughes aboard Jacks Revenge at Windsor last night. We talked in the paddock about how this horse was the perfect ride for him. Needing to be kidded along. To find a bit of trouble. To get there in the shadow of the post....

Which is just exactly what he did. A little cheeky look across to the rider of the second. A neck to spare at the line. Richard loved it. What fun.....

Daniel and Paola Jefferies. And Lee-Anne Warwick with us. And spending the next few days together at Ascot. A good way to kick start the week. Let the Games commence....

I bought Richard's book en route to pick up the saddle off him. I look forward to reading it very much....

Good to catch up with Nick and Ruth Gifford. A rare flat runner for them....

Salisbury yesterday morning. To work Humidor and National Hope. The former lined up for a few of the bigger sprint prizes through the late summer and autumn. The Khan brothers sensibly swerving Black Caviar....

What a week we have in store. Some fantastic thoroughbreds going head to head on one of the biggest stages in our sport. Our country does pomp and ceremony better than anybody, and the traditional values epitomised in the daily Royal Procession continue to stand the test of time....

Pretty much. Apart from Bath on Saturday. Which was miserable. Lashing rain. A howling gale. February....

Waspy did not handle the drop back in trip. She did not run badly, and we will see her in a better light when upped back to 7 furlongs....

Jamie Ritblat with us yesterday morning. To see the injured Joeys Destiny. Who would have headed for the Windsor Castle tomorrow with a squeak. But is instead confined to box rest. The frustrations and disappointments of this game....

Jamie still has Jakes Destiny headed for The Britannia on Thursday. We need seven to come out for JD to squeak into the bottom of the handicap. A mark of 87 would have guaranteed him a run in most recent Britannias. No guarantee of a run this time, but it would be galling if he does not quite make the cut....

Salisbury for the last. After a delicious lunch of roast beef with old friends Dave and Sybilla Whitmore. Sitting outside for lunch in the sun. Strange for June ?! Salisbury a disappointment. Kings Ciel not, on this occasion, stepping up to the plate. But a positive being the ride given him by Tom Garner who came across very well. A young rider with a future....

Jacks Revenge to Windsor today. As long as the ground continues to dry out. Richard Hughes up. Who should suit JR who needs delivering on the line....

And then the five days of the Royal meeting begins tomorrow. With Frankel and Black Caviar in our midst, this is truly a meeting to savour. The greatest Royal Ascot of all time ?? I am sure it will not disappoint....

The Longest Day this week. The nights will soon start drawing in....??!!

Already. Blustery. Angry skies. Rain in the wind. You don't have to be a Red Indian warrior to smell it in the air...

But a glimmer of hope that the weather for Royal Ascot might be slightly better. "Dry" would do....

No runners over the past couple of days. But visitors aplenty. On Thursday, my great friend from school, Michael Brooks, was here with his parents to watch Eton Rambler canter....

And yesterday some more Brookes', along with the Jenks, here to see I'm Harry. And to make a plan or two. Norton and Jane Brookes bred Belgian Bill who heads to the Hunt Cup on wednesday.....

Kieren Fallon confirmed for Bill, and it looks as if he will be available for Jakes Destiny in the Britannia as well....

One runner today. At Bath. Waspy, looking to build on her Lingfield victory. Achieved off a mark of 43, since when she has risen to the lofty heights of 48. Still not high enough to make a proper plan, and we have to run where we get in....

And Kings Ciel to Salisbury tomorrow. "Bertie" on seasonal debut. He will like the easy ground....

England beat Sweden in a competitive football match !! Two pretty average teams. Sweden on the way home. England on the cusp of the quarter finals. But unlikely to have any of the higher rated teams quaking in their boots just yet....?!



 

On Wednesday. A very long way. But not quite so far since William Russell showed me a "cunning" short cut. I cannot believe that I have taken the long, alternative tourist route to Newmarket for so long ?! William's route knocking half an hour off the trip.....

Meaning I got to Yarmouth much earlier than I had expected. Giving me the chance to catch up with Chris and Miriam in The Seafood Restaurant. As ever, the perfect antidote to the four hour (not anymore...) journey. Lunch with Gay Kelleway. Which we should no more often, as Gay had the winner of the first and we won the third with Purple 'N Gold. I hope Chris and Miriam were on...!!

Purple doing it well. David Kenny's first ride for us since heading off to work for William Knight. DK has been a star part of our team, but he heads off to Billy's yard with our best wishes. And I am sure that we will be using him plenty in the future.....

Three winners in three days.This "stop, start" season struggling into gear. But more miserable weather around, and now with Royal Ascot almost upon us. The forecast marginally better for next week. It needs to be !!

A bitter disappointment for Jamie Ritblat and the team over the past 48 hours. After Joeys Destiny had bolted up on Monday, Ascot dreams became reality. JD was fine after his run. But has managed to injure himself in his stable somehow, perhaps getting cast overnight. He is very sore. A bitter pill to swallow. Whilst I am sure he will be fine in time (he has a bone scan today), these opportunities on the bigger stages are few and far between....

Gut wrenching, and we all felt a little sick for an hour or two when the news came through. But nothing we can do about it. Save for dusting ourselves down and getting on with the job. A sickener for the team, but I am lucky to work with an exceptional gang who have rallied around brilliantly....

Back to Mick Channon's quote of this game "taming lions". Too true....

Is always a pleasure. A primary reason being the fact that it is 10 minutes down the road....

A busy morning around the yard yesterday morning. A team of prospective new owners, headed up by Tim Slade who founded the clothing company "Fat Face", with us....

A quick lunch in The Rose and Thistle. And then to the course. Ted Durcan not making it in time to ride Bountybeamadam, but Hayley Turner filling the role of "supersub" very well. Bounty taking a big step forward from her Kempton debut which was very pleasing. And a relief. Involved in the photo finish for 3rd, and showing us that we can be more than hopeful for the weeks ahead.....

A great gang of her owners on hand. Marcus Locock, with his parents. Angela Bray. Richard Jukes representing his wife Janet. Robbie and Penny Streatfield. Jimmy Brecknock. Jimmy's mother Ginny Clark and sister Sam. And a particular delight to see Jimmy's father David Camden making his first racecourse appearance in several decades....

Missus Mills getting a little bogged down in the soft ground, and the same story for Percythepinto who travelled well but never picked up like he had done at Chepstow....

Meanwhile, Dark Ages was winning under Jamie Spencer down at Lingfield. Sold to Paul Burgoyne's yard for £9000 as a replacement, so the Racing Post say, for Miss Bootylishes who was retired the night before. We wish them luck with this tough and game little horse....

Yarmouth today. Might just take a little longer to get to than Salisbury....


 

Is what Patrick and I drove through en route to Folkestone yesterday. Some unbelievable rain, and some staggering reports of 75mm falling at Goodwood. Can that really be true.....??

Folkestone had clearly missed the torrential stuff, and when we walked the course it was pleasing to see what good condition the ground was in. Credit due to Neil Mackenzie-Ross and his team....

Joeys Destiny. What a star. We never have our 2-year-olds wound up for debut as the stats show. And so if one of ours wins on debut, they are pretty good. "Pretty good" would be a fair assessment of this horse, who barely came off the bridle to win by an easy 5 lengths. Impressive. And Royal Ascot plans filtering to the forefront of our minds...

On from Folkestone to Windsor. Where it was much wetter. A pleasing debut from Secret Beau who travelled like the good horse we hope he is for much of the race....

Not the usual Monday crowd, the weather and a warm sofa in front of the football keeping many away.

So wrote Pricewise guru Tom Segal in yesterday's Racing Post. On the cusp of Royal Ascot. Usually by this stage of the season, the form has "settled down". Not this time around. Strange ground has brought with it some strange results....

Another "mixed" forecast for the week ahead. One saving mercy is that Ascot's home straight drains unbelievably well. Almost too well. It can be "Good to Firm" in the home straight, and "Good to Soft" out in the country at Swinley Bottom.....

Royal Ascot one of the great highlights of the Flat season. This year, it feels as if the season has barely got under way in time for the Royal meeting. A bookies bonanza ahead.....??

Whilst the midweek Racing Post is often no more than an expensive necessity, praise must be given where praise is due. The Sunday Racing Post is a brilliant and unmissable read for anybody with the remotest interest in this parochial little sideshow of ours. And yesterday's article on Roger Charlton by Julian Muscat made for fine and enlightening reading....

As racehorse trainers, it is only natural that we take the results of our runners to heart. Whilst the highs are very high, the disappointments can eat away at you. Disappointing other people is part and parcel of this job, and with many more losers than winners in a horse race we spend a lot of time being disappointed and disappointing others....

Roger alludes to this fact in yesterday's article, and how a conversation with Henry Cecil changed his perspective. "Henry has been through so much in terms of illness and the subsequent treatment, his lack of horses and how he fought back, how he is positive, picking up the good things out of everything"....

Very true. A sense of perspective is critical. As long as we as a team are doing everything within our powers to send our horses to the races in peak condition, we are then doing our job properly. As evidenced by the huge number of "Best Turned Outs" that Anneli and the other staff win at the track, our horses always look magnificent. But once the jockey is legged up, there is nothing more that we can do....

A huge amount of work goes into preparing each and every horse for a given race. A fact that, understandably, eludes most people who watch horseracing. Who see a horse appear in a paddock, trot off to the start, and race back again. They have probably never given a second thought to what really happens behind the scenes. But why should they ?? "Behind the scenes" is our job...

Another telling comment from Ray Cochrane in yesterday's paper. "I like to see people doing well, but I realise that for every good result it's a bad one for someone else. Racing is a great leveller and keeps your feet firmly on the ground".

Very, very true......   

Not exactly "flaming June". But a definite improvement, even if there is still a bite to the wind....

The first day of racing this season on the July Course yesterday. A foul day. Howling gales and persistent rain. The nearby Suffolk Show cancelled due to the weather for the first time in 181 years. Lunch with William Russell before racing in an oasis of calm, the Jockey Club Rooms. But the wind still managed to blow the door open on several occasions, and each new person who appeared through it looked as if they had been on an epic trip to far flung territories...

In the circumstances, I was pleased with Place In My Heart's 4th placing under Frankie. She would definitely have preferred faster ground, but you cannot keep the lid on these sprinters forever. With the forecast "mixed" at best, I was happy for her to run on the "virgin" turf of the July course. Which was a whole heap better than some of the soft ground we have encountered elsewhere..

Bugsys Boy today. To Worcester. Bugsy on the comeback trail after a lengthy layoff. A good, clear round that gives us hope going forward would be pleasing....

We worked Belgian Bill, Humidor and Billyrayvalentine soon after dawn this morning. Bill on course for The Hunt Cup, Humidor with plenty of later season sprint options, and Billyray likely to be back on track as soon as the ground dries up....

Second lot we worked three of the unraced 2-year-olds, Nenge Mboko (Compton Place), Eton Rambler (Hard Spun) and Secret Beau (Sakhees Secret). Getting there....

 

That was yesterday. And more of the same right now. A howling gale. Horizontal rain....

Maybe we should have all our jumpers ready for June. And keep the Flat horses for the drought months of January through March ??? A tired record, I know, but the ground across the land is not supposed to be like this in midsummer. Maybe, just maybe, there is a blazing Summer around the corner, starting off at Royal Ascot....

Black Caviar has landed safely, and is by now in her stable at Newmarket. A sporting and brave call to send her across the globe, adding massive interest to what already promises to be a fantastic Royal meeting. I for one am hugely looking forward to seeing her, and I should imagine that the Saturday crowd will be significantly bolstered by her appearance....

The Frankel - Black Caviar match is not going to happen. But in a fortnight's time, we will have the chance to witness two of the greatest racehorses of all time in action. Some prospect....

Our one runner at "Leafy" yesterday, I'm Watching, struggled a little on the soft ground. It was a pretty rough 2-year-old contest, with plenty of "bumping and boring", and our filly got knocked sideways a couple of times. She is fine this morning, and now qualifies for a mark....

Place In My Heart at Newmarket and Purple 'N Gold at Bath today. But a weather watch required for both. I have just spoken to Michael Prosser at Newmarket who reports that they had a dry and windy night. We did not !! And so PIMH is on her way east. We will have a look when we get there. And likewise we will see what today brings before committing Purple to Bath...

Edie Campbell with us yesterday. The countdown to the charity race at Goodwood has begun. A photographer from the Daily Telegraph here as well. Not a great morning for taking photographs. But then again, not many "great mornings" at all at the moment.....

NEWMARKET UPDATE 7.28a.m. Michael Prosser has just called. It is now raining hard in Newmarket. Great ?!

We, as a nation, spend an enormous amount of time talking about it.....

Unsurprisingly, as it affects so much of what so many of us do. The forecast for the early part of June looking pretty grim. The going at our racecourses not what one would expect for midsummer. But nothing we can do about it. Talking about it will not change how it is....

But making plans becoming increasingly difficult. And more and more runners declared with the proviso "Will only run if the ground suits".....

Of our recent runners, Boomshackerlacker was one of the most encouraging on debut at Brighton. Not normally a track to head to with 2-year-old debutants, but Ed Arkell is an excellent Clerk who works hard with his team to provide decent ground. Boomshackerlacker third of five. A little keen early o having missed the break, but this was still a good beginning....

Missus Mills taking a massive step forward from debut when 4th at Chepstow on Monday. Very pleasing....

And the less said about National Hope at Kempton last night, the better. A false start. A complete muddle. NH left in the stalls second time around having broken brilliantly first time. Game over. Frustrating. But at least she had no race at all, so will be out again soon....

Just the one runner today. I'm Watching under Monsieur Barzalona at Lingfield. More encouragement last time at Chepstow, and it will be no surprise if she belies her big price to run a decent race today.....

Edie Campbell here this morning. To be photographed by The Daily Telegraph. Gloomy and grey out there. Not ideal for a photo shoot, but I am sure they will find a decent spot around these beautiful yards....