Suzy Smith Racing - News - Suzy Smith Racing

Suzy Smith Racing - News 2017 - 2018

10th April

Time seems to have flown by this spring although we're still awaiting some better ground for many of the horses, but we have had some good results with those that can cope with softer conditions.

Moody Maggie ran another excellent race to finish second, just narrowly going down by a short head in an all weather bumper at Kempton. She is very game and will appreciate a slightly longer trip and there is a possibility that she may run in a mares' bumper at Cheltenham later this month.

Illtellmema has put up two good performances in novice hurdles to finish second and third, both at Fontwell Park in testing conditions. Hopefully she will be able to run once more before the end of the season so that she has her handicap mark for next term. She likes to get on with things and gives herself a little bit of a hard time, hopefully after her summer break she will be in a more relaxed frame of mind.

Invicta Lake has run well several times and was extremely unlucky not to land the spoils at Plumpton in an amateur race when well clear when unseating two out. He subsequently finished second at Kempton and probably would have won that barring another bad mistake! So near and yet so far! He then ran on unsuitably heavy ground at Wincanton and holds an entry at Plumpton for this Sunday - everything crossed!

Clondaw Bisto ran a brave race at Ascot over three miles to finish fourth but was only beaten by three lengths and put up another good performance in horrible conditions at Plumpton to finish a good third. He then went to Exeter where he resented the tongue tie and wouldn't run any sort of race - so he won't be having that back on again!

Rosy World has run three times in the interim, firstly she came a very good second at Ascot just being beaten by a head on her debut, then was third at Taunton on ground that was very churned up and probably the track was a little bit sharp for her. However, she won in true determined fashion at Uttoxeter at the weekend and stuck her neck out where it really counted to fend off a challenge from Easter Gold, with the third horse sixteen lengths further back! Now she's going on her summer holidays and will start her novice hurdling campaign next season.

It's foaling time again! Natural Spring has had a gorgeous filly by Westerner and I am pleased to report that she is being a better mother this time round and seems to have taken to her daughter! For those that remember Mariet, she has had a lovely colt foal by Telescope in the last few days and we are awaiting the arrival of Jennifer Eccles' first foal also by Telescope, due in the next week or so!

11th February

All of the horses seem in great nick at the moment and we have been rewarded with some very pleasing place efforts recently.

Moody Maggie, making her debut at Huntingdon, ran an absolute cracker to finish second showing a very good attitude and hopefully she can win a bumper shortly. She was a little green but very game, didn't have a blow at all afterwards and was staying on so another furlong might help.

Dubai Dirham also showed a likeable attitude in her bumper at Lingfield, running much more the way we thought she was capable of doing. She was only just under a length behind the winner in third, after being held up and having to come wide, so it was very promising and she enjoyed the sound surface of the all weather. There looks to be to come from her and she schools well over hurdles.

Invicta Lake finished third on only his second chase for us in very heavy conditions, jumping very well against more experienced chasers. He would prefer slightly better ground than that so it was a good effort! He is in great form and hoping to get him out again shortly.

Red Devil Star has been his usual consistent self with a good second at Sandown under Jack Sherwood, looking very much like he was going to win after jumping the last and a third at Ascot under amateur Alex Ferguson, who certainly enjoyed riding him and came back beaming and raving about his jumping! He so deserves to get his head back in front as he always runs his heart out.

We have had three new arrivals in January. Firstly an unnamed 5yo mare by Multiplex out of the useful broodmare Roslin, owned and bred by Roger and Yvonne Allsop. We trained a lovely half sister to her called Madame Jasmine, who was tremendously consistent and genuine and won five races for us. 'Molly' as she is known in the stable is a really good looking, strong individual and we hope she will turn out to be as good as her sister.

Sisania was our next arrival, a 5yo mare by Mastercraftsman, who has won a juvenile hurdle and has the size and scope for fences. Owned by Heart Of The South Racing, she has come to us for a change of scenery and we hope we can recapture her best form. We are very much looking forward to meeting some of the members of her syndicate on their first visit to the yard on the 24th February.

We also purchased a racy looking 6yo grey mare called Illtellmema from Doncaster Sales. She is by Milan out of a black type mare and she has won and been placed in Irish points on desperate ground, so she should be well at home at the likes of Plumpton, Fontwell and Lingfield! We are looking forward to her new owner, Sarah Parker, coming to meet her next weekend!

Finally we have been very excited to make the short list for the final in The Lycetts Team Champion Awards!! The awards showcase the yards with the best team ethos and best management practices and we are really proud to be among the final four in our category for the yards under 40 horses. The team here work extremely hard, deserve the recognition for their efforts and they thoroughly enjoyed meeting the judges when they came to visit the yard. The awards are being held in London on the 22nd February, when they will reveal the winning yard! Whether we win or not we will definitely take the staff out to celebrate for getting this far!!

6th December

We had a fantastic day at Plumpton on Monday 4th with Hook Lane Roobee winning impressively on his debut in a National Hunt flat race. It was just brilliant for his owner/breeder Jane Reece who has fulfilled her dream of not only breeding a racehorse but breeding an extremely good one on her first attempt! This was also Jane's first experience as an owner, so it couldn't have been better. Jack Sherwood gave him a great ride and was also able to come along to our staff Christmas party that night to celebrate with the team!

Red Devil Star started his season at Worcester where the ground was not as described and therefore a bit of a wasted trip. His second run at Lingfield was very promising as it was a hot race and he finished a good third closing all the time. It is likely that he will run at Sandown on Friday, going permitting.

Invicta Lake has had a couple of runs since returning from two years off the track, both at Plumpton. The first time he ran well for a long way and just got tired on the soft ground but came on from the run and finished just over a length from the winner in fourth place in his second race. This was over his minimum distance at just under 2m 5f in an amateur race. Again he was making up ground all the time.

Clondaw Bisto has had three runs so far, the first over an inadequate trip on good ground at Fontwell. He has then put up two good performances, the first at Plumpton where he finished fourth over 3m 1f and then a good third in very testing conditions at Exeter over 3m.

Clondaw Cian has started his chasing career. In his first Novice Chase at Aintree he finished third behind some more experienced horses, jumped well to the main, but we felt he raced a little lazily. We applied the cheek pieces at Ascot where it could be argued that he ran the best race of his life and was just held by a neck. He is declared to run tomorrow at Market Rasen which will be his third run over fences and hopefully this will open up some better opportunities for us as he is now rated 136 which is an awkward mark for a novice.

We are launching a fun new syndicate and are looking for two more people to take 10% shares in a horse that we will be purchasing shortly at up to £30,000 - please see our horses for sale page for further information.

14th September

A significant number of the horses are now in fast work and we are looking forward to having our first runners probably early next month. We are very pleased with how they are all looking and how much they much they are enjoying their work.

We welcomed over sixty of Plumpton Racecourse's Annual Members for a yard visit last Friday - which despite the squally weather was very enjoyable - they're a hardy bunch of true National Hunt enthusiasts! Jack Sherwood came down to jump a selection of the horses in a schooling display for the members. It was very interesting talking to different members of the group about their memories of racing here in Lewes in years gone by and getting to know the Plumpton regulars! Likewise for them, we hope we gave them a good insight into our work here and may recognise a few of the horses at their local track.

We have had two new arrivals so far this month. Strike The Flint, a three year old filly by Shirocco ex Material World who we broke in here as a two year old, has returned here to further her education. Also a three year old filly by Champs Elysees ex Plaisterer who was backed in Newmarket 18 months ago. She is dual purpose bred and therefore we would be hopeful that she might run in the Spring.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our guests for our Annual Owners' Day next weekend - let's hope the weather's kind to us and for the opening race meeting at Plumpton.

24th July

Since the beginning of the month we have been bringing some of the horses back in from their holidays to start work. They all seem to have done very well over the summer as the weather in May and June was particularly nice.

During our quiet period we have had Counteract here to break in. He is a two year old gelding by Dr Massini out of our brilliant race mare Aimigayle, the first of her progeny. He is a particulary nice individual who is very correct and looks as though he is going to make up into a decent sized horse with an extremely good temperament to match. He has gone back to Westerlands Stud now to develop and we look forward to having him back as a three year old.

We attended the Landrover Sales in Ireland in June where we purchased a cracking looking three year old gelding by September Storm out of a full sister to Let Yourself Go. We are delighted to say that he has since been purchased by Mrs Viv Palmer who also currently owns Red Devil Star who has been a great success for her in his own right. We are hoping he will run in a bumper in the spring and are very excited to have him in the yard.

You will see in our gallery new photos of our broodmares and their foals taken at Ballincurrig Stud a couple of weeks ago. We are delighted with how they all look, they really are a fine bunch of foals this year, all a decent size and well put together. We always look forward to visiting the mares and taking them a few apples. They were all winners for us and its fascinating to see the new generations coming through and family characteristics being passed down the line.