Catch up, Work begins and record weeks

It’s been a busy and rewarding week, kicking off with a great catch‑up with Tom Lacey. He’s genuinely excited to welcome Silverhill Freya (affectionately known as Freya) to his yard in just a few short weeks.

Her holiday has flown by, and she’s already back in work with D&K Racing, trotting around their mile‑long sand canter. She’ll have a couple more weeks of steady build‑up before heading to Marcus Foley for a jumping brush‑up. Her jumping is already solid, so it’ll be more of a confidence‑building excursion before she heads straight to Tom to prepare for the racecourse proper.

Finishing her work

This week also saw a record percentage of shares taken in Freya. Both capital and lease shares remain available, but we’re now down to the final few capital shares. If you’re on the fence, I’d strongly suggest acting quickly before they’re gone. Full details are available HERE.

Ellie: Back in Work and Full of Promise

Ellie — our currently unnamed 3‑year‑old filly — returned to work a week earlier than Freya and is showing excellent progress. The break has clearly done her the world of good. She’s not a slow horse, and David & Katie see no reason she can’t be competitive in a bumper this season. Although she’s bred to stay further than two miles, the bumper route will give her valuable racecourse experience and set her up perfectly for the future.

With Fergal O’Brien’s outstanding record with young fillies, we’re confident he’s the ideal trainer to bring out the best in her.

Shares in Ellie start at 2.5%, and if you secure yours before July 25th, you’ll have the chance to help name her. Full details HERE.

A Long Day in Bar Hill

Midweek brought a different kind of endurance test — the car went into the garage. Anyone familiar with Cambridgeshire will know Bar Hill: a lovely village I lived in many years ago. It’s changed a bit since I last had time to properly look around, with a clear focus on children’s facilities — credit to the parish council for that.

However, when your car is in the garage for six and a half hours, you quickly discover there isn’t quite enough to do to fill the time. Costa saw plenty of business from me, and what was once (and may still be) the biggest Tesco in the country was inspected three times. On the bright side, it was a good chance to catch up on admin.

Charlock Stud: Babies Thriving and Team Recharged

Graham and Carla returned from their holiday in Morocco. I tease Carla about being on holiday more than she’s at the yard, but in truth they both work incredibly hard — especially in the early months of the year — so they’ve earned the break. Carla assures me that’s it now: they’re firmly back in the trenches.

The yearlings are thriving.

Paul, our Logician colt, is a big lad with a fantastic pedigree and several strong page updates in the last six months. His sire had his first runner in France who is now unbeaten in Two runs and a Listed winner and his half-sister by Dartmouth won her debut as a 3-year-old convincingly and will be targeting black type this coming season.

Pam then then (right) & now (Left)

Pam was already a strong stamp of a horse when we bought her — we had to fend off pinhookers to secure her. She has developed excellently over the last 6 months, being a second foal she won't get and immediate page updates her half sister is by Walk In The Park and being out of a daughter of the great multiple Grade 2 winner Pomme Tieppy it's not a surprise she was highly sought after.

Emma on the other hand was tiny, but we saw her potential. She’s now a completely different horse, developing exactly as we hoped. She again is very well bred. the dam is a half-sister to Racing Demon and is 4 winners from 5 runners (2 ptp and 2 under rules). She is from the family of Abolitionist, Askanna, Minella Cocooner, Journey With Me and Merry Gale!

I couldn’t be happier with how all the babies are shaping up. All credit to the team at Charlock!

England Being… England

To round off the week, England produced a typically English performance against France, finishing in our highest World Cup position for 60 years. France barely played in the first half, and at half‑time I told my son it would end 5–4 to France. Fifteen minutes into the second half, I thought I might actually be right. Thankfully, we held on and got the win.

Next Week? Who Knows…

Next week is a little unknown — but tune in to find out what happens.

Happy half term!