The Esteemed trainer, big day prep!

It’s been another busy and rewarding week across the Emris Racing team, with updates coming in from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire and even Ireland. As always, thank you for taking the time to read these weekly round‑ups — they remain one of my favourite parts of the job, and I’m glad so many of you enjoy following the journey.

A New Arrival Settling In Nicely

Details coming soon!

The week began with a catch‑up at D & K Racing, where our newest purchase is settling in extremely well. The breaking‑in process has begun and she’s already showing plenty of enthusiasm for her work. If all continues smoothly, she should be ridden next week, which is a great early sign.

We haven’t released her details yet as Jerry and I are still weighing up training options, and she doesn’t have a stable name either — something we’ll be putting right very soon. I had a lovely email exchange with Michael Hickey at Sunnyhill Stud, where she was bred, and he confirmed they don’t tend to give their youngsters stable names. So the honour now falls to us.

A Trip to Ravenswell Farm

We then headed over to Ravenswell Farm, home of the ever‑welcoming Fergal O’Brien and his brilliant team. No matter how busy they are — and they were very busy — they always make time for visitors, which is one of the many reasons I love the yard.

Just Passing Bye (Ellie)

We watched Just Passing Bye do her work. She’s currently completing three laps of the round gallop, roughly 1 mile and 1 furlong, and her work rider was very happy with her progress. She’s improving every day and her fitness is building nicely as we prepare for an Autumn debut.

We also dropped off a set of silks and a welcome pack for a new syndicate member who doesn’t yet know they’re a syndicate member — always a fun moment.

Less fun was discovering, three hours later at home, that the update video we recorded had no sound thanks to a rogue button press. Thankfully, Fergal kindly recorded another the following morning so members didn’t miss out.

We also discussed potential GBB targets for Ellie. She’s fully registered, but the programme book is currently light on fillies’ juvenile bumpers, so we’ll assess the best opening option. A few new faces have joined her syndicate this week too, you ca get your shares HERE

Silverhill Freya Building Fitness

Over in Herefordshire, Silverhill Freya continues her steady build‑up. She’s trotting a mile and hack‑cantering a mile and a half on the deep sand, which will continue for a few more weeks before sharper work begins.

Silverhill Freya (Freya)

Freya has more early-season options than Ellie, so there’s a genuine race on to see who will be our first runner. Either way, it’s going to be exciting.

Tom is away next week, so our planned visit is postponed, but he sent over a video update on Wednesday and she looks superb — strong, happy, and has clearly benefited from her break. Her syndicate has welcomed plenty of new members recently, so if you’re considering joining, I’d encourage you not to delay. You can get your share/s HERE

Admin, Reports and the Usual Midweek Jobs

Midweek was admin-heavy:

• Pre‑training reports for both Freya and Ellie were completed.

• The new horse is now fully insured.

• And I ticked off a long list of mundane tasks that nobody reading this will be remotely interested in.

Charlock Stud: Open Day Prep and Yearling Progress

We also had our regular catch‑up with Carla at Charlock Stud — although “catch‑up” is generous, given we speak at least three times a week. Current hot topics include rain and TikTok, which tells you everything about British weather and modern life.

Charlock’s National Racehorse Week Open Day is next Saturday, and we’ll be there with a stand showcasing our three yearlings. Preparations are well underway and we’re looking forward to meeting plenty of people throughout the day.

We had hoped to bring the new filly along, but with her breaking‑in underway, it’s unlikely to be possible.

The yearlings themselves continue to thrive. I know I sound like a broken record, but I genuinely couldn’t be happier with their progress. Early planning discussions have begun, and the first to take a step forward will be the unfortunate “Paul”, who will soon be losing his colt status.

Looking Ahead

Next week’s plans include:

• A visit to D & K Racing

• Two trips to Charlock Stud

• Continued monitoring of Ellie, Freya and our newest arrival

Plenty to keep us busy, and plenty to look forward to.

Until next time.