We were very happy with how Cintex ran on his hurdling debut at Uttoxeter the weekend before last. He was sure to benefit from the extra yardage and beat everything bar the short priced favourite so you could have no complaints. He should continue to improve with more experience and in time he will make up into a nice horse for the future. We were equally happy with Just Fred who produced a much b...

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Stealing Mix and The Wicket Chicken ran nice races once more to both finish second to odds on rivals. I was very happy with how Stealing Mix jumped on chasing debut at Stratford bar one small error at the eighth and Noel was happy enough with him too. He is a horse that has had one or two issues with his wind so good ground is essential for him and with the winner being rated 27lbs highe...

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The temperature has returned to normal in the last few days but it got so hot last week that we decided to start early so the horses could be exercised before the heat of the day really set in. Thankfully we have a flexible and hard working team so it was no issue at all and it's better for all concerned to get the horses ridden and washed off in the cooler hours of the morning.  Last week s...

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The horses have continued in relatively good form with a couple of winners as well as a series of placed efforts in the last two weeks or so. Starting at Worcester, where we were happy with Mac Tottie's display on debut to finish a close forth at Worcester under Tom Scudamore. He's made a lot of progress at home in a relatively short space of time, though still showed signs of greenness throu...

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Thankfully we have started the season in a rich vein of form with seven winners already on the board, operating at a 29% strike rate. With plenty of other runners hitting the frame, we couldn't be happier and hopefully we will continue to have a prosperous Summer to give us a nice foundation to build on once we move into the Autumn and Winter months. Knight Of Noir made the long drive up to Aintr...

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It's been a wet and windy Monday morning here at Conkwell Grange but thankfully not too cold. The yard improvements are coming along nicely and there's plenty to get done over the coming weeks before the horses enjoying their holidays in the paddocks are due back in. We've brought in a few breakers and youngsters that need educating and thankfully we've had one or two other new arrivals as we...

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The National Hunt season came to a close last Saturday and it was brilliant to end on a high note. Shantou Village made a mistake at one of the fences down the back straight but he learned from that, and showed plenty of battling qualities to claim the win under Noel, maintaining their unbeaten partnership. The handicapper has given him a 2lb rise as a result of the win, and the Be...

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It's been a little while since my last post but at an important and very busy time of the season, there has still been plenty going on. In the last two weeks or so we have sent out six winners which has been great, though we've thankfully been very consistent all season. The majority of the horses have remained fresh and well and those that appreciate the better ground are back in full ...

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I must start this week with reflections on the Grand National, in which we were hopeful that The Young Master could put in a big display, so naturally we were disappointed to see him come down at the 6th fence. He seemed to be going well up until that point but races don’t come any tougher to win that the Grand National and unfortunately these things do happen in racing.&...

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Walt started off the weekend with another solid run to finish second, taking his form figures to 231332 since joining us. You are always guaranteed a solid run from him and hopefully he can get his head in front again before the season is out. It was a bit frustrating to see Most Celebrated finish second again when looking like the winner coming to the last. He loomed upsides but seemed to be...

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