Thanks for 2009 Teresa and Marion - and all the best for 2010

Our Love Yous come and go

'Dada' top and Lucie below : I keep up to date with them via Kurt's blog - here's the latest news (ah it's summer!)

Dutchess qualifies at Addinton

Km rate of 1.22.3 over 2600m - which was what Snowball did while pulling badly and on one rein on a windy day at Chateaubriant in finishing 7th. Twilight earlier had indicated she prefers to gallop when with other horses (as opposed to trotting very well in warm-ups), which is not very useful for a racehorse!

Snowball and Twilight

Snowball just beaten for third at Cordemais; would have won if could have been driven out instead of being on one rein says MH. Right-handed now (Chateaubriant 23rd)

Twilight gets the new spreader 15 minutes before the race at Graignes; it did its job but she didn't. Also right-handed now (Chateaubriant 23rd)

SIERRA second at Reims

Showing she simply had an off day at Enghien.

Down Under Dutchess

Our correspondent John McD reports!

Just to let you know Dutchess went to the workouts at Motukarara on Saturday and while she ran second in a two horse heat went much better than her finishing position would indicate. Murray has her looking terrific, and warmed her up with 6 or 7 pacers in the previous heat - she was very relaxed and quite at home on the track, and never turned a hair !! In her heat she trotted all the way in the trail, and while she did not pass the horse in front Murray had a non removable hood with earplugs on her which made her so relaxed. He was absolutely delighted with her, and said not to worry about her lack of speed over the final stages, it is merely hidden short term !!. The plan is another two or three runs at the workouts and then the qualifying trials in a month or so - so at this stage she is doing absolutely everything right and her attitude is really good, so lets hope she continues to improve as I am confident she will. She certainly looks the part.

Twilight qualifies nicely at Caen 1.19.2 (2.7.5 mr)

She is wonderfully calm in all situations ( rather like uncle Orlando) and was smartly away (second from right), sat outside the leader until the 1000m and then went clear to win easily. The next five also met the 1.22.0 criterion, so it wasn't a bad heat. Debuts at Caen in a 2200m autostart on Saturday, drawn 10.

SIERRA third at 90/1

Readers of the blog would have ignored her Vincennes run on Tuesday night when she never got clear and the plugs and blinds were never pulled. But there are not many of them (!) so she was sent out at the ridiculous odds of 90/1 (given her Mauquenchy third) and finished a progressive third (13.70 for a place). She was less happy right-handed after racing twice left-handed and you will see from the video that she was on one rein in the straight and couldn't be driven out, so could have been even closer. Very good news is that she has learned to drop the bit and stop pulling (it seems), so we look forward to a 2150m autostart at Enghien on 8th october.

Sierra at Mauquenchy

Video of Sierra winning at Sille-le-Guillaume

Great pic of Sierra winning at Vibraye

PORTO's valiant 3rd

Safely away after false start, big run 3 wide down straight and round turn, got to lead on final bend and led into straight but winner came past decisively; fought back from fourth to miss second by inches.

SIERRA follows up at Vibraye

Smartly away as usual, mid-field, came up outside leaders with round to go, accepted trail when one of them wanted to keep lead, pulled out from behind in straight and won by length.

Blog on the trot

the Blogpress App i have on my iPhone means I can blog from anywhere, especially hippdromes. Kurt : you need an iPhone!


-- Post From My iPhone

Videos available

The two Normandie trotting federations now provide videos on line
Basse Normandie http://www.lescourseshippiquesbassenormandie.com/
Here is Sierra finishing 4th at Ranes (2 August, course 2)



Haute Normandie and Ile de France videos are at http://www.courseschevaux.fr/video.php
Sierra at Saint Aubin de Elbeuf 21/6 course 6 (badly interfered with down the back)
Sierra at le Neuborg 12/7 course 2 (loses 50m at start and hits bad patch in straight)

SIERRA succeeds at Sille - Bravo Marion!

Sierra is still quite nervous, but Marion had her away very well and she had made up her 25 metres handicap within 200m, was outside the leader after 400, and in front soon after. She led comfortably until Marion pulled the plugs on the final bend, when she immediately went clear by 5 lengths and held this advantage down the straight without being under any pressure.

A minor correction!

The vet called this morning to look at the promising Tina (from Festina), looked at the microchip reader and said no, actually this is Twilight (from Moonlight). So it was Tina who went off recently to be a rider for a teenage girl in the area! Now all Marion has to do is explain to SECF that he pressed the wrong button when he took Twilight out of training recently... At least we have kept the promising filly. Maybe I'm not the only one who doesn't know my own horses!
PS Twilight has now re-appeared on my list of horses in training so all is well!

Lots of good news

After a couple of days buried in the Mathematics of Sport in Groningen (north of Holland) I headed for Enghien on Saturday 20th to meet up with Marion who was racing Raurelia. (Frustratingly she hit herself and galloped again at the start.) Then down to Breteuil to prepare for a big Sunday at Elbeuf on the basis of a delicious deer dish from Teresa). Three of the four horses were in claimers (Prince Djo went, Quitus and Salima didn't) but Sierra was to have here first experience of the track in an ordinary race. She began and settled well but was put out of the race after 1000m, nearly falling, by one G G***** pulling across in front of her to avoid a breaking horse in front of him. He received an extremely friendly pat on the head from Marion after the race! So we didn't learn whether she has 'the breath'
Not unexpected news that Twilight (Mooonlight's third by Ideal de l'Iton) had missed the cut, along with several other T's, but this was more than offset by the exciting and unexpected outcome on Monday morning when Snowball was worked in Marion's presence for the first time recently.Remember, he's Moonlight's second foal by Eclat de la Crau whose antics threatened the loss of more than his masculinity a year ago. Anyway he showed real potential finishing his fourth straignt line in the forest at impressive speed. Qualification in early July and to the races soon after hopefully. I left for Denmark in positive mood therefore which became even more positive when I heard from Marion that he had withdrawn Sierra from the 22,000 claimer he had declared her for at Vincennes on the 30th - because she had worked too well to be risked! We still don't know whether she has the breath but she appears to have the speed. She will probably race over the weekend of 10-12 July, wherever she can get in.

What about Porto? He came back better than ever after his long spell according to David, but after an unlucky third at Mont St Michel developed a leg and was pulled out of his planned race at Vincennes. It was decided to send him to Valery Goetz who trains on the beach near Cabourg and also knows a bit about legs! Only problem is that Porto only behaves properly with David. At Maure de Bretagne he was therefore playing rather than working, so he was brought home to work in the forest before heading for Vichy. Drawn 3 over 2150 there he wasn't smart enough at the start and in a slow/fast race had little chance of recovering, but ran on well for 6th. Out next at Sable sur Sarthe on Monday.
And finally... Bernard plays mummy to Naomi's nice Orlando colt... he really stamps them!

LUCIE and D'ARCY have flourished

They have obviously flourished and will be rugged up for winter shortly. They conspired with the sun to make photo taking difficult. Not so Elena who is recovering well from her op and sends best wishes to Kurt

DUTCHESS developing well

DUTCHESS has settled down very well under the care of Murray Allfield. He asked her to go a bit faster since we were there and she did the 2400m in 3.41 (km rate of 1.32, trotting very nicely. All going well she will progress towards qualification in August/Septmember but probably then be rested and brought back to race for real in early 2010.

Latest LOVE YOU pics

Lucie..
Wendy pats D'Arcy while Lucie turns away and her mum looks on...
thanks to Frank Marrion for these!

and yes another pouliche!

Polina delivers a little girl... Venus?... to make it 9 out of 14 since I started breeding!

Easter 2009 Pics - and a big surprise!

Pictures taken on Easter visit 2009. Click on this link and then on Slideshow.

Taking Stock @ 18 April 2009

Broodmares
1993
Festina des Baux: Hetre Vert [Sabi Pas] – Quortina – Borgia III
2003
Polina des Baux: Jasmin de Flore [Vivier de Montfort] (Festina)
2000
Moonlight des Baux: Big Prestige[Royal Prestige] (Festina)

In training
2002
Orlando des Baux: Ideal de I'ton [Cygnus d’Odyssee] (Festina)
2003
Porto de Bootz: Caballio in Blue[Quadrophenio]-Star de la Chaise–Janus de Crille
2006
Sierra des Baux: Lutin Malin [Coktail Jet] (Festina)
Snowball des Baux: Eclat de la Crau [Napoletano] (Moonlight)
2007
Tina des Baux: Ideal de l'Iton [Cygnus d’Odyssee] (Festina)
Twilight des Baux: Ideal de l'Iton [Cygnus d’Odyssee] (Moonlight)
Titus des Baux: Fier des Baux [Montsurvent] - Olda des Baux - Coktail Jet

In paddock
2008
United des Baux: Modern Jazz [Cygnus d’Odyssee] (Moonlight)
Ulena des Baux: Modern Jazz [Cygnus d’Odyssee] (Festina)
Underland des Baux: (Orlando) Milady des Baux – Classic Rodney
Uranie des Baux: (Orlando) Her Majesty – Uranium de Tillard
2009
V... des Baux: Gros Grain [Buvetier d’Aunou] (Polina)
Veronique des Baux: Gros Grain [Buvetier d’Aunou] (Festina)

In New Zealand (Birthday of all horses is 1 August)
2006 28/9 Dutchess: Monarchy [Balanced Image] – Sunvette - Sundon
2008 22/9 Lucie de Gerolstein: Love You [Coktail Jet] - La Grande Duchesse - Sundon
2008 31/10 D'Arcy de Gerolstein: Love You [Coktail Jet] - Gwen - Gee Whiz

ORLANDO'S yearlings

Mood West for FESTINA and POLINA

Jack Hinton viewed in Herceg Novi

Thanks to the internet one can watch Jack Hinton winning at Addington while participating in a tango festival in Montenegro... yes, believe it or not!

First for Jack

Congratulations Fred and Pat and co-owner John McDermott - his first win as a trainer!

It's all official

Kurt reports that the babes have been duly registered and the website indeed confirms this. Apparently there were just 12 Love You foals born this year (3 Sundon mares including Duchesse, 3 Gee Whiz mares including Gwen, 2 Chiola Hanover mares, 1 Armbro Invasion mare and 1 Pine Chip....+2 tba). They are growing well and will be in Wendy's tender care while KG sails away to Europe, any day now.
Meanwhile Marion and Teresa bask on the sand in Martinique!