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September & October

Welsh Emperor has continued to give a good account of himself running another solid race in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp during Arc weekend. Runner-up in the previous two renewals of the race, he finished fifth, under this season’s leading French rider Iorizt Mendizabal, behind Paco Boy but was only beaten two short heads for third with two Group 1 winners behind us. What a nine year old! Having won at Haydock earlier in the season, he ran well in both the Supreme Stakes at Goodwood and the Park Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting during September. He has been a fantastic horse for us winning 12 races and prize-money of over £385,000.

Laterly, who has won twice this year, didn’t stay a mile and three quarters at Doncaster so we dropped him back to ten furlongs at Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting. Fourth behind Swinging Sixties off a mark of 96, he is possibly at his best over a mile and a half. We will be making a decision shortly as to whether he goes hurdling this season or next.

Suits Me, who had such a productive season last year, is without a victory during 2008 but he has run some very good races recently. A close third at Ripon behind the progressive Rose Street, he was narrowly beaten by another Michael Jarvis trained runner Kal Barg at Haydock at the end of September. He coped with the fast ground well but has been raised three pounds by the handicapper as a result.

The juveniles have been running well and The Kyllachy Kid provided us with our fifth two year old winner of the season at Ayr. A consistent gelding, he had been placed on his three previous starts so deserved to get his head in front. The heavy ground held no terrors for him as he won by three and a quarter lengths. I hope he will make a nice handicapper next season.

I was delighted with Regal Lyric’s victory on his racecourse debut at Redcar. Tony Culhane rode the son of Royal Applause and he won by a short head with one or two well touted opponents in behind. He has been given a mark of 82 and will be tackling a nursery shortly.

Kudu Country got his head in front too, albeit sharing the spoils with Hunterview, at Beverley at the end of September. He is a fine big horse who still shows signs of inexperience. I think he is a lovely staying prospect for next season.

I have been pleased with the way the horses have been running but we haven’t had a great deal of luck at time with 23 seconds. Both Fastnet Storm and Russian George ran excellent races in nurseries at Newmarket on the same day last month with the pair being beaten a neck and half a length respectively. I hope the pair will develop into decent three year olds.

Switching to the jumpers, Charlie Crab is a horse I have high hopes for over fences this winter. Unfortunately, he unseated his rider on his chasing debut at Hexham at the start of October. From the family of By The Way, he has schooled nicely at home and he will hopefully make amends soon. He has won three of his seven career starts and should into his own in staying chases.

August 2008

Captain Imperial provided us with our second juvenile winner of the season when scoring at the third attempt at Thirsk. Making virtually all under Micky Fenton, he won by a narrow margin before disappointing on his handicap debut at Chester at the end of the month. A wide draw didn’t help his cause though.

Dr Sharp may be eight years old but he retains plenty of enthusiasm as he demonstrated at Chester when runner-up in a two miles handicap last time. We have given him an entry in the Cesarewitch, in which he finished third a couple of years ago.

Mull of Dubai won at Chester’s May meeting and he ran well on his return to the Roodeye at the end of the month finishing fourth in a Listed handicap. Beaten less than five lengths by Red Gala, he may have been even closer had he not been hampered before the home turn. He has run some very good races this season and I am pleased with him.

Suits Me may be without a win so far this term, having had such a successful season last year, but he ran an excellent race at Ripon finishing third to Michael Jarvis’ lightly raced filly Rose Street. Effective on soft ground, he will hopefully pick up a race during the Autumn.

The Kyllachy Kid will hopefully break his duck shortly having run at Beverley and Chester on his last two starts. Third on both occasions, he probably met an above average winner, namely Richard Hannon’s Full Toss, on the latter occasion. We have the option of staying in maiden company or going down the nursery route.

I was delighted with Top Tribute’s racecourse debut at Ripon. A three year old gelding by Acclamation, he finished second behind an odds on favourite of John Dunlop’s in a mile maiden having raced prominently throughout. He looks capable of winning races.

July 2008

I was delighted to see Welsh Emperor record his first win of the season at Haydock. The underfoot conditions were ideal and, given a positive ride by Tony Culhane, who was having his first winner since his enforced absence, he won nicely. All being well, he will be aimed at the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury next month, a race he won in 2006 and was beaten a short head in last year. Then, it would be nice to go back to France for the Prix de La Foret at Longchamp which he has finished runner-up in for the last two years. He has been a fantastic horse for us winning twelve races and over £350,000 in prize-money.

Saturday 19th July proved to be a very special day with three winners. Laterly continues to improve winning his second race of the year at Ripon in the Bell-Ringer Handicap over a mile and a half. Runner-up at Haydock previously, he is such a tough horse and held off the challenge of Detonator to win by three parts of a length. There is a possibility he will go to Goodwood for a valuable handicap there and we have given him an entry in the Ebor next month. A decision will be made shortly as to whether he goes jumping during the winter.

Daylami Dreams was the third leg of the hat-trick and he produced a good performance to win at Newmarket in a mile and seven handicap. He had finished a close second over course and distance on his previous run but we decided to leave the blinkers off and he stayed on well to lead inside the final furlong. He will get further than this and appreciates decent ground.

Elk Trail stepped back up to a mile and a quarter at Ripon and he produced arguably his best performance to date with a very creditable third behind Nine Stories. He had found a mile on the short side at Thirsk the time before.

Greek Envoy didn’t appear to stay a mile and six in a Listed handicap at York this month but still ran well to finish fifth. Soft ground brings out the best in him and he found conditions a shade too lively in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock previously.

Chester winner Mull of Dubai is another who produced a career best, at York last time, when less than three lengths second to Ella off a career high mark of 92. The handicapper has raised him another couple of pounds but hopefully he can overcome it. It was heavy ground at York which proves his versatility having won on good to firm in May.

The two year olds have run thus far and I was pleased with Russian George’s debut at Wolverhampton. He stayed on nicely at the finish and will have learned from that. He looks a promising sort.

Switching to the jumpers, Charlie Crab won his second race over hurdles from only four attempts with a good performance at Perth. I thought he was unlucky not to win at Aintree but made amends in the three miles handicap hurdle. Bred to jump fences being from the family of By The Way, he will be going chasing in the Autumn and is a horse to look forward to.

June 2008

Elk Trail has run two solid races this season and he stayed on well in third at Leicester last time. We tried him over seven furlongs but left the impression he would benefit from stepping back up to a mile in due course.

Inspector Clouseau ran a blinder in the Daniel Prenn Royal Yorkshire Stakes at York finishing a close second to Military Power. It was his first run over a mile and a quarter and he saw out the trip well. He will appreciate a faster surface than he has encountered on both his starts this year.

Laterly had run two good races at Redcar and York and gained a deserved victory at Thirsk in a mile and a half handicap. A grand type of horse, I think he has a bright future both on the Flat and over hurdles. We have already schooled him over obstacles at home.

West With The Wind stepped up to a mile and a half for the first time at Musselburgh in the Tradesman’s Derby. Only beaten a length and a half in fifth, he is a big horse and didn’t really handle the track. He remains a very promising colt who will hopefully break his duck shortly.

My two year olds are starting to run now and I was pleased with both Kudu Country and The Kyllachy Kid who ran encouraging races at Thirsk and Carlisle respectively. Both geldings stayed on nicely inside the closing stages and will have learned from the experience.

May 2008

The May meeting at Chester proved to be a most satisfying one for me with Celtic Sultan and Mull of Dubai capturing valuable handicaps. The former was making his seasonal reappearance and he made virtually all to win the Warwick International Handicap over an extended seven furlongs. Despite edging right inside the closing stages the four year old had enough in hand to withstand the late challenge of Thirsk Hunt Cup winner Extraterrestrial. Racing off a mark of 100, we are likely to set our sights on Listed races later in the campaign. Good fast ground is considered important to Celtic Sultan.

Mull of Dubai was sent to me during the winter and he looks a fine recruit to Castle Farm Stables. Following runs at Pontefract and Nottingham, he was spot on for the ten furlongs Bank of Ireland Handicap at the Roodeye. Given an excellent ride by John Egan, he really appreciated the strongly early pace before quickening well inside the final furlong. A length victor from John Gosden’s well regarded Escape Route, he looks capable of winning another decent prize this summer.

Elk Trail was only just denied making a winning reappearance at Redcar in a nine furlongs handicap. Despite being a son of Captain Rio, he clearly relishes fast ground and looks the sort to go one better soon. Trips around a mile look his optimum at present.

Greek Envoy made his seasonal reappearance at Ripon at the end of last month in a five runner conditions event over twelve furlongs. Racing off a career high mark of 103, the Diktat gelding can be considered an unlucky loser as he endured a nightmare passage along the far rail. Forced to switch to the outside, he failed by less than two lengths to catch the well supported odds-on favourite Raincoat. Having only raced eight times during his career, Greek Envoy remains open to plenty of improvement and looks one to follow.

Laterly looks a horse who will really come into his own when stepping up to a mile and a half and encountering livelier ground following his close third at Redcar at the start of the month. Only beaten three lengths in a ten furlongs handicap, the Tiger Hill gelding cut out most of the running until finding the race fit pair Tajweed and Full Speed too good close home. His trainer feels faster ground will bring out the best in this stoutly bred individual.

Toto Skyllachy also made a pleasing return to action at Beverley. Having his first start since splitting a hind pastern last summer, he finished an encouraging two lengths second to the Richard Fahey trained Albaqaa in an extended seven furlongs handicap. Despite a two pounds rise in the weights, the Kyllachy colt looks more than capable of paying his way this term.

West With The Wind is considered by Timeform's experts to be a very promising horse, featuring in the Fifty To Follow publication for 2008. Here is his entry:

3 b.c WEST WITH THE WIND             Timeform Rating 84p
Fasliyev (USA) - Midnight Angel (GER) (Acatenango (GER)) [2007 races: 7g 8.2g2 Nov 7]

Visitors to Tom Tate’s website are immediately greeted with the trainer’s objective to ‘find and develop class horses’. He certainly looks to have found a most promising one in the shape of West With The Wind, a lightly-raced son of the Group 1-winning sprinter Fasliyev. Very much in the need of the experience on his debut, in a maiden at Doncaster, West With The Wind was soon behind after missing the break and did well to finish eighth in a race full of well-bred newcomers from bigger stables. Next time, in a similar event at Nottingham, he  once again put in his best work at the finish and came second of twelve, beaten only a length by the potentially useful debutant Wintercast. West With The Wind clearly  takes more after his dam, a useful middle-distance performer closely related to the smart Moonlady, who became the first ever German-trained horse to win in the U.S when successful in the Grade 2 Long Island Handicap over eleven furlongs at Aqueduct in 2000. A big, angular, good-topped colt with a long stride, West With The Wind is obviously open to improvement, particularly when upped in trip to a mile and a quarter and beyond. Although needing one more run to qualify for handicaps, he should not be overlooked on his reappearance, his trainer knowing all too well how to get one ready first time up.

April 2008

Honest John provided Tom Tate with further big race success when winning the Grade 2 John Smith’s Champion Standard National Hunt Flat race at Aintree on Grand National day earlier this month. The Alzao gelding had shown distinct promise on his racecourse debut at Doncaster the previous month finishing second. Ridden by Keith Mercer, he claimed some notable scalps at Aintree as he came with a well timed run inside the final furlong to collar the well regarded pair Touch of Irish and Cape Tribulation. Still only a four year old, Honest John has a bright future.

Flat runners from Castle Farm Stables have been few and far between during 2008 but Piccolo Pete made an encouraging start to his new campaign. Having his first start for Tom Tate having previously been under the guidance of John Quinn, he produced a career best at Southwell this month when a strong finishing second in a six furlongs handicap. Given a smoother passage, he would almost certainly have prevailed only being denied by half a length from Berrymead.

March 2008

Tom Tate approaches the 2008 turf season with a blend of experienced and talented older horses and some highly promising three year olds.

WELSH EMPEROR had another excellent season last year finishing runner-up in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret for the second consecutive season and he filled the same position behind Red Evie in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. Despite being a nine year old, he will continue to be a force in Pattern races.

GREEK ENVOY is a progressive horse who won twice last season including at Newmarket in the Autumn. Lightly raced, he appreciates soft ground and hopefully he can win a big prize during 2008.

CELTIC SULTAN is another improving horse who likes to front run. He adopted those tactics when winning at Newmarket in October before running well against some smart horses at Doncaster on his final start.

RAUCOUS has always been highly regarded and he proved why when beating Halla San at Ripon in the spring last year. Injured sidelined him after his run at Royal Ascot, but he remains unexposed and could be a force in the good staying handicaps this year.

Stable stalwart DR SHARP may not have won last season, but he ran some solid races in defeat and is likely to continue to pay his way when the emphasis is on stamina.

SUITS ME had a terrific season in 2007 winning on four occasions and hopefully he can defy his rise in the weights this year. His ability to handle all types of ground will continue to hold him in good stead.

The older horse division at Castle Farm Stables has been strengthened still further by the arrival of DAYLAMI DREAMS, MACEDON and MULL OF DUBAI. All three were trained by Stan Moore last season and look interesting additions to the yard.

There are a number of interesting three year old prospects with the likes of INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU, LATERLY and TOTO SKYLLACHY all winning as juveniles last year. All three look the sort to develop into nice handicappers and should make their mark.

SHANAFARAHAN and WEST WITH THE WIND ran encouraging races without winning last season. The former ran particularly well on his final start at Doncaster finishing nicely while the latter is bred to stay middle distances and is held in high regard by his trainer.

Comments by MARK HOWARD, Racing UK and author of Ahead On The Flat and One Jump Ahead

Castle Farm Stables, Hazlewood, Tadcaster, N.Yorks, LS24 9NJ