DECEMBER 2023

3 Jan

Owners with trainer Johnson White, jockey Micheal Nolan in the winners enclosure at Newbury Racecourse celebrating Pulling Stumps’ impressive 2nd place in the Novice Handicap Chase on the 20th December.

By Harry Herbert

I do hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and now it’s a big Happy New Year from all of us here at Highclere! Here’s wishing you all possible health and happiness in 2024 and of course fingers and toes crossed for plenty of winners too!

Its at such an exciting time of year as the National Hunt horses prepare for those busy few months left of the season and of course the yearlings are now two-year-olds and are all at their respective trainers. Our thanks as always go to Malcolm Bastard and to Brian O’Rourke for breaking the horses so well and I know that those of you who have been to see them going through this process have all loved the visits. Part one of their new careers is over and now it’s on to the next stage of their education in their respective training yards. The feedback from both Brian and Malcolm has been incredibly exciting! The three-year-olds and older horses are finishing their breaks and have all done so well for the time off, which has given them a chance to mature fully into their frames.

Wishing you much luck and success with them all and I very much look forward to seeing you the stable visits as they begin in February.

With my best wishes,

Harry Herbert, Chairman

On The Track

By Emily Scott

December proved to be a month for the chasers with two scintillating wins from Mount Tempest and Horacio Apple’s and a very promising second from Pulling Stumps at Newbury.

Mount Tempest, who jumped his way to victory at Sandown earlier in December, was winning his third race in the Highclere colours, but this was his first over the larger obstacles and it was his fantastic round of jumping that secured victory. Sandown’s chase track is notorious for sorting out those who can jump from fence to fence and those that can’t, and Mount Tempest took lengths out of his rivals down the back straight on the approach to the railway fences. He popped those three fences, which are only strides apart, and then set off for home with a clear advantage. It was a decent prize with over £10,000 to the winner and now Dan Skelton has his sights set on a £25,000 race back over course and distance this weekend. Mount Tempest has bundles of ability and the first-time blinkers certainly helped to focus his mind and hopefully that experience will boost his confidence for the rest of the campaign and beyond. There are still a limited number of shares available in this horse, so if you are looking for some fun during the winter months with a proven Saturday horse then please do get in touch.

**Mount Tempest flying an open ditch on his way to victory at Sandown**

The following week Horacio Apple’s said “whatever Mount Tempest can do I can do better!” as he sauntered to a 12 length success at Bangor. Luckily the two will never meet because Horacio Apple’s is all about stamina whereas Mount Tempest acts very well over 2m. Like Mount Tempest, Horacio was winning his first chase having switched to the larger obstacles this season. He is a big horse who has taken a couple of runs to get truly race fit and the heavy ground proved no concern as he picked off his rivals one by one. His mark has shot up to 115 and Oliver Greenall is still pleading with the handicapper to drop him a few pounds. As he loves testing conditions, he will also be out again soon with entries coming up next week at Sedgefield, Wetherby, and Newcastle.

**Horacio Apple’s en route to victory at Bangor under Toby Wynne (3)**

Pulling Stumps had been off the track for over 600 days to recover from a tendon injury, so it has been to the delight of his owners that he’s returned to action showing such promise and hopefully the best is yet to come from this charismatic horse who wears his heart on his sleeve. He took a big step forward from his promising return at Exeter in November to go close in a competitive 3m chase at Newbury before Christmas. He was a little outpaced early on as the front two rather took each other on, but a cool and collected Micheal Nolan took his time and was closest at the finish, going down by a length and three quarters to the talented Brave Kingdom (now rated 137). Pulling Stumps wants soft in the going description and so he could be seen next at Exeter next week or Wincanton the following week. He is ready to win off his mark so keep an eye out for him!

**Johnson White and Micheal Nolan de-brief a very happy bunch owners after Pulling Stumps finishes 2nd at Newbury**

We also had some winning action down in Australia this month with victories for the old boy, Great House, and the recent import, Naval College. Great House was winning his first race since October 2021 and he did so by a whisker. He has been a brilliant flag bearer for Highclere Australia, winning five races, including two Group 3s. Naval College, who is having his second preparation in Australia, was winning his third race down under when taking the Benchmark 88 Handicap at Royal Randwick picking up $82,500. He had a lovely trip round on the rail and was always doing enough to hold off the challenge of Touristic in the closing stages. He’s clearly taken to the style of training and racing in Australia and we are excited to see what he can achieve as he continues to step up in trip and grade.

**Naval College wins at Royal Randwick**

**Great House holds on by the shortest of margins at Eagle Farm**

Yearlings

by Frances de Haan

We finished off the yearling visits at the beginning of December with a wonderful last trip to Brian O’Rourke’s for those of you who had not yet made it to see your horses. Somehow we were blessed with a gap in the rain and the horses all looked outstanding. What was extremely noticeable was how much the horses had all matured, their muscles have developed significantly and their actions have become much more forward. There were some seriously impressive racehorses trotting around the ring rather than the fluffy yearlings you would expect to see. Brian’s talk explaining their progress was as informative as ever, and it was so lovely to see how fond the riders had become of each of the horses.

As always the visit was rounded off with an indulgent and festive lunch at the Pheasant who, it must be noted, have been faultless in their hosting of our rather large groups descending for lunch over the last couple of months. The food was delicious and the perfect way for everyone to compare notes on their class of 2024 - I do not know if anyone has tried the tarte tatin before, but I have heard it is rather good!

Nearly all of your yearlings have graduated pre-training now, and have made their way to their ‘new schools’. The remaining few will be making their way into full training in the New Year. It is such an exciting time and we cannot wait for the progress reports to start rolling in on how they are taking to training at their new homes. The majority have been named now, there have been some brilliant suggestions, we think those names that have been selected are strong and hopefully winning names!

**Chris Cradock with Influential (Wootton Bassett ex Shenanigans)**

Stable visits

by Frances de Haan

We have visited Mojo Ego at Harry Derham’s yard at Upper Farm Stables. An impressive set up with brand new facilities he has developed over the last 12 months. The weather gods were not kind to us on this occasion, but we still had a wonderful time in true British fashion. Harry and his team put on a brilliant breakfast as always, providing delicious hot sausages and mince pies. This was definitely needed as it certainly helped keep everyone warm watching Mojo and the rest of his string do a couple of half speed canters up the gallops. Followed by watching Mojo thoroughly enjoy his post exercise shower. He really is turning into a super horse, small in stature but mighty in determination on the track!

**Mojo enjoying some attention from his owners**

**Mojo enjoying his post exercise shower**

Find out more

Where Are They Now?

by Frances de Haan

This month we heard from Epic! We received the following update from Epic’s owner:

‘Epic is loving life in darkest West Wales although he does venture further afar to strut his stuff. He’s taken to showing like a duck to water and is just starting some winter dressage. He’s like a big dog and loves nothing more than following you around and going through your pockets for treats. He is everyone’s favourite as he’s so kind and gentle.’

Epic is certainly living up to his name in the showing ring and he seems to love the camera too. I think you can agree he looks in tremendous condition in the images below. As always it is wonderful to see your horses doing so well in their new careers!

Clodagh’s recipe

by Clodagh McKenna Herbert

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH GRUYERE TOASTS

A delicious heart warming soup, a perfect pick me up for these cold and damp winter days!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

100g butter

8 white onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp dried oregano, fresh thyme or rosemary

900ml good quality beef broth

For the Gruyere Toasts

4 slices of sourdough bread

100g gruyere cheese, grated

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rolf’s Rambling’s

By Rolf Johnson

WHATSHISNAME?

Name names: those of 250,000 racehorses are still around just try finding a new one, so many are ‘blocked’. Additionally, you can’t use anything that has adorned a Classic winner; or might, in these precious times, be ruled ‘offensive’ or vulgar (several jumpers with ‘Kybo’ – advice to schoolboys - ‘keep your bowels open’ - just about slipped through); or named for a person who hasn’t been dead for fifty years; or has more than eighteen characters (letters). Coincidentally there are eighteen Rules to surpass to register your name as a horse owner.

It’s that brain-wracking time of year – naming Highclere yearlings – with ‘Highclere’ names. Christenings are a vital start in life. Some parents should be shot for saddling benighted kids for life. ‘Chelsea’? - if the heart of London team gets relegated how does the child live it down? (Not much is expected of Stanley, as in Accrington).

Beat this one for a jumper from the 1990s. ‘Houdini’ was snapped up for a horse that made a habit of escaping from his stable. But ‘The Mexican’s Gone’? The intention was to call him The Mexican but somebody left the ramp down and he was off like a shot. “The Mexican’s gone” was the cry. It stuck. He bolted home twice, 25-1 and 66-1, at Taunton and Windsor.

Incidentally his brother, No Battery Needed, was utterly useless.

You have to be careful with names. So, ‘’Badly” (ugh) doesn’t seem that heinous – until the commentator takes over with “Badly ridden by Frankie Dettori” (he never did). And there’s one running around over jumps called Bad (Fr) – and it’s not the German for ‘Spa’. Talk about a hostage to fortune.

My wife and I thought we were pretty sharp when we named a filly “Grace Darling” – Botanic out of Light On the Waves. In the mid-nineteenth century Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter on the Northumberland Coast, rowed Bamburgh’s lifeboat to rescue shipwrecked mariners.

On the few occasions our filly ran they had to send out search parties.

One noted operation, renowned for the striking naming of their many classic winners, sought “Darling”, along with the Murray Australia’s most famous river. Highclere’s Darling’s sire is the 2014 Derby winner Australia. At first we looked to have a Cachet and Katchit confrontation – homophones, names sounding too similar. There had been a filly called ‘’Darlyn’’, which Weatherbys Naming Department insisted was as too close to Darling. Fortunately, connections of Darlyn obliged us by pointing out that their mare had had two foals already and was currently expecting her third.

“Desert Orchid” would have been Desert Air (see Gray’s Elegy on Written in a Country Churchyard) had Weatherbys not objected there was a contemporary called Desert Heir. But sometimes surprising ones do become available, “Dick Turpin” for one. I like the fact that his namesake, the highwayman Dick Turpin, was hanged at York. Dick Turpin the colt, who once ‘mugged’ his stablemate “Canford Cliffs”, was beaten on his one visit to the Knavesmire.

Arab names wreak havoc on commentator’s pronunciation, tongue twisting unfamiliarity. And yet, in one of the most fortuitous last minutename changes of heart, “Yaazer” to “Dubai Millennium”, the latter won for owner Sheikh Mohammed the 2000 Dubai World Cup.

Highclere’s Churchill colt “Paragon” has already made history. A horse cannot be named if there has been another thoroughbred with the same name that has won a classic: such appellations are ‘protected’.

Paragon is cited on Wikipedia as winner of the 1786 St Leger – except that in Racing’s catechism, the Racing Calendar of that year, the result of the race says no such thing. Paragon raced that year as “the Paymaster colt”; and then as a four-year-old as ‘’St Leger’’ before Lord Hamilton (later the 9th Duke of Hamilton) settled on Paragon. (The ‘classics’ were not designated as such until 1815).

Weatherbys relented. A paragon is a model of excellence. Some may say it is asking for disappointment for a horse to have the responsibility of bearing such a name. But the old adage “good horses must have good names”, like all clichés, holds a measure of truth, hence the sweated brows naming Highclere’s potential champions. “Frankel”, named for the great American trainer Bobby Frankel, could have had no idea of the responsibility he carried. Obviously he couldn’t have been named Bobby.

Waxy, Sam, Lap-dog, Ditto and Macaroni were all Derby winners in the world’s greatest race’s first 100 years. I can’t see anyone wanting to repeat their names.

Footnote: It is regretful that Barry Humphries who died this year didn’t live to see the horse named for one of his alter egos, Sir Les Patterson, win this November at Southwell. Sir Les, Cultural Attaché (allegedly) to the Court of St James, Chairman of the Australian Cheese Board, promoted Australian racing round the world. He’d have approved of Darling. Sir Les was never seen without a stained tie, a dribbling (foul) mouth and trousers at half mast. He was invited to present the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot this year but came wearing his stage ‘strides’, making it difficult to hand over the trophy with just the one free hand. There’ll never be another Barry Humphries – and there can’t be another racehorse named Sir Les Patterson – at least not for fourteen years.