Jack O’Boy wins again in St Cloud, taking the Prix My Love.
The First Winner of 2024
Bitless!
I have to say I’m not ready yet to go galloping off on a racehorse with a bitless bridle just yet, but William Micklem did inspire me to take a (calm!) test ride with one a couple of weeks ago.
I’m still a fan of a simple snaffle to do what we need to do, but I can see why this might be an option for a horse with a sore mouth or a tooth issue.
Have a look and tell me what you think!
Read more about William MICKLEM at his website: https://www.williammicklem.com/home.html
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Something new under the sun?
There is no end to the messing around people have tried to do with horseshoes, always trying to come up with something nobody’s though of yet that helps improve absorbing shock and improving foot comfort. Most of these efforts don’t amount to much, mostly because horses have been galloping around on their feet forever and anything we try to do just seems to screw things up.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a barefoot advocate by any means, but we do need to be very careful when choosing shoes for our athletes. So I was quite skeptical when all of England seemed abuzz about the new Equishox shoe, a rubber-coated aluminum racing plate.
My first impression was a big “no,” because it appeared to me that the tread on the shoe would stop the natural slide of the foot, which is necessary to avoid injuries. Nothing is worse for horses’ legs than toe-grabs or crampons, and neither of those things are allowed in racing in France, thankfully. But my ears perked up when the inventors claimed these shoes could minimize injuries in horses who tend to knock into their own legs galloping.
We have a specialist at that, so I decided the shoe might be worth a try. So we are trying them. Jury’s out, but this could be interesting!
Meet William Micklem
We had a VIP visitor this weekend when William Micklem, designer of the bridles we use exclusively, came to town. Here’s a preview – more to come!
The scene of the crime
Quiet Zain returned to ParisLongchamp where he slipped and fell and injured himself in September 2018. He was scratched from the Quinte handicap that day. Those injuries kept him out of racing for more than a month. During the months that followed, he showed his early 2018 form only once, in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
Today was his second visit back to Longchamp since that fateful day. In May, he ran in a second division handicap here, only to place third as the top-weighted horse. This time, however, everything lined up perfectly in the first division, the Quinte. He had the same jockey as the previous outing, but a lower weight at 55 kg and a good draw in the 15 horse field (there was one non-runner).
With all that in place, Mickael Barzalona took him straight out of his number 9 gate position, and watched things unfold ahead of him. We thought that maybe he may have been too far back in the pack, but Barza didn’t. In the false stretch run at Longchamp, most horses take a breath. The riskier move is to make a break for it. Mickael did just that. He knew that his horse had what it takes to go to the end. Once in the stretch, he took a convincing lead and never looked back.
The joys of owning your own stable – water leak!
The View number 14: Milestones
We’ve had a great occasion to celebrate this week as Jack O’ Boy won his second handicap in a row, and in so doing pushed my career earnings as a trainer over the three-million-euro mark. This is my thirteen year as a public trainer, and I’m determined to make this the yard’s lucky number.
From the left: Glorious Emaraty with his owners after his win in Cagnes-sur-Mer; the familiar company of Mickael Forest wearing the silks of Bryan Gusdal (Posing for a win by Ray of Hope) and members of High Street Racing at enjoying a day at Longchamp.
We’re settling in well to the fantastic facilities in Chantilly, and we have a top-class team that includes two former jockeys and one active jockey. The quality of the riders and the rest of the staff is really starting to show through in the horses and we are looking forward to a very exciting year. We are putting in grass paddocks for summer turnout, and other facilities are being added.
The only thing we’re missing is the ability to throw a huge party to officially open our stable, which is obviously on hold because of Covid. Luckily racing wasn’t canceled this year so we’re able to continue to work. Hopefully with vaccinations rolling out (a process that has been painfully slow in France, but we live in hope), we can soon start to see each other again.
Me and my entire team extend a huge thank you to our owners, past and present. We could not have built this business without every one of you. Nothing makes us happier than putting all of you in the winner’s circle!
JACK THE STAR!
Owner Susanne Born bought Jack O’ Boy when he finished 2nd in a claimer in Cagnes sur Mer. He’s a small horse but nicely bred, with two black-type brothers, so while he didn’t have a stellar form so far, he seemed worth the risk. He clearly enjoyed the change from the huge yard of Henri-Alex Pantall to a small stable with plenty of attention. We also decided pretty quickly that his best distance might be shorter than the 2000 meters he was currently running, and that fibersand might not be his preference.
When we switched to 1600 meters on the turf at St. Cloud, he rewarded us with an easy win at odds of 70-1! Those odds dropped to 9-1 on his outing on Friday in Compiegne, but no matter, Jack won anyway. We’ll be taking a hit in the handicap ratings for those back-to-back performances, but we’ll see how far Jack can go before we have to worry about that. He’s come out of his race well and we’ll see where he takes us next.
A CAGNES MEETING UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Cagnes sur Mer this year was certainly a different experience than we’re used to, with no public allowed on the track and even owners restricted to one per horse. Despite that, though, the sun was still shining and our horses were in form.
We left Cagnes with two wins and 26 places for just under 100,000 euros in earnings. Most of our new team had never done the meeting before, and I can tell you they’re all counting the days already until next year!
The crew after loading the equipment.
Time to head north.
The riders: Johanna, Yasmine, and Maxime.
Quiet Zain was the star of the meeting, with a win and two seconds for his three starts there. We’ve always been lucky enough to have one or two horses that absolutely love this track and keep coming up with the goods year after year. He’s one of them. Four of his five wins have been in Cagnes.
My Sweet Boy finally got his nose in front, too; unfortunately, so did a competitor and we had to settle for a dead heat victory. Next time he won’t share!
LOOKING AHEAD
March and April are always challenging months for us, because we have the after-Cagnes lull when those horses who worked hard leading up to and through the meeting need a break, and we’re still bringing on the horses for the summer.
Obviously, the next meeting in our sights is Vichy, which is set for mid-July, and this year we hope to have a stronger showing this August in Deauville than we’ve had in previous years.
France Galop has raised the owners’ premiums for two-year-olds to 70 percent this year, and those premiums will carry over to the three-year-old season for these horses. We are working on putting together some partnerships on two-year-olds to take advantage of these premiums, so if you’d like to be involved, please let us know!
STATUS REPORT
Here’s where our current string are in their training and plans:
Actively racing:
- El Viso
- Folle Passion
- Junvieve
- Jack O’Boy
- Lover Mimi
Coming off layoffs and racing soon:
- Nile Paris
- Aborigene
- King Siyouni
Unraced three-year-olds in training:
- Addiction
- Loup Royans
- Francoise
On vacation at Horsefield Aquacenter and Spa:
- My Sweet Boy
- Quiet Zain
- Space Ace
- L’Aida
- Gratiane
- Lightning War
In foal (we hope!) and returning to race soon:
- Pantomime
Prix de la Place Wagram
MISTER MARIO (Kheleyf out of a Country Reel mare) took third place in the 2000 meter (11/4 mile) Prix de la Place Wagram handicap on the good going in St Cloud July 13, 2020. Jockey Coralie PACAUT managed the far outside draw to ensure the place for owner Marie-Carmel NAIM.
Prix des Gardenias
ASIAN QUEEN (Diamond Green out of a Country Reel mare) took second place in the 2400 meter (11/2 mile) Prix des Gardenias claiming race on the exceptionally fast turf in Clairefontaine the 10th of July, 2020. Jockey Frida Valle SKAR insisted until the end to ensure the place for owner Marie-Carmel NAIM. The horse was not claimed.
The View No. 13: It’s Happening!
We are very pleased to announce that we have signed to purchase a stable in Lamorlaye (Chantilly) and will be moving in September. Our new yard is perfectly located midway between the fabulous Le Lion training gallop and the Lamorlaye tracks, which include a top-class turf and all-weather facilities. We will be expanding to a yard of 36 boxes on a hectare of property that will include paddocks..
We’ll be adding some improvements to the new yard, but it is already in great shape to start work from September, and we are very much looking forward to the next chapter in our adventure. It is difficult to leave Maisons-Laffitte after more than 20 years here, but we have found that our operation has outgrown both our yard and the facilities available here. This move will allow us to step up to the next level.
Looking Back:
MINNIPA, acquired in a claiming race in Cagnes-sur-Mer, gave us our first win after the quarantine with an impressive gate-to-post gallop in Dieppe. Unfortunately, she couldn’t confirm that outing in a Quinte handicap a month later because of a muscle enzyme issue, but we’re doing some diagnostics this week and hope to have her on the path to recovery soon. .
ASIAN QUEEN progressed nicely to take a place in a claimer that was her third career start and gave her a handicap mark. She found the going too tough at St. Cloud so will head back to the claiming ranks next week in Clairefontaine.
MY SWEET BOY is still a work in progress as well. He took another place in a handicap in Dieppe, but then struggled in St. Cloud, partially because we had to change jockeys at the last minute because Mickael Barzalona was injured. Hopefully Barza gets back on board next time.
Looking Ahead:
After a very long absence, owners and spectators will be allowed back to the racecourse from July 11. We’re happy things are finally opening up. Hopefully it will stay that way.
This move comes just in time for the Vichy festival, which takes place from July 20 to 24 this year. We plan to have runners every day of the festival, and we’re looking forward to getting back together with those of you who can make it down to Vichy.
Arrivals and Departures:
We claimed L’AIDA, a two-year-old Dabirsim filly who was a winner in Dieppe on her third start, for a partnership of Susanne Born, Roger Straus, Kay Minton and David Crompton. She seems to be a lovely little horse and will run in the same category of claimers, starting at the Vichy festival.
DUBAI EMPIRE, meanwhile, was claimed from us and is now with his new connections. We’ll miss him because he was a kind and great-looking horse, but he has been frustrating of late and seems to have lost his taste for racing. Perhaps he’ll find it again in different surroundings.
Coming Up:
STARSTRUCK makes her first appearance since quarantine on Tuesday in Clairefontaine.
QUIET ZAIN runs his comeback race on Thursday at Longchamp. The distance of 2,100 meters might prove a little sharp for him, but it should let us see how his fitness is doing.
ASIAN QUEEN runs a claimer at Clairefontaine on Friday.
ABORIGENE and MISTER MARIO are back in action on July 13 at St. Cloud, and SPACE ACE is holding an entry for a comeback race there as well.
We’ll be having a full slate of entries for Vichy as well, so stay tuned!