Open Day 2026
Sunday morning - dry – a little shower overnight – but not enough to lay the dust. A few black clouds scooting across the sky – but if the forecast was right, if we got past 10.00am we would have a dry day! After a quick breakfast – it was into Tesco’s early – we needed ice! Not sure how much – we took a lot and nearly emptied their freeze but were fair and left a bit for others with parties that afternoon. We did get a few strange looks and comments though! With the ice bought, and a few more sunflowers – we headed up to Ivy Lodge Farm.
Tony from Astralsound was already on site and setting up the PA system, I did listen when he explained how it worked, but if I’m honest, most of it went straight over my head! Luckily, I grasped the important bits of how to make sound and how not to blow it up! Debbie was on site, busily editing pictures from Ascot the day before – she has a rammed schedule with Glorious Goodwood next week! Samamtha and her team from Cotswold Canapes and Catering were there shortly after us and got busy laying the tables and preparing the food for lunch. It was clear when we got back with the ice, that despite nearly clearing a Tesco Extra of it earlier we were going to need more, so Cheryl retuned in the hope that they had restocked – they had – another trolley full and we should be sorted. She was served by the same lady on the checkout, who was somewhat surprised to see her back for more!!
With everything set up we were ready – and it was dry! The first guests started arriving around 11.30am – which we expected as I had warned everyone to leave in plenty of time due to the traffic chaos around Birdlip. As more and more arrived, the fizz started flowing and the atmosphere started to build. There was already the feeling that this was going to be a special afternoon. The plan was to start parading the horses at around 12.40pm, but we were missing a man! Now we all know what a stickler Sir Mark Prescott is for punctuality – guess who was late?? – William Butler his assistant and business partner! With William finally on site, we could get underway. After introducing each of our guest trainers, Alan King, Olly Murphy, Fergal O’Brien and the tardy Butler – it was time to parade the horses.
First up – Jimmy Gatz. Olly had plenty of runners in Uttoxeter in the afternoon, so he had to be away early. Jimmy Gatz was turned out beautifully and paraded nicely for the guests. 120 had gathered to see them all parade. Olly said a few words, and I made it quite clear that he was not too popular when he sent him all the way down to Ffos Las to run in a bog on his last start of the season! He promised he wouldn’t do that again! Jimmy is a horse we will have a lot of fun with this season when he starts over hurdles. He loves his jumping, and as we waited for the next horse to come up from the stables, I spied Archie Bellamy lurking behind me and there was no better man to chat to at that moment than Archie as he had done a whole load of schooling on Jimmy Gatz when he was a 2yr old – he could tell everyone just what a natural he was from day 1!
Next in was Cloud Dancer, who, after missing last season with an injury, looked amazing. He has had the very best rehab that he could ever have – and the vets have been really happy with him. He will continue in work at Ivy Lodge Farm, and head back into training in a few weeks. One of the hazards of syndication is nonpayers, it is not only trainers that get caught I can assure you! When Cloud Dancer suffered his injury, one of his owners decided to stop paying his monthly bills, and despite me trying to contact him – nothing. I have had to cover his share in a horse that was going to need a lot of rehabilitation. Obviously as he was going through that there was no hope of anyone taking on the share, and it would have been hugely unfair on the owners and the horse to have had to dissolve the partnership because of one mans actions. Now, having got him through the rehab, and back with a clean bill of health, we can look to the future, and I am going to sell the 1/6th share, or if you prefer – two 1/12 shares. The 1/6 share will be offered for sale for £2.00 – yes - £2.00!! If we split it – the two 1/12 shares will be £1.00 each. Your chance to own a share in a winner, by Jukebox Jury, from a really current pedigree – his full brother is decent, and his half-brother is a winner in France and recently sold for £150,000 and is with Olly Murphy. Brian Hughes rode him on his last start and felt that he was on the perfect rating to run a massive race in the Challenger Series Final in Haydock next time out which was the plan. More interestingly, he also said that he would be even better over fences – and that is why we have persevered with him! He is a lovely horse – you can buy a share for a quid – the all-inclusive monthly costs for the 1/6 share are set at £400 - for the 1/12 share - £200 all inc. Details will be on the FOR SALE page later this week.
The next one to strut his stuff was Floyd our homebred 4yr old. Having seen with the Cloud Dancer situation – how syndicates should be run (the right way) this horse was paraded as an illustration of another way we do things properly. As you know we syndicate our horses at 3yr old and having broken this lad at 2 – Jason and I were really looking forward to him – he is a lovely looking horse, with a great temperament, who had shown that he had plenty of natural ability. When he came in to do his secondary school term as a 3yr old he never thrived and was just off colour – he was slow to lose his winter coat and never looked great – so we turned him away so as not to put his system under undue pressure at this young age. We would not offer him for sale, how could we? Knowing that anyone paying his keep fees at this stage would be wasting money – many would have got on and sold him – we wouldn’t – it is the right way to do things. This year – we were looking forward to cracking on with him again in the spring, only for him to have a growth spurt and shoot up! His work was fine, but again both Jason and I felt that it was not the right time for people to be paying into him. So, we turned him away again – all the time incurring costs that would otherwise be being paid by syndicate members. Plenty would have syndicated him at 3 – knowing full well that he was going to take time – we won’t do that – we respect our clients! Floyd is a lovely horse – I know Alan King was very taken with him as he paraded – and when the time is right, he will be syndicated. He will return to training in the autumn and should be running around the turn of the year. He could well be syndicated in one of our bigger, 25 share syndicates – watch this space!
The next act on stage was ‘George’ our gorgeous 3yr old Homebred gelding by the great Golden Horn. He is one cool customer, and took everything in his stride, despite never having seen a crowd like the one he was faced with when he walked out to parade. This young horse has been through the whole programme that we have in place for our horses at 2 and 3. He has done everything really well. He has been away for a few away day gallops and has shown that he has plenty of ability by working upsides some nice horses, including Cloud Dancer. He, like them all looked fantastic on the day, and I know a few of the guests were very taken with him. Having met and chatted with so many people on the day (and having had a glass or two), I must admit that the afternoon went by in a whirl. I know there were a couple of people very interested in the last 10% share in him – luckily I remembered who was the first one to bag the share - although we may get a deal done whereby both have a share in 'George' and the 'New Boy' as both parties are in other a couple of other horses with us, are from the same area and have got to know each other trough racing with NBR.
The one we were all looking forward to seeing was Molly’s Lad for no other reason than he was sure to put on some sort of show!! He is some character!! He didn’t disappoint, spending most of his time strutting around with his tail over his back! He has really matured into a lovely horse. Second on debut, he ran fifth in the Listed bumper in Cheltenham on New Years Day and then went on to be placed twice over hurdles. He was unfortunately brought down on his final start in Bangor but thankfully was OK and showed no ill effects of that when he schooled afterwards. He has summered well and will be stepped up in trip – he is on a very workable mark when he does so. Lovely to see Fern, who rides him every day at Ravenswell there to see him parade.
With 5 of the 7 shown it was time to bring out Nevada Samba. As I said on the day – never been a secret of what I have thought of him all the way through, and it was clear from what his trainer, Alan King had to say – he is of the same opinion. There is one thing for sure – he has matured into the most gorgeous horse. He has a great mind and an awful lot of ability – I think Alan made everyone look up when he said that he felt that he was one of his best bumper horses! This horse has a huge future if all goes well – and we are all very excited about him.
The final horse to parade was our ‘new boy’ – a 3yr gelding by Blue Bresil, who Jason and I purchased at the recent Derby Sale in Fairyhouse. Nevada Samba is by Blue Bresil, and you all know what we think of him – but strangely, even though the horses conceived when our 3yr old was conceived were born from the best ever bunch of broodmares Blue Bresil had – the market has gone cold on him. Jason and I have not – and we felt that this was the time that they would be value. We set out to buy one and we got a nice one. He was the one we kept going back to – he was the one we bought home! He has done nothing wrong, has broken well, he shows how athletic he is as he canters effortlessly around the deep sand gallop, and he has schooled very well. He has actually put on weight since arriving at Ivy Lodge Farm, which indicates that he should stand the rigours of training at a young age and he will be aimed at a bumper in the New Year. He is a lovely horse – I know plenty of you who saw him on the day liked him, and it was a pleasure to launch his syndicate on such a wonderful day! His full details will be on the FOR SALE page later today. Click the link and have a look at him – by the same sire as the great Constitution Hill, out of a winning mare who’s 4 and 5yr old in 2026 have sold for £125,000 and £240,000 after winning their point to points in Ireland.
With the parade done – and the horses back in their boxes – it was time to relax and enjoy the afternoon. As everyone settled down for a gorgeous lunch – I sold off the auction lot in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund. A pair of Champion Jockey, Sean Bowens breeches signed by many of the top lads in the weighing room at this years Grand National Meeting. After a round or two of spirited bidding the ‘hammer’ dropped at £400 – with Les taking them home. Thanks to everyone who got involved in the auction – it was for a great cause!
As the sun shone, we were the entertained by saxophonist, Tyler Rix who is a member of our Red Sash Racing Club. Tyler is hugely talented, at everything! He was even a natural on the equisizer when we got him on that later in the evening! Tyler had offered to play for a while over lunch – and it really made the afternoon – huge thanks to him – he earned his share in Ridin Solo for another year. By a huge coincidence, we had two torchbearers from the 2012 Olympics in the same spot on the same afternoon at our Open Day – what are the chances? Jason had carried the torch in Chester on Overturn, and Tyler carried it on its final leg onto the stage at the London Stadium at the opening ceremony! What are the chances of that?? And at our little garden party!!
All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, one that was enjoyed by everyone! The weather was glorious, the food amazing – the horses all behaved and looked fantastic – and Tylers saxophone was the cherry on the top – a truly wonderful afternoon. I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed seeing you all – a thank you to you all for your trust and support over the years – it really meant a lot to be able to do that! Obviously, none of it possible without Jason, Lauren, Darcy and Freya – huge thanks to them for letting us invade their home – to all the staff for turning the horses out so well. To Debbie for the amazing photographs as always. To the trainers that turned out to say a few words – a free lunch usually works! And to you all – those that were there on the day and those that couldn’t be there – without you we can’t do anything! At the end of a week that brought difficult news for the syndication sector it was a pleasure to be able to show everyone what fun it can be to all involved when it is done right. We have been doing it the right way for 27 years – and will continue to do so!!
Thank you!
