Naas March 24th
Our 3rd full season starts tomorrow and it’s excitement and trepidation all round. Preparation for this day started on the 7th of January and we have had a slightly smoother time of it this year. The weather has been kinder and that has made the graft easier. Some of the horses appear to be forward in their coats and fitness. Others, with the exact same prep, are still hibernating. We have 6 runners tomorrow, kicking off with a 2 year old. Up to now any baby I’ve trained has had to have a break after their first round of training. Whether appetite has waned or shins have become sore or they simply weren’t showing a lot I have had to take the foot off the pedal. Ampeson is a strong bodied colt with plenty of depth and to my surprise has come ready for a run on his first round of training. He conducts himself well and that is the focus for me. He needs to be much better jumping out of stalls than he is at home. It’s my opinion that if you let them learn that skill racing they retain their composure in the stalls for the future. Anyway it’s nice to have a runner. Something clued in with plenty of zip or even several with those qualities  will get the better of this lad tomorrow. Undeniable Fact runs in the 6 furlong maiden and is a newcomer aswell. She nearly got to the races at 2 but we just ran out of time. She was an inexpensive purchase and had looked a simple filly that would give her owners a bit of fun, up until recently. I’d like to think she’d show enough tomorrow to suggest she’s better than that. She’ll be green and the trip will be too short but she’s nice.   T For Tango and Chessman are next. The first lad won for us last year and maybe he’d had enough when he failed off an 8lb higher mark. He has a quirk and I think he’s not one to turn the screw with in training terms. We’re in the dark fitness wise and hopefully he can show enough to suggest there’s more days in him this year. Chessman is a new addition. He came from 2 top outfits in Gosden and most recently Archie Watson. For a horse of his age and rating he was cheap at £12k. I was hoping he’d stay in one piece once we started training him. He has and tomorrow will give us an idea where we are with him. I suspect he’s very very talented but may need everything to fall right. Hopefully we can help with that, we just need to learn about him. You learn by sending them racing and let’s see what tomorrow looks like.   Barend Boy runs in The Madrid.  This is a high class renewal, Dianthus wouldn’t have even got in this year. Anyway Barend Boy is new to us, as is his group of owners. Some are new to racehorse ownership and others have had interests in horses before. They’ll have a lot of fun with this lad. A more professional, straight forward horse you could not hope to come across. His weight and draw gives him a chance to capitalise but it’s a tough contest. The owners know racing and any of us aren’t completely certain what this lad is. If he’s a sprinter, miler or middle distance horse is unclear and this is a neutral starting point. Here’s hoping. Nor’easter is last and he’ll be dead from waiting around all day! He had one run last year and it was an excellent effort on ground too quick. He got very lean looking on the back of that run and it was felt a second run might leave a mark. He looked amazing after a 5 week break and hasn’t missed a beat since January 7th. He’s quite dedicated to this business of exercise and graft and would start the season with little reserves if he had as much done as some of the others. It’s a hot maiden and being realistic a good run will be more than satisfactory. These are nice horses that anyone would be proud to train and hopefully we can use tomorrow to springboard to successful seasons and careers. To all those reading this Thank you for checking in and whether it’s punting, owning or just adoring these wonderful animals, all the best for 2019. Should be fun.

2017 Richard O'Brien Racing Limited