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30th May
Rather a strange decision to run in this race. The way I look at it is that it is another step on the way to full fitness. On Saturday he lasted 3 1/2 furlongs of a 5f race. Today he lasted 5f of a 7f race. The race was run at a strong pace, though not as strong as I expected. Something looked a danger 3f out but soon ran out of gas. A slight worry is that he sweated up before the start, which I have not seen him do before.
29th May
Something runs in the 2.10 at York tomorrow. It is a very competitive race with all 11 runners rated between 98 and 107.
The Racing Post have him as joint fourth favourite at 7/1 but I think he will be longer odds than that. Whilst the 5f race at Beverley will have brought him on it is unlikely that he will be fit enough to trouble the judge in a 7f race only six days later. With Celtic Sultan, New Seeker and Levera in the field there will be no hanging about. If Adrian does his usual the pace could be suicidal.
Amazingly Something has also got into the Wokingham on a mark of 100. Using Timeform ratings the highest rated horses in the top 60 are Ceremonial Jade 132 (All Weather rating), Al Khaleej 129, Something 129, Jimmy Styles 127p, Royal Rock 127+, King’s Apostle 127. Ceremonial Jade is an All Weather specialist whose official handicap rating is 12lb higher on the AW than on turf. Al Khaleej is a 7/8f horse who is one of the favourites for the Royal Hunt Cup. So Something could be Timeform top rated for the Wokingham come the day, though plenty can happen between now and then to upset that possibility. He is also top rated on Racing Post ratings apart from a couple down the bottom of the handicap who will be ballotted out. If Something were to run a promising race tomorrow expect his Wokingham odds to shorten. In the unlikely event of him winning his odds would definitely shorten but his chances of winning the Wokingham would be reduced by a 5lb penalty.
27th May
Well the plan may have been odds against but the handicapper has co-operated and today has dropped Something to 100. So a trip to Epsom on Derby Day may be on the cards. At the time of the Yarmouth race he was on 105 and has done nothing wrong since, in circumstances which gave him no chance, so I was only expecting a drop of a couple of pounds.
After some months of not very much happening the entries are coming thick and fast. This is how things look at the moment :-
Friday 30th May - 2.10 York - 7f Class 3 Conditions Stakes
Monday 2nd June - 3.10 Naas (Ireland) - 7f Conditions Stakes
Monday 2nd June - 8.00 Windsor - 6f Listed - Leisure Stakes
Saturday 7th June - 5.20 Epsom - 6f Class 2 Handicap (Possible)
Saturday 21st June - 4.25 Royal Ascot - 6f Heritage Handicap - Wokingham Stakes
As for which he will actually turn up for, your guess is as good as mine.
25th May
Something had a pleasing first run of the season. Beforehand Silvestre told us that he was probably well short of full fitness. 75%? In the paddock Something dwarfed the rest. In the race Not My Choice missed the break and Blue Maeve was ring rusty so Something was immediately in the lead, which was not ideal. He led for nearly 4f with a few of them pushed along to keep in touch. After a brief battle with Look Busy he began to tire approaching the final furlong and lost second place to Aegean Dancer a few strides from the line, as he weakened quickly in the final 100yds.
For a 6/7f horse it was pleasing to see the speed he showed. The time was 0.53 seconds fast, compared with 1.97 slow and 1.09 slow for the two 2YO 5f races. So he set a genuine 5f pace. When he is fully fit the combination of the 5f speed and 7f stamina should be a potent combination. He is entered in a Conditions Stakes race at York on Friday over 7f, with a possible entry in the 6f handicap on Derby Day in mind. A plan that is odds against coming to fruition.
Below a few photos from Beverley. He won best turned out. Personally I much prefer the “natural” look, and dislike plaited manes and tails, but there is no denying that it was well done.
22nd May
The ante-post market for the Wokingham is starting to take shape. Both William Hill and Skybet have Knot In Wood favourite at 14/1. Something is 20/1 with around ten horses ahead of him in the betting.
22nd May
Something has been declared to run in the 2.55 at Beverley on Saturday. These are the runners :-
1 (5) 8318-19 Utmost Respect 10 4 9-5 R A Fahey T Hamilton 106
2 (2) 4271-40 Aegean Dancer 9 6 8-12 B Smart R Ffrench 96
3 (1) 300058/ Blue Maeve 557 8 8-12 A D Brown A Elliott 70
4 (6) 34303-7 Something (IRE) 121 6 8-12 D Nicholls S De Sousa 104
5 (7) 1696-01 Not My Choice (IRE) 16 3 8-4 S Parr J F Egan 83
6 (4) 209-105 Vhujon (IRE) 8 3 8-4 P D Evans Catherine Gannon 92
7 (3) 4235-41 Look Busy (IRE) 15 3 7-13 A Berry J F McDonald 100
The draw in 6 is good. Silvestre riding would be my choice, so that’s good. There are two front runners in the field, Blue Maeve who must be having a sighter after nearly two years out of action. Silvestre won on him several times. Not My Choice made all over 6f at Chester. There should be no hanging about. Utmost Respect looks to be suited by 6f on soft going and gives us 7lb. Look Busy won a nice 5f 3YO handicap at Chester getting a fortunate run up the rail, but winning going away. She should go well.
A win after Saturday would result in a penalty in the Wokingham. A win on Saturday in line with his handicap mark would leave him on 104.
21st May
Something has been entered in the Wokingham along with 13 others from the David Nicholls yard. The race will be run at Royal Ascot on Saturday 21st June. The highest rated runners are Balthazaar’s Gift (112), Beckermet (110), Dark Islander and Zidane (109). Something will be about 11th in the handicap, so is guaranteed a run. There are 32 entered that are rated 100 and above, and 120 in all.
20th May
Well there wasn’t long to wait. Something is entered for the 5 furlong Conditions Stakes at Beverley on Saturday 24th.
Dandy has also entered Machinist, Manzila and Tournedos in the race. The highest rated horses are Sonny Red (108), Judd Street, Utmost Respect, and Pivotal Point. Then Green Manalishi and Something on 104. Something will not have to carry a penalty, as he did not win during 2007. On official ratings he should look well-in.
19th May
We spent the weekend in North Yorkshire and went to see Something on Saturday morning. First there was the tour around every horse in the stables. Loads of sprinters we shall be following through the season, but also many more 2YOs and middle distance horses than used to be the case. Two of the friendliest that Sue fussed over, Valery Borzov and Manzila, both won in the afternoon at Thirsk.
Then Something performed on the gallops. He did a good canter in one direction, turned around and just flew down the gallops in the opposite direction. His work rider reckoned he wasn’t going flat out but it was a breathtaking sight.
He has got over the foot and other problems that cut short his race programme in Dubai. He is in excellent shape and ready to be entered in a race at any time. The Wokingham closes tomorrow and all being well I think we will hear of an entry by the end of this week or perhaps next.
Here are a few photos from Saturday :-
In the afternoon we were at Thirsk, paddock-side watching the runners for the 6f Handicap go around. Ernie Greaves came over and asked what I had thought of Something. What could I say, he is a gorgeous racehorse. Let’s hope that the promise can be fulfilled somewhere along the way.
I shall be needing a nickname for Thingy. People think you have forgotten his name when you mention Something.
1st May
The news is that Something is sound and progressing nicely. After a few weeks on the lunge he is now being ridden and everything is going OK. He should be ready to run in three or four weeks time. The races most suitable for a Wokingham prep are these :-
Saturday 24th May - Haydock - 5f Class 2 Handicap (86-105)
Saturday 24th May - Beverley - 5f Conditions Stakes
Thursday 29th May - Great Leighs - 6f Conditions Stakes
Friday 30th May - York - 7f Conditions Stakes
Monday 2nd June - Windsor - 6f Listed - Leisure Stakes (finished a close 3rd in 2007)
The Wokingham closes on 20th May, and the handicap is set on May 25th, from when winners get a penalty but others cannot be raised in the weights. Thursday 29th May and Monday 2nd June seem the most likely choices.
19th April
No news yet on a race. A posible start to the 2008 campaign is the 6f Heritage Handicap at Newmarket on 2,000 Guineas day, as a prep race for the Wokingham.
29th March
The latest news is that Something’s training is starting to step up. He is back in the lungeing ring, and happy and sound at this stage. Fingers crossed.
23rd March
Sarah Kirk took photos of Something at the Dandy Nicholls’s Open Day on Saturday 15th and kindly gave me copies. These were her comments on him :-
“Your chap looked very well in his box. He is a beautiful looking horse & seems sweet natured. I did not glean very much as to whether he was sound but he did have shoes on. He didn't work but nor did Shot to Fame or Ice Planet.”
12th March
Something arrived back from Dubai yesterday. He had been entered in the Group One Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup night, but there was never any realistic possibility of him running in it. He had continuing foot problems and for good measure a touch of colic, hence the lack of further entries. It is a relief that he is back and can settle down to preparation for the season ahead. At present he is sound and over the colic so I am hoping these problems can be put behind him.
8th February
Had a word with Adam Kirby today about Something. He rode him in his last race of the 2007 season at Yarmouth. Adam said that Something hated the loose ground and would do better on faster. He didn’t think that lack of speed had beaten him. Adam certainly liked him. ‘Very nice horse!’ was the verdict.
4th February
Unfortunately Something will not be racing this week as hoped. He suffers from bad feet, just as Pinpoint did. A problem which has to be managed. So he was lame last week and is not ready to race yet.
25th January
The race turned out to be a bit of a mess from Something’s point of view. After a poorish start Adrian looked like he wasn’t sure where he wanted to be. By the time two furlongs had passed he had pushed him forward, had to take a pull as room ran out, tried to settle him as he ran free and then pushed him along again. He ended up in mid div on the outside going four wide round the bend. That is no way to win a sprint. You can argue that there was three lengths of effort wasted in all of that.To Something’s credit he did look a danger for half a furlong 2f out, but he flattened out approaching the final furlong before Mariol cut across both he and Taqseem putting them completely out of the race. Without being hampered I think Something would have finished a reasonably close up 5th or 6th.
Something (far left), badly hampered, drops out of contention.
Whether he will be able to win in Dubai will depend on how much fitter Dandy can get him. I would guess he was only 90% yesterday. Also whether he gets a competent tactical ride. The Dubai turf is always well watered so he is not likely to get really fast ground. It may be worth trying the Dirt.
Something is being entered in the Golden Shaheen, the Group One 6f sprint on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday 29th March. It is a race which has been dominated by American Dirt horses in the past. The prize money fund for the race is
$2,000,000. On his 104 rating he might not get in, but a win would probably lift him up to a rating that is high enough to make up the numbers.
23rd January
To my surprise the Racing Post have tipped Something, and make him 4/1 favourite on their betting forecast. Their reasoning is that he goes well fresh, they think the Wokingham 4th is the strongest piece of sprinting form on offer, they rate Dandy’s chances of improving him, they think the trip could prove ideal, and the riding arrangements suggest he is the first string. Let’s hope they are right.
22nd January
The 6.5f turf handicap has been split and Something is in the second race which is at 7.35 pm (Dubai Time) which is
3.35pm our time. The safety limit has been reduced to 10, as the inside rail is set 5 metres out, presumably to protect the inside ground for later meetings. Something is drawn 7 and is down to be ridden by Adrian. Machinist also got in the race and is to be ridden by Daragh O’Donohoe, who rides mainly for Kevin Ryan in Britain and has been riding for Doug Watson in Dubai. Jockey bookings suggest that Dandy thinks Something has a better chance than Machinist. Also in this race are Beckermet, Conceal (who narrowly beat Paradise Isle in a Dubai 6f handicap last year), Prince Tamino winner of the William Hill Sprint Trophy in 2006 and Sir Edwin Landseer who has won three at Nad Al Sheba. Indian Trail is in the other division of the race along with Ripples Maid. A rating of 96 was required to be certain of getting in.
21st January
Something is entered for a race on Thursday 24th January. It is the third race on the card, a 6.5 furlong 95-110 Turf Handicap. He is sixth highest in the ratings so despite the low safety limit of 12 he will get a run all being well. I shall have to watch on TV, but all very exciting to both see him race for us for the first time, and in such an exotic location. There are two familiar faces likely to be in opposition, Beckermet and Indian Trail. Further down the handicap and possibly in doubt for a run are Cartography, Machinist, Prince Tamino, Ripples Maid, Stetchworth Prince, and several others who have a British sprinting background. This is the race I would have picked for Something to kick off his Dubai campaign. Conditions should suit, as long as the Turf track is drying out. Dandy’s runners usually require a run so I can see him racing handily and fading late on. Front running is not very successful on the turf track at Dubai, unless you can get an easy uncontested lead. With this being the first turf sprint of the Carnival it will be interesting to see the tactics employed. All being well we will be meeting these same horses two or three times. Dandy’s decisions about jockey bookings are also worth watching with Indian Trail, Something and possibly Machinist in the race.
To follow the Dubai Festival more closely go to http://www.dubairacingclub.com/?=1 and for entries for the 24th Jan
http://www.emiratesracing.com/eq/Entries.cfm
If things go to plan he will run next on either Thursday 7th, or Friday 8th February.
17th January
Still no news about Somethings intended races. He travelled well to Dubai, has settled in, and kept eating well. So you have to be hopeful that he will show his form at some point. Yesterday Dubai had such a deluge of rain that today’s racing was threatened. In fact racing goes ahead but the turf races are having to be switched onto the Dirt.
Quite a few years ago the Racegoers Club had a horse called Bold Patriot and I was in the ownership group. Anyway this horse was trained by John Hills, and his father Barry had taken to wintering some horses in Italy at Pisa. Godolphin had recently been successful bringing horses from Dubai to win races like the Guineas. So the idea was to winter the horses in a warmer climate and bring them back, in theory in top condition, for early season races in England. Bold Patriot went over to Pisa but it turned out that Italy had it’s coldest winter for years, and it was no warmer than in England. Cold in Italy and deluges of rain in Dubai, it’s a good job you can rely on our weather.
15th January
Something flew out to Dubai with David Nicholls other horses Buachaill Dona, Indian Trail and Machinist, plus Fremen, who is entered in a race on Thursday.
Today there was an excellent 32 page supplement on the Dubai Carnival in the Racing Post. It includes a complete list of all the overseas entries. 172 horses from 16 countries, including 60 from Britain. Some old favourites will be taking Something on. Among them familiar names - Turn On The Style, Lipocco, Excusez Moi, Aahayson, Canadian Danehill, Beckermet, Ripples Maid, Beaver Patrol, Orpsie Boy and Qadar. The “home” UAE contingent will also be strong, but mainly at longer distances.
In the Supplement are short comments about the horses by the trainers. On Something Dandy said :-
“Something ran over as far as 7f when he was with Terry Mills, so that means we have a fair number of options with him. We’ve got a few ideas as to where we might go, although nothing’s firmed up, but his handicap mark is ideal for the programme in Dubai and I don’t think we’ll have too many problems finding opportunities to race him out there.”
So nothing given away there!
10th January
The Dubai Carnival begins in just a weeks time. Yesterday Something travelled down to Newmarket to stay overnight. Today he flies to Dubai from Stansted Airport.
The first sprints he could run in are :-
24th January 95-110 Hcp 6.5f Turf
24th January Group 3 6f Dirt
31st January 90-105 Hcp 5f Dirt
He would have to acclimatise quickly and exercise well to be involved in any of those races.
The programme in February includes a number of suitable opportunities :-
7th February 100+ Hcp 6.5f Turf
8th February 95-110 Hcp 6f Turf
14th February Conditions Stakes 5f Dirt
21st February 95-110 Hcp 6f Turf
22nd February 95+ Hcp 6f Dirt
22nd February 95-110 Hcp 6.5f Turf
28th February Listed 6f Turf
There is a further fixture on 6th March.
1st January 2008
Something is six years old today. Many people in flat racing seem to think that six is fairly advanced years, but it is not to me. Lots of sprinters are still improving at six and have two or three of their best seasons to come. It is a case of building up the muscle and power. A gradual process. Benbaun, Desert Lord, Soldier’s Tale and Les Arcs are recent examples of sprinters who improved every year, to win Group Ones for the first time at 6YO. Takeover Target still at the top, is now 9YO.
Something is due to fly out to Dubai on Thursday 10th January. The Dubai Carnival starts on the 17th and goes on for two months , taking in ten meetings. Then there is the Dubai World Cup night. The Carnival is by far the most international horse racing festival on the World calendar. Last year horses from 19 countries contested the races with the winners coming from the UAE, South Africa, Great Britain (12 wins), Australia, Brazil, Germany, India and France. The standard was very high throughout, with the lowest class sprint races 90-104 handicaps.
Last year the programme included 14 races over 6 or 6 1/2 furlongs for which Something would have been eligible. Most were on Turf, but a few on Dirt. As a prominent runner and dual winner on Lingfield’s Polytrack I imagine that Something could try his luck on both surfaces. He should be equally at home on fast turf or dirt. Actually the race programme could have been written for him. Let’s hope he can do himself justice and provide some top entertainment.
Unfortunately Viking Spirit, who was also due to go out to Dubal, has a leg problem and cannot make the trip, which is a great shame. I was looking forward to Viking and Something going head to head in their ideal conditions.