Summer 2011

Must be Pinny‘s favourite place, a large field.
Looking big and well.



November 2010

In his new environment Pinpoint pretending to be a completely different horse -







Photos taken at the Jethart Callant’s Festival at Jedburgh, Scotland in July 2010.


Thursday 10th June

Pinny’s new owner Rhonda Hill sent me a very nice email yesterday with the latest news of his wellbeing and how he is settling in. This is what she said :-

Firstly, don't worry, Pinny is fine!

Apologies for not getting in touch sooner but better late than never!

It's been a hoot to read your blog on Pinny - not to mention the valuable hints on his rather quirky nature! What a horse - oh, the highs and lows! Fantastic photographs as well - so lovely to see him doing what he does best. You obviously think a lot of Pinny, as we now do too.

Just to let you know that Pinny has settled in brilliantly to his new lifestyle. For a horse who box-walked he seems to spend an inordinate amount of time in his field shelter with his new best friend Tom (a 16.3hh deep bay Irish Draught chunky monkey). They have a large stable each but usually prefer to be cosied (squashed) in together! They make quite an odd couple but hey, they're happy! They are extremely pally but not inseperable (phew).

We gave Pinny plenty of time to settle in before attempting an occasional hack "round the wee block" and now he's up to hacking round the big block and exploring the wilds of the Oxnam Valley. We're even making progress with the "stand still until Rhonda's on board" rule - which was looking virtually impossible to start with.

So far so good, fingers crossed and all that. Please let Pinny's human pals know that he's fine and dandy. I don't have any decent photos of him yet but you'll be first on the list once someone remembers a camera!

If anyone's ever up in the Borders please don't hesitate to come and see Pinny.

Thank you Rhonda !!

Sunday 28th March

Pinpoint travelled up to Scotland on the 16th and 17th. Latest news is that he has settled in well sharing a field with his new companion.

Saturday 27th February 2010

On Saturday we had the syndicate winding up meeting. Pinny is soon to move to his new home in the Scottish Borders, near Jedburgh. There Kevin Liddle and his partner Rhonda Hill, friends of head lad David McLeod, will be looking after him and retraining him as a riding horse. They have their own paddocks, have successfully rehabilitated injured horses and Pinny will be well looked after there. So we said goodbye to the old fella as best we could whilst he was busy obstructing a group of walkers from going up the public footpath which runs through Church Farm. Here, plastered in mud and looking on the portly
side, he is being coaxed off the footpath with a polo mint by one of the walkers.




In the ballot Pinpoint’s silks went to Colin and I was lucky enough to win the John Smith Stakes replica cup. That win was perhaps Pinny’s greatest triumph, certainly his most valuable, and a very memorable day with a tearful Walter Swinburn interviewed on Channel Four explaining what a tricky and rewarding horse Pinpoint was to train. Below you see the syndicate, friends, families etc receiving the trophies on that day back in September 2006.



That was then, but the future for Pinny may look more like this.
The Scottish Borders is great riding country.




December 2009



The latest news is that Pinny seems to be healing well. The vet has given the OK to go ahead with a back to fitness plan (as a riding horse) in the Spring. It may be that a suitable owner has been found who will be willing and able to take him sooner than that. So the future is looking very positive.

Above is a scene taken from the Pendley Stables 2009 Christmas card. Pinny is the one with his back to us. Typical !


15th October

Went to see Pinny on Tuesday. For once he wasn’t out of sight over the far side of a very large field. He came within 50 yards and it was good to see him again. All the grass waving, whistling and calling could not get him any closer. At one point he galloped away with a couple of horses in pursuit and he looked in good shape, so the injury cannot be troubling him. No decision on a new home yet.

Also in the field were Willow Dancer, Hevelius, a few others, and a large flock of sheep. Hevelius has inherited Pinny’s old stall in the barn and his outdoor lifestyle. He is a box walker and windsucker and being outside during the day may be just what he requires. The last race at Newmarket tomorrow will be the first test of that, with a follow-up run in the November Handicap a possibility.

14th September

The plan is for Pinpoint to rehabilitate until the New Year by which time the right home for him to continue as a social riding horse should have been chosen. Light exercise should be fine and it will be best for him having a new job to do. Though Pinny is kind and gentle Walter describes him as the most idiosyncratic horse in the yard, so he will only go to an experienced horse person and to home where he can live outside 24 hours a day.

7th September

The meeting on Sunday is not taking place. Walter will be talking to Bob the Vet about options for Pinny’s future with the injury. His box walking habit cuts down the options of where he might go and to be fair to the horse he should only be placed where there is lots of paddock space. Which makes the possibility of him staying at Pendley more likely.

4th September

Well it seems clear that Pinpoint’s racing career is over.

Coming up soon are the annual round of meetings at which the syndicates discuss future plans. Up to this year a meeting has been unnecessary for Pinny because early soundings have always shown everyone in favour of keeping him and racing on. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday 13th and I assume it will be used to discuss Pinny’s future home and career, and to close the syndicate down. For now he is out in the field during the day with no apparent problems. Thanks to Jenny knowing him so well the injury was investigated in time. Let’s hope his injury heals quickly and well so that he can be placed in a good home with a job as a riding horse or whatever is considered appropriate.

The end of a good horse’s racing career is a sad time for all those involved. However Pinpoint has always had the very best of care and has provided us with many exciting and happy moments, so I suppose there is really nothing much to be sad about.

20th August

Bad news !! The first interpretation of Pinpoint’s scan is that it shows a core lesion in the Distal Sesamoidean Ligament in the pastern area. If confirmed this could possibly be a career ending injury. Pinny’s age and past difficulties with stress and box walking during periods of box rest are not in his favour. In all probability he will have shockwave therapy, which I believe helped one of the stable’s horses Flight Of Esteem to recover from something similar to resume his racing career for a while. Immobilising the leg in a cast together with injections is a traditional treatment, also involving a year’s rest.

If the nature of the injury is confirmed there may be many months of waiting and wondering ahead to see if a full recovery is possible. An early decision to retire Pinny would be the other option.

About three years ago I bought a textbook called Lameness In Horses from an American vet on Ebay. Something told me that Pinpoint would have the occasional episode that justified the purchase. Suddenly I feel I have too much information.

19th August

Unfortunately Pinpoint is lame again on his right fore. There seems to be a sesamoid problem, which could be minor or of more concern. He is going to have an x-ray.


12th August

Pinpoint was out Third Lot yesterday for his fourth canter since getting the all clear. He only came up slowly from the Barn with the last 3f in 46.5 secs. All is going fine so far but it looks like being September before a run.


6th August

When you follow sprinters the pedigree side of racing is of little importance. How they race and the speed they show are the important things. However jotting down the details of Pinpoint’s brothers (below) and thinking about their form and pedigrees made me realise just how unlikely it is that Pinpoint would be any better, or more to the point as good, over 12f. Indeed from a pedigree point of view he would be a 7f / 8f horse. It just makes me wish he was back racing on a straight track at 8 / 9f on Good/Soft which I think are his optimums and which he hasn’t had for two years or more. Thinking back he has never travelled as well in a race as he did in the 2006 Cambridgeshire, only failing to win through a combination of stamina running out in the soft ground and having to give weight to Group horses. Entries for the Cambridgeshire close on August 18th. Only joking. He would need to be rated in the mid to high 90s to have a chance.

Pinpoint’s dam has produced the winners of seven races so far with an average winning distance of 8.14 furlongs. Cape Cross’s Stamina Index is 7.9 so if Perfect Point turned out to be a miler it would be no surprise.

4th August

Our boy was much more his normal self today. He looked big and well and happy in the trotting ring. Which was more than can be said for Jenny who has a heavy cold and on top of that Pinpoint stumbled at one point and Jenny had to hang on wrenching her shoulder in the process. After exercise Pinny was at his sociable best.

Pinpoint’s kid brother by Cape Cross has been named Perfect Point. The syndicate is called Second Circle (Pinpoint’s is Full Circle) the similarity in both names having nothing to do with David, Colin and Geoff being in both syndicates, of course.
Another of Pinny’s brothers, the Dandy Nicholls trained three year old Royal Defence won a mile maiden at Thirsk on Friday. So now all four brothers to race have won. Here are the details :-

Pinpoint by Pivotal (Stamina Index 7.7f ), tried at 7 - 10f, won 8f x 3, 10f x 1, placed 7f x 1, 8f x 3, 9f x 2, 10f x 3, highest OR 111 Grand Entrance by Grand Lodge ( SI 9.8f ), tried at 6 - 8f, won 7f x 1, placed 7f x 2, highest OR 78
Ahoy by Danehill Dancer ( SI 8.0f ), tried at 5 - 9f, won 8f x 1, placed 7f + 9f, highest OR 84
Royal Defence by Refuse To Bend ( SI 8.3f ), tried at 7 - 10f, won 8f x 1, placed 7f, highest OR 80

Let’s hope Perfect Point (below) can keep the winning sequence going and that the syndicate have lots of fun with him.






27th July

Good news. Pinny’s pastern injury has healed and he can begin light training again. There is some scar tissue but that should not stop a good recovery.

24th July

It seems a long four weeks worrying about this horse. Pinny gets reassessed by the vet on Monday. Meanwhile he is not a happy horse confined to his box with just a couple of goes on the walker every day. He said a brief hello then started box walking. Later after some grass he box walked even faster and looked very grumpy. Keep your fingers crossed that the all-clear will be given on Monday.

29th June

Pinpoint is on the easy list. He pulled out lame yesterday on his off fore and the vet found some thickening in a ligament. So it is just light exercise with a couple of goes on the walker each day for the next month. No medication, just time to heal.


23rd June - Wolferton Listed Handicap, Royal Ascot, Friday 19th June

Well I couldn’t have been more wrong about the going on the Round Course at Ascot on Friday. It turned out to be lightning fast with three course records broken including in Pinpoint’s race where the old ten furlong record was trashed by nearly a second.
In all probability this was the reason for Pinny’s very poor run. A middling early pace was gradually cranked up and by the time Adam tried to make headway they would have been moving too quickly for our boy to make any impression on ground too fast for him.

The first reaction from Walter after the race was that there must be something amiss. I was quite expecting to turn up at the stables to hear of a bad scope or blood test indicating an infection. But no, Pinpoint is fine and he cantered this morning third lot. Just a light canter following Shifting Star about six lengths back, with Apotheosis just behind and one other. Shifting Star disappeared into the distance and Apotheosis went past as Pinny did his usual lazy workout, about 46 secs for the final 3f.

Confident that he is none the worse Walter has picked out his next race which is to be on Sunday July 26th at Ascot on Hong Kong Jockey Club day. The race is the Casino at the Empire Stakes, a 0-105 Heritage Handicap over 12 furlongs, with £40,000 added. Sorry about people’s holidays but a raindance will be ordering up plenty of the wet stuff in the preceding week.

Some photos of the day :-








18th June

Kingdom of Fife is out. There are some lightly raced 4YOs in the race but otherwise it does not look that strong. Pinpoint must have a reasonable chance. The misfortunes of Goodwood seem to have put people off backing him. Which is nice.
As is typical of Clerks of the Courses these days, Chris Stickells can’t allow a dry day to go by without getting the watering can out and he intends to add 4mm all round this evening. Good for us but connections of fast ground horses must be tearing their hair out.

17th June

Pinpoint is safely in the 48 hour decs for the Wolferton Handicap. He is drawn in the middle which makes a nice change.
Kandidate is in the field which should ensure a reasonable pace. Khateeb and Kingdom of Fife both front ran in their last races also.

16th June

A minor scare this morning. Jenny got off at the top of the gallop. Which was worrying until she said that he had lost one of the stick-on front shoes. As these have been on for two weeks, and Jenny knew they were getting looser, it was not surprising. As I left Danny had started filing one of his hooves prior to putting on a new pair of stick-ons.

Just an ordinary canter this morning following another up in 43 secs for the final 3f.

Peter Harris was practicing his French for Stotsfold’s trip to Longchamp for La Coupe on Thursday. Bonne chance !

9th June

Pinpoint was out first lot this morning. He worked with Constant Cheers and Stotsfold. Constant Cheers is an excellent lead horse and gets even Stotsfold off the bridle, so a good test. CC (Tony) led at a strong gallop. Pinpoint (Jenny) made an effort about 2f out and closed up looking for a moment like he might get to CC. Stotsfold (Pat) pulled up to Pinpoint and put his head in front, but neither of them made up further ground on CC who stayed a length or so ahead. No time I forgot my watch.

Walter thought that Pinny worked well. Which means by Pinny’s standards very well. Jenny is very happy with him and it is all systems go for Ascot. Danny The Farrier is keeping his fingers crossed that the feet will be OK. He said that he watched the Goodwood race with a sinking feeling and that the front feet were a real mess with bits of hoof missing and all the nail holes pulled through. Luckily there was no infection and the rebuilding and stick-on shoes have gone well. He is due to fit new stick-ons. Hopefully the present ones will last to next week as it is a complicated process to fit them.

2nd June

Second lot this morning. Pinpoint came up the gallops second in a line of about six. I did not spot him until towards the end but they just seemed to go an ordinary canter and Pinny maintained his place in the line.

The feet are doing OK with the stick-on plates lasting a week so far. Danny has used a new sort which do not have the usual tabs but have a larger surface glued on.

As hoped Pinny is to be aimed at the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday 19th June. It is the Listed handicap (96-110) that he was third in last year behind Supaseus and Many Volumes. Also the handicapper has been most magnaminous and dropped him a pound to 106. His third last year was off 105. A better draw and some juice in the ground would be very nice as well?

Some pictures from Goodwood.....





and Peter stares at the troublesome front feet. Which is about all you could do afterwards.




26th May - Festival Stakes at Goodwood on 25th May

A strange day !!

Despite the dire weather forecast we saw nothing of the predicted thunderstorms on the way down. Goodwood itself was bone dry with lots of blue sky; warm and sultry. Arriving at 1.30 the course was strangely quiet, considering that the first was supposed to be under way. We soon learned that an accident caused by a landrover had put racing back half an hour. The more lurid rumours had the landrover careering out of control and turning over into a group of picnickers. Happily the truth was a little less dramatic but five people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Turning to the race the syndicate’s hopes were quite high beforehand. Later we received offputting news from Pete that the track was like a road. Probably an opinion more relevant to the hill in the first six furlongs than the straight where the times and other evidence suggested more Good than Good/Firm. Anyway the atmosphere was rather subdued in the paddock and Pinpoint drifted a bit in the betting as the market shuffled in favour of Made To Ransom (one for the guessers), Tranquil Tiger and Charlie Farnsbarns. To my eyes Pinny did not look quite as fit or well as he had the week before, but Jenny was happy with him. Perhaps it is seeing your horse alongside the aristocracy of Newmarket which tempers opinions about how well they look.

Anyway the race was a non event for us. Pinny ran like a car with two flat tyres and when he came back we found that he had ripped off both front plates. Which would be reason enough to finish a poor last. Walter’s reaction was to be inclined not to run Pinpoint at Goodwood again. The steep downhill section is not the best for him and he needs to be looked after. This morning his feet are a bit of a mess but otherwise he is OK. Danny has put some stick-on shoes on him.

All being well he will be entered for the Royal Ascot listed handicap he finished third in last year.


25th May

Well he has a chance today, which is more than you could have said for most of the Listed races he has run in. The weather forecast has reverted to the earlier prediction of torrential showers, including possibly some hail and thunder. The Met Office website shows an angry red mass hovering over the Channel currently giving the Isle of Wight a horrible time. The BBC website shows it about to move north. Gulp !

Pinny is around 6/1 fourth favourite. He has his usual rotten draw in 1, but if there is the good pace, which there should be, that should not matter. We want for him to be able to weave through horses rather than be posted out wide in the centre of the course. Other than that I just hope it stops raining before we get there.

Go Pinny !!



24th May

10 declared to run tomorrow. An interesting and competitive field which includes a Group 2 winner, two other Group race winners, and four other Listed race winners. To beat that lot would certainly be a feather in Pinpoint’s cap.

There should be a fair pace made by Tranquil Tiger and Yahrab, and possibly Made To Ransom. Tranquil Tiger will be a tough nut to crack if he is allowed a lead. His record front running is 3 from 4. Only beaten over an inadequate 9f.

Good/Firm is the current going description, though the Clerk of the Course enjoys pouring water on his track so I cannot believe it is very fast going. On Thursday it was a shade on the fast side of Good. A dire weather forecast for Monday which for days has predicted a mass of rain coming up from the south has now changed to showers only. A shame, I was looking forward to getting drenched if it gave Pinny some Good/Soft for the first time in two years.

19th May

Pinpoint looked in very good shape on the gallops this morning. He worked with Overturn, a lightly raced but potentially useful half brother by Barathea to Arbella. Looking fitter than before the Windsor race Pinny (Jenny) tracked Overturn (Lindsey) before he was asked to go past about 2f out. Within a furlong Pinpoint made up the ground and went one and a half lengths up. It has to be said that Overturn was not pushed out and the final 3f time of 38.7secs was only average but this was a different Pinpoint today. Much sharper than before the Windsor race. Overturn is rated 87, is in good shape and is pencilled in for a race next week.

The handicapper has kept Pinpoint on 107 as a result of the Windsor race. Icesolator also stays on his mark of 105 and Ordnance Row has been dropped 1lb to 111.

22 entries for the Festival Stakes. The highest rated are Tranquil Tiger (114), Charlie Farnsbarns (112) and Ordnance Row
(111) all of whom will be carrying penalties.

12th May - Royal Windsor Stakes at Windsor on 11th May

One step closer to getting that illusive Listed race win. This time Pinpoint finished second to Ordnance Row who was winning this race for the second year running.

Unfortunately one of the two front runners withdrew which put paid to the strong pace we were hoping for. Although Abbondanza was quickly rushed up to overtake Dijeerr and make sure that he led, the pace slackened a little afterwards. So the race became a three furlong sprint as is often the case at Windsor. Asked for his effort Pinny hung a bit on the fast ground but stayed on well to the line. His best run in a small field non-handicap.

It was wonderful to have him back on the track as good as ever !!

Photo below - In the paddock before the race. 7/1 all morning and opening the same price on course it was about when this picture was being taken that his price crashed in to 9/2. Which was odd.



Coming into the winners enclosure



and the bucket photo just after he stood on Jenny’s foot. Ouch!
The guys on the rails behind look like Pinny has just trod on their foot.



And news of Pinpoint’s next entry arrived hotfoot from Sid this afternoon. He is to be entered in the Festival Stakes at Goodwood on Monday 25th May. This is the 10 furlong Listed race which was memorably won by Sixties Icon last year.


9th May

Seven opponents line up against Pinpoint at Windsor on Monday. The highest rated are Laa Rayb (114), Ordnance Row (112) who ran today at Haydock, and Dijeer (111). For once at Windsor there may be a fair pace to chase as Abbondanza is a confirmed front runner and Ocean’s Minstrel could well help to force the pace, as he did in the 2,000 Guineas and the listed race he won before that.

5th May

Greystoke Prince (Jenny) led Pinpoint (Adam Kirby) up the gallops 1st lot. Greystoke led by about a length until Adam shook Pinny up two furlongs from the finish and Pinny went about a length up, the final 3f in 38.04 secs. Adam seemed happy with him and thinks he has lost none of his speed. So things are going well for Windsor on Monday.

1st May

1st Lot today for the first time on a work morning. Pinpoint (Jenny) chased Streets Apart up the gallop. Having been a couple of lengths down early Jenny took closer order half way. Pinny got within half a length but could not get passed. The final 3f in
37.48 secs. Perhaps he will need the race at Windsor to get into full gear for the season? Streets Apart looked good.

29th April

Surprise announcement this morning !! Pinpoint is to have his first run of the season on Monday 11th May at Windsor. Also a surprise is that his first race will be over a mile. 8 furlongs and 67 yards to be precise. The race is the Royal Windsor Stakes, a Listed race with a prize fund of £40,000. Last year it was won by Ordnance Row, and the year before by Army of Angels.

Pinny has run twice at Windsor and his racing style is not really suited to the track. The long 180 degree bend at halfway tends to lead to tactical races, and he is unlikely to get the strong pace he needs. Never mind, it will be good to get him back to the track and in the thick of the action.

28th April

More progress today. Out 2nd Lot again.

21st April

This time second lot but Pinpoint still only came up in an ordinary canter alongside Rehabilitation. 43.11 for the final 3f. He did look a little fitter, and according to Jenny is doing it a bit easier now. My guess is that the earliest we will see him race is late May.

The stable is flying with four consecutive winners and perhaps more to come today. I did like the way that Champagne Future went to the front at Ponte only beaten because she ran freely and lacked for a bit of fitness.

14th April

Out third lot. In a group of four he followed the leader, about one length down throughout, in about 45.5 for the final 3f. No signs of getting any fitter.

7th April

Still in the slow lane it looks as if Pinny needs a racecourse gallop to get him moving this season. 4th lot today, he cantered with three others sharing the lead and nudging ahead to finish a neck up. The final three furlongs were covered in a modest 43.52 secs. At this rate it will be well into May, at the earliest, before he is in any shape to race.

31st March

Pinpoint was promoted to third lot. He chased Ibbetson and one other up the gallops. The other two were working and going reasonably fast. The plan was for Pinny to chase them as an encouragement to put some more effort in. By halfway he was several lengths behind and finished perhaps three or four seconds back. The other two took 39.10 for the final 3f, and I guess Pinny did it in around 42 or 43 secs.

17th March

Spring is here. Well it felt like it today with a surprisingly large turnout of owners at the stables.

Pinpoint is making good progress. He has had a few canters and came up from the bottom today, following Ibbetson (Tony) a length or two behind. I was expecting him to struggle in the last couple of furlongs, and he did tire a bit with Jenny pushing him along. 45.34 for the final three furlongs but he was keeping on quite well up the hill. He is about three weeks in front of last year, when the splint held him up, (first race 10th May) and a week behind 2007 (first race 21st April). Make of that what you will.

Tagula Night brought out the fighter in Pinny the other day. Tagula was a bit fresh and out of control and bumped into Pinny’s quarters. Pinny lashed out and kicked Sara on the leg drawing blood. I think she had to go to hospital and get stitches, I am not sure, but never remember Pinny doing that before. Jenny said he was defending his territory and it was self defence.

20th February

A beautiful mild sunny morning at the stables. With five lots going out, and the training tempo starting to increase, it felt like the flat racing season was not so far away. Pinpoint went out in the last lot for a walk and trot around the lanes. All of the horses are trace clipped and quite wintery but Pinny looks to be in good shape for the time of year. As usual he became Mister Sociable for some fresh grass and Polos.






16th February

Sid phoned today. Pinpoint has started his preparation for the season ahead. This morning Jenny rode him for the first time since last November. Only around the yard, but later this week he should start walking, then trotting, around the lanes. He is two to three weeks behind last year’s schedule because of the snow and frost.