With a proven early sprint winner in our mare, Fangfoss Girls, we hope to have a precocious foal this time and to return to the same stallion,   Mullionmileanhour, for this next year.  The cross from two fast families should help to produce the desired result.  Our other mares have yet to be decided upon, but we have a few ideas so watch this space!

Of course breeding is never certain but careful study of pedigree is essential to at least stand a chance.  Recent visits to Coolmore, Banstead Manor (home of Juddmonte), and Darleyhave given us the chance to really look at potential sires,

Fangfoss Girls - Shares available in her breeding career

and of course the likely result with last year’s foals now yearlings.  Closer to home we have visited Hedgeholme Stud, Girsonfield and Monsieur Bond’s current residence at Norton Grove Stud.  The latter being the sire of Fangfoss Girls.

We are very excited about 2012 for both breeding and racing – and will of course keep you up to date with developments.  Our 2012 syndicates are available now – and licensed training is under way for the 2012 Flat Season.  So it is all go for 2012!

The first race saw favourite Star in Flight romp home under Jason Maguire – winning by a margin which showed the 4 year old is set for good things in the future.  There is no doubt that the ground – good to soft, although more soft looking,  showed those horses who had stamina and fitness to cope with the conditions.  Margins of 8 lengths, with the third horses over 20 lengths behind that on three occasions either flattered the winners or showed poor preparation of the others.  In fairness, there were a number of maidens and novices on show in what was a fairly competitive card.

There were no fallers, although Malko de Beaumont from Alan Brown’s yard was pulled up with a serious injury.  What was noticeable however were the number of unseated riders.  In all but 2 races of the seven there was at least one rider who could not stay with their ride – either a poor reflection of jockeyship or perhaps the wind was stronger than originally thought!   I do not pretend to be the best rider in the world, but then I do not make my living from it – and neither do I receive £140 per race to do it.  National Hunt jockeys have a high degree of risk but to be unseated with so much regularity does the connections no favours and is a great disappointment when it has cost many thousands of pounds to get the horse ready to race – only to go pilot-less for a majority of the contest.

Doberdan, winner of the 6th race won easily of the remaining victors – well ridden by Tom Siddall and equally well prepared by Patrick Holmes.  He won by 8 lengths and was widening the gap all the way! A battle of the greys saw Shadrack and Kings Grey run a great finish in the feature race at 2.20 with Shadrack just ahead.  The impressive looking Kings Grey – pick of the paddock for the whole afternoon, was probably over-restricted with cross nose band and chifney bit  - but with minor adjustments the 7 year old will easily win in future.

The selling race produced a further win for the John O’Shea trained Cityar – although no bids even with the low price of £3000.  Although with the crowd made up of similar “Christmas Sofa” escapees it was perhaps not the best market place.  Look out for the 7 year old gelding in future – it was a worthy winner.

So as we approach a new year it only remains to wish all readers a very happy and successful 2012 – we hope to see you at the races soon.

Bolton Hall Stables - Home of Field & Country Racing

Field & Country Racing is based in Wensley, North Yorkshire at the historic Bolton Hall Stables.  We have excellent training facilities as well as offering boarding for mares and foals and pre-training / rest & recuperation services for racehorses.  We have a number of horses for sale with our all inclusive syndicate packages for 2012.  Please CONTACT US for further details.

New whip regulations have diverted attention from Britain's richest raceday

In a little over a week, racing has certainly made the headlines – and all for the wrong reasons.  In a week when the first British Champion’s Day should have been at the forefront, the BHA, racing’s governing body, decided to commence the much discussed new whip rules at what appears to be an arbitrary date with no real logic behind it.  A real case of shooting yourself in the foot;  racing then descended into farce as jockeys began to fall foul of the regulations from day 1.

The use of the whip in racing was brought to the fore after the 2011 Grand National winning jockey Jason Maguire was fined for over-use of the whip on winner Ballabriggs.  With racing keen to attract new audiences, this was identified as a potential final straw for many, and a consultation process was commenced.  Many in the sport agree that something has to be done not so much to stop the whip use, but to set clear guidelines to jockeys and trainers to ensure fairness and prevent abuse of the rules and the animals.

No-one in racing, or any equine field, truly believes that the inflicting of pain is going to achieve anything but a frightened and resentful horse.  With a typical thoroughbred costing many tens of thousands of pounds to buy and train, and weighing in at over half a tonne, there are financial and size matters to consider, in addition to the obvious moral reasons, to stop abuse.

The whips themselves have been adapted to such an extent that they have to be used with immense force to inflict pain even on a thin skinned human – they are soft padded flexible sticks with a drinking straw like inner core – designed to cause air to be forced out when used – causing a noise to be emmitted. (Similar to a rolled-up newspaper.)

The guidelines, as agreed through consultation, aim to limit the use of the whip in a race.  Irrespective of the distances

Richard Hughes has decided he cannot continue until rules are amended

involved, the regulations state: “ 7x in any Flat Racing and 8x in any Jump Racing (and only five times in the last furlong/after the last obstacle)”.  Distance is important here as the last fence in a jump race can ranged from just a few hundred yards to nearly a third of a mile from the finish line – that is a massive difference.  Likewise 7 uses in a 5 furlong flat race is a lot compared to 8 uses in a 41/2 mile steeplechase.

Surely the use of the whip is more about the severity of the use!  5 or 6 taps on the shoulder to keep a horse from veering into an opponent is very different (and less offensive) from ONE full throated, open-handed smack resulting in blood being drawn.

The jockeys to fall foul of the new regulations have done so not through any suggestion of abuse, but simply because they have used the whip a few too many times.  And in most of these cases, they have not even exceeded the limit within the whole race, but just the final furlong aspect of the rule.  Richard Hughes and Champions Day Winner Christophe Soumillon have both used the whip just 6 times in total in their races (one less than allowed) but as they administered these in the last furlong, they both received 5 day bans and lost their prize-money share.  In Soumillons case this was over £50000! – and his comments hardly bode well for the continued involvement of top foreign jockeys in our premier race meetings. Repeat offenders receive double bans, which double the previous aggregate bans as they continue to be disciplined.

Hughes, probably one of the most professional riders in the world, is by no measure a “dirty”  rider.  Indeed his success with young, impressionable horses shows he has a very gentle riding style.  However, he has decided to stop riding until the rules are amended – not because he disagrees with the regulations, but that he cannot ride races with full concentration,  with two bans already and with his eye on the judges.  To put this into perspective, one of the best jockeys missed the top meeting of 2012 this weekend because the regulations stopped him from riding to win!

Head down and riding a finish!

These horses are travelling at over 40 MPH when they pass the furlong pole.  At this stage in the race, the horses are tiring and may be “rolling” into other horses (an offence itself if left unchecked).  They are also entering the roar of the stands, and vying for a position out of a crowded field. The rails are emblazoned with advertising hoardings and the furlong pole is a small white pole either side of the track in the midst of this mayhem and therefore potentially out of sight of the jockeys as they crouch lower, head down, to gain aerodynamic advantage.  The jockey has to then remember how many times the whip has been used up to this point, how many he has left, and to count them off!

Christophe Soumillon expresses his concerns to Mike Cattermole following his ban and fine at Ascot. He has warned that the rules may affect foreign involvement!

These are professional sportsmen of course and they will adapt to the new rules , but the very fact that jockeys who so rarely fall foul of historically strict whip abuse rules, (Hughes has ridden thousands of races and been fined only twice for minor infringements), now find themselves not just banned but repeat offending, surely illustrates the need for a period of “bedding in” and punishments to reflect this.  Riding styles need to be adapted, and horses perhaps even trained differently – all of which takes more time than the unnecessary haste in which the BHA introduced these new rules.

Whilst the “prescribed number of uses” method is flawed,  it is also a recognition that the perceived abuse of the whip is detrimental to racing’s image and needs to be tackled.  It is not a wholly suitable method and needs to be looked at again.  Certainly restrict the number of uses, but do not limit where the whip can be used.  If a jockey uses all his allowance in the first few furlongs, then he clearly cannot ride a finish and he will adapt his style accordingly.  Surely better however than saving the bulk of the allowance until the last few hundred yards, as the new rules dictate and thrashing an already tired animal over the line!

Horses thunder past the stands at Ascot

Of course, many riders never have to use the whip if their horse is running safely and at full potential.  The danger however is that by allowing numbers to dictate whether the rules are being broken, the authorities reduce the concentration on whether the use of the whip was too harsh and whether the horse has had time to respond between strikes – and instead make it a sport where jockeys worry less about performance and more about how they will earn a wage if they get banned.

The BHA has been in talks with a number of groups today (Monday 17th October) and we wait to see if they will change their position based upon objective discussion – or continue to show that they remain rooted in the arrogance they seem to have displayed in this case so far.

Monsieur Bond is now a valuable stallion - passing his genes to our successful broodmare

Sprint stallion Monsieur Bond added another stakes winner to his offspring when Move in Time won the

Rous Stakes at Ascot yesterday (1st Oct 2011).  The stallion is based in North Yorkshire and has sired a number of highly successful sprint horses including  Stewards Cup winner Hoof It! and Group 1 winner Gilt Edge Girl.  AND NOW YOU COULD BE PART OF THAT SUCCESS!

Field & Country Racing are very lucky to own what was Monsieur Bond’s FIRST ever winning offspring – Fangfoss Girls.  Now aged 5 she has retired from the racecourse after 12 runs and a fantastic 50% strike rate – including winning her first two races by an aggregate 9 1/2 lengths over just 5 furlongs.  Needless to say that makes her extremely fast and has proved a pre-cursor to the success and speed of her subsequent relations.

New sire Mullionmileanhour - sure to produce fast, precocious offspring

Fangfoss Girls(Flossie as we call her) was named after the town in Yorkshire and is now in foal to first season sire

Mullionmileanhour - also a speedy performer in his day.

We hope therefore that the foal will be a precocious individual with a real turn of foot.  The foal is due in February 2012.

Fangfoss Girls - Shares available in her future breeding career

Breeding is fast becoming the sound investment in the thoroughbred industry, with a yearling relation of Flossie fetching over £20000 at Doncaster last month.

Flossie winning her debut race by 2.5 lengths. She repeated this win on her next run - by 7 lengths!

To be part of the future, we are offering a select few the chance to buy a share in the future breeding career of Fangfoss Girls.  The ONE OFF FEE will buy 5% of the horse and will cover ALL boarding and keep fees.  At the young age of 5 she is likely to produce up to 15 horses in

her breeding career so this is a great way to get long term benefits mixed with short term dividends.  If you are interested in this exclusive offer please contact us

Field & Country Racing own Bolton Hall Stables in North Yorkshire.  They have a number of horses available for sale and syndication including some exciting young prospects for 2012.  We provide fully licensed

dual purpose training on our private facilities. We also provide a separate sales preparation and pre-training operation in conjunction with our breeding department.

Historic Bolton Hall Stables - Home of Field & Country Racing

CALL 01969 621180 FOR DETAILS

]]> http://fieldandcountryracing.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/monsieur-bond-makes-field-country-racing-mare-a-growing-investment/feed/ 0 fieldandcountryracing MONSIEUR BOND Mullionmileanhour Fangfoss Girls debut win BH caption http://fieldandcountryracing.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/avoid-higher-level-income-tax-corporation-tax/ http://fieldandcountryracing.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/avoid-higher-level-income-tax-corporation-tax/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:35:01 +0000 Field & Country Racing http://fieldandcountryracing.wordpress.com/?p=169 Continue reading →]]>

Race horse ownership - Reduce your taxes & reclaim VAT

Did you know that racehorse ownership can be fully tax deductable?  HMRC actually have special dispensation for race horse owners allowing reclaiming of ALL VAT and  offsetting of costs against either corporation or personal income tax!

Racehorse ownership allows companies to provide top class networking events for clients and staff – all reclaimable and offering a cost effective method of impressing and rewarding contacts.

You can either own horses as a company, an individual or a partnership, so you can choose the specific type of ownership to suit your needs,  AND it does not have to be expensive either!

Horse racing remains a major sport in the UK with billions being spent in bets, and prize money in excess of £100 million per year. It remains one of the last national sports with weekly live terrestrial TV coverage.

As an owner you can also benefit from FREE race-course entry and FREE or reduced price facilities including meals, refreshments, private boxes etc.

FCR's Hurricane Spear (Seen here at Epsom)

As a spectacle, nothing can beat racing, and to own a horse adds to the excitement.  Owners become part of an exclusive club which has many social “spin-offs” and networking opportunities if that is what you want.  Alternatively you can enjoy this exciting sport with family and friends as a purely social activity – either way costs remain tax deductable!

Companies can sponsor horses, jockeys, races or whole racedays – the corporate possibilities are unmatched in value with racing attracting increasing audiences – both on TV and at the course.

Here at Field & Country Racing we offer horses for full or part ownership, or to lease.  Either way we train horses at some of the best facilities in the UK at Bolton Hall Stables.

Our ALL-INCLUSIVE syndicates provide fully registered ownership of fantastic horses, with NO ADDITIONAL COSTS and a full share of prize money and any resale value.  We have syndicates of no more than 12 people and guarantee free raceday tickets and excellent social events too.

We can also offer horses for company and full individual ownership, either already in training, or from the sales.  Our

Bolton Hall Stables

team are happy to discuss  these options with you.

Our training facilities mean we do not have to charge extras such as gallop fees – we have a great range of private facilities including gallops, horse walker, schooling ring, jump school, spacious stables, lush grazing and a warm welcome to owners in our owners area.

Contact us at admin@fieldandcountry.co.uk now for a No Obligation chat.

Or call us on 01969 621180 – Now is the time to join us in this exciting sport!

Historic Bolton Hall Stables - Home of Field & Country Racing

After a break of nearly 2 years, racehorse training has returned to the historic Bolton Hall Stables.    With a range of private facilities including all-weather gallops, horse-walker, 3 bay starting stalls, jump schooling grounds, a new all-weather lunge ring, spacious stables, and 14000 acres of private out riding, Field & Country Racing is destined for great things.

“For us it is about getting the horses mentally and physically ready to win races.” explains Racing Manager Stuart Matheson.  ”Ownership can be expensive, but we want to give value for money with clear, value for money fee structures.”  Speaking of fees, owners can save upto 30% on the already low price fees for a limited period.  To discuss training options contact stuart@fieldandcountry.co.uk by email or call 01969 621180

The Field & Country Racing team includes Paul Murphy as trainer; Stuart Matheson, Racing Manager; Carly Dixon, Senior work rider; Sarah Matheson, Yard & Youngstock Manager,  and a number of other staff.  Once the horses have settled into their new environment expect to see them at courses across the north and the rest of the UK.  With 16 race courses within a 90 minute drive, there are plenty of racing opportunities.

2 year old colt by Misu Bond - looks set for a glittering career

With a dual training license,  Field & Country Racing can deliver horses 12 months of the year to run over the flat and over jumps.  We also have excellent facilities for horses at rest and a separate yard for the schooling of young stock, or the re-education or rehabilitation of existing race horses.

People interested in sending their horses to us can contact us by email at admin@fieldandcountry.co.uk or by calling UK 01969 621180 to discuss a visit and our value for money training options.

We also have a number of excellent shared ownership horses – available at a low, all-inclusive cost.  Our syndicates offer full ownership privileges and the chance to be part of this exciting sport.

Sadler's Wells- as playful as ever! Taken last year when he was 29.

At the age of 30, Sadler’s Wells died of natural causes following a pampered retirement from stud duties since 2008.  The staff at Coolmore in Ireland treated him with the love and respect that you expect to be shown to a venerable grandparent or a much loved old friend – and his latter years were spent in the luxurious box he had occupied for many years as a successful sire.

Since his retirement from racing in 1984, the stallion is responsible for some of the greatest racehorses of the modern era.  His Derby winning son, Galileo is sire himself to current 3 year old phenomenon Frankel, and his other sons and grand-sons have sired more stakes winning progeny than any other stallion line in history.  He leaves behind a vast family of relations – many of which share his good looks and sense of fun – and of course have the genes which invariably lead to some form of success in the racing or breeding world- Hurricane Run, Montjeu, Old Vic and Motivator amongst them.

FCR's Hurricane Spear (Great Grandson of Sadler's Wells)

Among the many top-class racehorses sired by Sadler’s Wells were In The Wings (Breeders’ Cup Turf), Salsabil (1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Irish Derby), Barathea (Breeders’ Cup Mile),Entrepreneur (2,000 Guineas), Kayf Tara (Gold Cup twice),Dream Well (Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby), Imagine (Irish 1,000 Guineas, Oaks), Islington (Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf) and Yeats (Gold Cup four times).  He is related to a large number of racehorses racing under both the flat and National Hunt rules and leaves a legacy of some of the most successful sires who themselves have produced some of the most promising juveniles in racing.

Field & Country Racing have a number of his descendants at our stables in North Yorkshire, including a son of Hurricane Run and a filly by his Derby winning grandson Motivator.  We feel very lucky to own some of this fantastic old boy’s family and we send our condolences to all the connections at Coolmore.  His legacy will continue for generations to come and he has left a dynasty which is unlikely to be equalled for a long time.

Highlights to look forward to:

Frankel in the Derby? Will Paul Hanagan retain his champion title? How will all the new 2 year olds fare? Who will be the champion first season sire?

Frankel - Derby entry - will he be as good as a 3 year old?

All this and more!! Flat Racing 2011 – looks like a vintage year!!

Fangfoss Girls - visiting first season sprint sire

With the breeding season in full swing following our recent move to Bolton Hall Stables, we have started our 2011 breeding program by sending our 2 broodmares to local stallions.

Fangfoss Girls – our winning sprint mare by Monsieur Bond, has been sent to first season sire, Mullionmileanhour.  This young stallion is in his first season as a stallion and had a great racing career – including an “on the nose” second to speed record holder Equiano.  Flossie is looking very well and is yet to be scanned in-foal.  We expect a positive result in the next few days.

Meanwhile, our Theatrical mare, Dancealot Lady has gone to visit champion Irish Draught stallion Alice’s Golden

"Slipper" - a champion ID stallion with great conformation

Slipper.  In a market which has more challenging times to come, we have decided that this superbly built mare is better used at present to breed a sport horse type.  There is no doubt that she is a super specimen and we hope to breed a parallel string of sports horses both for sale and to compete for us.

Dancealot Lady after mid-division finish at Chepstow

Dancealot Lady raced four times for us in 2009 – and retired sound.  She has lately been rested and used as  a hack with a view to breeding from her once matured.  We feel that the time is right for her and we await news of a positive in-foal scan at present.

Information about Field & Country Racing, and our facilities and services at Bolton Hall can be found by CLICKING HERE