Crosshill Pacers
Well-Known Member
The season in Scotland starts this Sunday at Corbiewood, Bannockburn, and we have two horses going so I thought I'd drum up some support for Team Crosshill!
Our baby Ace is still working down the clock, she's just started double heats for her work outs and is developing her gait at speed. She goes lovely at mid-speed but is still a little unsure of herself going closer to the time she'll need to do for qualifying so OH and his dad have dropped back the distance to six furlongs for her second heat so as to keep her at a faster speed throughout. Stamina will come once she's figured out where her legs should go when she's going fast! I'm off work next Friday so will be able to see her working out and will try to get photos as I'm yet to see her working out faster than 2.35 (she's currently at 2.20).
On Sunday we have our five year old gelding, Cassius Clay, requalifying. He raced lightly at 2 and once at the start of the season when he was 3 before being turned out to finish growing. I don't think anybody realised at the time how big he was going to be, but he'd already shown he had speed and talent so we were happy to wait. He'll need to go around Corbiewood faster than 2.14 for a mile without breaking stride to prove to the stewards that he capable of racing. We are confident that he should do this without any problems at all, so fingers crossed we can get through this formality and then be ready to race.
We're also taking Young Stephen, aka Stevie. He was trained down in Wales last summer to get some experience of grass racing and won two races from 4 starts before coming back to us for the winter. I think I've mentioned it before but he returned with an abcess on his neck, which became enormous and resulted in him having an operation to lance it at Clyde Vets in Lanark in January. Thankfully he's healed up perfectly and you can't even see the incisions on his neck. He's been training really well and is racing in the fourth race (of six); because he's been put in a race with horses higher up the handicap system than him he's guaranteed the best draw on the day - number 1 on the gate. I'm really hoping for a good start to the season as he is a proper racehorse (Star and Missile were both semi-hasbeens when I was training them, whereas we've had Stevie from the start and he's very lightly raced for a six year old).
Gratuitous photos of Stevie winning in Wales last year, Stevie mooching about at home the other week and a pic of all three of them at the stables as well (Cassius, Stevie, Ace)
Sarah & the gang
Our baby Ace is still working down the clock, she's just started double heats for her work outs and is developing her gait at speed. She goes lovely at mid-speed but is still a little unsure of herself going closer to the time she'll need to do for qualifying so OH and his dad have dropped back the distance to six furlongs for her second heat so as to keep her at a faster speed throughout. Stamina will come once she's figured out where her legs should go when she's going fast! I'm off work next Friday so will be able to see her working out and will try to get photos as I'm yet to see her working out faster than 2.35 (she's currently at 2.20).
On Sunday we have our five year old gelding, Cassius Clay, requalifying. He raced lightly at 2 and once at the start of the season when he was 3 before being turned out to finish growing. I don't think anybody realised at the time how big he was going to be, but he'd already shown he had speed and talent so we were happy to wait. He'll need to go around Corbiewood faster than 2.14 for a mile without breaking stride to prove to the stewards that he capable of racing. We are confident that he should do this without any problems at all, so fingers crossed we can get through this formality and then be ready to race.
We're also taking Young Stephen, aka Stevie. He was trained down in Wales last summer to get some experience of grass racing and won two races from 4 starts before coming back to us for the winter. I think I've mentioned it before but he returned with an abcess on his neck, which became enormous and resulted in him having an operation to lance it at Clyde Vets in Lanark in January. Thankfully he's healed up perfectly and you can't even see the incisions on his neck. He's been training really well and is racing in the fourth race (of six); because he's been put in a race with horses higher up the handicap system than him he's guaranteed the best draw on the day - number 1 on the gate. I'm really hoping for a good start to the season as he is a proper racehorse (Star and Missile were both semi-hasbeens when I was training them, whereas we've had Stevie from the start and he's very lightly raced for a six year old).
Gratuitous photos of Stevie winning in Wales last year, Stevie mooching about at home the other week and a pic of all three of them at the stables as well (Cassius, Stevie, Ace)
Sarah & the gang
