The SPRING 2013 KINGSCLERE Quarter THE PARK HOUSE STABLES NEWSLETTER The KINGSCLERE Quarter THE fter what has seemed like an eternity, the dark, cold and often wet days of the winter months are A finally subsiding and spring will be welcomed with open arms by all at Kingsclere when it eventually arrives! The combination of short days, bad weather and lack of racecourse activity make the off season a tough period for everyone working at Park House but the load has been made a little lighter this year with the exciting prospect of what appears to be a very strong team of horses for the coming flat season. It is always a benefit to any yard to have a strong team of older SIDE GLANCE braving the elements horses and some familiar faces as well as a couple of exciting new Front cover: Rob Hornby leading the string home, additions means we have strength in depth in this department. Summer 2012 Back cover: ‘I’m ready for the flat season – are you’? Side Glance has been a stable stalwart for the past three flat Flora and Will seasons and his achievements in 2012 were a testament to his consistency and versatility. As winner of the Group 3 Diomed Stakes at Epsom in June, he went on to be placed at Group 2 and Group CONTENTS 1 level most notably when he chased home the mighty Frankel, at a respectable distance, in the Queen Anne Stakes with only the top THE SEASON AHEAD 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 class miler Excelebration in between! Side Glance now looks ready ANDREW BALDING for the step up to ten furlongs. He will be campaigned initially in 2013 TWELVE TO FOLLOW COMPETITION 9, 10, 11 & 12 Dubai this spring and is likely to contest many of the top races this POINTERS FOR 2013 13 & 14 summer and should be able to add to his already impressive prize A DAY IN THE LIFE OF LINDY REES 15 money haul. Highland Knight is very much a stable favourite at Park House SUE JOHNSON, JOHN BROMFIELD – OWNER PROFILE 16 & 17 and has gone from strength to strength during a four season career that has seen him improve from a handicapper into a genuine group KINGSCLERE RACING CLUB 18 race performer. He reached his zenith with an impressive win in the ON DEMAND 18 Group 2 Oettingen – Rennen in Baden Baden last September. He is APPRENTICES 19 a courageous front runner who seems best suited by a left handed turning mile on a sound surface. The Diomed Stakes at Epsom will be his primary target this summer and a possible North American foray for the Woodbine Mile and the Shadwell Mile at Keeneland also on the agenda. ....................................................................................... Editor: Emma Balding Tullius was a revelation in 2012 winning four of his five starts Design: Adrian Hodgkins three of which were stakes races. His campaign was curtailed by Photography: Anna Lisa Balding, Hugh Routledge, Dan Abraham an injury sustained shortly after his win in the Group 3 Sovereign Martin Lynch/racingpost.com/photos Stakes at Salisbury in August but happily he seems to have made a Contributors: Andrew Balding, Anna Lisa Balding, full recovery and should be ready to return to the racecourse in April. Nathaniel Barnett, Sue Johnson, Lindy Rees © Park House Stables He is well suited by ease in the ground and is more than capable of Published by Park House Stables, Park House, Kingsclere, Newbury, winning a top mile contest when conditions are in his favour. Races Berks. RG20 5PY such as the Bet365 Mile, the Lockinge and possibly the Queen Anne Telephone: 01635 298210 [email protected] Stakes could be on the agenda in 2013. www.kingsclere.com Bonfire started last season in style which suggested there were Printed and typeset by Joshua Horgan, Oxford 2 SEASON AHEAD Andrew Balding great things to come. Sadly his season rather petered races between them! Unfortunately an injury sustained out with two tame efforts in the Derby and the Eclipse at Newbury meant that he was not seen on a racecourse Stakes at Sandown, after winning the Dante Stakes at again in 2012 but he is currently cantering and I am York. He returns for his four year old season as a gelding happy to report that it is a case of ‘so far, so good’. If and we are all hoping that this will have a positive Spiritual Star can steer clear of injuries this season he behavioural effect, as it has been well documented that can make his presence felt at group level in 2013. he was not the most straightforward horse to train last Communicator was a big improver once we year! He does however have a huge amount of natural realised how best to ride him in his races. Having taken SIDE GLANCE a consistent performer at Group level for the last two STIRRING BALLAD notched up a sequence of four consecutive wins seasons in 2012 ability and if we can channel his energies in the right a prominent position in his first four runs for the yard direction he remains a horse with the capability of it became apparent that he was not really seeing out winning at the highest level. It is more than likely that his races in the final third. Once ridden with more Bonfire will start his campaign in the Earl of Sefton restraint the improvement was fairly dramatic and he Stakes at Newmarket’s Craven meeting with the hope looks a middle distance performer who could make the of then contesting the top mile and a quarter contests transition from handicapper to listed races, particularly in Europe. when the ground comes up on the soft side. Stirring Ballad did not race as a two year old but Rawaki is in a similar category as Communicator more than made up for that by signing off her three although he still lacks the same level of racecourse year old season with four consecutive wins including experience. A series of setbacks limited his two and three two valuable handicaps at Glorious Goodwood and at year careers to a single outing but he made excellent Chester. She is blessed with an impressive turn of hoof progress in his five starts as a four year old concluding and if she can prove she is capable of staying a mile this the year with a comfortable win in a competitive summer she could develop into a stakes performer. It handicap at Yarmouth in the autumn. Effective on soft is likely that we will start her at seven furlongs before ground there could be a valuable handicap to be won looking to extend her to a mile from June onwards. with him through the course of the season. Spiritual Star is a horse with enormous ability and Highland Colori was a busy boy in 2012 runnning his homework prior to running in last year’s Greenham a total of eleven times but his consistency and durability Stakes was verging on spectacular. Considering that his meant that he won four of those races and was placed two older work partners ended up winning five stakes second on a further three occasions. Although his wins 3 ranged from six furlongs to a mile he is probably best He has happily made a full recovery from these and served by a truly run seven furlongs and he could hopes are high that he can fulfil the promise he showed hopefully be a contender in the Buckingham Palace in his first two starts of last season. Stakes at this year’s Royal Meeting. Hallings Comet is another who didn’t quite match Benzanno was another horse that seemed to thrive up to expectations last summer and although he was on a busy schedule but was not really seen at his best a winner and placed at a reasonably high level the until his eighth and final start of the year when he turned discomfort of a trapped testicle was making him almost what looked like a competitive autumn handicap into a unridable in his races. He has been gelded over the procession. Given some improvement as a four year old winter and we very much hope that he will resume he could develop into a high class handicapper in 2013. his winning ways, provided he can learn to settle in his Beyond Conceit and A Boy Named Suzi are two races. exciting recruits to the older horse division. They have Intransigent could possibly develop into a high shown decent form for their previous trainers and could class sprinter if he can translate his excellent polytrack develop into useful stayers this season. Whilst it is early form to the turf. Although he will start his season on the days both seemed to have settled in well to life at Park all weather he could develop into a likely type for races House. such as the Wokingham at the Royal Meeting. John Biscuit and Miss Cap Estel were two horses Swan Song is certainly bred to be swift by a that showed admirable consistency in busy campaigns champion sprinter in Green Desert out of another last year. The former really found his feet when he began champion sprinter, the incomparable Lochsong. Given to settle better after his first two starts of the season. that her mother was not rated much higher than 70 at Although he requires a sound surface to be seen at his the end of her three year old career, one would have to best these is certainly a high class handicap to be won think that Swan Song should improve from three to four with him when conditions are in his favour.