Another win for Aramis !

Monday, 20 February 2023

The Musketeers wonderful grey mare provided us with our first winner of 2023 on Saturday afternoon.

This was Aramis Grey's tenth career victory and came in a Fillies' Conditions Stakes at Lingfield. Now in her sixth year she is showing no signs of losing her zest for racing and this was her third run this year having been runner up on her previous two starts. The race was a qualifier for the valuable All-Weather Championships Final at Newcastle so it is more than likely that will be her target.

Four of the Musketeers were able to make the trip to Lingfield on Saturday and these were Jon and Sophie Mitchell and Darren and Ann Lewitt, the others cheered on from home and our congratulations go to all of them. Aramis was piloted by regular jockey Callum Shepherd who rode a double on the day and it is great to see him back and fully recovered from his recent injury.

The race itself was a tricky affair with only four runners over seven furlongs. She travelled well on the rail throughout in third and coming round the bend she began her challenge on the outside and despite the chasing efforts of the runner up Vadream she held her by three quarters of a length.

We are so lucky to have Aramis Grey and everybody at Chestnut Tree Stables is immensely proud of her fantastic race record. Incidentally, this win provided Alan Davies with his fiftieth winner trained by Rae !

Let's get a cinema back in Newmarket !

Thursday, 09 February 2023

The day has arrived!  Today sees the first showings in the Incredible Moving Cinema that has popped up for the next 10 days on the Severals, showing a variety of family friendly and other bang up to date films – please look and book on https://www.abbeygatecinema.co.uk/whats-on/?filmcategory=the-moving-cinema .  The Moving Cinema will be moving on on 20 February…. so take your chance now! 

What is it doing there and why?  Essentially it is a test, to test the demand from the people of Newmarket as to whether they will make use of a cinema in the town.  Unless we pass the test by showing that there is a sufficient demand for the proposal, our application for funding for the proposed cinema in the High Street will fail.

So if you would like Newmarket to have its own cinema again and you would use it, please complete the cinema questionnaire on https://newmarketcharity.org/cinema-questionnaire/ and have your voice heard.  

Just occasionally it does happen !

Friday, 16 December 2022

When Rachel purchased Kutaiba this time last year from the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for just 10,000 gns she could never have dreamed that a year later the daughter of Golden Horn would return to the sales ring and fetch 160,000.

After winning a National Hunt race at Huntingdon early last month by an easy margin she was entered into the Cheltenham December Sale. When this imposing dark filly walked into the ring on the 9th December there was some serious interest and when she walked back out having reached 160,000 there were some serious celebrations !

Kutaiba's new owner is Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud who owns Kutaiba's sire Golden Horn. She has been bought to race and we look forward to watching her career with interest. Further down the line we are certain she will be a notable acquisition to the stud and we cannot wait to see her future offspring.

Congratulations to Rae and Rachel on this sale and it just goes to show that just occasionally it does happen !

A bit of a catch up

Thursday, 01 December 2022

This time of year everything is slowing down from a racing aspect but we are still busy in many other areas.

Many of the older horses are now turned away for a holiday as breaking in the yearlings starts to take precedence. We have fourteen babies in the yard with six already ridden away thus leaving another eight still to break so plenty of work still to do in that department ! Our two new syndicates are up and running, The Raffles Syndicate and Lady Cecil, Family and Friends and they have five super yearling fillies between them so plenty to look forward to for both ownerships. Our longstanding owner Kirsten Rausing was honoured at this years Cartier Awards by receiving the Award of Merit in recognition of her lifetimes work in the breeding and racing industry. This topped off a fantastic year for Kirsten coming on the back of Alpinista's superb win in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe so congratulations to her and her team.

We have also been busy at the Mares Sale this week the highlight of which was the sale of Fauvette (pictured) whom Rachel bought for just 4,000 gns at the 2020 July Sale. Five wins later plus a second place in a Listed Race the hammer came down at 105,000 gns so congratulations to Rachel for a fantastic bit of business there ! Fauvette has been purchased by Grangemore Stud in Ireland to add to their broodmare band so we look forward to seeing her progeny in the future. Rachel also has Kutaiba in the Cheltenham December Sale and as an easy winner on her debut in a National Hunt flat race at Huntingdon plus a fantastic pedigree there should be plenty of interest in her too. Other owners of ours who had a great result at the sales were BB Bloodstock who sold their Frankel colt out of our former stable star Bahia Breeze, this was at the December Foal Sale and he fetched 250,000 gns purchased by Pantile Stud so well done to all.

As I write two new arrivals have just appeared into the yard purchased from the Mares Sale, two three year old fillies. One Colour who is by Teofilo and Daytona Beach who is by Dubawi out of a Galileo mare, so more to come on those later. So all in all not much happening on the racing front but as always never a dull moment !

Cheltenham not Chelmsford !

Wednesday, 09 November 2022

While Chelmsford is more our usual hunting ground maybe Rae and Rachel should have Cheltenham in their sights after their own Kutaiba ran away with the bumper in some style yesterday at Huntingdon on her racecourse debut !

She was bred by Shadwell and comes with a beautiful pedigree as she is by Golden Horn (winner of the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc') and is closely related to the 2014 Oaks winner Taghrooda. Rachel picked her out at Tattersalls December Mares Sale last year as an unraced two year old who topped 16.3 hands high then and is even bigger now ! It was clear that she was not a horse for anyone in a hurry but luckily she had found the right owners in Rae and Rachel who have patience in abundance. Kutaiba had a spell turned away in the field which gave her huge frame time to mature and when she came back into work it was a slow progession, but progression it was and so a National Hunt flat race was targeted at Huntingdon.

Daryl Jacob was booked and Kutaiba made the short trip to our local National Hunt track accompanied by Dan and Georgia. She was clearly the standout in the paddock and the money came for her while the race itself could hardly have been more straightforward. She travelled strongly throughout and certainly appreciated every yard of the distance which was just a shade over one mile and five furlongs. Once Daryl got to work on her she went about her job very professionally and in the last furlong drew away to win by an impressive four and a quarter lengths. 

So there is certainly a bright future in front of this imposing filly and we are delighted for Rae and Rachel. Thank you to Daryl Jacob for riding her and also to Dan (assistant trainer) and Georgia who looked after her at the races. Plus, a huge well done to Amelie who rides her at at home. Great job team !