BLOG EIGHTY 9
Good Sunday Morning
“Nobody hates you more than a person that can’t break you.”
A powerful quote to start the day with — and a fitting reflection after the ups and downs of the past week.
Glorious Goodwood: A Mixed Bag
Well, Glorious Goodwood certainly lived up to its name on the racing front, but the weather made it anything but glorious. The rain came in no uncertain terms, and in my view, the track was overwatered before the storms arrived — not an ideal combination. It was disappointing to see so many horses pulled up throughout the week; I counted six in total, which I put down to the ground conditions.
My NAP of the week, Field Of Gold, came back lame behind, so we’ll give him time — I’ve no doubt he’ll return to show his class. Meanwhile, Qirat—who was meant to be a pacemaker—stole the show under a brilliantly judged ride by Richard Kingscote. Got the fractions spot on and made all. Class stuff.
A huge blow to racing this week came with the injury to Trueshan. What a racehorse he was. Our sincerest condolences go to his owners, trainer Alan King, all the team behind him, and of course Hollie Doyle, who shared so many great moments with him. A true warrior of the turf.
As they say in Hollywood, “The show must go on,” and it certainly did — with some terrific performances throughout the week. Well done to all the winners.
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Jockey Shoutouts
A massive congratulations to Jim Crowley, who rides a bit for us, on his 100th Goodwood winner — a fantastic milestone.
Also, hats off to Kyle Strydom, who has been working hard behind the scenes in the gym and with Michael Hills as his coach. He had a superb July: 6 winners from 12 rides, and many others placed. Kyle is becoming our go-to for certain horses and is proving his value time and again.
We continue to use the best jockeys available — pairing riders to horses individually — and it’s working well.
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Horses on Fire
A great week for our yard with some strong performances:
• Gorgeous Mr George made it two from two over the same C&D at Yarmouth. He’s getting the hang of things now and looks progressive.
• Champagne Dream made a promising debut at Epsom, finishing a very eye-catching 3rd — definitely one to follow.
• Valley Of The Kings, South African-bred, ran a solid 2nd at Doncaster on only his second start. A nice type for the future.
• In The Post was 3rd on debut at Lingfield — a lovely first run from a horse that cost just £1,000. He’ll come into his own over further.
We continue to prove what we can achieve with limited budgets — but would love the chance to work with some higher-priced types too.
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International Success
The Equator, previously with Aidan O’Brien and with us briefly before heading to South Africa, won on debut there on Saturday. A classy individual who we all loved. Well done to Willem Ackerman and Nigel Riley on the purchase. I’d say he’s a serious ante-post contender for the G1 Summer Cup at Turffontein — a race I was lucky enough to win in 2007 with Strategic News.
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Thurles Closure – Racing Needs Unity
Sad and worrying news this week with the immediate closure of Thurles Racecourse. That, combined with what felt like a quieter than usual Goodwood (especially in the betting ring), is not a good sign. Racing needs to axe the tax and finally unite — the division between stakeholders is dragging us all down. If the industry doesn’t pull together soon, there’ll be more closures ahead.
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A Record Month
We’re thrilled to report our best month ever in July — 10 winners, which means 25% of the yard were in the winner’s enclosure. We’re excited about August and beyond.
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Sales Season & Dubai Plans
The sales season kicks off in just 4 weeks, and our planning is already in full swing. Every year we tell you it’s time to get involved — and every year, we raise the bar. This year is no exception.
With Dubai plans also in motion, there are now multiple ways to be involved with us. Whether you’re new to racing or looking to reinvest, now is the time to join our team.
Get in touch: office@dylancunharacing.co.uk
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Looking Ahead: Shergar Cup & Saratoga Inspiration
Next Saturday is Shergar Cup Day at Ascot — always a great occasion with excellent prize money. We’ve got two or three pencilled in and look forward to being competitive.
And finally, it was brilliant to see Ewing bolt up in the Gr2 at Saratoga. He’s by Knicks Go out of an Indian Charlie mare — a line pedigree_to_win Luiz Cunha and myself chased hard last year at Keeneland, but sadly couldn’t afford. Fast forward to April, and we at the Tattersalls Craven Sale: Tailgunner Joe, from the same cross bought for just £30k after breezing last in his batch. We still found lots to like about him. He now heads to a Listed race, after winning well and running well in The Chesham at Royal Ascot , then on to Dubai. There’s a lot more that goes into these purchases than meets the eye — and we back our homework to deliver results.
We’ll be back at Keeneland next month. If you’re looking for a proper horse, we’d love to find one for you.
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Final Thought
“Nothing can be gained without losing. Even heaven demands death. You want to rise? Something has to fall. You’ll lose comfort, people, ego…but that’s the price of elevation. What you lose is never bigger than what you gain if you keep going.”
Keep kicking, I say…
Stay safe and healthy until next time,