Hurricane Spear on the Gallops

With the snow all gone - we have been able to get Hurricane Spear out onto the gallops properly and see what he is made of. He has grown very well this winter and has found his pre-training hugely enjoyable.

He has a good long stride and a turn of foot which gives him extra boost when needed. We are very pleased with his progress and will be putting him into full-time training in the spring.

Jockey Jim Crowley is due to take him for a spin at a practice session at Lingfield Park shortly, and this will be the final stage before going to training.

Shares are still available, but selling fast - so for a chance to get involved in this exciting colt, at a really low cost, contact us at admin@fieldandcountry.co.uk or look at our site:

fieldandcountry.co.uk

Happy racing!

A Snowy New Year

Following a busy Christmas period, we are now having to cope with snow and ice of almost epic proportions!
Happily the horses seem to thrive in the weather and our staff are working furiously to ensure they are well looked after.
Since releasing our 2010 syndicates we have had some great interest in both Hurricane Spear and Dancealot Lady - our two new horses for this season and the next.

The issue at present is to ensure that our horses have sufficient exercise in these conditions. Our gallops are frozen and covered in snow so the horse-walker is working hard at present. And as you can see by these pictures, walking out is difficult too.

We are pleased to say that Fangfoss Girls, our 4 year old sprinter, is looking well and we have secured a stud nomination to the super stallion PICCOLO. She will visit the stud in a few weeks for covering in mid-February. A small number of low cost shares are available in this super filly as she enters what we expect to be a successful and long-term breeding career.

If you are interested in being part of this or organising a vist to us, please contact Stuart at Stuart@fieldandcountry.co.uk

Have a great 2010 and we look forward to hearing from you!!

2010 Syndicate Shares Released

We are pleased to announce the release of our 2010 Syndicate prices. Starting at just £175 per month for a 1/10th share this is the best value FULL ownership deal in the UK. Brochures are available by contacting us by email (admin@fieldandcountry.co.uk) or calling Stuart Matheson on

+44(0)7946 017115

Our website is updated with all details at www.fieldandcountry.co.uk

Two year term syndicated shares offer fixed price ownership of our superb horses so don't miss the action and excitement.

A Suitable Partner

Like any proud parent, we are currently trawling the stud directories for suitable "husbands" for our breeding stock. He has to be strong and of good character and have good prospects! I wonder if my prospective in-laws looked at me in the same way when I married my wife Sarah? I remember my father-in-law looking at me in disbelief and saying "You want to do what- are you mad?" when I announced my intentions. 18 years later and I think if we were horses we would be considered a pretty good match. A few unplaced finishes along the way but all in all we could give Sea the Stars a run for his money!

However, for fear of putting my marriage on the rocks - I have to get the choice right for Fangfoss Girls, our mare. My wife can put up with me rolling in late from the pub or spending too much time at work, but woe betide me if I make a wrong call with the horses - her children! (Which must be rather disconcerting for our human offspring) And of course at the moment the market is uncertain to say the least. Class, as ever, will always retain its price, but how do you foresee what makes class in two years time? How do we know if the levy will be so eroded that prize money makes ownership even more unpalatable? Fangfoss Girls is a winning sprint filly with 2 wins and 4 places at 2 years old - well bred from Monsieur Bond, stakes winning progeny of the Danehill Dancer line. So it should be simple - find a stallion which throws precocious, fast youngsters and job done! If only it were that simple. And that is just the first one - what about our Theatrical filly for 2011 breeding season and beyond?

I thought it was bad enough trying to vet my daughters would be suitors but horses really do give you sleepless nights. Anyone with any ground breaking advice then step forward....don't be afraid.

The Future Beckons!

This year has seen investment in some class stock - not least of which is our yearling colt "Hurricane Spear", by Hurricane Run out of Sarissa.

Harry- as we have christened him - is growing well and has the look of both his famous father and grand-father (Montjeu).  As a first crop foal there is nothing to compare his likely future to, but we expect him to be a great prospect for the 2010 flat season.  His dam is a USA registered filly with 6 runs to her name and a successful, if modest, set of results to go with them.  She is the daughter of Group 1 winner Diesis who was Champion 2 year old in 1982.

Of course his sire is in another stratosphere!  Winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Irish Derby, King George VI and 4 other grade 1 races; number 1 ranked horse in the World in 2004 and 2005 and winner of 0ver £5.2 million - Hurricane Run now stands at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.  

We are even more excited by Harry's future given that his sire almost completely matched the performance of grand-sire Montjeu in winning the same group 1 races. A genetic masterpiece.

We are very pleased to have acquired Hurricane Spear on a 2 year lease from owner Stuart Matheson and will be preparing Harry for pre-training at the end of this Summer with a view to seeing him in action as a 2 year old.

Very limited shares are available for 2010/11 so contact us at admin@fieldandcountry.co.uk for more details, or visit our website.

Farewell to The Master - Vincent O'Brien

Monday 1st June saw the death of perhaps the greatest racehorse trainer-Vincent O'Brien; a gentleman who won almost every racing trophy there was to win and who achieved so much, not through a wealthy patron or luck at birth, but through sheer hard work and excellence.

Much has been written about his successes and many of the great characters of racing have been able to tell us of their experiences of working with him.  Vincent was from a previous age in racing, but hopefully he has passed on his professionalism and honesty to the new generation.  Racing will be a better place for learning from him, and a sadder place for not having him with it.

 

Recession? Want to buy a horse?

The recession is proving tougher than most expected so the last thing you would expect me to say is - "use your savings to buy a racehorse!"  But, now has never been a better time to buy top quality horses at knockdown prices.  The recent "breeze-up" sales at Newmarket and Doncaster showed prices down on average 27% and 15% respectively - and only two thirds of the lots actually selling.  This leaves a large amount of quality bred youngsters with no buyer and the breeders under pressure to at least cut their losses and make room for the next crop.

At the mixed sale at Newmarket back in March, many well bred yearlings were being rejected in the ring and then purchased for cash rather than returned to the vendors.  And we are talking hundreds of pounds, not the usual tens of thousands!  Obviously the purchase price is only one part of the equation when it comes to owning a racehorse, but there is some evidence that training fees are also up for negotiation; and with owners reducing their stocks some very good horses with good racing records and fully fit for racing are also available.

It takes as much money to train a bad horse as it does a good one and it is therefore extremely important to ensure that your bargain purchase is still capable of delivering at the races.  At Field & Country Racing, we have experts to purchase the horses and an ability to pre-assess any horses for likely success before they are offered for sale as part of a syndicate.  This takes away a large part of the risk involved and means that shareholders can be confident that what they have bought shares in is a likely winner.  It also means that the cost of shares is lower than many similar offerings and the costs can be fixed so you can be sure of what the cost will be before entering into the exciting world of racehorse ownership.  And as quality will always sell, at the end of the syndicate term you will receive some return on your investment when the horse is sold.

If you are interested in LOW COST ownership of successful and well bred race horses, starting as low as £2000 for a full  10% share then contact us at www.fieldandcountry.co.uk or via the link on this blog.  It is certainly as secure as putting your money into shares or god forbid - a bank account!!