New Yearling Filly

Yearling Filly, River Boyne x Himiko (Aussie Rules)

On Wednesday I visited Amy's to catch up with our existing horses but also to see if Amy had any yearlings available, ideally a horse who could be ready early season (we have to start by dreaming of Royal Ascot!) but who could progress through their 2YO year and into their 3YO season. And maybe beyond.

Amy's bought around 8 yearlings on spec so far (no owners lined up), still with a few sales to go. In any case, her eyes lit up when mentioning this filly, and she was quick to tell me she'd be keeping 25% (which is always a positive), but we could have the remaining 75% if I liked the look of her. She didn't really mention any others, which I'm taking as a positive!

Her Physical. 

We've pulled together a short video of her , which you can watch above. You can see a photo of her top right.

She is some looker and has everything you want in a yearling filly at this stage... she has a superb fluid, active walk on her. Her conformation is superb, everything where it should be, good bone, she's compact (great for an early sprinting 2YO, but with room to develop), alert, appears to enjoy her work, and has a bit of 'sass', which is what you want in the fillies.

She also has a big bum, which is a good sign also as that's where the power is, and of course she hasn't started any serious work as yet. She will only get bigger and stronger. She has some size about her for a yearling, she's not a small filly, which is perfect, and she should develop plenty more and have some longevity. Her breeding, on both sides, is denoted by multiple winners and tough, hardy horses, who enjoy their racing.

She's a March foal who looks strong, so should be ready in April/May, but given her breeding, there's every expectation she'll keep progressing with racing and maybe with distances up to 1m... (for all she looks a sprinter at this stage)

Her Breeding

Bay Filly, River Boyne x Himiko

You can find her pedigree page at the link below, and just stare at all those winners on the dam side, and all that black type!

Read here: https://racingtoprofit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/940.pdf

The Dam...

Himoko - she was unraced herself but as I'm learning in this game, some of the un-raced mares, especially when well related, can produce better horses than race mares, especially if they've had long exacting careers. Many of her half-siblings were winners.

Of primary importance is that Himoko produces winners. She's produced 6 previous foals so far to have hit the racecourse and as well as our girl, also has a colt foal by Invincible Army. All six have won at least once, which is some going! (all up to 1m)

Virtual Rock is 3/9, including a win at Listed level and places in Group 2s and 3s.

Casinomaster has x13 wins to his name in Germany, and counting. Some constitution! Downsizing (who's by Dandyman, our girls grandsire) has x3 wins to his name, Magic Shuffle x3 wins, Yamato x5 wins, and Bottler's Secret, who's now 1/2 having won an Irish maiden in August.

They all appear to be tough and that's even before getting onto the Sire line. Looking back further along the dam's page, her granddam, Alexia Reveuse has produced numerous multiple winners, including at C1 level. She was out of Dr Devious, who was a decent 2YO and won THE Derby as a 3YO.

Given what she cost, you couldn't really ask for more on the dam-side line, even more so when compared to the physical. They appear versatile and tough also, wins over all sorts of distances, ground and flat/AW. For the price point, we couldn't ask for more.

The Sire...

River Boyne - is a new sire on the block, this his first crop of 2YOs, and unproven sires is one of the ways to find value in this game, especially in the £15-40k price bracket. Nick Bradley is very good at doing such things and I've noted his willingness to dive into untested & unproven sires. If River Boyne was 'proven', you could add another £20-30k on top. River Boyne is a son of Dandy Man, a durable, consistent sprinter of the highest class, who was 6/30 in his career, including a close 2nd in The Kings Stand. He was a precocious 2YO and let's hope some of his 5-6f speed has rubbed off on our girl!

Dandy Man was a x6 winner over 5 & 6f, including at 2. He won at Listed and Group 3 Level, inc a 2nd in the King's Stand, back when a Group 2. As a sire he has a winners/runners SR of 47% on the flat, which is decent going. Hopefully some of his speed has rubbed of on our girl! River Boyne is his only son standing at stud in Europe.

RB started off over here, for the Nick Bradley racing syndicate, who sold him to America at the end of his UK 2YO season, I think for a similar price to what they paid when a yearling, £70k or so. His form would take off in America, winning over 9f as a 2YO on Firm, but adding further victories on dirt and turf, including at the highest level over there, Grade 1. He was still winning as a 5YO and finished up 7/21,14p in his career and nearly £900k in prize money. He now stands back at Tara Stud, who bred him originally. 

Their quote: "He retired sound with no issues, no wind problems or temperament issues and he's a lovely person."

He was a sound, tough, durable, consistent racehorse, qualities which appear in equal measure down the dam-side. Let's hope all of those qualities have rubbed off on our new purchase! But at this stage, we couldn't ask for more.

>>> keep reading to the right >>>

Our Trainer - Amy Murphy will train our new girl and will be keeping 25% in her, such is her belief at this stage, which we always see as a big positive.

The team are trying to up their quality and are increasingly being supported by the ownership team behind Pride of America, who are aiming to have x20 horses in the yard, and the US operation Eclipse Thoroughbred's (Manhattan Jungle, Geologist) are giving them more orders also. All flat yard's need owners with some firepower of course, and it's great to see the team being supported, and rightly so given what they've achieved for those owners.

Mark Prescott's old boss always used to say the sign of a good trainer is what they can do with a good horse - as plenty of good horses are ruined by mediocre handling. I think it's fair to say that when Amy and the team get the ammunition, they get the job done. Kalashnikov would be the first example of course, not many trainers win a Betfair Hurdle, 2nd in a Supreme and a G1 chase within the first 4 years of having a licence, Pride of America has been great for them on the Flat of course, winning The John Smith's Cup this season, one of the biggest/ richest handicaps of the summer. That horse had a lot of leg problems when younger and they've done some job with him, now having won £206k. Mercian Prince is still winning chases aged 12, and the team can keep them sweet, if the horse has the constitution to do so.

It is arguably abroad where the team have really shown what they can do, especially with 2YOs. Given the costs involved, they're much more selective when sending horses over there.

Their stats in France and Germany (1/2) are very good... In 2023: 9/38, 14p and £230k in prize money. In total, their European runners: 98 runners / 19 winners / 44 places (inc wins) / £521 000 prize money

The yard just needs a barn full of the horses good enough to run abroad, a few more Pride of America's, Geologists, Manhattan Jungles and so on! They'll get there in time, 2023 only Amy's 7th full year with a licence. Not bad :) It's a team where we feel very much at home, respected and wanted in the yard, and a team we will support. While in time we'll expand the flat trainer roster of course we're super excited to see what Amy does with our new yearling

The Plan...

This will be an initial 2 Year Agreement (through to end October 2025), taking us through to the end of her 3YO season. Everything about her breeding and relations, on the sire and dam side, suggests she should keep progressing, will be tough, sound, durable, and keep winning into her 3YO career and beyond. We could have a load of fun with her, from 5/6f-1m in time.

There will of course be the odd caveat. If she performs well early as a 2YO, it's our duty to inform you of any silly private offers made, but she'd only be sold if at least 75% of owners agreed to do so, for all we'd share our view. We'd have the option to buy Amy out of course, and that would be the case throughout her career. But selling her would be on our say so, and yours.

At the end of her 2YO year we will discuss options, with the assumption at this stage being that we'd carry on into her 3YO career. However, if she's underperformed or not showed as much promise as expected, she could be sent to the sales. Again, the same discussion would be had at the end of her 3YO career, and you'd have first refusal on continuing into the next season.

As a filly, and one with her page, were she to win and be useful, she could hold residual value as a broodmare, possibly lighting up American eyes, given her Sire's US form.

Expectations...

Now, we do require some realism of course! I'm not going to sit here and say we're going to have a listed winner on our hands, or even a listed placed horse, that may be fanciful (although given her half-siblings, not beyond impossible).

However - what has drawn us in, at what we deem a value price (and remember Amy was willing to go to £40k), is her potential, based on her breeding, to be a winner, and a multiple winner at that , who is tough, sound and durable. (at what level, we will find out!).

We can't ask for more than that, you never can initially, not for this sort of money. There are plenty of £1 million+ horses that end up running around Wolverhampton chasing £2k to the winner. We can dream of glory of course, but if she became a tough, winning C3-4 handicapper, over 6f-1m, who could race plenty, then we couldn't ask for much more.

We will dream of more of course, that's the nature of the beast. From Royal Ascot to Chelmsford! You can look at her breeding and make your own assessment of course. Then there's her physical - she looks power packed at this stage and should be ready early, but all the evidence suggests, due to her breeding and her size, that there will be longevity, over which distance, we will find out. And there's versatility on both sides of her page, flat turf (firm>soft), dirt, AW.

She does 'look' like a sprinter at this stage. We're very excited. As I've said, Amy will be keeping 25%. Jay and I will look to keep at least 5%, leaving just 65-70% remaining. There's just 25% now left

DO GET IN TOUCH IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED!

Contact: You can use the 'register interest form' below, or can email us at: rtpsyndicate@gmail.com or text/call us: Josh (07756545987) or Jay. (07827413570)

Blazing Soldier

5YO Chestnut Gelding, Soldier of Fortune x Blazing Belle (Presenting)

With any luck another value purchase from my bloodstock friend who sources jumps horses for us, Foxtrot Racing, and others. Finding value in this game is difficult, but with prices at the public sales increasingly high, and often beyond our budgets, you have to think outside the box.

This lad's Irish point to point trainer didn't have a great time of it last season - their MO is to develop young jumpers, get them competitive in Points aged 4 and then sell them on at the sales. Blazing Soldier's trainer had to move his whole operation due to a local farmer planting Oil Seed Rape, which badly affects horses respiratory system. He had to train them from a field for a time, most of his were rushed for sales season, and consequently not many ran their races.

Blazing Soldier was one such horse, a bit leggy, light and with a frame to grow into, he was asked to do too much too soon, and with a far from ideal preparation. However, he showed promise in each start, especially his jumping - as you can see from the photos above. On his second ever start he finished 3rd, the winner there selling for £115k to Ruth Jefferson. We don't have those budgets as yet! And would we want to spend that much? The horse who chased him home, then won a point before winning a national hunt flat race at Perth - so some substance there.

His breeding - Soldier of Fortune (by Galileo) is a decent jumps sire, with 33% winners to runners ratio to date. The dam Blazing Belle, was un-raced but her dam had won a NHF race and over hurdles. Presenting has a fine record as a sire (Denman his best jumper) and as a dam-sire of jumpers (Paisley Park et al), but arguably as importantly...

Blazing Soldier's dam, Blazing Belle, has already produced a multiple jumps winner in Evander... who won a PtP, two hurdles and two chases, the last of which from a mark of 132 (highest RPR 143). If our lad can emulate his half-brother, we'll all be rather happy. Hopefully he could be even better. His breeding suggests 2m4f could be optimum but as he develops he could become a 3 miler. It depends which traits of his breeding he picks up and you only really find out when you start running them! He looks to have a good attitude which is all important.

Blazing Soldier had a couple of months off after his last point run and after my contact purchased him. He's strengthened up for that time off, as you can see in the image below, but should keep doing so in the next few months and coming seasons.

The plan >>>

The plan...

The horse is in training with Justin Landy (36% win sr in Points) who my bloodstock friend uses to train his pointers , before hopefully running well and selling on for a profit, which he's done multiple times.

He's very good at that but thanks to our connection, on this occasion he's allowing us to jump in now - before he runs in a point. As such we're securing the best price, as if he wins his Point he'd probably be worth double. Thankfully we get on well and he likes our plan to run up north, and to send him to Mark Walford.

The immediate plan is to win a UK point to point with him in November, before we then move him to Mark Walford's. Now is the time to jump in as he's expected to go very well in his Point, and if he does win, shares will be snapped up. It's not impossible his capital cost will rise after his point run, but not for those already committed.

Once moved to Mark Walford's, he should be ready to go novice hurdling straight away. Soft ground should be ideal. The horse will predominantly race on the northern circuit but will no doubt have the odd run in the midlands, and possible further south. But the plan is very much to attack the northern racecourses and to have a yard and horse more accessible to those based in the north and Scotland.

All being well the horse would progress through the ranks, hurdling then chasing, strengthening up in the next two seasons. It's expected he'll make a decent chaser, even more so if anything like his half brother, but you can see his appetite for the game above.

Why Mark Walford?

Mark has a near enough 14% win strike rate with all his runners under National Hunt rules. While dual purpose, he does do best with his jumpers, and being an ex amateur point to point rider, who's still involved at the grass roots, maybe it's no surprise.

He does best with chasers, with a near enough 17% SR all runners, which is the best of those based in Yorkshire, North East and North West. (with more than 300 runners)

It's a very professional set up who welcome syndicates with open arms and from what I understand, are very good at communication, which is important. We've talked with him on the phone and he was excited about the opportunity and liked the horse from what he'd seen.

Apparently stable visits followed by trips to York Races are very popular, and i'm sure we can organise one of those asap.

We're excited about this new adventure and can't wait for you to join us.

DO GET IN TOUCH IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED!

Contact: You can use the 'register interest form' below, or can email us at: rtpsyndicate@gmail.com or text/call us: Josh (07756545987) or Jay. (07827413570)

Shandancer

6YO Bay Gelding, Morpheus x Mrs Popple

Our Shan has become a firm favourite, and they'll be plenty of tears and bubbles when he does get his head in front. On the face of it you may see '189 race maiden' and immediately switch off - don't :) . x9 of those were in Ireland and in NHF races, where he often lacked the pace up against superior horses and ran in plenty of races dominated by Mullins and Elliott. Amy has worked wonders with him over here, transforming his physical condition and doing plenty of work with his jumping.

He's 0/11 for us over hurdles, but x5 of those in the top 3, including some agonising defeats. He's only been out the top 5 once and a wind op has really helped him, going very close on three of his four runs since. In x5 of those runs he's hit an RPR of over 100, matching his career best of 105 on his last start, when not beaten far, giving 17lb to the winner.

He's had just one handicap hurdle start since his wind-op, a close third, so we're hopeful there's more to come, especially as he's untried over 3m also...

He has his level, the problem is he doesn't have much in hand from his current mark, the handicapper having been anything but lenient after his maiden hurdle efforts. He's had us on the edge of our seats plenty...

So, what we are doing about it? >>>

The plan...

We've now moved him to Dr Richard Newland's, where we have one horse already. We think a change of scenery may help him, as will a short holiday...and it's a fair bit cheaper than Newmarket.

The poor lad hasn't had a proper holiday in his racing life and as you read this, he's out in a field having the time of his life. This break could have a transformative effect on him. As could Dr Newland's approach to training and turn-out. >>>

We may need to get his handicap mark down to the mid to low 90s, at which point he could then win two or three on the bounce, as we know he's a 105 horse on what he's shown (however, Dr Newland may improve him) - the problem is he doesn't have much in hand of his mark and has been carrying big weights. He may well improve for 3m and a holiday - Dr Newland could well unlock more also.

Next year will be exciting - Shan is the hardiest horse we have, he would run through a brick wall for you, and we will get him winning. If you like your summer jumping and wish to go racing plenty in the sunshine- at the likes of Worcester, Stratford, Uttoxeter, Southwell, Plumpton and Fontwell etc, he's the horse for you. We will venture further north for the odd run also, maybe a trip to Cartmel for example. He will win a hurdle or two next summer.

We will also try him on the All-Weather, as there could be a 2m handicapper lurking in there. There's much to look forward to. He's the perfect syndicate horse, who will race plenty, in two different codes, and give us lots to get excited about. He's also the perfect 'starter horse', if you've never been in a syndicate previously.

You'll meet some great people along the way and Shan will soon become your firm favourite also...

Don't forget, you can get involved for as little as £29.99 per month.

DO GET IN TOUCH IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED!

Contact: You can use the 'register interest form' below, or can email us at: rtpsyndicate@gmail.com or text/call us: Josh (07756545987) or Jay. (07827413570)