On that note, my New Year's resolution is to keep this blog going for 2019. I can't promise weekly updates, but I can promise that I won't go AWOL half way through the season!!
Now to look back at 2018. I figured the easiest and best way to do that would be to break the year down into the 12 months, before announcing my annual 'alternative' award winners (note: as with previous years, there are no prizes, monetary or otherwise, and don't be expecting a trophy. Just know that to have one of my awards bestowed upon you is enough).
Here goes...
January
Taking into consideration that the harness racing season only stretches from May to October, there isn't much happening during these 'off-season' months. However, in January 2018 the Scottish Harness Racing Club staged its annual awards event at the Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling. This was the first year that I was able to attend since moving to Scotland in 2014, and Smarty and I were keen to do so as our good friend George Carson was to receive the 'Horse of the Month - July' award for his successes with Valentine Camden (owned by George's father, Gilmour, and trained by George himself). The highlight of Val's July [2017] campaign had been his heat win in the Hurricane Pace at Musselburgh followed up with a second placed finish in the final behind BHRC Mare of the Year Rhyds Passion. Along with the O'Neil family, we wanted to support George on the night, and in addition to this I had also convinced the committee to allow me to compile and show presentation videos for each of the winners (which was a great success, in my opinion at least).
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| Trainer George Carson, currently at Pompano Park in Florida |
February
The awards season rolled on and before I knew it the BHRC & STAGBI awards evening was upon us. For the first time Trot Britain joined in with the celebrations and added their awards to proceedings. Another first was host Darren Owen sharing the stage for the evening...with yours truly. This was my first 'gig' on stage, and I was terrified. It didn't help that we had major technical issues regarding the audio for the videos that I had spent weeks preparing and I was running around like a headless chicken trying to fix things whilst also introducing the awards I was responsible for. I made a few errors, I fluffed my lines a couple of times and I definitely announced the coveted 'Horse of the Year' winner before the official envelope was opened (I had to know in advance for the purposes of preparing the video, and I think in my desperation for the whole experience of being on stage to be over I rushed it...FAIL). BUT, everyone enjoyed themselves, the videos were posted online after the event for people to enjoy fully and in their own time and a few people tried to rebuild my dented confidence by reassuring me that I wasn't the total disaster that I had convinced myself I was. At the end of the day, we celebrated and we had fun. That's a win in my eyes.
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| Making my hosting debut at the BHRC & STAGBI awards in Haydock |
March
Upon consultation with Smarty, we have decided nothing happened in March. Well, except it snowed, really, really bad. That caused a lot of interruption to many people's training regime as a large number of horses were already back in training for the 2018 season (our horses included) so for a week to 10 days a lot of horses were kept off their work due to weather conditions. Not the champion stable though; the Laidlers cleared their track and kept on trucking through it from their base in County Durham, and this dedication at the roughest point of the year weatherwise really paid dividends once the season was finally upon us.
April
Qualifiers and workout days started up at Tir Prince. I didn't go to any as they were mid-week events but Smarty disappeared down south a couple of times (much to other people's bewilderment when they saw him). Nothing else to report!
May
FINALLY the harness racing season was upon us, with proceedings kicking off at Tir Prince for their only fixture of the season where handicap races were the feature. Commentator Darren Owen suggested we give a Facebook Live preview and post-racing review for the first time, and this spawned the beginning of many similar videos throughout the season both together as a double act, and separately when we were at opposite ends of the country. We managed to get a wide variety of different people involved in these videos as the season marched on, and I've received a huge amount of positive feedback about them so expect more in 2019!
Team Haythornthwaite took out the first handicap final of the year (Anto Russell Memorial Final @ Tir Prince) with Plan B; the three-year-old Merrington Movinup landed the Camden Stud Spring Final @ Tregaron quite effortlessly for the Laidlers; Live In Star recorded his second final win in pitch darkness at Corbiewood for the Cullen stable; Team Laidler took home their second handicap final win with Easy Company at Presteigne; and not to be outdone the Haythornthwaites took their second final with Oaks Telstar at Corbiewood. The first of the four 'crown jewel' events at Appleby saw the Laidlers dominate, with Springhill Ruby landing the Group 2 Sunday final and Jack Swagger (driven by 'Super Sub' William Greenhorn, co-owner of the horse and husband of the breeder, Joyce) taking out the Group 1 Monday final. From a Scottish perspective, brothers Keir and Grant Cullen had to be commended for their training and driving performances respectively, finishing second in both finals (Springhill Catch - Sunday; Live In Star - Monday).
The two day meeting was also the platform upon which I launched my post-race interviewing 'career'. The usual host was unavailable so Darren [Owen] asked if I would step into the breach. Not one to say no to anything I duly obliged. Terrified and completely clueless, but aided by copious amounts of fruit cider and gin & tonic (thanks to my BFF and my mother) it all went rather well. Well, until I asked the crowd to ' please give a massive round of applause for the Appleby Monday Final winner JACK SWAGGER, and your winning driver ROCKER LAIDLER...'*turns mic off*...*looks over at William Greenhorn walking back to the paddock*...*realises he was the winning driver*...*turns mic back on* '...your winning driver WILLIAM GREENHORN!'. People knew what I meant.
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| William Greenhorn & Jack Swagger (Sarah Thomas photo) |
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| Breeder Joyce Greenhorn with Jack Swagger (Sarah Thomas photo) |
On a personal level we welcomed a Hasty Hall colt into the world (Crosshill Diablo, aka Denver); re-qualified Young Stephen (aka Stevie) and raced him for the first time in 2 years; and won a qualifying leg of the inaugural Star Makers Series with David Lowther's Al Jolson (who taught me very quickly the pitfalls of training a grey horse - borderline impossible to keep clean!). Sadly we also had to say goodbye to a very good friend of ours, Gilmour Carson, after a lengthy battle with cancer, and this hit all of us in our group hard. Gilmour would do anything for anyone and in the short time that I knew him he came to my rescue on more than one occasion. Racing hasn't been the same without him as part of the crew, but we have all ralled around his son, George, to make sure that he's never stuck. Much like his father, George has come to my rescue a few times since then as well so I'm not really sure anymore who's helping who.
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| Probably spotted a speck of dirt on Al's face... |
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| Crosshill Diablo (c, Hasty Hall-Vain In Spain-Artsplace) |
Only a week after the Laidler domination at the Appleby two day festival racegoers in the northern half of the country returned to the track for the New Fair meeting. Clearly on a roll, the champion trainer made it 3 finals from 3 when Blackwell Tiana, owned by Wilf Burton & Jonjo McMeekin, narrowly defeated our very own Young Stephen in a nail biting final. Although disappointed that Stevie was once again denied his day in the sun, and this time by the narrowest of margins, I was delighted for connections of the winner. We had after all won our heat with Hugh Menzies driving Stevie for the first time, so I knew there was life in the old dog yet (Stevie, not Hugh...). Social media erupted later on that day with claims that the sport was being unfairly dominated by the Laidler camp, but to keep this short I shall simply refer you back to 'March'. I had even stated in the preview with Darren on FB Live that whilst I had big hopes for Stevie in his heat, he was short of a workout (the snow had delayed us somewhat earlier in the spring).
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| Young Stephen & Hugh Menzies head to victory at the New Fair meeting (Bill Cardno photo) |
The Fletcher and Haythornthwaite combo dominated the SHRC 3YOs at Corbiewood when Casimir Royal Flush and Crack A Smile took out the fillies and colts/geldings divisions respectively. James [Haythornthwaite] was on somewhat of a roll himself, landing the £5000 Cumberland Show Final with a catch drive onboard Jimmy Winter's Midnight Diamond. Unfortunately the meeting was marred by multiple incidents on, off and inside the track and such was the threat to the reputation of the sport at the venue and the total lack of impartiality from officials present that I was compelled to submit an independent report of events to the governing body. To date not all parties have been formally dealt with, which is disappointing, but not entirely surprising. I hope never to find myself in a position where I am apologising on behalf of my fellow horsemen for their conduct again.
The fortunes of the 'smaller' stables continued following Winter's success at Carlisle, with all 7 races at Hellifield won by stables outwith the typical 'professional' stables. Team Foody landed heat and final with All Good Hanover, as well as a maiden with Rodney Camden, and were denied a fourth victory following a stewards enquiry involving Jack Sparrow (first past the post, but placings altered due to interference with the eventual winner, GDs Hurricane).
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| The field lines up at the picturesque Hellifield (Sarah Thomas photo) |
At home with the Smart squad, I decided to take Dark Velvet, dam of Young Stephen and Wild Bill Hickok, back to the stallion after having been in the wilderness since her last foal in 2011. I had purchased a service to first-season stallion Matador Hall as part of a fundraiser stallion auction and Smarty's late grandfather had once told me I could take a foal off the mare if I wanted to. So that's what I'm doing. We also bade farewell to big elephant features Cassius Clay as he was sold as part of a deal which saw (the famous on Facebook) Elmo Hanover join the ranks. Now you know we're just warming up...
Fear not dear readers, part 2 (and indeed, possibly parts 3 and 4) will be posted imminently. Let me just get myself another G & T....
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| Interviewing my driver at Appleby New Fair, after he won on my horse... |
Over and out,
#1 Scottish Groom
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