Ben Haslam Racing Update.

Things have started getting a bit busier again here at Castle Hill Stables, though we have had the normal frustrations of horses running well, but not quite hitting the top spot. Moon Over Rio (left) probably produced the best performance of the last couple of weeks, when finishing a good 3^rd in a competitive race at Thirsk over 1 mile 4 furlongs, despite being drawn on the wide outside and the ground being firmer than ideal for her. She will hopefully head to Carlisle next week, where with any luck her good form will continue! We have a few 2 year olds out and about at the end of this week, including Bourbonisto at Hamilton, who is looking very well at home, and Skellig Micheal and Prancing Oscar (right) at Redcar, who will both be making their racecourse debuts. This is always a nerve wracking time for all involved, as one is never quite sure how they are going to behave: luckily, they often surprise us and rise to the occasion well. Fingers crossed these two will make a good first impression on the racing public! Unbelievably, we seem to have somehow got back to the time of year when we are frantically running around the yearling sales, looking for next year’s stars (we hope!) Sales season kicked off for us yesterday at Doncaster, where Goffs put on a heavenly display of horses, and one feels a bit like a kid in a candy shop: sadly, they cost a little more than your average sweet! We were delighted to come back with two good looking colts, striking early on by buying Lot 4, a lovely looking son of Camacho (left). A half -brother to a Group 1 winner, he looks a good buy and looks sure to grow plenty  over the next couple of months. We had to wait until Lot 92 for the next one to catch our eye, and we were very pleased to secure an extremely strong, good looking son of Dandy Man (below, right). He looks ready to rock and roll now! It is always nice to be able to get a couple of the young ones in early, as it means we can start them off whilst the weather is nice and warm, rather than in gale force winds and snow! We spend a couple of months lunging and long reining them, and introducing them to a rider, before they have a little break to consolidate what they have learned and allow them to grow further. It is quite extraordinary to stand a racehorse yearling next to another breed of the same age and see how much physically stronger they are! Anyway, the riders will start taking there brave pills now, as breaking season always has its fair share of entertainment watching the babies bunny hopping their way around the gallops!