You and I Race Reports 2009~2010

17th March 2010, Bob Brown Memorial Novices’ Chase (Class 4), Huntingdon. Like most of you, I was unable to make it to watch You and I, however I really did think that we stood a good  chance of winning; with a microscopic field of three, the ground drying up and Yogi on flying form at home, I thought it would be a near enough walk-over. The original plan was to run Yogi in blinkers but then NJH had a change of heart last minute, deciding that with the ground and race cutting up in our favour that we would give Yogi the benefit of the doubt and leave them off. Andrew Tinkler’s instructions were to jump off first and try to lead the whole way round, which he did do until the 5th fence, where after he remained handy. To Yogi’s credit he jumped like a pro, putting in some awesome leaps, whilst cleverly getting himself out of trouble at a couple of others but this was not  enough to secure a win and in the end he was beaten by the least fancied, Viable, by 9 lengths.

I have since spoken to Andrew about the race and he was very lucid. Firstly he said that the ground was the fastest jumping ground he has ever ridden on and whilst the official Going was Good, Good To Firm in Places he said it was actually riding Good To Firm, Firm in Places. So much so that he called NJH  when he arrived at Huntingdon to double check that Nicky was still happy to  run Yogi. We know that Yogi likes quick ground but the ground was lightening quick and the shorter than preferred trip coupled with this, did not help our cause one bit. Andrew couldn’t have praised Yogi more for his jumping and said that he out jumped the other two runners without a doubt but he hung a little to the left and in the end there was no chance that we could have caught the eventual winner.

Post Race Update: You and I has come out of the race fit and well. After the furore of the Festival, I have finally had the chance to speak to the 2010 Champion Festival Trainer. Nicky wasn't disappointed with Yogi's performance based on the shorter than preferred distance and the fact the ground was like the road. He also said that based on the winner's hurdle rating compared to Yogi's, it was no surprise that he beat us. NJH was very happy with the way that Yogi jumped and said that we need to step him up to 3 miles. Nicky is therefore going to keep Yogi on the boil and look for a 3 mile chase for him over the next couple of weeks.

29th November 2009, Robin & Day Peaugot 3008 Handicap Chase (Class 3), Leicester. Leicester is a right handed, galloping and testing track with some trappy downhill fences, that require a fair degree of jumping. Despite it being a Sunday and Leicester Racecourse, today’s race cut up into a fairly competitive affair, with some decent competition coming in the form of the quirky top weight, Free World (Rated 115), who came 3rd behind Yogi’s stablemate, French Opera at Ascot at the end of October.  Boomerang and Dune Raider attracted support going off as joint favourites, with You and I third in the betting market. With the ground in our favour (although rain changed the going from Good-To-Firm, Firm in Places, to just Good To Firm) and Yogi coming on from his Ludlow race it was hoped that You and I would put in a big run.
 
After a false start, the field of 9 set off at a decent enough pace (as you can tell by the final time of the race), with Dune Raider taking the lead from You and I who took a keen enough hold with Felix.  Yogi jumped the first 2 fences well enough, alongside Dune Raider and Irish Guard but he made a mistake at the 3rd, which saw Yogi slip into 3rd. At the 5th the downhill gradient meant Yogi was not fluent, losing him more ground but thankfully more consistent jumping saw Yogi move back into 2nd place at the 9th. With a circuit to go, You and I was seemingly travelling well in 2nd place, which is where he stayed until they turned into the home straight. At the final ditch (16th fence) Yogi put in a cracking leap propelling him into the lead; however the pack was close behind him and as the pace quickened, Yogi was unable to keep with them and soon weakened, leaving him tailed off as he crossed the line.
 
I spoke to Felix on his way home and was very honest about Yogi’s performance, saying that at the Off Yogi took a while to settle and get into a good jumping rhythm. Leicester is notorious for its tricky downhill fences and Yogi did make a couple of novicey mistakes, finding it difficult to see a stride at some of the fences. Although Yogi was travelling well, Felix could sense that it was not that easy for him and as soon as the pace quickened, it was game over for Yogi. Despite the Official Going, there was more of a cut in the ground than it indicated (those watching on TV could quite clearly see the ground cutting up), which made the job a lot harder for Yogi than anticipated and not as ideal as we had initially hoped. Felix said that You and I was very one paced today and the question of trip is something that he will speak to Nicky about, as he is not 100% confident as to what trip is the most ideal for You and I.
 
Post Race Update: Good news, Yogi is well and sound after his race yesterday. Tom Symonds, Nicky's assistant, told that the ground at Leicester was nothing like Good To Firm and more like Good To Soft / Soft In Places, and this did us no favours at all. In terms of trip, they think that Yogi can get 3 miles but only on Good ground and so for his next run if we are unable to get the ground we really want then he may well be dropped back in trip. Both Nicky and Tom, have no doubts that Yogi has bags of ability, it's just that he does need the ground 100% in his favour to get the best out of him.

November 2009, Weatherby 2010 Point-To-Point Annual Handicap Chase (Class 3), Ludlow. We prayed for rain at the end of October so that we could get decent enough ground to school and work Yogi at home on the grass, to get him up to race fitness but since then the rain hasn’t stopped! We have known since his first at Stratford last season that Yogi doesn’t act well on soft ground (this is quite typical of Anshan progeny) and the overnight rain did no favours for us at all. Despite the heavy rainfall Ludlow still insisted on calling the official Going Good, although all the jockeys coming back from the first race on the card were clearly covered in mud and saying that it was most certainly riding Good to Soft, Soft in Places. As soon as I heard this I knew that Yogi would be up against it and over a trip of 3miles would find the race very tough. Punters picked up on this quickly enough too and You and I soon drifted in the market out to 11-2, with Milton Des Bieffes and the AP ridden, Jonjo trained, Foxesbow vying for joint favouritism at the Off.
 
Yogi looked a picture in the pre-parade ring, and anyone who hadn’t seen him in a while could quite clearly see how much he has filled out, grown and matured into a ‘proper’ looking chasing type. After watching Tom saddle Yogi Up we moved to the quirky Paddock (it’s in the middle of the track) where Barry met us. Having established in the Weighing Room with the other jockeys beforehand that Paddy Brennan aboard the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained, Night Safe, wanted to jump off in front, Barry informed us that he would keep Yogi very handy and up with the leaders once the tape had come up. True to plan Night Safe and Milton Des Bieffes jumped off first with Barry positioning Yogi in 3rd place, on the outside so to give him as much daylight as possible. At Ludlow the first two fences come up very quickly, but Yogi took them in his stride and it was immediately apparent quite how efficient and effective his fence jumping is. For the first circuit Barry tracked the leaders like a hawk, out jumping every other runner in the field by a country mile; in fact down the back straight Yogi’s jumping was text book stuff. On the bend after the 5th fence, before turning into the home straight for the first time Yogi eased into first place where he remained for the next five fences before Night Safe regained his lead after the 10th. Whilst Yogi’s jumping did not falter in any way and he remained foot perfect from fence to fence, it was apparent that he was tiring rapidly; by the 15th fence and with four to go, Yogi weakened rapidly. With Night Safe, Milton Des Bieffes and Foxesbow upping a gear and pulling away from us, Barry quickly assessed that we had no chance of catching them, so having a good look behind him to make sure that we would not need to fight for 4th place he eased up on Yogi, making the sensible decision that it would be pointless to give Yogi a hard race when we would finish 4th no matter what. In the end the first three were strung out like Monday morning washing, giving a good indication that the ground was a lot slower than the official Going might correctly indicate. Milton Des Bieffes beat Night Safe into second place by 7 lengths and a further 15 lengths to Foxesbow, and then 18 more lengths before Barry eased Yogi home (5th place was 65 lengths further behind; with 2 pulled up).
 
Barry dismounted and immediately reported that quite simply it was the ground that beat us and nothing else. After a circuit it was apparent to Barry that Yogi was struggling on the ground but to the horse’s credit his jumping did not reflect this, not making a single mistake. Top jockey Barry was very complimentary and said that it was not a disappointing debut over fences and in fact it should be viewed as the opposite based on Yogi’s jumping performance. As well as this Yogi will come on a lot from the race in terms of race fitness. Whilst our future plans will be heavily dictated by the weather, this does not mean that Yogi does not have ability – ground may be a hindrance but at least we know he can jump like a stag, quickly and efficiently, and that’s what really counts when it comes to chasing.

Post Race Update:  I am pleased to say that Yogi has come out of the race fit, sound and well. Prize Money - 4th place earned us just over £300, which is better than a poke in the eye! Rating Update – down from 109 to 107.