Coakley News

• Chris van Hoorn spoiling star filly Nell Quickly

  

  21 January 2022

  The stable has been very busy through the mixed weather of the year so far, buoyed by a winner already, and some of the horses have now started cantering and embarking on their training plans for the upcoming season. A welcome visit from owners coincided with some beautiful sunny days, and pictured here is Chris van Hoorn rightly making a fuss of his filly Nell Quickly, who emerged as the real stable star last season. 

• WINNER AT LINGFIELD - Wonder Starelzaam gets 2022 season off to a flyer

  16 January 2022

  Just over two weeks into the new year and Keeper's Stables are already back in the winning habit, Denis expressing delight in seeing Wonder Starelzaam win again for loyal owner and friend James Kerr, this time over a mile at the Surrey track. Since acquiring the gelding he has shown massive improvement to go 121 in his first three outings for the new stable. George Bass gave a lovely and confident ride, although the race unfolded to leave Wonder Starelzaam having to take a circuitous route five wide around the final bend. He closed and edged left before being sent home and extending away to win by a comfortable length and a half, proving plenty good enough to justify favouritism and win despite covering extra distance. As expected he got the mile trip very well, and he will probably seek another mile race next month before perhaps exploring other options which are set to open up for him over ten furlongs.

• My Ambition suffers from further traffic troubles

  07 January 2022

  Having not enjoyed a clear passage in his recent races, hopes were high for My Ambition from a nice draw at Kempton - a track which has also seemed to suit him better than the tightness of Lingfield last time. Leaving the stalls, however, he was properly broadsided and forced to his right so that Harry Burns was for a while concerned the gelding might have stumbled. This put him right at the back of the field behind a lot of congestion along the running rail. From this point he was really left with little chance in the 7f race, and Harry had to bring My Ambition to his left up the straight and progressively wider to get any kind of run to home. By the line he was still six lengths back in seventh place and he will be deserving of a break following a string of disappointments in quick succession. He will return to action in late spring and back on the turf, hoping for a clear run to show his true ability on track.

• Supersonique misses the frame at Lingfield Park

  19 December 2021

  Having missed the cut off for a Kempton race the Poachers Dozen were obliged to wait for an opportunity for their filly Supersonique to return to track action, stepping up to a mile and a half contest yesterday at Lingfield. Jockey Laura Pearson felt that the way the race developed did not suit her at all, with the first six furlongs taken at a very slow pace and then a winding up of the tempo for a sprint down the hill and up the straight in the last half mile. She had moved Supersonique from third to second place before turning in, but she then lost momentum as the favourite and leader came to the right away from the rail, and this meant she was outpaced and also lost third place before the finish line. With a stronger gallop next time she will be better suited at this extended trip.

• Party Island pleases on his hurdling bow

  03 December 2021

  Denis was very pleased indeed with the way that Party Island made a start to his hurdling career under Sean Bowen at Leicester. Tony Killoran's gelding would have preferred ground that was not quite so soft and also a race run at a slightly truer gallop, but he arrived strongly in the last two furlongs to finish a close up third behind the two market principals. It would appear that the front two are well regarded hurdling debut winners from the in-form Dan Skelton and Jonjo O'Neill yards, so it should not be too long before Party Island is able to add a hurdling win himself to his five race successes on the flat.

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