End of year musings

28th December, and time for a look back in .... what? Certainly not anger. Triumph - not that either, I'm afraid. Satisfaction? Not really. Weariness, perhaps. It's been a long year, with its high points and its low points, just like every year. What it's been without, unfortunately, have been a few days when I haven't been thinking, "God, I've got to get this done". (Which reminds me, I've got to get my VAT return in the post in the next three days, which basically means today, except that there's no point in my writing out a cheque for however many thousands it is today (don't know exactly how many thousands as I haven't done the calculations yet) because there wouldn't be that many in the account, so I'll have to work that one out pretty smartish - see what I mean about there always being something rather pressing to do?).

So what have we got to show for the year? Four wins is the most obvious answer. Every win is very, very special, but most special had to be Jill Dawson's first-up win at Warwick, the first time one of Joe's string had run since his death. That was a very special occasion. It was just a pity that it proved to be the only win of Jill's year, because I thought she'd do better - but we had to endure a frustrating time with her. For one reason and another, she didn't run very often and, although she ran well every time, that was her only success. Let's hope things go more right in 2008, and ditto with Brief, who ran some creditable races but who was winless for the first time for five years.

It was great to have our first juvenile winner since 1996, and I genuinely believe that Imperial Decree can build on that in the remainder of her career, so that was very encourageing. Anis Etoile, the other yearling I'd bought in 2006, didn't run, but she's done nothing to dent my confidence that she has the makings of a nice horse too. Lady Suffragette proved an honest campaigner and won a race, which was nice, and she remains on the team. The fourth win of the year was something of a bonus, Take Me There having joined us in the summer and spent a few months here prior to being signed up by the Paul Nicholls academy after proving his value by winning on his debut at Fakenham. Still, he gave us one more win than if he had never been here, so we have very fond memories of him.

You'd have to say that four wins isn't a good total, so why wasn't it higher? Well, Jill and Brief winning one race between them was slightly disappointing, but that's the way things go with horses. In Brief's case particularly we can't complain: how many horses win for five consecutive years? And Jill's record is solid enough too, even though I think it doesn't yet quite reflect her potential. It was a shame that Jack couldn't bow out with a final victory fresh on his record, but he nearly managed win number twelve when touched off at Folkestone, and the way he ran and jumped on his swansong showed that he could have won a steeplechase eventually, assuming nothing went wrong, if we'd wanted to persevere just to prove the point, which we didn't. It was disappointing that Belle Annie's career so far has been one step backward for each one forward, but all is not lost there yet, so if and when she finally makes her debut we might yet be able to find that we have a nice horse on our hands. Ditto with Ben Bhraggie, another unraced three-year-old. And of course Ex Con joined us five months ago and still isn't within sight of running: one just has to remember that three-year-olds are still very young in the great scheme of things so although that makes three nice three-year-olds in the stable who managed zero starts between them, all three can provide reasons to be cheerful (and patient!). I'd say that the major disappointments of the year were Milton and Marvin: if things had gone right, these two horses might have won several races between them, but as it was we only had two runs from each - yielding an unlucky second for Milton, which was really frustrating, and a good third in a big field on Marvin's resumption - before they both moved on, thus removing all chance of the anticipated successes actually coming to pass. So yes, it has been a year of under-performance for the stable, but we can only look forward. Most of the horses who were here during the latter half of this year will be here next year, when the stable will have been bolstered by the addition of four two-year-olds, plus dear little Run For Nun who arrived after the December Sale and gives me the impression that she should be able to win a race. So we'll just have to keep concentrating on getting the best out of what we have, and hoping for the best.

Looking outside our own little corner of the world, whom and what should we mention in the annual review? I haven't really fallen for any particular horse over the past twleve months the way I did in recent years with Alamshar, Horatio Nelson and Pride, but I was very pleased to see Dylan Thomas, a horse I have long admired, end up having compiled a terrific record. And Natagora has become a horse for whom I'll be barracking keenly - as I did when she won the Cheveley Park - because of the pleasure I had while accompanying her on her Rowley Mile recce on the morning of that race. The visiting Aussies again added a lot to the summer, even if in retrospect it has become clear that Miss Andretti's connections aren't the sort of people one wants to pat on the back - but we didn't know that at the time. Bentley Biscuit was the visitor I saw most of, so it was a pity - but possibly not surprising - that his campaign proved fruitless, as he had the misfortune in the wettest, most miserable summer imaginable only to run on fast ground. But as regards sprints, I was delighted to see Steve Drowne ride the July Cup winner and to see Jimmy Quinn land his well-deserved first Group One success in the Nunthorpe. Another jockey who deserves recognition is Tom McLaughlin: I was delighted to see him return to the saddle with his weight under control again, and to do so so successfully. On which subject, I'm pleased to see that former Brian Meehan apprentice Gabriel Hannon has renewed his license, and has been rewarded with two wins in two days almost straightaway. But of jockeys' careers flourishing, top of the list has to be our own dear Squeaker - D. Williamson (7) - who finally gained that long-awaited first winner at the age of 28, and who ends the year with statistics (in Sweden) of 7 wins from 60 rides.

As always, too many horses have died. George Washington is the most obvious, but so many others deserve an obituary that I won't even attempt to list them all. Of humans, Newmarket lost two of its finest, Leslie Harrison and Tom Jones. The former I knew well and the latter I knew only slightly, but I respected both enormously. The former was a particular loss as he died both suddenly and prematurely, but both were very fine men and just the sort who aren't found too often nowadays. More recently, we have said 'Farewell' to our friend Bill Anderson, and no review of the year would be complete without mentioning the best dog I'll ever own, Alice.

I think that's enough for one session, because I have a few calls to make, the VAT return to address, an hour or so's work to do outdoors ... And this is (supposed to be) a quiet week!