DIARY –
VISIT TO GRAEME MCPHERSON’S MARTIN’S HILL STABLES
TO SEE AMI DESBOIS, AND OTHER EPDS HORSES
SATURDAY 13 OCTOBER 2018
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Ami Desbois
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Useful Links: EPDS’ website: EPDS on twitter: https://twitter.com/EPDS_Racing EPDS on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPDSRacingSyndicate Graeme McPherson Racing: http://www.mcphersonracing.co.uk/ |
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This was my third
visit to Graeme McPherson’s yard. A
major perk of belonging to one of the EPDS syndicates is the fact that any member
of any of the syndicates can attend these visits; it doesn’t just apply to
the trainer of their specific horse or horses. Graeme’s yard is
situated near Stow-on-the-Wold, beside the road to Bledington. In fact it’s ‘Choc’ country, as Apple Tree Stud is situated nearby. The trainer
currently had five EPDS horses in his charge - Ami Desbois, Londonia, Stynes,
Leapt and Jessica Rabbit. A
disadvantage when visiting Martin’s Hill is the fact that attendees are asked
to report by 08:00, so that we can go to the gallops to see the horses. The time isn’t early, provided one doesn’t
live around 90 miles away in Hertfordshire which, at this time of the year,
means beginning the journey during the hours of darkness. Anyway, I set my
alarm for an early call (03:50 as it turned out!) on Saturday morning. I showered, washed and dried my hair,
applied minimal makeup – foundation, eyebrow pencil and mascara – ate a
breakfast of two slices of toast and marmalade and departed home at 05:50. My outfit consisted
of a dark-blue thermal T-shirt, grey/mauve check M & S sweatshirt (a
recent acquisition), silver-grey jeggings/jeans, lavender fleece, and maroon
scarf with a bird of prey print; also my purple butterfly-wing earrings. I took my Kipling graphic print Defea
handbag, and would ‘christen’ a
burgundy with white polkadots waterproof coat; I bought it at sale price,
from Cotton Traders, and it has a fleecy lining and also a fleece-lined
hood. I also took my brown
M & S footglove ankle boots as a standby but, in the event, wore my black
snow-boots; I wore my grey Hotter Aura shoes to drive in ... I love these and
have lived in them all summer. My outbound route
took me around the local ring-road and down to the London Colney roundabout;
only the main city access roads are now lit between midnight and daylight
hours, along with road junctions along said ring-road. There were no lights upon the London Colney
bypass, but there never have been. I
joined the M25 at junction 22; the motorway is lit, so there were no issues
during my journey to Junction 16, at which point I joined the westbound
carriageway of the M40. There is also
lighting along the M40, until the viaduct across the valley east of High
Wycombe. The lighting recommences
before Wycombe Central, junction 4 and continues to almost the beginning of
the escarpment; lighting is needed on this particular stretch as it’s often
affected by a low cloudbase during inclement weather. I left the motorway at junction 8, following
the A40 to reach the Headington roundabout and subsequently driving along the
the dual carriageway of the Oxford bypass.
Having reached the
Wolvercote roundabout, I then headed out across the Cotwolds on this very
familiar route. The weather wasn’t
brilliant, as it had begun to rain by the time I’d reached High Wycombe,
although it was 17 degrees despite being dark! I’d describe it as ‘light’ at the point I reached the Eynsham roundabout. It was also very breezy, as the country
suffered a battering from Storm Callum.
I subsequently
arrived at the beginning of the Witney bypass and sped along it ... until
caught by surprise due to a newly constructed roundabout! Having negotiated this incongruous
obstacle, I continued along the remainder of the bypass to reach the Minster
Lovell roundabout at the far end thereof.
The A40 then heads along the top of a ridge, before arrival at a
roundabout at the southern end of Burford.
I turned right here
and headed down the steep hill, this being the town’s high street, to reach a
single-track bridge over the River Windrush.
I had to wait at the traffic lights controlling the flow of traffic
over said bridge, before following a lorry over it; fortunately that vehicle
turned right to head in the direction of Chipping Norton, whereas I turned
left to continue my journey along the A424 to Stow-on-the-Wold. The road rises out
of the valley and obviously I wasn’t travelling fast enough for the locals,
as two cars overtook me en route. This
stretch of the road is quite bleak but, further along, the road rises through
wooded areas before falling once more.
I soon arrived at
the junction with the Cirencester road; the A429 Fosse Way. I turned right at the traffic lights
thereon, having waited a few moments for them to change, and drove up the
steep hill into Stow-on-the-Wold.
There is a staggered junction at the top of the town and I turned
right into Sheep Street, before heading down the hill at the designated
20mph, past The Bell, and out into open countryside once more. The B4450, Bledington Road, is situated to
the right; I took this turning. It is just a short
distance to Martin’s Hill; I glanced through the gateway on my left and
noticed the absence of vehicles within the visitors parking area ... it was
only 07:40, so I decided to continue in the direction of Bledington, doing a
‘time wasting’ circuit of the lanes
near Icomb, hoping to find fellow EPDS members when I returned to Martin’s
Hill; this little detour took me past the entrance to Apple Tree Stud ... I
just couldn’t help myself ... LOL!!! When I got back,
just a few minutes later, I discovered that two cars had now arrived so I
parked up on the grass alongside. Two
bales had been placed on the driveway, preventing visitors from continuing
directly to the parking area just beyond the stable area; I was pleased about
that, as I had always been reluctant to drive through the yard to park! I alighted, put on
my coat and snow-boots before walking up the driveway to the yard entrance. On the way I passed a paddock which housed
two horses. There were a couple of
people ahead of me and, when we arrived in the yard and having been greeted
by Graeme, he explained that he was running a little late; he had intended to
meet everyone in the car parking area so as not to get under the feet of his
stable staff as they saddled up their mounts ahead of the next lot. Whilst walking back
down the driveway, Graeme explained that one of the ‘paddock horses’ was heading to the sales and the other, Swaledale
Lad, was waiting to go to a new non-racing home; a home which fellow attendee
Jill had organised. It later
transpired that this home was with Paula, who I know and am friends with on
facebook! She was part of ‘Laddy’s’ syndicate before he was
retired and she is so much looking forward to fun times ahead with her new
ex-racehorse! The first lot headed
back to the yard, having warmed down, whilst we were standing in the parking
area. Graeme also took us across to
see a couple of fillies which were turned out in a field adjacent to the
drive. He went into the field, to see
if he could get their attention, banging on the field shelter in an attempt
to bring them across to us; we couldn’t see them. However, it transpired that one, which was
related to Ami Desbois, was hopping around.
Graeme wondered if she had a stone in her hoof. Closer inspection told the trainer that
she’d been kicked by her field companion ... fortunately it had drawn no
blood. This field companion did appear
– she is owned by the connections of Skipthecuddles, the tongue-less horse,
and she has been named Missthecuddles!
The stiff breeze had
also lifted the hat from Barry’s head; it had flown into the field, so the
trainer retrieved it for him. By this
stage I was already loving my new coat, and the hood was fab; no worries for
me with regards to keeping a hat on my head today! We then headed across the road to the
gallops, where we waited for the next lot to arrive. This lot would include Ami Desbois; he’d been
on the injury sidelines since suffering a problem with his forelegs. Jessica Rabbit wasn’t able to join us, as
she’d currently got a ‘snotty’
nose. Graeme explained
that his existing gallop was due to be replaced in a couple of weeks’ time;
same type, different manufacturer, as this one had come towards the end of
its useful life. He demonstrated by
picking up a handful of the surface ... it was subsequently taken by the wind
and ended up in the faces of a number of the visitors; oops! I felt it a little, in my eyes for a brief
moment ... not brilliant, as I was wearing contact lenses! Graeme also
explained that the BHA was introducing new colours to its obstacles at a
number of courses this season. The
usual orange was being replaced by a combination of white and yellow ... I
was under the impression that research had already been carried out into the
use of ‘orange’ but, evidently
not. Surely sense should have
prevailed earlier, knowing that humans and animals interpret colours
differently. There was a fascinating
programme, a number of years ago, which investigated colours. It was discovered that culture and language
define our perception of colour. And,
contrary to popular belief, blue wakes you up, so is not actually suitable
for bedrooms. But I digress ... Having arrived, led
by Ask Ben and Ami Desbois, the horses did two ‘gallops’, although not at full pace today before heading back to
the warming-down circle. The ‘carpet’ surface was also being
replaced here; never again would Graeme use a carpet gallop. He told us it was much cheaper, but pretty
useless! It gets dry and dusty in
summer and waterlogged in winter.
Graeme said he might take a number of his horses on an ‘away day’ to Lambourn in the near
future, to use their extensive gallops facilities. Graeme’s dachshund
had accompanied us across the road, and the trainer had to ensure that he
wasn’t tempted to get under the feet of the horses then, latterly, that he
crossed the lane safely. Graeme’s
other dachshund, a companion to this one, had died as a result of being hit
by a car on this lane. We watched as the
horses warmed-down, before heading back to the yard. The dog headed up the driveway ahead of us;
it was funny watching his little legs going ten to the dozen as he trotted
along. We were invited to have
breakfast in the main house. The
stones steps on the pathway had been secured since my last visit. The main worry now, was negotiating the dog
poo just prior to the garden gate! We removed our boots
and shoes before entering the hallway and left our damp coats within. Graeme offered everyone a glass of
champagne; I didn’t partake, as I was driving ... although I’m not a fan of
any alcoholic drink! There was orange
juice, coffee and tea to choose from; I chose the former ... although I did
spill some on the table, but did mop it up with clean tissues! There were also numerous bacon or sausage
baps and croissants or Danish pastries; I ate a bacon roll, a small croissant
and a Danish pastry too! I spent time
chatting to Philippa, who I know well.
She’d visited Robin’s yard a couple of weeks ago. One of the attendees, a regular EPDS owner,
had a birthday today, so we sang Happy Birthday; he was presented with a birthday
cake too. Latterly, Graeme
explained his plans for the EPDS horses; beginning with Ami Desbois. The ‘something
not quite right’ towards the latter part of last season transpired to be
an issue with the cannon bones in his front legs; a scan, with dye,
identified the areas of inflammation, and an MRI scan pinpointed the exact
issue. Both bones have now been pinned
and, therefore, the underhoof conditions will be vital moving forward. Stynes, Londonia and
Leapt all had leg issues presently; the worst being Leapt who had a v-shaped
tear in a tendon. Graeme explained
that this cannot be treated by stem-cell therapy due to the type of tear;
time is the only healer. Graeme also
explained that stem-cell therapy involves taking cells from within the
horse’s sternum and injecting them into the tendon to encourage faster
healing. Being a QC, he said one of
his law cases had involved the death of a horse which had lost its life
because the needle had been inserted into the front of the sternum, had
continued through the marrow, then out through the other side of the bone and
into the animal’s heart! The trainer also
mentioned that stable inmate, the mare Visage Blanc, had snapped a tendon; as
a result, he said one of her fetlock joints had ‘collapsed’ completely.
However, as she was wellbred, with breeding prospects, the owners were
going to give her six months to see if she could be saved, following
rest. With three of EPDS
Racing’s horses out of action at present, Graeme had kindly offered to run
Hollywood All Star as their substitute for the foreseeable future. The identity of the horse had been a
mystery to the syndicate members, to be announced today ... but I already
knew, because I’d looked at Graeme’s website in recent days and the horse was
already listed as an EPDS one!!! Plans were also
confirmed for Money Maid. She’d given
birth to the gorgeous filly ‘Cookie’
in late spring and was due to return to the yard shortly; this was to see if
she still had a ‘racing’
temperament, following motherhood.
Money Maid had suffered a tendon injury during her last run, although
she had won that day. Having been sitting
down for a while, on a semi-padded chair, my pelvis was beginning to ache,
very vaguely; I stood up now. I wasn’t
keen on listening to a conversation about needles ... having received a
cortisone injection recently. Mind
you, it seemed to have been a great success in treating the diagnosed
problem. Although, having undergone
steroid drug treatment, I wouldn’t be eligible to run in a horserace at the
present time! With breakfast over, Graeme took us outside
for a tour of the current yard inmates.
We started with the ex-Alan King-trained grey, Paddys
Runner; the trainer is still convinced that the horse has fallen out of love
with racing. Others housed in this
part of the yard included Kayf Blanco, Follow The
Swallow, the mare Poperinghe Ginger and Ask
Ben. Graeme had purchased a 2-year-old
from the Dermot Weld yard; the youngster was formerly owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. He currently stands under 15 hands and is
named Andaleep.
However, Graeme is hopeful he’ll grow a little, with time, but said he
jumps well! Besides, height isn’t
everything if hurdling ... just think of Katchit! We then headed into the main yard,
where Graeme gave a tour of those housed within. There was the currently injured Norman
Stanley; also Ami Desbois, Bentons
Lad, Fleeting Visit, Delirious Love and It’s Fine
Wine. Also Cranbrook
Causeway; the trainer described him as having one ‘thick’ hind-leg, which he believes to be the result of an earlier
injury. However, Graeme likes the
horse and believes he may have found the key to this so far disappointing
equine. Captain Dinosaur is a ‘Scorpion’ and yet to race but he’s
hopeful for the horse. Serpico was still recovering from the injury sustained at
Huntingdon recently; he severed an artery in his leg. We saw Shady Glen and veteran Red
Admirable, also the currently sidelined Captain McGarry;
the latter beat a Nicky Henderson-trained horse to win a bumper race. Alexander The Grey was also injured, having
fallen at Stratford recently; jockey Kielan Woods
broke his collarbone as a result. The
grey was waiting for an operation, to repair a detached ligament. Skipthecuddles
also occupied a box towards the near end of the yard; he wasn’t feeling
particularly friendly, hiding within his box.
One of Mrs Prowting’s homebred youngsters is
now an inmate, Passing Shadow; as the name suggests, he’s by Passing Glance,
out of Peel Me A Grape. We also saw
the recently purchased Lord Scoundrel; he was formerly owned by Gigginstown and was trained by Gordon Elliott. In fact he won the Galway Plate in
2016! Although currently a 9-year-old,
Graeme said he couldn’t resist buying the horse, as he seemed too good a
bargain to pass up. However, the
trainer is going to give the horse a break, before he returns to action, as
he gets the impression that his new acquisition is a little ‘jaded’. Finally we headed to the top yard, to
see the remainder of the horses which were ‘in’ at present. This was a
very small yard, with wooden boxes and just a few inmates. Housed here were Ballina
Lady and Rogue Diamond; the latter wind-sucks ... this causes her issues,
because she can ‘blow up’; the vet
has to visit to release the gas!!! Gowanauthat occupied one of the boxes too; one also had
ringworm currently, so had to be avoided. There were three further boxes in the
yard; Generous Chief was housed in the first of these – he was due to go to
the sales. He’d lost his form and
needed a change of scenery to, hopefully, rejuvenate him. Exactly the same had happened at his
previous yard, before he joined Graeme and rediscovered his mojo. Next door to him was Hollywood All
Star; almost black in colour. He
seemed like a nice horse. Bill, aka ‘Cirencester man’, said he had been
part of the horse’s syndicate earlier on in his career. And, finally, we saw Jessica Rabbit,
complete with snotty nose. We all
steered clear as, if we stroked her, Graeme
requested that we subsequently avoid any of his other charges, just in case
the virus was passed on. Graeme had also warned his visitors
not to get too close to the horses; being animals, he said they might ‘bite their face off’ – he’d seen it
happen! Obviously it can, and he’s
always going to be cautious of lawsuits, being a QC. Despite gaining
planning permission for a barn, which would provide double the amount of
stabling, building works had not yet been started! It had earlier been reported that this was
expected to be completed by the end of October ... very frustrating ... he
needs a new builder!!! Once his new
facility is installed, Graeme is also going to purchase a water-treadmill. It was now the end
of the visit; I thanked Graeme, and also said goodbye to John Powell, Barry
and Bill. Bill said I had to come
racing when Pride Of Pemberley returns to action. He only goes to the races when one of his
syndicate horses is running, preferring to watch racing from the comfort of
an armchair on other days! I walked back to my
car with Philippa and her friend Sarah.
Having said cheerio, I began my journey at 11:40. Having left the
property, I turned right to drive down to the A436, retracing my route back
to Stow-on-the-Wold. It took a few
minutes of queuing to negotiate the traffic lights in the centre of town; it
didn’t help that the vehicles ahead of me were partially blocking the inside
lane, preventing me from using the left-hand filter! I then headed down
the hill upon the Fosse Way; the A429.
The Burford road bears off to the left, so I took this route. The road continues downhill initially, then
uphill through woodland close to Wyck Hill House. There’s additional woodland further along,
before the route opens out and becomes quite bleak, although there’s a great
view across the Windrush Valley, with Burford nestling below. An oasis in the midst of a desert! It was my turn to drive fast, as I’d soon
caught up with the vehicles ahead; our progress solely interrupted by a
hedge-cutting vehicle to the near-side as we approached the town. There’s a sharp
left-hand bend, just prior to the roundabout situated close to the
single-track bridge over the River Windrush.
I only had to wait for one traffic light change before I was able to
head up the steep hill towards the A40; near the top, there was an Ocado
delivery van blocking the roadway.
Fortunately this moved off just as I approached. At the roundabout beyond, I turned left to
head in an easterly direction along the A40. I’d soon reached the
Witney bypass; it’s a pleasant change to drive along this stretch of the
route during daylight hours. I
negotiated the new roundabout once more, before continuing my journey. As it was Saturday lunchtime, there was a
tail-back from the Wolvercote roundabout and I was stuck in this for a few
minutes. In fact the wait was so long
between traffic light phase changes, that I had the opportunity to remove my
fleece whilst sitting in my car! The
early morning rain had cleared, replaced by bright and warm sunshine. In fact it was 24 degrees now; amazing for
mid-October. I continued along the
next short stretch of the A40, before arriving at another roundabout; this is
controlled by traffic lights too. The
bypass continues as a dual-carriageway to the Headington roundabout. Subsequently I headed down the final
stretch of dual-carriageway to reach the eastbound carriageway of the M40. Traffic on the M40
was flowing well, although I did get annoyed by one vehicle whose driver was
intent on travelling in the middle lane despite its speed. I was whizzing along ... until I reached
the viaduct just prior to Junction 3; at which point all traffic came to an
abrupt halt. I was travelling in the
middle lane at this point. There
appeared to be a road-block, consisting of police cars and maintenance
vehicles. A number of drivers ahead of
me even got out of their vehicles in an endeavour to discover the cause of
this unexpected delay, although I don’t think anyone was the wiser for it!!! Anyway, after
waiting for around 10 minutes, the police and maintenance vehicles moved off
and everyone was free to continue their journey. I was still in the dark regarding the
delay, as I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary further along the
motorway; perhaps something had fallen off a vehicle, and needed to be removed
from the carriageway to avoid a collision?
Anyway, I’d soon
reached the M25 and took the slip-road in order to join the clockwise
carriageway. Traffic was moving freely
upon this motorway as I headed back into Hertfordshire, leaving at Junction
22. I headed up the London Colney bypass
and entered my home City, arriving home at 13:45. |
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PHOTOS – Visit to Graeme McPherson’s yard near
Stow-on-the-Wold (Index) |
