11th December 2023 – Chelmsford – Battleofbaltimore
After a much improved run over course and distance last time, we headed back to Chelmsford for another crack before he has his winter break. Same track, same distance, same jockey and drawn stall 1. Was this going to be our day and get that elusive 1st winner on the board. With just 1 furlong to go we believed it was… Unfortunately, just as his previous race went, he burned too much energy in the 1st 3 furlongs pulling and running green which meant the fuel tank emptied half a furlong out only to lose one length and three quarters into 3rd. His owners were delighted and he clearly likes Chelmsford and Kieran O’Neill. Once the penny drops with this lad he will be winning plenty for sure. His time has come now to have his winter break, he has given us 7 race days in 2023 with 4 placed efforts. Lots of fun to be had with him next year as a 3 year old.
15th November 2023 – Kempton – Confederation
After a poor run at Chelmsford we headed back to Kempton where Confederation has run a couple of great races for us before narrowly being beaten a head on the line when leading. Kempton was also the track we made our syndicate debut along with Confederation almost exactly one year ago to the date. A jolly good amount of owners came to watch and cheer Gus on. He was drawn perfectly in stall 1 with the up coming Taylor Fisher onboard who took off a readily 3lbs too. He broke out of the stalls on par with the field and we hoped he would lead or take up the box seat, however he seemed to be outpaced early on and lost the ideal positions. We all know now that Gus doesn’t like to be crowded so realistically we knew out fate for the rest of the race. As they turned for home he was travelling lovely until Taylor asked him to go, and he didn’t really respond especially as other horses around him closed in on him. He seems to have lost his confidence in a battle so we will get to work on him and find him a race that can build him back up again. He has since been dropped a further 2lbs so hopefully he will be getting his head in front sooner rather than later.
7th November 2023 – Chelmsford – Battleofbaltimore
It was to be one more race for Battleofbaltimore before he goes away for the winter and comes back as a 3 year old. We headed to Chelmsford in a 1m race for his debut on the polytrack with Kieran O’Neill taking the reigns. Again, Battleofbaltimore showed greenness in the prelims and going down to the start, pulling Kieran in the saddle. Once loaded he dwelt right handed coming out of the stalls but quickly got into stride and hit the front, again pulling Kieran and showing lots of greenness, he didn’t settle until the 3f pole. At around the 6f pole he had a few of the other runners off the bridle whilst still going well in front. Turning home Kieran asked him to quicken which he did and showed good speed, unfortunately the energy he used up in the prelims and for the first 3f in the race took its toll in the final furlong and was soon headed but finished a gallant 4th. It was a much improved run after his previous two poor showings. Kieran was happy with him but suggested some headgear to try and get him to settle. Turning home he had his owners all gasping with joy as he looked the most likely winner in the field. Once he learns to settle he will be winning for sure. I’ve watched the race back a few times now and what a run it was considering all things. Very happy and we go again.
2nd November 2023 – Chelmsford – Confederation
After a small break we got Confederation back and put him into a 0-65 at Chelmsford almost 1 year to the date that he made our racecourse debut. Even though he is a 12 race maiden for us, he has run some cracking races narrowly being beaten a head on 2 occasions and multiple placed efforts. He got the perfect draw in stall 1 and we had the AW master, David Probert in the saddle for his return to the AW here at Chelmsford. The weather was terrible with storm Ciaran battering the Essex racecourse with strong winds and heavy rain, however just before the off, the wind had dipped and the rain had stopped. Was this a sign? Only time would tell. He loaded swiftly and broke well, however with a couple of other faster ones that had broke he lost the lead to be handy in midfield, he travelled lovely into the race turning home, and when the gap appeared David asked him to go, but in good ole Gus fashion, he didn’t seem to want to go past other horses and held his own to finish 7th. It was a disappointing run to be fair and very frustrating one. We know he is a lot better than that and perhaps Chelmsford isn’t the track for him. We will look for races at Kempton or Wolves where we feel he has had his best runs on the AW. Again, a big thank you to his patient and loyal owners who have stuck him and us over the course of the year. Let’s hope he puts his best hoof forward soon and repay everyone with their loyalty.
25th October 2023 – Newmarket – Empress Lulu
We earmarked Newmarket as the potential course for Empress Lulu to make her debut as we feel HQ is the perfect course to bring 2 year olds on. Lulu hasn’t had the best of luck so far after a couple of set backs as well as continuing to grow into her big frame. She took the prelims fantastically especially for a 2 year old on debut. Today was all about the race being educational for her to see where she is at with her training and maturity. She wasn’t best drawn (out wide) so it was always the case of placing her in a position to get cover and see how she travels through the race. The race itself was a hot one with the top 4 most likely being black type performers next season. A strong 18 owner crowd descended onto the Rowley Mile to watch her make her debut with Kieran O’Neill onboard. As predicted it was a hot race and soon as the buttons were pressed the top 4 in betting Lulu found herself shuffled to back of the pack to finish 9th. It wasn’t a disappointing run as we knew it would go this way, as mentioned it was always about the race being educational for her, horses have to start somewhere, right? Kieran said she is still a big bathat will mature as a 3 year old and to give her 1 more run before a winter break so she can think about things going forward. All 18 owners enjoyed the day out and are looking forward to her next run. This game is a long one and I would like to thank all of our owners for their patience.
10th October 2023 – Leicester – Battleofbaltimore
We decided to geld Battleofbaltimore back in September to hopefully settle and calm him down. He came out of the operation very well and was bouncing and fresh, he also put on weight which is unusual as horses tend to lose weight after the op. However a few pounds heavier and his physical condition looking superb we looked for a race for him and found a Nursery at Leicester which ended up having a maximum field of 18 runners. He went straight into the horsebox like a pro and headed across country to the racecourse. The prelims didn’t really go to plan as the BHA vets approached me to say he wasn’t wearing the tongue tie which we had declared. He was being difficult and we couldnt get it on in time, however a quick phone call to our trainer Dylan to see if he should still run him or not, YES was the answer but it wasn’t ideal as he needs a tongue tie, even at home when he works, he wears one. I gave the leg up to our jockey Rob Hornand off they went down to post. He loaded, and off they go, he jumped well and had a handy position around 4th/5th, we gave the jockey the instructions of “let him find his feet and go from there”! Approaching the 2f post Rob asked him to quicken and go, but found nothing as he started drifting back in the pack. It was frustrating to watch as he was primed to give a good race and looked spectacular in his coat for this time of year. Maybe it’s time for a break and freshen him up for next years turf season. He’s only 2 after all. We will have him scoped (at time of writing) and go from there. Rob did suggest to give him a run on the AW to see how he handles it. Overall a frustrating day, but all things considered we fight another day. The 12 owners that made the trip had a great day out never less. This is a very patient game to be in so we go again. Onwards & Upwards.
6th September 2023 – Bath – Confederation
Back to Bath we go. Confederation was looking the best he’s ever been so we entered him back at Bath where he seems to like. We were drawn in stall 3, another good draw and we jocked up Connor Planas this time who took off an extra 3lb allowance which meant we are very well handicapped to win a race of this nature. He broke from the stalls reasonably, but couldn’t quite get the space needed to launch his attack to the front as the wide drawn horses came over quickly, this effectively ended his chances of being competitive let alone winning. It was frustrating but that’s what happens in these types of races. Everything has to fall right for Confederation otherwise he uses his stubborn head and doesn’t give his 100%. It was a sun soaked afternoon with temperatures at a 30 degree high but the result didn’t dampen the 9 strong group of owners that attended. On a positive note, he came out of his race OK to fight another day. Onwards & Upwards for Team Catch Us and our day will come soon for the winners enclosure.
23rd August 2023 – Bath – Confederation
After Confederations run at Bath LTO we found an ideal race for him, a 0-65 5f sprint and we managed to secure the arc winning jockey, Luke Morris to take the reigns. A handful of the Catch Us faithful made the journey to the south western track basking in the glorious English sun. We were first up and the excitement was building as Confederation made his way into the parade ring, all relaxed, ears pricked and taking in the familiar surroundings. Dylan wasn’t there but had already spoken to Luke on the phone in the morning and gave the instructions (same as before)! Ping the gates, get to the front and go from there. This is exactly what happened but unfortunately it wasn’t our day as the eventual winner and runner up came thundering past and went clear. We feel the ‘Soft’ in the ground and the fact that they went away from the rail caused Confederation to loose a bit of momentum which wasn’t ideal. He eventually finished 4th. One thing for sure is, he rarely runs a bad race, gives his owners and the syndicate a lot of fun and many days out at the track. He came out of the race as he always does, Fresh! We are looking for his next race and there are already a few possibilities in September for him to aim at. He will have a couple of days in the paddock and then crack on with him again. We have 1 share left in him, so get involved and have lots of days out with him and team Blue & Yellow.
21st August 2023 – Catterick – Battleofbaltimore
Yorkshire here we come. We took Battleofbaltimore up the A1 and onto Catterick for our most northern run to date. After his 5f race LTO we decided that a quick sprint wasn’t for him especially as we feel he will get 1m next year, so we went back to a 6f where he has seen his best efforts to date. The race looked wide open and with plenty of pace around him from stall 8 of 12. PJ McDonald took to the saddle for the first time in the Blue & Yellow silks, he briefed the owners that had made their way up from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Yorkshire. As the gates opened he wasn’t the quickest into stride so PJ has to rouse him along into a handy position. But unfortunately he didn’t seem to want to put in his efforts today and PJ felt like he was only giving 75% which is frustrating as he works so well at home and gives his all. There are always a lot of factors involved when travelling horses a long way, but the main thing is that he came out of the race well and he ate up. He will have a few days off before we decide what’s next. Will we give him another race before the turf season ends or shall we put him away until his 3yr old campaign, which has always been the main plan. Keep an eye out on our socials for all the updates and race plans along with our share availability.
4th August 2023 – Bath – Confederation
Confederation was back after a few weeks recovering from a cough. He showed Dylan some pleasing work at home over the past week which gave the indication he was ready to race again. We found a great race five and a half furlong race at Bath for him and jocked up Kieran O’Neill for the first time in the blue & yellow silks. Confederation travelled to the course well, despite the traffic, showed great temperament in the prelims and headed down to the start in great order. We gave the instructions to Kieran to jump out, take the lead and press on from the front. This is exactly what happened and it was a great instructed ride Kieran. We almost had our 1st winner but was narrowly denied in the final strides the fast finishing All in the Hips. 8 owners shouted with joy all the way to the finish line. It was a fantastic race to watch and it was a great showing from Confederation who showed some form once again after a couple of flat runs. A much needed confident boost for everyone involved. FANTASTIC! He has come out of the race fresh and bouncy and we will go again soon and hopefully go 1 place better. A big thank you to all of his owners who have shown great support since day one. Thank you. We have 7.5% shares available in Confederation. Contact Andrew here
26th July 2023 – Lingfield – Battleofbaltimore
Battleofbaltimore travelled and settled to the racecourse the best he has so far, and showed encouraging signs of maturing and learning the game in the prelims. Ideally we would’ve preferred some cut in the ground but Lingfield somehow missed the rain this week, but we took our chance with this drop down in trip (5f). Greg Cheyne was once again onboard for the ride, as they broke out of the stalls a horse from 2 stalls away came across and made some impact with Battleofbaltimore which took him off his stride, from there on in a 5f race it was always about playing catch up. They went a good pace which didn’t allow Battleofbaltimore to gain momentum and catch up. He stayed on and made headway to finish 6th of 10. 5f definitely isn’t his game and we will step him back up to a minimum 6f but will get 1m in time as his pedigree suggests. We’ll see what mark he gets from the handicapper next week and make a plan for him going forward.
12th July 2023 – Lingfield – Battleofbaltimore
After his very green run and experience on debut at Brighton we found another Band D race at Lingfield. He came out of the Brighton race well and has worked well at home, as he usually does. He has a smart head on him but is still a big baand in today’s race that greenness and babyness showed again as he was pulling and running green again. His prelims were much better and was settled in the parade ring and going down to the start his jockey Greg Cheyne used his experience to switch him off. He broke from the stalls well and contested the lead with the horse that beat him at Brighton. 2f out he was leading and looked to be in contention of winning, but the hot favourite and eventual winner cruised alongside and went forward and won 5L. Our lad seemed to get headed into 3rd for a stride or two but battled back and took the runners up spot, much to the delight of his owners on and off the course. This was the kind of run we were expecting, even though he still ran very green we are delighted on the improvement from his debut. Hopefully it’ll be 3rd time lucky and he can go 1 better next time. He came out of the race fresh and enjoyed a day in the paddock. Lots to look forward to with this lad. He has great support from all of his owners back home. I must give Lingfield Park a mention as they provided us with the winning experience even though we came 2nd, our owners were treated to champagne and snacks. Great work Lingfield.
6th July 2023 – Kempton – Confederation
We took a trip back to Kempton for our 3rd run there with Confederation. Previously he had 2 great runs at this track with the latter one finishing 2nd a head. We took our chances again as he is in great shape and wanted to see him run back on the AW where is form has been much stronger. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be our day, just as he looked to be in contention, he didn’t seem to pick up as he normally does when today’s jockey Greg Cheyne asked him to. He came out of the race well and had him checked over the vets the following day as that run didn’t seem right. We found that a dirty scope in the yard could be the reason so we can put a line through that race as it most definitely wasn’t the true Confederation. As always there was a lot of support for him on course and all of the owners that attended had a great evening despite the result. He’s still thriving in his work at home so we’ll get to work and find another suitable and hopefully winnable race for him and his patient and loyal owners. We’ll be back…
13th June 2023 – Brighton – Battleofbaltimore
Our Starspangledbanner colt, Battleofbaltimore made his racecourse debut at Brighton. 18 owners made the trip to the East Sussex racetrack in the basking sun to watch our “Star” make his debut. In the prelims he was green as grass but once Billy “The Kid” Loughnane was jocked up he seemed to settle down to the start. during the loading process he once again showed some of that greenness. He loaded with a hood on and broke out of the stalls well. He took up a handy position behind the leading pair but again showed inexperience and greenness coming down the Brighton hill 3f out. He looked to have travelled every yard until the final half furlong where he couldn’t keep up with the winner. He ran on to finish a gallant 3rd on his debut. There was a lot of positives to take from the race and he would’ve learnt a lot from his first day at school. He arrived home later that evening and ate up, which is always a great sign. The following morning he ate up and trotted up well. All very positive news. We will give him a couple of days off and then get him back into work and make a plan for his next race.
18th May 2023 – Newmarket – Confederation
Confederation came out of the Windsor race in fine fettle so we aimed him for a run at HQ on the Rowley Mile in a very competitive 0-75. He ran his usual solid race but we could only manage 10th in this very competitive race. He has since been dropped a further 2lbs the handicapper so we can now have a look at some easier races in which we hope he will run a solid race and finally get his head in front (much deserved head in front). Once again his owners were out in force and showing off our ever growing merchandise.
8th May 2023 – Royal Windsor – Confederation
After his 8 week break over the winter, Confederation made a welcoming return to action finishing 4th behind a very progressive type. in front of 36 owners who made the trip down to watch. Windsor racecourse and its staff were very helpful in helping organise a box for our owners especially as there was so many in attendance. After rearing out of the stalls his jockey Kyle Strydom quickly got him to settle in rear and then made headway late on to finish a gallant 4th. He’s a consistent sort who can back himself up quickly. He came out of the race well and is declared to run again on Thursday 18th May at Newmarket. We have had some shares become available in him, so make sure you grab them and enjoy plenty of race days this year. Contact Andrew here for share availability.
25th January 2023 – Kempton – Confederation
Confederation ran a great race with Josephine Gordon onboard again, we were very close to our first winner as a syndicate but were beaten on the line a neck. The atmosphere on course before and after the race was phenomenal to see and we had some very happy owners styling out their “catch us” merch yet again.
Confederation is now enjoying his holidays and a rest and will be back in training soon ready for the summer turf.
14th January 2023 – Chelmsford – Confederation
20 Owners made the trip to Chelmsford to cheer on Confederation in his 4th run for the club. With Josephine Gordon onboard again and a good break from stall 1 it looked to be a promising race. Unfortunately it wasn’t our night but he ran on for a gallant 4th. The support on and off track was phenomenal and it was an honour to have Derek (Tommo) Thompson taking time to speak with our Racing Manager Andrew and some owners in the parade ring before the race.
3rd January 2023 – Wolverhampton – Confederation
13 of our fantastic owners came to support Confederation on his 3rd run with the club. 3 seemed to be our magic number that day as he secured 3rd place over 5 furlongs with Josephine Gordon in the saddle once again. Finishing 3 lengths behind the winner, our owners were jumping for joy at the finish line
15th December 2022 – Southwell- Confederation
16 of our owners travelled from all over the UK in the ice and snow to see Confederation run a respectable 6th in conditions that didn’t really suit. Josephine Gordon took to the saddle again and whilst it wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for, given the weather conditions, he came out of the race well and the owners on course had a great time.
9th November 2022 – Kempton – Confederation
20 of our excited owners descended upon Kempton racecourse mid week for our debut run with Confederation. It was great to see a sea of blue & yellow in the owners and trainers bar with our Catch Us If You Can branded merchandise. Having worked him a week before the race Josephine Gordon did a fantastic job onboard Confederation finishing 5th in a strong field and spent time before and after the race to speak with our owners.
