Saturday 23rd November 2024

With the flat turf season already over and done with for another year and the festive season rapidly approaching, it would be a perfect opportunity for members of the Craig Lidster Racing Club to get together and look back on a successful year as well as meeting the stars of the show at the stable. Brave members of the club and syndicates defied the best efforts of Storm Bert's wind, rain and even snow to congregate at the yard where the kettle was in hot demand in the kitchen.

Since the previous open day in February, there has been plenty of goings on throughout the year. At the time of writing, the club have returned into the winner's enclosure three times, courtesy of three individual horses. 2024 would start brightly with successes for the quirky East Bank and popular filly Polly The Rocket during the winter months at Newcastle, as well as an eye to the future with the juvenile Force Of Honour breaking his maiden at Redcar in September.

Such is the revolving door world of racing, there have been changes aplenty in the club recently as old friends depart and new faces arrive to carry the flag into the coming years. Noteable and Polly The Rocket would both retire from racing to take up new ventures while East Bank departed during the Newmarket Horses In Training sales recently. There has been a focus on the future however as an influx of younger horses have joined the ranks with lofty hopes and expectations in 2025. 

There has also been progression for the Craig Lidster stable both at home and on the racetrack. The yard is currently undergoing an extension to its gallops which will undoubtedly keep the horses fit with through workouts. This year has been a breakthrough year for Craig Lidster thanks to the exploits of star filly Alfa Kellenic. Rising rapidly through the ranks, she went from a modest Newcastle novice win in January to winning the Ayr Silver Cup in September, a fifth consecutive win of the season. The three year old would also provide the yard with the bucket list ambition of winning a race at York, their biggest local track. A new highest total of winners has been achieved with and impressive thirty-one wins in the calendar year. Everything is in place for the Eboracum Racing Stable to lay down a challenge to be best in the region next year.

Meet The Horses:

Force Of Honour

Age: 2 (Foaled 2022)

Sire: Land Force
Dam: Matron Of Honour

The first of the syndicated horses is the juvenile Force Of Honour, who became the club's most recent winner at the end of September. The son of precocious 2-year-old Land Force, he is also a half brother to the two time listed race winner Grey's Monument.

His tall, gangly stature indicates that he will develop into a stronger horse in 2025, which pays credit to him being able to win so soon into his career. Having started out over sprint trips, Force Of Honour began to improve in low level handicaps over a mile and built on the promise of a Newcastle second to win just down the road at Redcar. His final run of the year came at Newcastle once again, where he plugged on into third over ten furlongs.

He is bred to be much better than a class six level horse, which gives optimism for improvement next season. Everyone involved will be hoping for Force Of Honour to be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.

Un-Named Yearling

Age: 1 (Born 2023)

Sire: Mayson 

Dam: Azenora

The first of two new faces to the yard would be a yearling colt with plenty of speed in the pedigree. The sire Mayson was best known as a mud lover and his biggest achievement on track came when winning the Group One July Cup in 2012 for Richard Fahey. Since retiring to stud, Mayson has sired many high profile sprinters, including Oxted who won the July Cup and King's Stand Stakes during his career. Other group race winning offspring include Rohaan and Honey Girl.

The un-named colt also comes from an illustrious pedigree as he is a produce of the famous Aga Khan breeding operation. He is the first foal of the twice raced filly Azenora, who in turn is a half sister to the dual winning juvenile and listed race placed Princesse de Saba. Further back in the family comes the classy Group Two winner Alnadana, trained by the legendary Alain de Royer-Dupre.

With plenty of speed in the pedigree, plans can be drawn up already for an early season assault with the colt. A prospective long term aim at races such as the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and October's Two Year Old Trophy at Redcar can provide owners with exciting dreams over the winter.

Un-Named Yearling

Age: 1 (Born 2023)
Sire: Ubettabeliveit
Dam: Sightseeing

The second young colt to join the syndicate ranks is another speedily bred sort who should be able to hit the ground running as soon as the turf season gets under way in March. 

The colt is the produce of freshman sire Ubettabelieveit, who was trained not too far away in Malton by Nigel Tinkler. On track, Ubettabelieveit was an unlikely hit during 2020 as he landed the Star Stakes at Sandown and Group Two Flying Childers Stakes during Doncaster's St Leger Festival. He would then further his reputation with a great run into third in the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland where he finished a close up third in a high class field. 

The colt is a half brother to Blue Hour, winner of a small race in France over a mile. There is a small chunk of stamina in the family as his distant relative Realist was a half decent sort on the flat before winning twice over hurdles for Gordon Elliott, including his latest start by a distance. 

Plans will be already in place for this colt, who will be aimed at valuable incentive novices at the start of the turf season before an optimistic aim at Royal Ascot for the Windsor Castle Stakes, a five furlong listed race which is often a cavalry charge.

The Club Horses:

Caesars Pearl

Age: 4 (Born: 2020)

Sire: Profitable
Dam: Malilla

Members of the club have needed to be patient with the filly Caesars Pearl, whose season has been interrupted this year but her latest effort provided optimism that she is back to her best. 

She would join the club at the start of the year, but didn't make her debut in the club silks until July. She would weaken quickly when asked for full effort and finished towards the tail of the field. Another absence would follow as Caesars Pearl finally made it back to a racecourse in early November at Southwell. Stepping up to six furlongs again, she failed to show signs of rustiness and finished nicely into third, beaten just two lengths by the winner. It would be a very pleasing return to action and next up would be a trip to Wolverhampton where things didn't go to plan. A low key effort at Dunstall Park saw Caesars Pearl finish down the field, but she returned home with a dirty scope; possibly related to the recent arctic weather. Fingers will be crossed that she returns to her best once fully recovered.

As she turns five next year, she still has a relatively lightly raced profile with seventeen starts to her name. Having shown she has retained her ability, the focus now will be on gaining a second career win to go with the one at Pontefract last summer. 

Glad Eye

Age: 2 (Born 2022)
Sire: Showcasing
Dam: Her Terms

A new recruit to the stable and racing club, everyone involved will be hoping that a change of scenery will be able to prompt a change in fortunes.

The attractive chestnut filly was purchased at the Tattersalls Yearling Sales in Newmarket in October for £56,000 out of the Hughie Morrison stable. Based on breeding alone, that price could turn out to be a bargain if the yard can unlock more potential. Glad Eye is a daughter of crack sprinter Showcasing, who landed the Gimcrack Stakes at York in 2009 as well as siring the likes of Group One winners Mohaather, Quiet Reflection and Advertise. The female side to the family is also filled with talent. Her grand-dam Best Terms was a high class filly for Richard Hannon and landed the Lowther Stakes at York and Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before ending that season as leading juvenile filly. Glad Eye is also a distant relative to Star Terms, who won a listed race in France having previously finished third in a Group One race there.

Her form prior to joining the yard had failed to inspire. Making her debut in mid-August at Newbury, she would swerve out of the stalls and was always towards the back and unable to land a blow. Her next three starts provided little to write home about as the trend of racing keenly and weakening away without ever looking like getting involved. There would be foundations of promise however at Newcastle on her first start in the blue and white silks. Despite racing fiercely keen, Glad Eye blazed a trail over six furlongs and still held a narrow lead approaching the final furlong. She would weaken gradually, but returned a satisfactory third of sixth; her best run to date. She would then return to the North East recently in an identical race, but the outcome wasn't to be the same. Showing her traditional over enthusiasm, Glad Eye was charging down the straight under Sean Kirrane. She wasn't able to hold on against a larger field and dropped away very quickly two furlongs from home.

Her chestnut coat and big white face will gain her plenty of fans, but the team at Eboracum Racing have their work cut out to calm her ways during racing. Once that is achieved though, there is potential for her in these lower class races. 

Full Gallery:

(Gallop:
#1 - Caesars Pearl,

#2 - Mayson Yearling

#3 - Ubettabelieveit Yearling

#4 - Invincible Army x First LinkYearling (owned by BRATWA)