January 20th, 2024.

2024 marks the start of a new era for the Ursa Major Racing team as they begin a new partnership with yet another leading trainer.
"The Battenbergs" have already tasted a large amount of success on track with their talented roster of trainers and their pink and yellow silks have been returning home in front on a more regular occurrence on both the flat and over jumps. Since their inception in 2018, the popular racing club have gone from strength to strength and alongside longstanding partners Mark Walford, Mike Murphy, Rebecca Menzies and Ewan Whillans, last year saw the birth of new links with Group One winning trainers Michael Dods and Julie Camacho. 
These star names on the books of the club will only boost awareness as the quality of racehorses owned improves with each year. The end of season horses in training sales are often hotly contested bidding wars, but racing manager Craig Talbot managed to secure the services of five year old mare May Blossom, who had previously been trained by David O'Meara, one of northern racing's premier trainers. Joining the ever growing talent pool, this year will be an exciting year for all involved with potentially big days out planned for the remainder of the year.

The recent arctic blast continued to make working conditions grim for racing yards up and down the country, but it also paid testament to their commitment and love of the horses. The freezing temperatures came as second nature to Northerners and a large number of owners descended on Star Cottage to see their new recruit as well as the stable's other leading lights. 

Meet The Horse:

MAY BLOSSOM - Born: 2019 - Sire: Mayson - Dam: Almond Branches

Now turning five years old, May Blossom is bred for speed and has shown herself to be a more than useful sort over sprint distances which bodes well for her new trainer. 2023 saw the Julie Camacho yard win a Group One double in the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup as well as the prestigious Ayr Gold Cup. The yard have also inherited some highly rated horses over the past twelve months. 
May Blossom is a daughter of 2012's July Cup winner Mayson who was explosive on his favoured soft ground. Since retiring to stud, Mayson has produced leading sprinters in recent years such as Group One winner Oxted and the tough and talented Rohaan. Her dam Almond Branches was a lot more modest on the track but has since produced some capable handicappers such as Spring Bloom, a four time winner who is very consistent and likable.
On the track, May Blossom has a busy first season with no less than thirteen starts as a two-year-old in 2021. Despite this, she was well regarded and after winning at Pontefract on her second start, May Blossom could only manage a midfield finish in listed company at York. It would be a season which saw her compete in valuable juvenile events throughout the year such as the Marygate Stakes, Hilary Needler Trophy and Redcar Champion Two Year Old Trophy. 2022 would see the continuation of her progress and this time she would score three times through the season, all over five furlongs and at three different tracks; Beverley, Yarmouth and Leicester. It would be a similar story last year with plenty of racing with highlights coming courtesy of a midsummer brace of wins at Nottingham and Newmarket in the space of nine days. She left the David O'Meara stable with a total of forty-one starts, seven wins, nine placings and a cool £50,000 in prize money won.
It is hoped that the new scenery of Julie Camacho's Malton stable can help to inspire more wins for the mare who has shown many times that when the cards fall right, she can progress higher up the ladder. Winning on ground conditions described as good to firm as well as heavy, the mare appears to have no preference for underfoot conditions. Starting 2024 with an official rating of 81, there will be plenty of race options throughout the year, especially at class three and class four level where she has been a regular in recent years. May Blossom possesses a similar profile to fellow Ursa Major representative The Turpinator, who won twice in 2023 and ran well on plenty of other occasions. 
Owners can look forward to seeing May Blossom perform with credit up and down the country for the next few years. 

May Blossom (2019) - Mayson x Almond Branches

With thanks to Craig Talbot, Ursa Major Racing owners and Julie Camacho Racing for the enjoyable morning visit. 

Stable Visit In Full: