amazing performance from V yesterday :)

[eeek]

I just can't believe how much of an angel my little horse is. Things have come together finally!

Practicing the night before the races which I think scared my friends quite a lot :evilgrin:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4305.jpg

Yesterday was the last race meeting of the season. My groom/assistant trainer/feral friend warmed him up before the races started and felt pretty confident so I let him take Vinny in a training race for baby horses and inexperienced drivers.

Vinny was supposed to start 20yds behind the other horses who were all inexperienced youngsters, but it is SO hard to judge your handicap, and he started 60yds behind them. I don't think he actually realised he was racing until he eventually overtook one or two. He came 4th and my feral friend is now fully addicted :)
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4415.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4420.jpg

Next I drove him in his usual race. He ran really well but I messed up the drive a bit. Asked him to go much sooner than I should have, then he got stuck on the outside for the whole race and got quite tired. But several people said to me how well he had run :)
We're the motorbike on the left:
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4507.jpg
He made up a lot of ground considering he had a bad start and was in last place for the first quarter of the race, but he didn't quite manage to hit the front unfortunately.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4517.jpg

Then he had a nice long rest.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4618.jpg

We watched a lot of races. The highlight was the children's race. Under-16s (no lower age limit...) riding or driving full-sized, fully fit racehorses. This little girl is ELEVEN. She won the race, beating 2 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old girl. She has no fear, and a sweet old horse who looks after her.
Look at her go!!
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4602.jpg
(God knows how this is allowed in this day and age, you'd think Health and Safety would be up in arms about it.)

Finally there were some 'novelty' races (eg non-whip, human race) because it was the last meeting of the year. I opted for the 'Reverse Race': racing right-handed instead of left-handed. I have never come across a race like this before and nor had Vinny or any of the other horses in the race (who included some of the best horses on the track).
It stands to reason that horses have a better side, just like we do. I think racing the 'wrong way' suited Vinny because WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW AND WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vinny thought it was very strange racing the wrong way at first, but by the first corner he was in front and absolutely loving it.
2nd corner - still in front
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4675.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4681.jpg
last corner - still in front
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4716.jpg
At this point 3 of us had pulled away from the rest of the field: Vinny, a chestnut mare who won 10 races and over £2200 last year, and a black mare who won 16 races and over £2800 last year.
Vinny was COMPLETELY out of his league - and yet he still managed to come a close 2nd!!!! The chestnut only caught him yards before the line, and the black mare just couldn't get there.
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4742.jpg

After the race, looking rather fresh!
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4756.jpg
(The silly boy was a bit confused by this reverse racing and after I pulled him up and started going the 'right' way round the track again to go home he thought he was finally going to have a 'real' race and was chomping at the bit ready to go again!)

Slight jubilation at having won a rosette...
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4766.jpg

Do you think he knew he'd done well?
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4781.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4812.jpg

Thanks for looking :)
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p63/vintagelobell/IMG_4829.jpg

[Burnie]

Wowweeee well done both of you, he looks AMAZING!!! :D:D

[flipper]

Well done both of you. Vinny looks amazing. He's so fit. Can't believe he can run 3 races in 1 meeting and still be raring to go! He's just amazing :) Did you get prize money for coming 2nd?

[eeek]

Flipper, his fitness is still not quite 100% believe it or not!
I wouldn't normally run him 3 times in one day but it was the last meeting of the season so he has all winter to recover, and also the first race with my friend was more of a warm up.
He got better with every run, so next year I will make sure he is very warmed up before a race.
And yes we won £10, but I owed the race secretary £10 for my membership so didn't actually pick it up. But I got rather a lot of drinks bought for me afterwards :)

[CityLights]

Well done think how much better you will do next year with a few more months training and a little more experience

[eeek]

S&W, this year was just a trial run really. Working out what feeds work, what regime works, reminding myself how to ride/drive a pacer, getting all the kit, networking...

Have also managed to acquire a fully addicted assistant, which is not essential but makes raceday 100 times more enjoyable and easier.

And it looks as if I will have a 2nd horse to race next season :) Have spoken to 2 people who have fields full of youngsters and no time, so *all being well* I will be able lease one next year, which would take the pressure off Vinny. I really want to make enough of a name for myself that people will pay me to train their horses, but it's difficult with just Vinny. He will be 15 next year, barring a miracle I don't suppose he will be turning a lot of heads. Mind you I think he turned some heads yesterday, he did an extremely fast time and beat some amazing horses!

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

Wow! ****** hell Liz! He looks fantastic!
Huge well done!
Love the pic of you waving the rossette in the air!!

:shock: At the 11year old girl - gutsy or what!!?

[Emma C]

Wow Wee you got me little heart going there girl!! :D

Fab pictures!! And you did so well!!

You have one hell of a horse there :cheekywink:

[Poppy and Harmony]

wowwww look at vinny go!
He looks superb, massive well done to you Liz!

[ness]

Aww what a star Vinny is, Liz! no wonder you love him so much!

[gem]

Woo!! That's amazing Liz. He looks brilliant. Look at how far you've come this summer!! You should be very proud of yourself :D

[beks the artist]

Wow he looks amazing and so fit!! Well done on your second!!!! xx

[Cinders]

amazing!! I'm really proud of what you've achieved this summer, you've done wonders with vinny!

Enjoy your success, you deserve it! i'm now hooked on your posts as their really inspirational! Shows that if you have a dream get out there and achieve it :)

well done! xx

[Catg]

Go Vinnie!! Fantastic photos Hun, he looks like he had great fun! x

[micki]

Wow he looks brilliant. Well done on your return to racing, hope next year goes well.

[Frankie]

Fantastic Liz! He is looking brilliant.

[My Crazy Clan]

Wow!

Lovely photos, looks exciting, do you ever get scared? its looks like it could be.

[Evening Star]

Wooo what a good boy!
He looks amazing, he is a real credit to you

[eeek]

Thanks all, very much appreciated :) :)

Emma C - he really is one hell of a horse isn't he! He has exceeded ALL my expectations and more :) I adore him.

BC - lol at 'fierce racer'. People used to say Vinny was chicken-hearted and didn't have the killer instinct when he needed it. Golden-hearted is more accurate! When he raced before I rode him every day, but my boss was Trainer and made most of the decisions (my opinion did not count). It was a stressful place for horses because the man was insane, unpredictable, foul-tempered... We slaves tried our best for the horses but we couldn't make them 100% happy.
As a consequence the horses didn't perform 100%. Some had ulcers, this season the man has broken down TWO horses (out of 5! Who between them haven't come better than 3rd in poor quality races).. Vinny suffered from breathing problems: when he came under pressure in a race he would 'die', and suddenly every stride was more effort than it had been seconds before. It was odd because he would usually get back to top gear after suddenly 'dying' for a couple of hundred yards - but of course by then it was too late.
This season I have made huge efforts to keep him happy and dust-free. So I kept him outside in a quite bare little field, with his girlfriend. He is so much happier, and it also keeps him supple because he's constantly walking around. I vary his work, I keep him supple through schooling, and I think jumping has helped his bum muscles...
There is no way this horse is 'chicken-hearted'. He fought like a lion yesterday, he really did. Horses aren't machines, Vinny loves being a family pet and thrives on all the love and attention.

And you're right, his manners are exceptional :) The only time he can be naughty to handle on the ground is on the morning of the race before we leave, when his eyes are popping out of his head with excitement and his whole body is quivering! As soon as we arrive he knows what to do and promptly falls asleep. He will not move until you sit on the sulky seat.

Rhea - not TOO much... I used to be terrified before a race. I was saying the other day that before my first race, on a scale of 1 to 10 of terror (10 being a gibbering wreck), I was a good 11 :)
But I've had a fair bit of practice now, been in over 30 races, although most of those were some years ago. When I started training Vinny this year all by myself my heart froze in fear whenever I thought of actually racing myself. But by the time he was fully fit I was back in the zone and had had plenty more practice. I completely trust Vinny to look after himself (and me), so when I did eventually race him I felt fine. Also, my friend/groom is incredibly chilled out so he keeps me calm, whereas my old boss would do anything to wind me up.
I know that accidents happen. I have had one little one and it was fine, so I am not too worried about the next one. As my feral friend says, 'we have the NHS in this country, make the most of it'!
It helps that without exception EVERYBODY involved in trotting is absolutely raving bonkers. You get sucked into the madness...

(sorry bout the essay by the way, I am still on Cloud 9)

[Smoke on the Water]

That's absolutely fantastic! What a great day. Loved your report too!

[Loony]

Yaaayyy so glad it went well!! Love the one of you holding up your rosette!