ROXANYA: OFF AND RUNNING

A clip that encapsulates the highs and lows of horseracing! Despite being no more than a lively outsider @ 25/1,on her first try over hurdles, Roxanya produced one hack of a performance.....for 2 miles and just over 1 furlong....sadly she chose not to be part of the final 300 yards or experience the delights of the final hurdle. There's a full report/review available in the news update section, but suffice to say the main thing is she' emerged unscathed, as did JJ, and we look forward to the next time thankfully!

Without any owners allowed on course, here we have Stuart multi-tasking in the paddock with a quick video of Roxanya in warm up mode @ Limerick. It's fair to say that what transpired over the next 15 minutes was certainly not dull! Fire over to the News Update section to have a read of the full review or maybe even click above to see the events as they happened!

Another race, another jockey for Roxanya! Not to accuse our girl of being promiscuous, but she once again had a new pilot on board for a 4-6 Year Old Open Bumper over 2 miles on a cold winters day at Sedgefield Racecourse in the North East of England and in this occasion, Dougie Costello did the honours.... Dougie, better known for his exploits on the flat. gave Roxy a brilliant ride, keeping her out of the worst ground as much as possible and still educating her at the business end of proceedings. Another step forward certainly and grounds for optimism moving forward....read the full report in the News Section!  (The interviewer is also highly likely to be nominated for the Racing Journalist of the Year apparently.....).....

With a full report for your considered perusal in the wonderfully named 'News Update' section, all we have for you to view here is partial footage of Roxanya on her way to a really encouraging second place in her third race at Sedgefield. In ground conditions that were far from ideal we certainly saw a personal best performance from our heroine! With no copyright infringement intended....see the full replay here:   https://www.attheraces.com/atrplayer-popup/VOD/1175287?showResult=yes 

Here we see (and with her big white face she's hard to miss) Roxanya mid race in her run at Musselburgh. Under a patient and educational from Champion Jockey, Brian Hughes, she held a lovely position during most of the race and travelled pleasingly well, so much so that she appeared to be going better than any of her rivals heading into the final 3 furlongs. As things panned out however, she ran out of petrol in the closing stages and was certainly not given a hard time in the last 100yards. 

Initial musings from our jockey was that she would come on a bundle for the re-appearance and she would hopefully be threatening the winners enclosure in due course, but don't just take my word for it, you can listen to what the man himself had to say above!

So here we see Roxanya heading out to battle in her second ever racecourse appearance. After virtually swimming around the paddock on debut @ Down Royal, Roxy at least was able to see the ground she was walking around on....That said, she still took a little exception to the rather overpowering smell of Covid-Enforced disinfectant that was sprayed generously around her saddling box and so was a little bit jittery and on her toes until she finally consented to getting her number cloth fitted! Definitely looking a stronger more toned filly and after an absence from the racecourse of over half a year, on better ground in the cold crisp Scottish afternoon air, Roxanya headed out to take her place in the:

racingtv.com Mares' Maiden Open National Hunt Flat Race! 

Now isn't this a little bit more like it? A video that not only shows Roxanya's impressive development 3 months after joining the yard but also manages to cut out Stuart's head from shot?!!!

In all seriousness though, this footage illustrates the great attention to detail that Stuart gives to all horses in the yard and how getting them into good habits from Day One can only be of benefit to them in the long run.

Structure is crucial for any horses development and so repetition of this warm up routine builds up the confidence and trust of a racehorse in their rider. Plus it looks great fun too!

Ever wondered how a horse learns to jump? Do they read a manual or talk to other horses in the yard about how they do it?....Well as it turns out they actual begin the process with logs and poles and build up very very gently. 

Here we see Roxanya literally taking her first hop over a pole, something that will be repeated time after time to keep her relaxed and lose any anxiety about approaching an obstacle. 

Stuart's own technique over the same pole is however a little too scratchy to offer any hope and so we decided not to enter him for the 2021 Grand National after reviewing the footage....