Ann Duffield
Website: www.annduffield.co.uk
Check out some of Ann's photos here:
Ann out hunting
Duffield's Diaries
Ann Duffield
Racehorse trainer Ann Duffield is married to former top Flat jockey George Duffield MBE, and they have spent the last 10 years creating one of the most impressive private racehorse training establishments in the country at Sun Hill Farm near Leyburn, in North Yorkshire. And it’s right in the heart of the Bedale hunt country with which they both hunt with a passion.
The new yard has been a huge financial investment: a newly re-surfaced all-weather six furlong gallop with a gradient climbing 250ft; 70 horse boxes in American style barns, all with rubber mat flooring; three horse walkers; practice starting stalls; an isolation unit; daily turn-out paddocks, with a further 50 acres of post and rail summer grazing: and it’s all dedicated to one objective - the training of racehorses to be ‘first past the post’.
While Ann began as a national hunt trainer, the emphasis is now firmly on Flat horses. Her annual buying focus produces some useful racehorses in the making, and there is an impressive welcome extended to new and existing owners alike at Sun Hill Stables.
Ann and George are both self-confessed hunting junkies, particularly George who would hunt eight days a week if he could, and says: “I just love my hunting - I don’t want to come home when I’m out, and only darkness ends the hunting day.”
Ann has kindly agreed to write a diary for TMV where we will be privy to some of back-room highs and lows as the months roll by - of a successful racehorse training yard: “Where Horses Come first”.
August
August and we are off to a good start. Hells Angel's defeat at Epsom is still a bit raw, its annoying sending horses such a long way & getting beaten when we clearly she should have won, but that's racing. A four horse race with one tailed off made getting boxed in on the rail very unpalatable. Have had dozens of calls calling for Roysten's head (jockey) - he made sure my horse could not get out - but actually he was only doing his job and did not come off a straight line; it was just a shame that the yard to whom he cost a winner (ours), happened to be one that has given him a great deal of support in the past, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
1st August saw the good looking first-time-out Sharp Shoes running no sort of race at Thirsk. San Silvestro finished 2nd at Hamilton, he has to have his own way, and the others runners were not playing ball so he chucked the toys out of his pram without a moments thought . What A Fella , Hells Angel, Bavarian Nordic, Just Lille, Firetrap, Highly Acclaimed, Josephine Malines, MadamX all contributed in the yards tally of 17 winners & placed horses from 43 runners.
Newcastle August 5th and I should have been in Ireland trying a two year old out, but with our test pilot GD going down with a virus (obviously swine flu) it had to be canceled at the last minute. So I headed off up the A1 to saddle Angelo Poliziano (The Italian Gangster as our physio calls him ) to win his race at Newcastle under Silvestre, his impressive victory was down to blinkers & holding up tactics. The ultra-consistent and heavily penalized Diamond Daisey wins again at Thirsk. Just Lille is touched off in a valuable event at her favorite track Hamilton due to the rain softened ground. Our yard's exciting looking two year old colt "Spying" follows up his debut win by winning again at Newcastle; and Diamond Daisey tries to follow up her win just three days ago, but only manages a third; trainer error I think running her too soon after a tough race at Thirsk and unable to defy the penalty. Among the good runs the nice colt Sharp Shoes is unable to live up to his name and the shoes take him very slowly round Pontefract to finish stone last. Think its time the knife is sharpened.
On the Monday of the St Ledger sales Harry Findlay pays a visit to the yard with his gambling side-kick Glen, racing manager Anthony Fortescue- Thomas & wife Anjela. Harry phones on route here with an announcement that he has come without his passport & didn't realize you could travel so far North & still be in Britain. They arrived in some style in Glens blue Bentley, please park round the back I asked - we don't like scrap cars outside Sun Hill.
Dinner at the fabulous Wensleydale Heiffer followed, Harry was impressed. Harry Findlay, he who thought the world stopped North of Watford was hooked. A lover of good food and fish he reveled in the quality & abundance at the Heiffer. We sampled almost every starter on the menu & all the best main course dishes. If Harry worried about his weight, he needn't have, the bedroom I put him in was above our kitchen, directly above the aga which had gone AWOL, somehow doubling its own temperature turning the room above into a sauna. The following morning Harry was relieved to cool off but, after rooting through the car boot discovered he had no more clothes with him, so his tour of the yard & trip across to the gallops was made wearing pyjamas. Priceless.
At Doncaster Sales we bought a tall, strong & impressive son of Choisir; a smaller but compact and easy going son of the hugely successful Marju; and a handy, precocious looking son of the first season sire Kodiac, himself a half brother to Invincible Spirit - and by the great sire Danehill. An athletic looking son of the first season sire Indesatchel, and joining them, a well related, active daughter of Kyllachy who had failed to make enough in the ring but, happily she later found her way to Sun Hill.
Other runners continue to go well, but it's the grand mare Just Lille who really gives us a surprise on the second day of the St Ledger Yearling Sales. Watching the TV in between lots being sold both GD & I are convinced our seven furlong to a mile & a quarter winner will not stay the one mile seven furlongs without the help of a horsebox. Stable jockey Silvestre, who opted to ride another yard's horses elsewhere, form man Keith Bradley also agree: only the owner is game, the mare is ridden by the up & coming apprentice Jack Mitchell. No one warned Lille how far she had to go & she didn't seem to notice either, traveling strongly & staying on well she collected the attractive conditions race prize with her usual vigor. How wrong can you be? I might have trained her for the race but that's all I did. The rest is down to Rob Hallett - who's partner Helen Wynn's colours are carried by Just Lille. Rob & Helen have always been fantastic owners; lucky too, they also owned the prolific race mare Prairie Sun who won our yard ten staying races on the flat & over hurdles & who is now a broodmare with a Needwood Blade filly at foot and recently tested in foal to Tobougg.
The exciting colt Spying wins again on his second visit to the races, this time at Newcastle where he pulled clear of the second horse, who had in turn pulled well clear of the third. The Duchess of Sutherland was thrilled, especially as he was a homebred providing her with her third winner of the season.
September
September saw our runners still out there doing their bit for the yard, Whispering Spirit confirmed her liking for Catterick's sharp bends by recording her second victory at the track. Bavarian Nordic just failing to register a double on the day for us. At Sedgefield Berriedale takes to hurdling well winning the juvenile hurdle race on her first run over timber & providing Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland with her fourth winner of the campaign. The result was hardly a shock to us but the big surprise was taking second with Strevelyn who's owner got 250/ 1, in fact the exacta paid a massive £860 to a £1.00 stake. Bliss; if only we were on!
Horses still happy & going well, producing 13 winners/ placed horses from 32 runners this month, and best of all, the good looking Sharp Shoes reacted well to the knife by coming 2nd at Haydock Park; a big improvement. We think he will make a nice horse next year; his sire Needwood Blade certainly got better with time.
The recently postponed trip to Ireland finally got off the ground but the test pilot wasn't impressed; working with two other horses over seven furlongs he failed to quicken the way you would have liked. A better three year old prospect? Probably, but not what we wanted right now.
The rest of the month was spent mostly at yearling sales. In Ireland we bought two very nice youngsters at Goffs. A fabulous Kyllachy filly for Harry Findlay; and a very athletic colt, again by Kodiac: the craic is good about these Kodiac's and they certainly look the part. If they turn out well we will be pleased to have bought a couple when we were able to; if he turns out to be a good freshman stallion our purse strings won't stretch that far and we won't get near them next year. Newmarket part one yearling sales start, highly expensive & without any big money orders we stay at home; plenty of work to do. The big hitters aka the Arabs kept the sale alive by buying the vast majority of the nicer lots, their ongoing dispute with Coolmore still rumbling away in the background.
Part two of the sale is more our bag, some nice quality horses at more reasonable levels, we are looking only at fillies but we are as surprised as anyone at how hard it is to actually buy the horses we want. The arabs have relinquished their desire to buy only the higher priced horses on offer & are now insistent on buying anything that looks the part, in all price ranges. However, we can hardly complain as they have been propping up racing for years, now deep in recession we need them more than ever but, we also need horses to run ourselves - but can't buy them. Trainers & owners simply cannot compete, and the unrest & bad feeling amongst the ranks was palpable.
We have only one firm order for a filly & spend all day Sunday inspecting every filly due through the ring on the Monday, taking a closer look at those fillies on offer by Coolmore stallions as at least we know who wont be bidding for them. Eventually we come home with four lovely girls by Hurricane Run, Refuse to Bend, Smart Strike & One Cool Cat, bringing our total to 11 yearlings so far. Not as many as I would like, but more that I might have had, and the welcome news that Miss Rausing is sending a filly, and The Duchess Of Sutherland is sending the sister to Spying - boosts the numbers a little more.
The end of October and the majority of the horses are roughed off, enjoying a well earned rest. With only a couple left to race on the all weather & over hurdles the routine on the yard has changed. The staff are going home for long holidays & the horses are enjoying time out in paddocks with their friends during the day. I would dearly love more horses in to train during the winter either for the all weather or national hunt racing but things are as they are and I do quite enjoy the time out & ability to have a bit of a normal existence - whatever that is? The winners tally from the 30 odd horses in training this season stands at 26 including a couple of jump winners so all in all no complaints, although I would dearly love to be able to hit the 30 winner mark, equaling our best ever tally from the year before last.
October 31st heralds the new hunting season
The opening meet with The Bedale Hounds is finally upon us, I haven't been mounted at the opening meet for many years, even when I hunted with the Zetland I rarely made it, preferring to see them off on foot although I do try to get out for second horse and this year was no exception. George went out on Stripey and had quite a bit of fun; a hedge that claimed him last year failed to floor him this time. Madge and I enjoyed the afternoon although most of the jumping action was over by then.
The second meet of the season on Wednesday November 4th was held at The Friars Head at Akebar where the traditional hunt breakfast was served. Mrs Ellwood's famous porridge was divine, or should I say the fabulous whiskey served with porridge, cream & sugar was to die for; seconds was a full English breakfast all washed down with Bucks Fizz or Black Velvet. I wanted to go to sleep afterwards not jump fences & gallop across fields. But then, we were all in the same boat, stomachs fit to burst we all mounted up & somehow managed to force another drink down before moving off. As is traditional we head downhill towards the stream over the first timber hunt jump of the day with a downhill landing which often manages to claim to odd one or two. Next is another hunt jump before splashing through the water & heading towards quite a decent hedge with a ditch behind, this one always catches a few out giving the foot followers standing at the top of the hill from a good vantage point a great laugh.
Madge has nearly had me at this one before when I followed the wrong horse in & nearly ended up on the floor. This year I made sure I got a good lead, she flew over it before turning left over the rails & away through the golf club, sticking tightly to the pathways. We covered a fair but of ground in a short time & jumped plenty, the usual array of fabulous Bedale country with which we are blessed, timber, hedges, ditches, jumping off roads, onto roads, you name it - we jumped it . Meanwhile, the list of casualties grew steadily, lots of lose horses & muddy jackets; Jack Berry, former trainer and friend and neighbour, and for a 73 year old a man far too brave for his own good at times, jumped the mother of all hedges with a massive ditch behind, the likes of which an army could hide in. Following George over it and clearing it well he managed to land ahead of his horse, out cold for fifteen minutes and totally unaware of the pandemonium around him. Mick Walsh our resident mounted ex-paratrooper and fully trained paramedic known as "the doc" roared into action scrambling the Air ambulance, produced his GPS system to help find the exact location of Jack's backside on the turf & sending up flares as a timely reminder that Bombfire night was only 24 hours away.
Guiding the helicopter in, using his Army training techniques, arms flailing dropping to his knees in exaggerated prayer to the mighty, while they gradually set the thing down, the paramedics already on the scene were busy cutting Jacks much loved 120 year old hunting coat off him. He had been proudly wearing it, a gift from his brother who had been in hunt service all his life. The coat had an impressive hunting cv, setting the shreds of the jacket aside they continued to chop off his hunting vest, then his breeches, by now an orderly que had formed in case the boots were next.
Not to be out done, two hedges later our Bedale Hunt Chairman went down in similarly impressive fashion, his treatment & revival consisted of a visit to the pub for a pint rather than a stint in the St James Cook hospital, followed I imagine, by a serious ticking off from his much more sensible wife. The day was far from over, George had led Jack's horse back to his place while it's master was still residing in lala land. I by now happy to be home with dry clothes on & in one piece was summoned to Jacks in the wagon to collect George & Stripey. Jack & Jo's place is an immaculate combination of all things beautiful & tidy, like a little world of garden gnomes, ornamental walls & flower beds all arrived at by following the narrow drive to even narrower gateway. Turning the lorry round in such a tight space meant only one thing- more carnage as I swung it round & took out one of the posts designed to stop cars going on the grass, £600 quid later, not to mention the costs of haulage to take our Friday runners to the races while our box stood still in the repair shop. Still at least JB was alive and it wouldn't be long before he was kicking again.
Hunt tea followed at Sun Hill, rowdy & raucous, we finally wrapped the day up at midnight. Still, we got off lightly compared to hunt tea at Mary & Barry Tweddle's farm the following Saturday where a good game of cricket was enjoyed in Mary's kitchen using her scones as the ball.
On the racing front Salerosa recorded her sixth win of the year at Southwell and our 27th winner of the year. The improving mare is owned by the ever popular local business man David Barker who's wife & sister have been close friends of mine for about 20 years. The yearling's are doing well, the Indesatchel from Doncaster has been bought by Trevor Wilson owner of Minturno & What a fella, the Choisir colt by a new owner Jim Warander along with Diamond Daisy's owners Elaine & John Culf. The Marju colt is bought by a new syndicate called The Lucky Dip Syndicate, consisting of a group of owners whose horses we sold to the polo fraternity. The well related Kyllachy filly is bought by existing owners Les & Marilyn Sterling. >From Newmarket the order we had from Dave MacMahon was taken by the Hurricane Run filly, Dave also took half of the One Cool Cat filly, the Refuse to Bend has gone to Middleham Park Racing, while the Smart Strike half sister to Bavarian Nordic goes to Bavarian's owners.
The two Kodic colts are the only two we have left to sell, they are both fabulous individuals. The two we had to take to Newmarket horses in training sale as part of the Findlay & Bloom dispersal sale both found their way back home, thankfully. Harry bought back Golden Gates while we bought Cian Rooney on spec before selling him the following day to Mr & Mrs MacPherson. Raceform's errors in the form book may well have been to our advantage, the form book recorded him as being disappointing in his runs at Doncaster & York wearing blinkers. Cian Rooney has never run at Doncaster or York, nor has he ever worn blinkers! At home the talented but quirky grey hunter of George's known as Oscar has buried good friend & accomplished horseman Jonny Beardsall breaking his shoulder, weeks later he does George twice in five minutes during a home schooling session & not for the first time, however it will be his last, unwilling to sell him at home he is heading back to Ireland. Dispapointing perhaps but not half as upsetting as the Hurricane Run yearling filly we bought at Newmarket just a matter of weeks ago, she broke a pelvis & died, she hadnt even been broken in but had already started showing us what a cracking filly she was.
Among the insurance paperwork is a court summons from Co Durham Police addressed to me, having already had a visit from a very nice police lady who drove all the way from Durham Headquarters especially to show me the dvd evidence of a vehicle registered to Sun Hill, the speeding driver is unidentifiable but is is agreed that it is certainly not a woman with long blonde hair, I didnt know what to think, am I impressed at the time, effort & costs to persue a £60.00 fine or am I horrified at the huge costs & waste of Police time involved in this relatively minor incident when there are so many hideous & serious crimes being committed daily for which the Police surely need all their time & resouces if they are to protect the public at large? Answers on a post card please!
Ann Duffield
Racehorse Trainer
Sun Hill Farm, Constable Burton, nr Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5RL
Tel: 01677 450303 | Mobile: 07802 496332
E-mail: ann@annduffield.co.uk | Web: annduffield.co.uk