MIDNIGHT VALLEY STABLES
Trainer -
Jamie Taylor
CANFORD CLIFFS – 4yo Bay Colt
Henrik – Zahoo (Archbishop)
A nice scopey colt out of one of the best two horses I’ve bred for the league this year. I’m not sure quite where my milers are really as I haven’t done much work on them but I expect them to be competitive, and while he may not live up to his real life persona, I expect a bold show in whatever races I enter him for – with the Lockinge his main target.
CAPTAIN DUNNE – 3yo Chestnut Colt
Historic City – Pike Plane (Pike Bishop)
A likeable sprinter who loves York’s flying five furlongs but is very dependent on ground conditions and loves anything on the quick side of good. He’ll be entered up in Group races and should play a hand in those but he is most effective at York, so will be interesting to see what he does elsewhere beforehand.
CASUAL CONQUEST – 3yo Chestnut Colt
Rainbow High – Precious Comedy (Comedy Act)
A lovely strong galloping sort by Rainbow High, out of a 14f Gp1 winner. He loves to get his toe in so will relish any ease in the going and will be my number one for the St Leger at Doncaster later in the year, just need to ask the gods for some rain beforehand – a smart horse and will come from off the pace with a sustained burst all the way to the line.
CHARLES DICKENS – 2yo Bay Colt
Ancient Flight – Serapia (Scorpion)
A very well bred animal which I didn’t think would amount to much so retired him from my game at the end of his two-year-old campaign. A big mistake that proved as after he trialled poorly on unsuitable conditions he came into his own on good ground over 7f-1M in trials and I fully expect him to be pitching it at Group level this season.
EARLY MARCH – 3yo Bay Colt
Kingsgate Native – Event Planner (The Duke)
A promising colt with very similar ability to Captain Dunne above but is more versatile in regards track and ground. He performs best on good ground and goes well at Sandown, Newmarket and Ascot and ought to be in the shake-up in the major Group sprints this season. I think this one’s aim will be the Temple Stakes at Sandown, he’ll be tough to beat there I reckon.
EASTERN ARIA – 5yo Bay Mare
Singspiel – Mofazahaat (Manifest)
A very smart mare who I gamepooled after an impressive game career. Out of two dominant game 12f horses, she inherited the stamina of her sire and turned into a dominant force over 13f-14f. Unfortunately I overwrote the file like an idiot and I’ve never been able to get it back, so I’ve been unable to breed from her which is a major shame. She will be playing her hand in all the top 13f-14f races this season for older horses and will win a few, a very smart mare.
EXIT STAGE LEFT – 3yo Black Filly
Darsi – Exciting Comedian (Eastern Prospect)
A very likeable sort which looks like being my main Oaks contender. I have a few better than her but she trials the best at Epsom so I thought I’d throw her in, as the Oaks is a race I really enjoy winning. She likes juice in the ground and should run well in the Oaks, but we’ll see if she does anything elsewhere in due course.
GRIPSHOLM MISSILE – 4yo Bay Colt
Gripsholm Prince – Guided Missile (Historic City)
Came from one of my random experiments when breeding a 20F horse with a 5F horse and has bred this absolute freak, but he is very temperamental. I have seen him in trials charge off into the lead, and stay there 8L clear at the line (in good times) and sometimes he drops right away. He is somewhat a point and shoot merchant and I have a sneaky feeling should he get free on the lead he’ll be almost impossible to peg back – he’s either going to be an absolute superstar or a dud, and I couldn’t honestly say which, which makes it all the more exciting.
GRISPHOLM MASTER – 4yo Chestnut Colt
Noble Prince – Gripsholm Castle (Tastahil)
A strong striding sort but ground dependent. Will relish any ease in conditions and comes into his own when getting his testing conditions. I think he’s going to be a very good handicapper in the league, and could potentially make it into a low-level Group horse but it’s tough for an older horse to take on the young-uns at top level so we’ll have to see how he gets on.
HENRIK – 2yo Bay Colt
Captain Dunne – Historic Flight (Historic City)
One of the most impressive horses I’ve ever bred and is equally as good over 5f and 6f. He is an absolute machine on Good ground and dominates everything I have at York, goes well at Ascot and Newmarket but really is fierce on the knavesmire. I expect him to be picking up prizes throughout the season, he looks top class.
JARDINES LOOKOUT – 3yo Bay Colt
I Swear – Hawayil
A very smart front-running colt which has an immense liking for Longchamp, so we are thinking Prix Du Cadran with him at the moment. He isn’t quite good enough around Ascot or Doncaster so we’ll likely go the handicap route with him before heading to Longchamp for Arc week whereby he’ll be a serious force in the stayers’ showpiece.
JIMMY STYLES – 2yo Chestnut Filly
Historic City – Pike Harbour (Pike Bishop)
A 3 parts sister to Captain Dunne, she has trialled well but I’m not sure where my two-year-old fillies are at really as I trial them separate to my colts. She looks the part and goes well at Ascot especially, and ought to be competitive this season, quite whether she is top class remains to be seen but you’ve got to be in it to win it.
LOST HARBOUR – 3yo Bay Filly
Rockport Harbour – Pearl Power (Power)
Will be my 1000 Guineas horse and I have to be hopeful rather than confident she’ll be landing the spoils at Newmarket, she seems to be versatile in regards track and goes well on most grounds so she is worth taking a chance with in what should be a competitive area. Should make a few places along the way but quite whether she is up to winning at the top level remains to be seen.
MIDNIGHT PLANE – 4yo Bay Filly
Midnight City – Namibian Plane (Namibian Art)
A likeable daughter of Midnight City, she has done everything right so far in trials and will be plying her trade in handicaps with the Victoria Cup her main target. There should be races to be won with her as she trials well with horses younger than her which is always a good sign and goes well at most tracks which is a bonus.
MODERN ARCH – 3yo Bay Filly
Archbishop – Modena (Dick Turpin)
Lovely filly with plenty of class about her and she’ll be competitive in races from 10f-12f this season based on what her homework is showing me. She is another who goes really well at York, also at Ascot but isn’t great around Epsom so we might swerve there and head for the Ribblesdale instead.
MODERN HARBOUR – 3yo Bay Colt
Captains Harbour – Midday (Rip Van Winkle)
A horse I’ve bred at basically the eleventh hour, and was a chance trial I threw him into and I’m so glad I did. A soft ground specialist he is an absolute machine on soft ground and blasts all my sprinters into the ground over that distance at Ascot, so if we get any rain this season beware, he’s coming for you – we like him a lot but he is ground dependent.
NAMIBIAN PLANE – 3yo Chestnut Filly
Namibian Art – Melbourne Jet (Melbourne Harbour)
A smart filly with plenty of size about her, she will be plying her trade over seven furlongs this season and has enough about her to suggest she’ll pick up a prize or two. Goes well at Ascot and Newmarket and I expect her to do well, versatile regarding ground.
NAMIBIAN SUMMER – 2yo Bay Filly
Namibian Art – Days Of Summer (Great Sensei)
A last minute trial session saw this one get in the yard instead of Gripsholm Native. It was a tough one but she seems to do very well over 6F and given I’ve already got a 5F filly in Jimmy Styles this looked the best move to bring this filly in for the slightly further distances. If she runs how she has been running just in my kit, then she’ll be winning races against her own sex.
NOBLE PRINCE – 3yo Chestnut Colt
Tastahil – Juniper Girl (Dragon Flyer)
The best stayer I have in the yard but he needs a true pace which I’m unsure he’ll get in the league really. Should he get a true test then he’ll win the Ascot Gold Cup as nothing can touch him at home over that distance. It’s all about tactics though in the league over that sort of trip so it all remains to be seen if he’ll act on the big stage – I really hope he does though, he’s a class act.
NOUSHKEY – 5yo Black Mare
Dick Turpin – Colombian Cut (Rip Van Winkle)
A game and workmanlike mare, she will be running over 9F this season as she doesn’t quite get home over ten furlongs. She should be competitive over that distance and looks a handicap prospect at the moment with a view to branching into the lower echelons of group class as we progress through the season.
POWER – 3yo Bay Colt
Red Gala – Quenched (Evening Note)
A smart and tenacious colt, he is my 2000 Guineas horse and he goes really well at Newmarket, Ascot and the Curragh. He is slightly ground dependent in that he likes it good, although can go on the quick side – I’m not sure where he’ll be in regards others but I hope he is good enough to pitch it at the top level.
PRINCESS RAJWAHEE – 2yo Bay Filly
Rajwa – Princess Akihito (Emperor Akihito)
I haven’t done much work on this area and she is about the best I have of my fillies. Will be aimed at the May Hill Stakes and Fillies Mile but I’m thinking she may be the best of a bad bunch so wouldn’t be too confident over her chances in the league really – she could surprise me though, she was awful at three however.
REGAL FORM – 3yo Bay Filly
Henrik – Regal Arch (Archbishop)
A horse I’m very excited about running this season, she is bred for 9F but is an absolute machine over 10F in that in 9 of my trials over various tracks and conditions she won them all – that is some achievement. She has a lovely attitude and a willingness to run all the way to the line and she’ll be campaigned in all the top level group races this season, she could return at four also.
REGAL THEORY – 2yo Bay Colt
Henrik – Regal Writer (Dick Turpin)
A smart colt which didn’t make the cut at three, he seems to trial very well over 9F in the league and looks like being a smart handicapper/low end group horse. He doesn’t quite see out the 10f trip and neither does he get going quick enough over a mile so he’s very much limited to once distance – could win races though.
SAMURAI GUARD – 3yo Bay Colt
Great Sensei – Gala Pearl (Red Gala)
Likes it rattling quick and will be used as a handicapper in the league, with a view to targeting the Wokingham Handicap with him at Royal Ascot. He is a smart sort who should pay his way this season but would have some work to do, to trouble my best – might win one or two this year but no star.
SCORPION ROCK – 3yo Bay Colt
Scorpion – Gripsholm Planner (Gripsholm Prince)
This colt is seriously good, and like an idiot I retired him at the end of his three-year-old campaign thinking he was rubbish (wrong!). I’ve lost him for good and he puts in an unbelievable turn of foot over 12F (stiff tracks) but is more effective over 13F in all truth. I’ve pencilled in a listed race at Doncaster for this fellow after Week 1, and we’ll then go there and if he does well in that we could well pitch up at the Irish Derby.
STAR DRUMMER – 3yo Chestnut Colt
Starspangledbanner – Marching Drummer (Frederick Engels)
Looks about the best of a bad bunch really in all honesty, and needs rattling quick ground to be seen at his very best. Will be kept to 7f’s this season and should win a handicap or two, or possibly a low end group race if everything drops right for him.
STARS AND CLOUDS – 3yo Chestnut Filly
Starspangledbanner – Marching Cloud (Cloud Guard)
A very nice filly from the family of Samurai Guard, and she looks about my best 6f horse (other than on soft). I like her a lot and she loves decent ground around Ascot, even Newmarket and I expect her to be getting competitive in Group 1 races this season.
TASTAHIL – 3yo Bay Colt
Dabbing – Hawayil
A half brother to Jardines Lookout but not nearly as potent as him at Longchamp, this horse has a preference for Ascot but also goes well at Doncaster. Seems more tactically versatile regarding pace than Noble Prince so we’ll have to see which one we send to Ascot for the Gold Cup – a nice prospect though and should win races.
ZAHOO – 5yo Bay Mare
Archbishop – Noushkey (Dick Turpin)
An excellent mare who will be competitive over 10f this season. She wouldn’t be too far off Regal Form really, and I have high aspirations for this filly winning a Group 1 before the season it out.
CLASS HORSE –
REGAL FORM
DARK HORSE –
MODERN HARBOUR