Harry's Stable Whispers

IT'S a boy! I've just had the telephone call that I have been waiting for over two weeks.

The stud informed me at 9.45pm yesterday that Pride of Whalley had the foal which is black, so it will be a grey, and both mother and foal are doing great.

I was due to be up at the stud at 9am today.

Every time the phone rang I had been running to answer it, so good news.

I was very impressed to see our own two year old Hambleton Highlite, ridden by Iona Hands, lead Eastern Purple, a Group Three winner ridden by Mark Bird, on the gallops at Hambleton on Saturday morning.

Iona Wands said she had intended taking a lead from the older horse, but Highlite had other ideas which is very unusual for a two year old at this stage of their training.

Everybody who has ridden him thinks he is a bit special, including Kevin Darley.

I am waiting for John Carroll to come home from Dubai in a couple of weeks to see what he thinks, as he will be first jockey at Hambleton. John has been riding for Godolphin in Dubai, so he will have a good idea how good our horse is.

I am off to Dubai in the middle of March and John Carroll has organised a visit to Godolphin's stables for me, so I hope to get all the info for you.

Tomorrow at Lingfield Les Eyres is sending Ring of Love all the way to Lingfield and last time he went there Les told us he was not going all that way for nothing and the same goes tomorrow. He's also sending Boomshadow who belongs to Claire King, who played Kim Tate in Emmerdale, and this horse worked very impressively on the gallops last Saturday.

I told you last week that Kevin Ryan's horses looked great and, yes, two winners for the stable followed.

On Thursday at Wolverhampton Ribble Valley owner Candice Reilly has a great chance of her first win in 2000 with Cool Prospect if he can produce the form he has been showing on the gallops.

Also, in the same race she has My Tyson, so we are hoping the race is split into two. Both are in great form, but Cool Prospect is my nap.

I had lunch with Francis Norton who rides Sand Hawk on Friday and he tells me this horse is still ahead of the handicapper.

Have a good week.

TIPS FOR THE WEEK:

Lingfield (Wednesday) Ring of Love (Nap)

Lingfield (Wednesday) Boomshadow (EW)

Wolverhampton (Thursday) Cool Prospect (Nap)

Southwell (Friday) Sand Hawk (Nap)

Lingfield (Saturday) Service Star (Nap)

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.