Steve Taplin Racing

Hello and welcome to my website, designed to inform horse racing fans of my racing syndicates and my annual books on two-year-olds.

Gritstone will be ‘flying the flag’ for us in 2012 and I’m on the look out for another nice horse to join him. If you’d like information on having a share please get in touch

Gritstone ‘completed the double’ for us at Wolverhampton in October, winning nicely and giving us every confidence that he can win again for us.  He’ll certainly be a smashing horse to enjoy the 2012 Flat Season with.

The Partnership’s new horse, Gritstone, won for us at the second time of asking at Wolverhampton on the 7th October.  It was the fastest time on the card and we’re hoping for a good all-weather season with him now.  Apprentice Lee Topliss had him in an ideal position throughout the race and we had an exciting final two furlongs as he began to dominate and draw clear of his rivals.

On June 4th, Paul Hanagan steered our colt Adlington to victory at Musselburgh, winning by 3 lengths.  A nice colt by Dansili, Richard Fahey and his team have really improved him this year.   We’re chuffed to bits with him.

Adlington and Paul Hanagan

Adlington is improving and we have to feel pleased with the way trainer Richard Fahey has brought him on.  He’s the sixth individual winner for our Partnership….now let’s see if Great Charm can make it No.7!

Great Charm and Adlington have started their 2011 seasons and we’re looking forward to entering the winner’s enclosure with them.  Adlington ran a very promising race at Haydock Park, whilst Great Charm is waiting in the wings for the rain to appear!  The trainers are happy with them both.

By clicking on the link below you will access the SHOP section of the Racing Post website.  Then click on ‘Flat Racing’ and you can order your copy of my new book.

https://www.racingpost.com/bookshop/home.sd

This morning a sizeable contingent of Living Legend Partners were lucky enough to visit our trainer Richard Fahey in Yorkshire, chiefly to see our three-year-old colt Adlington.  He was posed for our cameras and then warmed up in the indoor riding arena before setting off up the stiff gallop, doing about six furlongs.  A son of the fantastic sire Dansili, Adlington was relatively weak as a two-year-old and we’re giving him the time to mature before he ‘hits the track’ in 2011.  That should be in April, all being well.  Richard is happy with him and feels that the horse is strengthening now.  He added that sons and daughters of Dansili usually improve after their first season racing. 

Richard and his assistant, Robin O’Ryan, kindly answered all our questions and spent plenty of time with us.  Afterwards we trooped off for lunch at the Derwent Arms in Malton – a place we can definitely recommend.  A good morning was had by all. 

The partners were very pleased with Adlington and especially pleased he’s being trained at such a successful establishment.  We’re certainly happy with our new acquisition.  Steve

Avid readers of the “Two-Year-Olds” books will be pleased to hear that this year’s edition will be published at the end of April.  

Each year my first job, beginning in late summer, is to search all the current yearling catalogues looking for horses with the potential to be included in the book.  For each one of them I research the pedigree, using the catalogue pages as the starting point and then glancing at the Racing Post website for any recent winners from the family.  I’m always aware that despite researching a few thousand horses over a six month period, I’ll have to discard half of them for one reason or another.  Maybe they aren’t in training in the Spring, or perhaps the trainer will suggest he’s disappointed with them and doesn’t want them added.  I then look at the homebred yearlings that didn’t go to the Sales - horses owned by such as the Maktoum family, Juddmonte Farms, Cheveley Park Stud etc.  Finally, during my interviews with the trainers they’ll suggest other 2-y-o’s I need to put in the book, which leads to yet more pedigree research throughout April and a frantic rush to get the book published in time.   Hopefully my readers will think it’s all worthwhile.  Steve.

In mid-January some of the partners of the Living Legend Racing Partnership had a lovely morning out to see two of our horses for 2011. The gelding Great Charm and the unnamed two-year-old Bahamian Bounty filly were paraded for us and the former was put through his paces in the lunging ring. Everyone was thrilled at their progress and we’re looking forward to having a great year at the Races!