Donaldson Family and Friends Racing.

01/08/2024

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the horses!!
These are all our beautiful horses at the moment (some are in the comments!).
Let’s hope for a good year ahead!

26/07/2024

Timmy gave his all for a close fighting third.

He was a victim of circumstance that he was drawn wide and jumped so well, yet was not wanting to compete in an early speed battle, so young Sarah Field made the right move at tempo to cross them after settling and take up the lead.

He fought on well.

25/07/2024

Timmy [TIMBOLTON] is second fave and the top tip at Echuca today, he should run well.

20/07/2024

Here is a photo of Em and her husband Sean, they are in Katherine N.T and got to hold the 2024 Melbourne Cup. Now i love Em, so i wont be cruel and suggest that this is the nearest thing that a Carlton supporter will get to holding a major cup this year….. i just won’t do that 🤐🤥

19/07/2024

Update from Michael Christian on our broodmare CHEVYS STAR.

She is due to foal a HANSEATIC baby soon, if you are a breeding enthusiast - look at the pedigree. quite possibly the best horse we have ever bred.

13/07/2024

Great effort by Timmy to run 2nd.

That track is suiting the leader and those hard against the rail….. another great ride by young Sarah Field [she is going to have a great career] as Timmy has been running best when just off the pace. Unfortunately the leader kicked away on the turn and we just missed catching him after negotiating a clear passage.

13/07/2024

Was not Bubba’s day, the pattern appears to be up front and on the rails.

We were drawn wide and a slow beginner so it was going to be hard. However, a good ride from young apprentice Sarah Field who is beginning her career, let Bubba ease and then started sliding from the 800m.

The Warracknabeal head on camera down the straight makes the leaders look further ahead, i think he finished within 6 lengths of the winner.

He may need a few weeks before the next run, horses that have finished behind him previously have been winning or running a place…. He will find the right race soon

12/07/2024

Donald has been ABANDONED …. so races moved to Warracknabeal.

Track expected to be very heavy and unfortunately race distance drops to 1200m

Both horses encountering a big drop in distance on their last start/s over 1500/1600.

We are still racing.

12/07/2024

Off to Donald on Saturday with two strong chances.

Bubba [NORWEGIAN SPORIT] drops back to 1350m and on the turf again, we expect a strong showing.

Timmy [TIMBOLTON] needs another horse to scratch as he is 2nd emergency, however is the “top tip” for many corporate bookies.

10/07/2024

Just Wishing has found a new home.
She is going to be a show horse!
We look forward to seeing her in the show ring!

09/07/2024

JUST WISHING is currently on Inglis let’s hope she finds the best of homes.

In placing a bid you acknowledge that you have made your enquiries and/or you have had the lot inspected by a vet, agent or other third party on your behalf.

05/07/2024

Did not finish off the 1500m as well as others [worked harder than expected early], so back to the 1300-1400 and hope he starts/jumps that well again next time. Had he of began like that in the past starts, he might have won a couple by now….

So he jumped from the rear and was surprised to see “he worked forward strongly to get up on pace”, suggests he is capable and ready for a solid 1300-1400 next start - just needs to jump like that again.

04/07/2024

Bubba [NORWEGIAN SPIRIT] is racing at Ballarat on Friday over 1500m and on the Synthetic AWT [all weather track].

We would be supremely confident based on his last start in “class record time” on a track rated a “slow 5”, considering he missed the start and was giving them 7 lengths from the 800m

He may have looked a bit disappointing in the final 200m, however they really worked hard and he was flat out from the last 900-1000m and still passed 6 horses down the straight.

We are not worried about missing the start over 1500m, refer the slo-mo close up video in the comments section. He is just a big young “scaredy cat” that will not stretch out from the start - watch the video.

Our 2 unknowns are:
A) First time on the synthetic - not every horse likes the surface
B) Will he be strong over 1500m in just his 6th start, its a big rise, yet it compensate for being lethargic from the barriers

Bet cautiously and each way, he opened at $8.50 last night and is into $6.00 already.

02/07/2024

JUST WISHING - winner of 5 races and $126,000 in prize money! She has been a fantastic horse for us but it is with regret that we move her on as we are a small stable in Bendigo with 3 young horses that are broken in and ready to start work, as such she is for genuine sale without a reserve.

Her future off the track is bound for success, as daughters of So YOU THINK have already produced black type winners FIREBURN, KINTYRE & CAROLINE STREET.

As a broodmare sire, So You Think has only produced 140+ runners, with 71 winners at just under 50% winners to runners.

Standing at around 17hh and with her stunning looks she is bound to turn heads in the show ring!

She will be put on Inglis auction site in the coming week.

28/06/2024

On a funnier side, the commentators recited a funny story about Graham and Jen for about 60 seconds before the race…. If you don’t know rhe story, its a good listen.

It’s a typical Donaldson story… we should write a book Graham 😩

28/06/2024

Head scratcher…. Won in BM 0-58 last start and dropped down to a BM 52.

Was 3 wide all the way after drawing barrier 7 and probably further forward on tempo then expected.

Just did not run a strong 1600m today.

27/06/2024

Timmy is running at Warracknabeal on Friday and is the “BEST OF THE DAY” on bets bets.

Opened at $3.80 fave, we expect him to shorten in the market.

He will be very difficult to beat [as long as handles the 1600m] and we really expect a very positive result.

21/06/2024

Ellie [JUST WISHING] is racing at Donald on Saturday.

With all the youngster’s coming through, she needs to find some of her amazing winning form of the past - to hold her position in our strong young stable.

Ellie is a daughter of So You Think and has loads of ability, fingers crossed she brings that to the races on Saturday.

20/06/2024

In referencing to the previous post, here is the Video [bubba’s race is the top clip]. Watch the jockeys hustling for the early lead in our race compared to the jockeys arms in the race below. So he perhaps jumped ok - just could not muster speed.

Anyway, you can see from the 800m our race turned on the pace and it may have looked like he was struggling - in fact it was a great effort] and he would have just won the strong BM58….

20/06/2024

The race 30 minutes after us was a strong BM58, its two levels above a BM0-58 and Maiden. Our race was a quicker time and Bubba would have just won that next race. you can see from the tempo that our race was really travelling before the 800m.

Its the luck of the draw, your maiden is the hardest to win and we had 2 smart ones ahead of us.

20/06/2024

We missed the start [i think he may have to get behind the mobile barrier with a few pacers to learn how to fly the gates].

Bubba was 10 lengths off the leader at the 600m, fought on well for a good 3rd [shortened into a solid $7 third favourite] and i think the first 2 are pretty smart.

Official margin 3.9 lengths and Froggy Newitt eased up in the last 50m.

That was only his fifth start and his 3rd time in a premier maiden and he is really close to a victory at this higher level - stick with us, it’s amazing that Bubba even made it to the track after his troubles as a weanling/yearling….. we just love him and he will find his winning race very soon.

19/06/2024

Lightly raced 3yo Bubba [NORWEGIAN SPIRIT] is in an open aged premier maiden on Thursday at Wangaratta.

He is “top pick” on Ladbrokes and Blue Bet, having opened at $23 he is firming and at the time of this post is $13.

We have engaged top jockey and known strong rider Craig Newitt in the effort to overcome his issue of missing the jump from the barriers.

Whilst he is still learning after only 5 starts, we know who he has beaten in track work and suggest he his cherry ripe and ready to show you his best at Wangaratta, furthermore the 1300m distance will be of benefit and consider him at minimum a strong each way proposition.

17/06/2024

Explanation of different silks…..

Hope this photo explains it better:

Graham and Em’s foundation colours are the blue and yellow.

Trevor’s colours are the Navy, White and Tangerine - we use these colours as symbolic of the horses we breed ourselves.

Bianca and Leigh created the cerise and yellow colours for horses we buy to race [normally fillies/mares - they become our future breeding program]. The current syndicate is Bianca, Leigh, Graham, Em and Trev plus all the home bred horses also run in these colours/ownership.

No other reason - if you would like to race with us, we are often looking at horses to buy [milers, stayers, well priced sprinters] that are already in work and ready to race - these would be a group purchase [at true cost] and run in a different set of syndicate colours that i will post as a comment on this post. Just let us know if you are interested and we can start a new syndicate.

15/06/2024

Spoke with Graham after the race, we both agreed - “we declared him home at the 200m”, if only every win was that satisfying.

Great ride by Jackie Beriman and genius move by Graham to add a Norton Bit [stops the horse from pulling hard in the race]

Satisfying for the stable and we expect Bubba [Norwegian Spirit} to salute at either Wangaratta on Thursday or Donald next weekend. The stable also has another 3 youngsters coming through…. GINGER, DAISY & BOOTS - its going to be an exciting period for everyone.

15/06/2024

Great win by TIMMY….

Ridden patiently and saved for a final launch from the 400m - “Timmy went bang” for a rewarding victory.

14/06/2024

Timmy is in the last race at Bendigo today.

Outstanding effort last start and has the fastest average and closing speeds of all runners today [based on competitors last run].

Expecting him to be finishing the race strongly - good each way chance ✔️

13/06/2024

Ellie [JUST WISHING] is racing on her favourite surface - the synthetic track at Ballarat.

Two important notes:

1) now up to the more favourable 1400m

2) Will race with a Norton Bit - should make her settle better and be able to finish off the race.

From barrier 3 and carrying only 56kg, you would expect her to be forward and at a nice tempo.

08/06/2024

We are proud to confirm that one of our fellow owners Ms Bianca Stone has convincingly won pre-selection to run as a candidate for the Gold Coast seat of Gaven.

Many of you may know her as an award winning journalist that recently resigned from her role on the Seven network as the face of Queensland daily news, to consider her future and also ponder a political career.

Bianca is also the wordsmith who creates our horses race names.

We congratulate Bianca and trust that the stable can provide some upcoming winners whilst she is also enjoying professional victories.

Bravo and good luck….

07/06/2024

Great return by Bubba. He missed the start, hampered down the straight…. Yet finished strong. The jockey jumped straight off and said “very unlucky”…. Put this horse over 1400m next start.

The video shows a reduced length of the start, mid race and the final 40)m. Have also included the official race photo showing 2.4 length margin and then the head on of final 200m

Reviewed the race many times, the start was the difference, if he jumped and held a top 4 spot - we would have been hard to run down. Stick with us for next start.