Runner Highlights

August has been a superb month for Whitehouse stables, with us having 4 winners, and 8 horses place!

WOODHAY WAYFARER (above) got off the mark on her handicap debut at Newmarket on Thursday 6th August, winning the Knight Frank Suffolk Heritage Nursery Handicap over a mile, ridden by Saffie Osborne.

The two year old filly travelled prominently throughout the five runner contest, and settled nicely. She was ridden along two furlongs from home, and made her move to the front over one furlong out. She kept on strongly inside the final furlong, and crossed the line 1 1/4 lengths clear.

This daughter of space blues is owned by Matthew Webber and Toby Ward, and this first victory provides plenty of encouragement for what should be an exciting remainder of her two year old campaign.

DIAMOND BAY (above) got back to winning ways at Lingfield on the 18th August, under Henry Callan in the 2 mile Amateur Jockeys Handicap. He raced quietly in mid field throughout, and started moving forward just 2 furlongs from home, taking the win by 1 length. He was backing up his recent 2nd place at Newbury last month.

The 8 year old has now had 9 wins throughout his career, and has won nearly £150k in prize money. He is a yard favourite who is very sweet natured, but likes to keep us all on our toes from time to time! He is owned by Ebury Racing 5, and was bred by Biddestone Stud.

KNIGHTS GOLD (above) headed to Brighton on 23rd August for his second start since joining the yard. Having placed 2nd at Windsor just 10 days before, he backed this up to take the Blackmore Design & Build Handicap. He was well held towards the rear of the field by Billy Loughnane, who timed it perfectly to push forwards 1 furlong from home, to win by 1/2 a length.

He is a 4 year old gelding by Dark Angel, out of Samira Gold, owned by Adam Spratt.

One To Watch

PEABERRY had his second start at Wolverhampton on 18th August, and came second, only being beaten by a neck. He is a gelding by Caturra, out of the Vale of York mare Vetlana, who Tom purchased from the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling sale for 13,000 euros. He is a very exciting horse for his owners, The Whitehouse Stable Syndicate, and they have all enjoyed going to watch both of this runs, and love coming to see him at the yard.

SPOTLIGHT:

Our new mini series will be looking at various different topics over the next few months and focusing on a wide range of industry news as well as interesting racehorse-specific subjects. If you have any suggestions for the series or if there is something that you would like to know more about, then please do let us know by emailing [email protected]

Many racegoers will have seen the letters ‘WS’ next to a horse’s name in a racecard. WS stands for wind surgery, and indicates that a horse has undergone a recognised wind operation since its previous run. The abbreviation appears for the horse’s first run following the surgery, and the specific type of operation is not shown on the racecard.

At a full gallop, a racehorse can move around 1,500 liters of air through it’s respiratory tract every minute. Any obstruction to this airflow can slow the horse down, delay recovery, and cause the horse to make an abnormal noise.

Air enters though the nostrils and travels through the nasal passages and pharynx, past the soft palate, through the larynx, and down the trachea before reaching the lungs. Because the horse needs to move such a huge volume of air during strenuous exercise, even relatively small abnormalities in the upper airway can become significant.

How are wind problems diagnosed?

Many upper airway problems can be difficult to identify when a horse is standing still, as some only occur during strenuous exercise. An overground or dynamic endoscopic examination (shown below) allows a veterinarian to watch the horse’s airway while it is exercising. An endoscope is passed through the nostril and the horse is worked at speed, allowing the vet to see how the different structures are functioning and if a problem occurs.

Tie Back surgery (prosthetic laryngoplasty) is used for horses who are described as whistlers/ roarers. The condition is caused by dysfunction of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which results in weakness or paralysis of the muscles responsible for opening the arytenoid cartilage. It is most commonly seen on the left side. During strenuous exercise, the affected arytenoid may fail to open fully and can collapse into the airway, restricting airflow and producing the characteristic respiratory noise.

During a tie-back operation, a permanent suture is placed to hold the affected arytenoid cartilage in a more open position. This increases the size of the airway and allows air to pass more freely during high-intensity exercise. Below, image A shows a larynx before surgery, not fully open, and image B shows it after a successful tieback surgery.

A Hobday operation, also known as a ventriculectomy/cordectomy is often performed alongside a tie back. The procedure involves removing some tissue from the lining of the larynx, and part or all of the vocal fold. The resulting changes help to increase the airway space and reduce respiratory noise. A tie back is generally used to provide the mechanical opening of the airway, while the Hobday addresses the associated structures within the larynx.

Another common upper-airway problem in racehorses is dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP). The soft palate is a sheet of tissue located behind the mouth, underneath the epiglottis. Normally, the epiglottis sits above the soft palate. During DDSP, the soft palate moves upwards and over the epiglottis, disrupting the normal seal between the mouth and nasal passages and interfering with airflow during exercise. It can produce the distinctive “gurgling” or “choking” noise that is sometimes heard from racehorses.

One surgical treatment for this is soft palate cautery, sometimes referred to as having the palate “fired”. Small areas of the soft palate are cauterised, creating scar tissue and increasing the stiffness of the tissue. The aim is to make the palate less likely to displace during strenuous exercise.

Another surgical option for horses affected by DDSP is the laryngeal tie forward. Rather than holding the arytenoid open, as with a tie back, this procedure moves the larynx forward and upwards by securing it to a bone at the top of the horse’s mouth. This changes the relationship between the larynx, epiglottis and soft palate, making it more difficult for the soft palate to displace during exercise.

There are several different causes of upper-airway obstruction in racehorses, which is why identifying the exact problem is so important. The purpose of wind surgery is not simply to make a horse “breathe better”, but to address a specific abnormality identified through veterinary examination and, where appropriate, dynamic endoscopy. Different treatment options depend on the individual horse and the cause of the problem. Management can include changes to training, tack and exercise, while surgical options are available when conservative management is unsuccessful.

Upcoming Sales

Throughout the next few months, over 2,000 yearlings will be going through the sales rings, and Tom and Alex will be attending all the major sales in the UK, Ireland and France. 

There are lots of different ways to get involved, so if you are interested in racehorse ownership, or being part of a syndicate or partnership, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss the different options available. 

The dates for this year’s remaining sales are below:

22nd - 23rd September - Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale

28th - 29th September - Goffs Orby Yearling Sale (Book 1)

30th September - 1st October - Goffs Orby Yearling Sale (Book 2)

6th - 8th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 1

12th - 14th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 2

15th - 16th October - Tattersalls Yearlings Book 3 & 4

23rd November - Tattersalls December Yearling Sale

Meet the Team

New Employee Stuart is in the hot seat this month! Stuart joined the team at the beginning of August, having worked in flat and National Hunt yards previously. 

Age & where you’re from:

26, from Sandhurst

Favourite horse:

Make a Splash

Favourite Racing Moment:

Seeing a horse that I ride everyday win a decent race

If you had a fully paid trip to anywhere, where would you go?

Hawaii

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Magneto Powers

If you didn’t work in racing, what would be your dream job?

Being a video game tester

Horses for Sale

At Whitehouse Stables we have a selection of different ownership options to suit everyone’s budget. This could be the purchase of a horse outright, or maybe even a smaller share.

Please see below a selection of horses on offer at the moment - head to our website or email [email protected] for more information or to register your interest.

SAM SMOKE

This is an exciting four year old mare by the proven National Hunt sire Scorpion, who comes to us having won her most recent point-to-point, on just her third start. Sam Smoke boasts an excellent jumping pedigree; her dam, Theatre Belle, was a four time winner over hurdles, while Sam Smoke is a half-sister to four winners over hurdles and fences. With stamina and jumping ability firmly in the family, she has all the attributes to develop into an exciting staying mare.

Shares are now available, so if you would like the opportunity to get involved with this progressive young mare, please get in touch. The price includes a 10% stake in the horse, training fees and all racing expenses.

£5,900 per share (all in until May 1st , 2027)

or

£4,200 per share (until Dec 1st, 2026) with a top fee of £1,700 (due thereafter)

GALILEO ISLAND

We purchased Galileo Island at the July Sale in Newmarket for 34,000gns. In this market he was incredible value in comparison to horses rated in a similar band. He is a lightly raced three-year-old with incredibly strong form, including his last start - 3rd against progressive horses at Leicester. He is a horse we took on a few times last year with our 2 year-olds, and he always showed a solid level of consistency.

Having only run 11 times; winning twice, and finishing in the top three eight times, this horse looks to be a fun prospect with a bright future.

Tom’s comments;

“We purchased him as a colt, and subsequently decided to geld him whilst he had a nice recuperation break at Jamie Magee’s. Gelding a horse like him is likely to bring out even more improvement, and based on his current level of form he will be racing in some valuable handicaps in the second half of this season. I feel he is worth stepping up in trip (from 7f to 1m) especially taking into account his pedigree. This will also give us more race options.”

50% Share - £20,108

25% - £10,054

*Price includes purchase & sales fees, transport & keep until week of  27th July.