Venetia Williams

Well she's never had a blank February before.

But then she'd never had a blank January before the one just gone.

Hill Of Tara has been a tracker horse of mine for a long while since it won a hurdle race on heavy at Haydock late 2023. Although it had a follow up win everything after that has been very average although he was sent chasing soon after. He is back to 1lb above his last winning mark and if fit "should" hopefully go well on the likely ground. I am not on yet and was hoping for a bigger price but it seems I have missed it. He was as big as 15/2 last night so fingers crossed today is the day for him to return to winning ways.

Here's hoping Hill of Tara will prove to be a rare ray of sunshine to lift the gloom of this horrible winter for ever-smiling Venetia. I'm on but hoping I haven't jinxed the lovely lady.

G/L with it Horatio.  I think we would all like to see Venetia enjoy a turnaround in fortune.

Agree ihal essex and LH....been very quiet for the stable...would love to see them turnaround sooner rather than later

Hill of Tara couldn’t even last 2 circuits before pulling up, the only reason to run horses when they are out of form is to reduce their h’cap mark

Let her have a winner before making any more donations is my advice

Money was down today, one bad jump ruinous, ridiculous to suggest it was a handicap-reducing exercise. Keep the faith!

I think you’ll see money for her horses because people are trying to preempt the bandwagon

It certainly wasn't the bad jump that caused the defeat.
There is a problem in the Yard which is not showing up on tests.

Definite;y something blighting the yards runners this term, with her preference for winter ground she will probably pull up sticks for this season after Cheltenham, will be a long time to wait but next winter she will have some very well handicapped Horses in the yard, this season can be written off, if shes banging them in by the Showcase meeting come October i will be delighted for her.

paulybad • February 9, 2026 5:52 PM GMT
something blighting the yards runners this term

it stretches back longer than that

I remember going to the Pub in early November and buying the Racing Outlook for a read over a pint. The columnist (can't rememeber who?) quite rightly highlighted the fact that where as there always is an influx of winners in that month and the following month, she is in fairness like clockwork the minute the ground changes.

Deutschs numbers have obviously fallen off as well and he would be a jock who you would think would be or could be being lined up for a top job somewhere, whether that be Henderson's or Nicholl's imo.

Maybe the timing of poor form has affected him the most?

excuse grammar should have re read

Nothing wrong with Charlie,Horatio.
No jockey ever born can win on out of form horses whatever the reason for it

Agreed UTI...just thought with all the jock changes going on he may have benefited from a move...just bad timing for his main stables form.

I thought Nicholls may have chanced him?

Form is temporary but class is permanent,Horatio.
The horses will com right eventually

Agreed UTI

It’s very depressing to see how poorly the VW horses continue to run.

How do you think Venetia feels,flag of goats?

Quaff a few more ports in her mansion to get over it irons perhaps...?

Has a runner tomorrow at local track hereford but you can't back them currently, similarly Sheila Lewis was progressing nicely and now hasn't had a winner in 4 months, both Hereford fans maybe tomorrow will see a change of fortune.

There is something wrong with the horses we know that and most certainly she knows that, she will have been having every one of them tested to the far end of a  f**t but obviously they are not finding the problem.
The O'neils shut there their stable down till before Xmas when they had a problem and they seem to have got over it. surely running horses in heavy groung when there is something clearly wrong with them borders on desperation to rank bad judgement.