Kevin Ryan’s Owners’ Day is a well-established highlight of our social calendar and once again proved a great occasion again on Sunday.
A mainstay in our social diary for nearly 20 years for our owners with Kevin, this day has always been popular with owners, and the Hambleton team once again put all their efforts into ensuring everyone had an enjoyable time, both on Kevin’s private gallops and in and around Hambleton Lodge.
Arriving at the gallops to prepare, it was lovely to see blue skies and a cloudless sky, which very much set the tone for the day.
A large number of our owners joined Kevin Ryan on the gallops to see the Hambleton horses in action, first on the gallops and then again at the parade in Kevin’s yard.
Owners were greeted on the gallops by the Hambleton team and our coffee providers for the day, who offered out tasty treats to compliment cappuccinos and lattes.
As owners enjoyed the complimentary catering and talked horses, anticipation grew that the horses were imminent as trainer Kevin Ryan arrived on the gallops ahead of the Hambleton string cantering past.
Highlights from the gallops with Kevin
Hambleton’s Director Of Racing Simon Turner, took to the microphone and guided owners through the horses as they came past the gallery.
The equine stars of the morning looked in fine condition as they exercised on Kevin’s woodchip gallop, led by our recent acquisition Lord Capulet.
Jockeys Tom Eaves and Oisin McSweeney were among the riders in action, giving up their free Sunday morning to come in and ride for our owners which was great to see.
After the gallops action, owners from our horse racing syndicates moved down into Kevin’s yard to see their horses at closer quarters in the horse parade. The horses looked in fantastic condition as they paraded in front of the gallery.
Yard parade insights featuring Washington Heights and new recruits
Simon was once again on hand with microphone in hand to welcome our owners to the parade before talking through the history of each horse, and what the next few months were likely to hold for each member of our equine team.
This year’s Listed winner Washington Heights looked in great order ahead of his upcoming trip to France while our new recruit from the Premier Yearling Sales by Naval Crown caught the eye with his snazzy coat and impressive looks. He’ll be hoping to follow in the hoofprints of Washington Heights in time.
With the horses safely back in their boxes owners then enjoyed a relaxed tour of Kevin Ryan‘s yard before heading off to the nearby award-winning Carpenters Arms, for lunch.
Owners’ lunch at the Carpenters Arms and afternoon celebrations
The award-winning Carpenter’s has been hosting our owners for well over a decade and once again proved the perfect venue for us to enjoy their complimentary two-course lunch. As you’d expect at such an excellent venue, the food was of a fine standard.
Owners enjoyed the catering and atmosphere for the rest of the afternoon as they talked horses and looked ahead to our upcoming runners and back on a good morning overall.
The support of our owners once again helped ensure Kevin’s Owners’ Day was the usual great occasion, with the smiles on show throughout the day from some firm friends emphasizing what owning a horse with Hambleton is all about.
It was great to see so many long-standing owners mixing with some of our new owners to Hambleton on what is always one of the team’s favourite days of the year.
We’d like to take this chance to thank all owners who joined us on Sunday and helped contribute to making the day at Kevin’s the great success it was!
