May 2022
A nice breeze in the air....
...And there we have it! Our youngsters have completed their education with us and have gone on to their trainers to start what we hope will be a promising career. We can't really believe that the pre-training season has already come to a close, but we are very excited about the calibre of horses that have passed through our barns this year and have enjoyed educating them and laying the foundations for their racing careers to come. We wish all connections the best of luck and we will be following them with interest.
Here below, is a picture of a point of entry filly having her second 1/4 mile breeze before heading to Steve Asmussen mid April. Hands on with all the Sandhurst horses, Nick Esler is on board putting her through her paces.
A nice breeze in the air....
...And there we have it! Our youngsters have completed their education with us and have gone on to their trainers to start what we hope will be a promising career. We can't really believe that the pre-training season has already come to a close, but we are very excited about the calibre of horses that have passed through our barns this year and have enjoyed educating them and laying the foundations for their racing careers to come. We wish all connections the best of luck and we will be following them with interest.
Here below, is a picture of a point of entry filly having her second 1/4 mile breeze before heading to Steve Asmussen mid April. Hands on with all the Sandhurst horses, Nick Esler is on board putting her through her paces.
March 2022
Picking up the Pace
Well, the year is galloping by already and as we get into March, we are delighted with the progress of our youngsters and are looking forward to getting down to business in the next few months. The 2yo have started to pick up the pace now and the first groups will start breezing this month. Sales season is upon us once again which is helping to keep us on our toes! We are delighted to see so many clients taking the opportunity to drop by and see their horses in action.
31st December 2021
Happy New Year!
From Nick, Carl, Elaine and all the Sandhurst Team, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022. We can't wait to see what it brings and what our Sandhurst equine graduates go on to achieve.
Click here for our 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to be on the mailing list for our quarterly updates, then please subscribe to the newsletter via the pop up on our site.
Wishing you all the best in the coming year.
Happy New Year!
From Nick, Carl, Elaine and all the Sandhurst Team, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022. We can't wait to see what it brings and what our Sandhurst equine graduates go on to achieve.
Click here for our 2021 Newsletter. If you would like to be on the mailing list for our quarterly updates, then please subscribe to the newsletter via the pop up on our site.
Wishing you all the best in the coming year.
30th November 2021
...Kicking On!
Well - I am delighted to say we are still kicking on after a busy sale season. We have 40 babies going to the track daily. The final group made up of later arrivals are now taking the first steps towards learning their craft and have been introduced to the lunge reins. Road work is complete for most of the class of 2022 and the first wave of yearlings have started the next phase of their education - that being learning to gallop.
Some summer vacation horses are now fully back up to speed and have gone or are heading into South FL tracks to meet their snow bird trainers.
Things are speeding up (literally) and we couldn't be happier with the team and the horses we are working with this season.
...Kicking On!
Well - I am delighted to say we are still kicking on after a busy sale season. We have 40 babies going to the track daily. The final group made up of later arrivals are now taking the first steps towards learning their craft and have been introduced to the lunge reins. Road work is complete for most of the class of 2022 and the first wave of yearlings have started the next phase of their education - that being learning to gallop.
Some summer vacation horses are now fully back up to speed and have gone or are heading into South FL tracks to meet their snow bird trainers.
Things are speeding up (literally) and we couldn't be happier with the team and the horses we are working with this season.
31st October 2021
Jogging On!
Another fall, and another yearling sale season is over! We are delighted to say that the barn is full following a busy and exciting sales period. We have secured an even mixture of homebreds and sale acquisitions for various clients and our feet haven't touched the ground since. The first wave of 25 yearlings are now ridden away and on track jogging and getting the miles 'under their girth'! We like what we see so far and the second wave of yearlings will be started shortly.
Our new communication aide Barbara Barclay is a welcome addition to the Sandhurst team and we are keeping her busy updating our clients with pictures and videos of their horses' progress. Check out the video below to see what Barbara has caught on camera!
Thank you to all new and existing clients who have chosen to educate their yearlings at Sandhurst. We look forward to working with both them and you.
Jogging On!
Another fall, and another yearling sale season is over! We are delighted to say that the barn is full following a busy and exciting sales period. We have secured an even mixture of homebreds and sale acquisitions for various clients and our feet haven't touched the ground since. The first wave of 25 yearlings are now ridden away and on track jogging and getting the miles 'under their girth'! We like what we see so far and the second wave of yearlings will be started shortly.
Our new communication aide Barbara Barclay is a welcome addition to the Sandhurst team and we are keeping her busy updating our clients with pictures and videos of their horses' progress. Check out the video below to see what Barbara has caught on camera!
Thank you to all new and existing clients who have chosen to educate their yearlings at Sandhurst. We look forward to working with both them and you.
23rd September 2021
First Winners!
Racing can be a waiting game and it can take time for the results to show, but we are delighted to report that this month (so far) Sandhurst has had two winners from its first cohort of yearlings started and trained at the farm.
The first was a first time starter Miss Distinctive who won by 3 1/2 lengths on 11 September. Miss Distinctive was at Sandhurst between October and May before going to Carlos Padilla at Remington park. Congratulations to Geoff Nixon and partners. The next was a colt called Tuanis by Uncle Mo who won on the turf on September 14th. Tuanis was at Sandhurst February through to May before being sent on to trainer Brad Cox. Congratulations to the owners, Jerry Marks Stables.
Both horses are 2 yr olds, Maiden Special Weight races and both are first time out winners which is a fantastic reflection of the months of preparation that went in by all parties involved.
In other news, Nick has been busy away at the sales and it looks like we will have a busy and promising year two! The sale is now complete, and was an extremely difficult sale to buy horses from but Sandhurst Thoroughbreds is grateful to all our clients for supporting us with there superb purchases. Nick is looking forward to getting home to the new class and seeing who’s who! In the meantime, Carl has been managing Sandhurst at home, preparing for and welcoming the new arrivals at Sandhurst whilst also fine tuning some of the older horses who have come to prepare for their campaign.
Watch this space for further updates of news from the track!
28th August 2021
Ears Pricked and looking to the future!
Well, we hope you don't mind but we took a break from the website news update in July, so hopefully you will find we have made up for it in the latest edition of our Sandhurst newsletter that can be found here
We have already welcomed a few new additions to the Sandhurst Team, both equine and human... Check out the August Newsletter to find out more!!
Carl has been busy tuning up the new Horsepower in anticipation of a busy Year 2 at Sandhurst!
29th June 2021
...And Relax! (for a short time anyway...)
As much as we pride ourselves in providing much needed relaxation and rehabilitation for our equine customers, we need to look after our human counterparts too! Horses leaving and the barns emptying out, signals the right time for Nick, Carl and the Sandhurst employees to take a break and recharge their batteries.
We still had over 30 horses on the farm at the beginning of June, but as the number of horses reduced, Nick took a trip back to Newmarket to visit family and catch up with the UK racing industry leaving Carl at the helm of the Sandhurst ship. Happily Nick's visit coincided with Royal Ascot, so although he did not attend due to covid restrictions, it made the quarantine period go much more quickly!
Now Nick is back and just in time too.... There are exciting weeks ahead with Sandhurst's first 2yo runners hitting the track. Carl and Nick will be closely following all entries and results. Remember to sign up to the Sandhurst newsletter to get our August update on runners over the next few months.
So, in between following Sandhurst graduates on the track and giving the barns a deep clean, what else is there to do at Sandhurst over the summer I hear you ask? Well, with Nick refreshed and ready for the up coming sales season, Sandhurst will be very active on the sales merry-go-round, kicking off with Fasig-Tipton in July, then onto Saratoga in August. Oh - and did we mention that somewhere in the middle of all the sales, new baby Esler will be making an appearance?
Never a dull moment and we wouldn't have it any other way!
26th May 2021
Merry May!
It is fair to say that May 2021 has been a month of firsts!
We have had our first runners hit the track following their downtime here at Sandhurst throughout the winter. Impressively for their connections at the racetrack, there have been four individual winners from five runners on their first start back. A special mention has to go to Tom Morley and his team, along with Greg Palesky, owner of Xanthique, the winner of the Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico. As well as the four legged variety of youngsters, our very own Ella Mae Esler competed in her first lead line class receiving a 1st place blue ribbon (along with the other two class entrants)! This just goes to show that whether horse or human, here at Sandhurst we get our recruits up and running at an early age.
Merry May!
It is fair to say that May 2021 has been a month of firsts!
We have had our first runners hit the track following their downtime here at Sandhurst throughout the winter. Impressively for their connections at the racetrack, there have been four individual winners from five runners on their first start back. A special mention has to go to Tom Morley and his team, along with Greg Palesky, owner of Xanthique, the winner of the Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico. As well as the four legged variety of youngsters, our very own Ella Mae Esler competed in her first lead line class receiving a 1st place blue ribbon (along with the other two class entrants)! This just goes to show that whether horse or human, here at Sandhurst we get our recruits up and running at an early age.
Image: Ella Mae Esler at her first lead line class! Article continued below
The farm will start to get quieter as we move into the summer months of June and July. There will be a dozen or so layups coming back from their respective injuries who, following rehabilitation at Sandhurst, will now be started up and prepped to go back to their trainers on the track. Horses will not be our only focus throughout the summer however as we use the quiet season to turn our attention to the maintenance of the farm. We will be mending and fixing what our young stock have managed to tear, rip, dig and generally spoil through their months of education at the farm - we should be finished mending just in time for the class of 2022 to arrive!
With the class of 2022 very much in mind, Sandhurst will be very active in the coming months - firstly at the July Fasig-Tipton sale in Kentucky and then at Saratoga for both the Open Select and the New York Bred Sales. We'll be hoping to secure some premium stock for our existing clientele and, with good performances on the track this summer from our 2021 graduates, we hope to welcome some new clients looking for horsemanship, dedication and value in the education of their young stock.With summer racing geared up and 2yo races getting bigger fields each week, there are a couple of Sandhurst graduates to look out for in the entry box. Firstly a filly called Lady Pele (Tapiture / Sotique) trained by Jordan Blair in KY. Another is Jewelofakid (Lemon Drop Kid / Giants Jewel) trained by Eddie Kenneally; image below.
Lastly it just leaves us to thank all our Owners, Trainers and Agents who have been so wonderfully supportive in our first season. We wish them all the very best racing luck and a fantastic summer ahead. We look forward to seeing what quality stock they have in store for us come the fall when we will be dusting off the breaking bridals and long reins in readiness to set the next class of Sandhurst graduates on their path to stardom!
With the class of 2022 very much in mind, Sandhurst will be very active in the coming months - firstly at the July Fasig-Tipton sale in Kentucky and then at Saratoga for both the Open Select and the New York Bred Sales. We'll be hoping to secure some premium stock for our existing clientele and, with good performances on the track this summer from our 2021 graduates, we hope to welcome some new clients looking for horsemanship, dedication and value in the education of their young stock.With summer racing geared up and 2yo races getting bigger fields each week, there are a couple of Sandhurst graduates to look out for in the entry box. Firstly a filly called Lady Pele (Tapiture / Sotique) trained by Jordan Blair in KY. Another is Jewelofakid (Lemon Drop Kid / Giants Jewel) trained by Eddie Kenneally; image below.
Lastly it just leaves us to thank all our Owners, Trainers and Agents who have been so wonderfully supportive in our first season. We wish them all the very best racing luck and a fantastic summer ahead. We look forward to seeing what quality stock they have in store for us come the fall when we will be dusting off the breaking bridals and long reins in readiness to set the next class of Sandhurst graduates on their path to stardom!
JewelofaKid (Lemon Drop Kid / Giants Jewel) trained by Eddie Kenneally
19th April 2021
Spring Newsletter
Our Spring newsletter is now out! To view it, please click HERE. You can subscribe to future newsletters through the website.
31st March 2021
And they're off!
As March comes to a close and the two year old season gets underway, we are now sending the Sandhurst graduates away to their new homes and onto the track. We are really happy with how all of our horses have taken on board their education. We believe that we have delivered a sound and safe first cohort of horses out into the racing industry and that we have given them an excellent foundation for their new careers. We wish each of the horses and all of their connections, every success on the track and we will be following them with interest.
As the two year olds leave our barns, we are filling vacated stalls with horses from the breeze ups who are now scheduled to have a bit of down time before gearing back up for their two year old campaigns.
Although the next few months at Sandhurst will be the 'quieter' season (in theory at least!), we will not be resting on our laurels. We will always have one eye on the end of the summer when we look forward to filling the barn with more youngsters straight from the sales. Until then, we will be looking after established horses during their layup and considering how we can improve our facilities and processes.
Don't forget to sign up to our quarterly newsletter which will be out in April.
And they're off!
As March comes to a close and the two year old season gets underway, we are now sending the Sandhurst graduates away to their new homes and onto the track. We are really happy with how all of our horses have taken on board their education. We believe that we have delivered a sound and safe first cohort of horses out into the racing industry and that we have given them an excellent foundation for their new careers. We wish each of the horses and all of their connections, every success on the track and we will be following them with interest.
As the two year olds leave our barns, we are filling vacated stalls with horses from the breeze ups who are now scheduled to have a bit of down time before gearing back up for their two year old campaigns.
Although the next few months at Sandhurst will be the 'quieter' season (in theory at least!), we will not be resting on our laurels. We will always have one eye on the end of the summer when we look forward to filling the barn with more youngsters straight from the sales. Until then, we will be looking after established horses during their layup and considering how we can improve our facilities and processes.
Don't forget to sign up to our quarterly newsletter which will be out in April.
25th February 2021
Striding On!
I am delighted to report we are on track here at Sandhurst Thoroughbreds with our two year olds now striding on. Some of the 'early types' have started doing pieces of work and we are pleased with what we are seeing. Click the link below to see some of our horses in action. It is amazing to think that just over 5 months ago these horses had never had a saddle on their back!
It has been fantastic over recent months to start welcoming connections to the yard and we have enjoyed regular visits by clients to the barn. We love to see connections getting involved and enjoying every stage of their horse's career.
Many of the layup horses are starting to go back into training now following a period of rest and rejuvenation with us. We are already seeing positive results on the racetrack with two recent winners from horses that have enjoyed a spell at Sandhurst.
It will be a busy month or so between now and April, but check back here for updates, and don't forget to subscribe to our quarterly newsletter via the pop up on the website.
Striding On!
I am delighted to report we are on track here at Sandhurst Thoroughbreds with our two year olds now striding on. Some of the 'early types' have started doing pieces of work and we are pleased with what we are seeing. Click the link below to see some of our horses in action. It is amazing to think that just over 5 months ago these horses had never had a saddle on their back!
It has been fantastic over recent months to start welcoming connections to the yard and we have enjoyed regular visits by clients to the barn. We love to see connections getting involved and enjoying every stage of their horse's career.
Many of the layup horses are starting to go back into training now following a period of rest and rejuvenation with us. We are already seeing positive results on the racetrack with two recent winners from horses that have enjoyed a spell at Sandhurst.
It will be a busy month or so between now and April, but check back here for updates, and don't forget to subscribe to our quarterly newsletter via the pop up on the website.
Some two year olds at Sandhurst are now undertaking pieces of work as part of their regular routine.
1st February 2021
Full Throttle
January has flown by and it is hard to believe we are already a month into the new year! With just a few months to go before Sandhurst's first cohort of two year old make the journey to their new training yards, the staff (and horses!) are operating at full throttle and it is a joy to see the progress that has been made by these young horses. We really couldn't be happier with them as a group and are delighted that clients are stopping by on a regular basis to visit their horses and follow their progress first hand.
Gate training has started gradually this year and is reinforcing the importance and benefit of the early long-rein work we do with the youngsters to familiarise them with the gates.
Of no less importance are our layup horses who we are gearing back up for their 2021 campaign. It is a pleasure working with these established horses and we look forward to following their progress as they return to the racetrack and their training yards.
1st January 2021
Now the fun begins!!
We hope that you all had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. Here at Sandhurst, January signifies not only the start of the New Year, but also phase two of the education of the young horses that arrived at our barns in September 2020. It seems like yesterday that the new recruits stepped off their lorries fresh from the sales ring, but in the short time since, they have accomplished a huge amount and have gone from being an unridden yearling to showing their racehorse potential. Many are now galloping 6 furlongs in company as part of their training regime.
The year switching to 2021 certainly focuses the mind and we have our eye firmly on the calendar, counting down the weeks of preparation that lie between us and April when the two year-olds will transfer to their trainers to embark on their new careers. We really look forward to seeing the horses transform further over the next few months.
To keep up to date with our news as the year progresses, sign up to our quarterly newsletter via the website. Otherwise, keep checking back here to our news page for regular updates and follow us on Twitter at @SThoroughbreds.
Happy New Year to all our connections and followers from Nick, Carl and the Sandhurst Team.
15th December 2020
Christmas Newsletter 2020
We are delighted to announce that the first of our quarterly newsletters has now been published and can be viewed here.
To subscribe to future newsletters, please sign up via the pop-up on our website or email info@sandhurst-tb.com.
We are truly grateful for all support we have received in 2020 and look forward to 'bringing out their best' in 2021.
5th December 2020
'Tis the Season to be Jolly!
This year has given us lots of challenges but has also made us very grateful for the simple things in life and Thanksgiving was a great opportunity to get the team together and spend time celebrating the opportunity we have been given to start this new venture, albeit in difficult times.
We are very happy with the horses, all of whom are continuing to take the education programme in their stride, and who have now progressed to easy galloping as well as regular roadwork. Many of them are now galloping 6 furlongs every other day and our training programme remains on track. We look forward to starting the horses on phase 2 of their education in the new year.
We are very excited to be releasing the first of our quarterly newsletters later this month. The first edition will tell you a bit more about Sandhurst and how we operate. As the training year progresses, we will keep you updated with news of Sandhurst recruits as they graduate to the track.
Do subscribe to our website if you would like to receive these quarterly updates.
8th November 2020
Increasing the Pace!
The weeks are flying by here at Sandhurst and the horses are, well, ....flying! Over 75% of the yearlings are now ridden away with the majority of them doing canter work. Those that are on a steadier programme continue to get the investment of time and education they need to progress to ridden work. As we know, it is all about instilling confidence in these young horses and, as with people, the time taken to fully develop new skills varies depending on individual attributes. For those that are now ridden away, we will be turning the focus to building up their fitness as well as their tolerance for work and routine. Our end goal is April next year when we aim to hand them over to their trainers, fit, sound and mentally and physically ready for their new career.
Nick and Carl couldn't be happier with the progress of this first cohort of Sandhurst recruits. Indeed, the whole team is excited to be involved in the journeys of these promising young horses.
20th October 2020
Ridden Away!
As anticipated it has been a busy month indeed! And we are delighted to say that all the hard work has paid off. We now have over 30 yearlings at Sandhurst and, of these, all are now well into their education having learnt to work on the lunge and respond to the aids through long reining. We are delighted to report that all horses have progressed to quietly and happily accepting their tack and a rider, so we are now building their confidence with gentle riding alone and in company. Some of the more progressive horses are already taking to the track and the daily routine we are establishing with the horses will stand them in good stead when they eventually move onto their training yards.
Nick says, "I am exceptionally pleased with the pre-training of these promising horses, and by the hard work of my team as a whole. As a new business, we have been busier than anticipated but with the right team in place, we have been able to invest in each horse the time and effort they require to achieve the right results. We look forward to building on this positive start both in the months and years to come."
9th October 2020
Now the real work starts!
Well - It's been a busy month at Sunnyside already! While the horses have been enjoying turnout and grazing in our serene surroundings to help them relax following the sales experience, the Sandhurst Team have been very busy! At the beginning of October we commenced the important process of 'starting' these promising horses on the path towards their racing career. Throughout October, we will be handling, long reining and lunging our new recruits, watching them move, assessing their character and helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to graduate to ridden work. Different horses will need a different approach and we will tailor their pre-training programme depending on their response and rate of progress. We love what we have seen so far! We have some lovely movers and some horses with great attitude in our barns and are really excited about the journey ahead. We look forward to sharing the journey here, so keep checking back!
28th September 2020
Looking forward to getting started in October!
After a very successful but busy sales period at Fasig Tipton and Keeneland sales, we are now settling into a nice routine here at Sandhurst Thoroughbreds. Nick and Carl are delighted to have welcomed some quality yearlings to Sunnyside Stables, where they are currently relaxing in tranquil surroundings before a gentle start to their education later this week. The barns are full and there is a positive sense of anticipation in the air as the team look forward to getting started with the new recruits from October 1st.
Nick says, "We couldn’t thank our clients enough for their support straight out of the gate and we are looking forward to prepping this good looking group of youngsters for their future endeavours on the racetrack"
11th September 2020
Five new recruits arrive at Sandhurst's stables
Sandhurst Thoroughbreds is delighted to welcome five yearlings from Fasig Tipton Sales to Sandhurst's Sunnyside Training Center. They will spend the next few weeks relaxing and settling into their new surroundings before commencing their starting programme from October 1st.
Nick is looking forward to going across town to the Keeneland Sales with clients to secure more quality stock to pre-train at Sandhurst's first class training facilities, giving them a great foundation to their racing careers.
Click here to see one of our Fasig Tipton recruits arriving at his new home!
9th September 2020
News from Fasig Tipton Sales
Sandhurst Thoroughbreds is delighted to welcome two new recruits from the Fasig Tipton Sales.
The first is a big strong son of Mucho Macho Man secured by Corms Racing and John Fahey and who will be coming to Sandhurst for his early education.
The second is a powerful looking filly secured by Robert Masiello and connections, coming to Sandhurst Thoroughbreds for her early education before moving on to Morley Racing to train.
Nick Esler would like to thank John Fahey with Corms Racing and Robert Masiello for their support and can’t wait to work with these promising horses.
News from Fasig Tipton Sales
Sandhurst Thoroughbreds is delighted to welcome two new recruits from the Fasig Tipton Sales.
The first is a big strong son of Mucho Macho Man secured by Corms Racing and John Fahey and who will be coming to Sandhurst for his early education.
The second is a powerful looking filly secured by Robert Masiello and connections, coming to Sandhurst Thoroughbreds for her early education before moving on to Morley Racing to train.
Nick Esler would like to thank John Fahey with Corms Racing and Robert Masiello for their support and can’t wait to work with these promising horses.
1st September 2020
SANDHURST THOROUGHBREDS is Open for Business
We are delighted to announce that we are now open for business! The first horses have arrived safely and are settling in to the tranquil surroundings of Sunnyside Training Center which will be their new home for the duration of their pre-training programme.
TDN Article 26th August 2020
ESLER, ALLSOP LAUNCH SANDHURST THOROUGHBREDS by Jessica Martini
Trainers Nick Esler and Carl Allsop have launched Sandhurst Thoroughbreds in Morriston, Florida to provide breaking and lay-up services for young racehorses. The new operation will be based at Sunnyside Training Center.
"Sandhurst embodies excellence and produces graduates of
the highest caliber. We aim to deliver the same core qualities, including teaching the right fundamentals to produce leaders in the field. We chose this name to help inspire the values and standards we aspire to work to."
For full article - click here
