NEWS FOR DECEMBER 2008 - including news of The Open Day

GOOD LUCK TO SHEENA, JAMIE, WRB RACING AND GOLAN WAY TODAY!

GO GOLAN!

December 19th 2008

Golan Way was a very respectable 4th today in a hot race at Ascot. Only beaten 4 lengths in total under another great ride by Jamie Goldstein.

With Sheena's name plastered all over the front of The Racing Post, and articles in The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Times, the racing community, if they had never heard of Sheena West before, hopefully will know who she is now!

It has always been a team effort at Sheena's yard and this last few months have certainly put Team West on the map!

Good luck to Andy and WRB Racing. We hope everyone has a very successful day!

SHEENA SPEAKS FROM THE HEART!

Golan Way - photo courtesy of Sara Waterson

Courtesy of The Times Online:

December 19, 2008

Sheena West's ambitions for Golan Way tempered by large dose of realism
Sussex-based handler recognises that small trainers must be wedded to realism as her stable star bids to extend winning sequence at AscotJulian Muscat
It is not always welcome to be as recognisable as Sheena West, whose distinctive red hair outshines the Christmas lights on Oxford Street. She would gladly have rendered herself invisible last year, when she came close to shutting down her virus-ravaged stable for good.

That is now a distant memory, albeit a painful one. It will not trouble her as she drives to Ascot today, when Golan Way will bid to extend his unbeaten sequence in the Mitie Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle. Equally, she will not be turning cartwheels if the bay four-year-old repels a strong field to earn his place at the Cheltenham Festival.

It is not that West is unenthused after eight years of training. On the contrary, she is excited by the importance of the occasion. Yet she is too streetwise to expect victory in the grade two race to change her life. She is one of hundreds in her profession to recognise that small trainers must be wedded to realism.

She laughs heartily at the suggestion that Golan Way's latest win at Cheltenham may have brought her a new owner or two. “Not at all,” she said, “but I didn't expect it to. And I dare say that things will stay the same if the horse wins again at Ascot.”

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Thursday's results
Noel Chance would surely concur. The career of a man who has trained two Cheltenham Gold Cup winners never really took off. “The people out there are making me serve a very hard apprenticeship,” West said. “Golan Way is not the first decent horse I have had. I am ambitious, but realistic. I have to accept that there will always be more fashionable yards.”

Nothing in racing is more fashionable than winning. Yet while West agrees, she believes that winning alone is not enough. “I don't know what it is about me,” she said with a chuckle. “I suppose I must have an image problem. Yes, it would be lovely to get to the top, but I've learnt that public perception and acceptance really matter.”

So speaks one who believed that anything was possible when she started training in a rented yard on the Sussex Downs. “I clearly remember saying that my ambition was to train a Gold Cup winner within five years,” she said. “That has not happened, which means I have failed, but if Golan Way were to win the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, I know that that would be reasonable enough.”

The intervening years have taught the trainer some harsh lessons. “This game can really rev you up,” she said. “You are always looking forward, believing that big things are just around the corner. It took me a while to realise that you must never be too disappointed when it does not work out.”

Circumstances have plainly tailored her expectations. “There are so many people with money to spend on jumpers now,” she said, “but we have to be careful. It makes us look at horses that much more closely before we buy anything.” Golan Way was bought last year for 13,000 guineas when West journeyed to Doncaster specifically to secure him. Three quick victories in the summer warranted a hike in class, which Golan Way handled when winning at Cheltenham last month.

“We never expected this much of him,” West said. “On his Flat form I thought he would be good enough to win a race over hurdles, so everything else is a bit of a bonus.” A deserving one, too, after the rigours of last season that yielded a solitary winner over jumps.

The invading virus paralysed West's string for six months, after which the horses took time to regain optimum heath. The experience was so debilitating that West reapplied for her licence only one day before it was due to expire.

“It was an absolutely terrible time,” she said, “but none of the owners or staff left me. I am now up to 18 horses but one other thing kept me going. If I stop training, I will do it on my terms. I won't have it forced upon me.”

Golan Way has helped to right the ship, although West, self-deprecating once more, puts much of it down to good fortune. “That's the nice thing about racing,” she said. “Money talks, but we rely on luck rather than money.”

Luck and money worked in harmony yesterday when Belcantista survived the cut for The Ladbroke at Ascot tomorrow. The heavily backed six-year-old, to be ridden by Tom O'Brien for Philip Hobbs in the £150,000 handicap hurdle, was recently bought by J.P.McManus.

MONDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2008

GOLAN ON THE WAY TO ASCOT

Courtesy of The Sporting Life

Sheena West is keeping her fingers crossed Golan Way can maintain his unbeaten record over obstacles in the Grade Two Mitie Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle at Ascot on Friday.

The four-year-old could only win once from 13 starts on the level but seems to have been transformed by a switch of codes.

His latest victory came in a Grade Two event at Cheltenham and his Sussex-based handler feels he has continued to improve since.

"Obviously we were absolutely over the moon with him at Cheltenham last time but to be honest, he probably did need the run a little bit," said West.

"He had been off for a few months so he was entitled to improve and he is like a fit horse now.

"They say good horses go on any ground and that seems to be the case with him, although I would rather it didn't rain in the run-up to Ascot as it would be nice to end up with perfect good ground.

"It is going to be another good race as they don't give races like this away, but our horse does have every right to be there.

"He's going to beaten at some point as they all do eventually, but we are just hoping it is not yet."

West will put get over her lack of recognition as Golan Way prepares for Ascot showdown

Courtesy of Marcus Towend in The Daily Mail

West will put get over her lack of recognition as Golan Way prepares for Ascot showdown
By Marcus Townend
Last updated at 12:02 AM on 15th December 2008
Comments (0) Add to My Stories After hurdler Golan Way took his unbeaten record to four at Cheltenham last month, the only notable phone call trainer Sheena West received was an inquiry about whether the gelding was for sale.
West will put frustration at the lack of recognition behind her when her Grade Two winner Golan Way locks horns with some of the most talented novice hurdlers around in Friday's Grade Two Kennel Gate Hurdle at Ascot, including highly-rated Dee Ee Williams and smart Alfie Flits.
Sheena West's winner Golan Way will race at Ascot on Friday

Golan Way is officially rated the best in the race and another galloping advertisement for a small Sussex stable that has consistently produced good horses since West took over with just four horses and no owners in 2000.
West, on course for her best season with eight winners from only 37 runners, reflected: 'After Cheltenham, the only phone call I had of any relevance was one inquiring whether we'd sell him. But you just have to put your head down and get on with it.
'Every year we've always had one really good horse, even though we've only had around a dozen horses.'
Jockey Jamie Goldstein in action on It's Wallace

Starting out in the year of Foot and Mouth was an early reminder to West (left) that there is a bucketful of rough with every teaspoon of smooth in racing.
But the arrival of Golan Way in the yard, based in 1,000 acres on the South Downs, was initially due to unfortunate events, starting with the death of owners the WRB syndicate's useful juvenile hurdler Kalmini from injuries sustained at the 2006 Cheltenham Festival.
West said: 'We then bought another horse called Qualify and he had a heart attack on the gallops. The insurance money came through quite quick so I went to Doncaster and bought Golan Way.'
That 13,000 guineas has been money well spent but Golan Way has been a challenge for West and her assistant and stable jockey, Jamie Goldstein.
'He's not a natural. He gallops straight through the hurdles. We now school him over fences to make him look and jump. The only time he jumps hurdles now is when he runs,' added West. 'But, by the time he ran at Cheltenham, we knew we had a half-decent horse.'

SHEENA'S OPEN DAY - 14th December 2008

Despite the really cold weather on Sunday 14th December, Sheena was really pleased to see so many people brave the weather and the near flood conditions, caused by the horrendous weather on the Saturday to attend the first Sheena West Open Day.

Sheena had organised a parade of the horses including the current star of the yard, Golan Way, owned by WRB Racing who is due to run this Friday at Ascot. There was a display of shoeing by her farrier and Sheena's daughter Megan organised pony rides for the children. A large trailer owned by John Penny of Heart of the South Racing contained a large screen which showed re runs of various races won by horses trained by Sheena. Thanks for John and his daughter Elouise who did a sterling job showing the videos and chatting to Sheena's guests. There were mince pies aplenty and the mulled wine was Sheena's special recipe and seemed to go down a treat!

The staff got into the Christmas spirit, wearing their Santa's hats and answering any questions anyone had about any of the horses they looked after.

All the girls had got up early to plait up many of the horses (and ponies!) and they all looked absolutely magnificent.

There was a "name the horse" competition, which Sheena is judging and the name will be announced on here by Friday.

Thanks to Jamie Goldstein (and his delightful young daughter, Sophie), Sheena's NH jockey who as usual was very approachable and was happy to answer any questions that people had about any aspect of his riding career, past an present. It was good to see Jamie's brother, Marc, also a NH jockey also in attendance.

People waiting for the start of the racehorse parade.

The Heart of The South trailer showing many of the winning races of Sheena's horses.

Tracey and Split The Wind

Itsawindup and Hayley

Jamie Goldstein chatting to Ken Bird with a warming pint mug of Sheena's special mulled wine!

Sheena commentating on the horse parade with the assistance of a few of Santa's little helpers!

Carly Stewart holds Prima Fonteine whilst blacksmith Steve Dean does a shoeing demonstration.

At the end of the afternoon, Father Christmas arrived to draw the winning raffle tickets.

The winning ticket holder won a share in a racehorse with Sheena. There were many other prizes available - infact, 19 prizes in total all kindly donated by friends and family and Mick Fitzgerald who very kindly donated a copy of this Autobiography as one of the prizes.

Thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets which has resulted in a donation to Riding for The Disabled of £304.00.

Although the weather wasn't particularly kind on the day, I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as Sheena and her staff did and Sheena looks forward to organising another Open Day in Spring/Summer 2009.

Sheena would like to thank everyone who attended the Open Day and made it such a success and a big thank you also to those that gave up their mornings to come and help out.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Prima Fonteyn
We were pleased with her first run for the yard at Lingfield, She needs to settle a bit better and run over a bit further. Unfortunately, there are not too many such races for 2 year olds at this time of year. There will be more opportunities for her in The New Year.

Last one Standing
A little disappointing at Cheltenham, but a combination of tacky ground, greeness down the hill, a rise in class and returning with a foot abcess all contributed to this. He's now absolutely fine and will most likely be hurdling next.

Its Wallace jnr
He's enjoying his qualifying and with a couple of days left to do will be pointing in the new year.

Golan Way
What a horse! He gave his owners and everyone at the yard the most fantastic day out at Cheltenham and is now the best 2 mile novice in England. He came out of the race in really good order and is now working like a fit horse and we are all looking foward to Ascot on 19 December.

Split the Wind
Much more like herself back at Lingfield, where she ran very pleasingly. The plan is to go back there on the 8th.

Its a Wind up
He's starting to shape up much better now and Lingfield on the 22nd now beckons.

Lukatara
Made his debut in a juvenille AW bumper. He behaved himself well and had a nice introduction, he will run on the flat 'proper' soon.

Silber Mond
Making good progress towards running around the January / February time.

Tobago Bay
Enjoying a little break now after his Cheltenham run. We were really pleased with him running so well on ground that didn't really suit him. He'll be back in work next month with a view to being prepared for the Fred Winter at the Festival. He has really turned into a proper racehorse!

Kashmina
4th again on her handicap debut, but ran really well again, responding well to pressure after a mistake at the last. Fontwell on the 9th or Ludlow on the 11th have now been pencilled into the diary.

SHEENA'S OPEN DAY

We will be holding the yards first Open Day on the Sunday 14th December.

Everyone is invited. Sheena's daughter is looking after much of the arrangements including competitions and pony rides (weather permitting)

The yard will be Open from 11am until approximately 2pm.

Mulled wine and mince pies will be available.

A raffle will be taking place with all proceeds going to one of Sheena's favourite charities, Riding for the Disabled. Raffle tickets will only be available at The Open Day.


Prizes will include a share in a racehorse trained by Sheena, a case of wine, a signed copy of Mick Fitzgerald's autobiography, and many others.