Coakley News

• A DEVASTATING LOSS FOR THE YARD

  11 September 2022

  It is with great sadness that we report the loss of Nell Quickly, who was found to have suffered a heart attack and passed away in her box during the early hours of Saturday morning. Chris van Hoorn and Anne, together with Denis and all at Keeper's Stables, are utterly devastated by the loss of their wonderful filly.

• Nell Quickly not able to stay extended trip in Group 2 contest

  09 September 2022

  In yesterday's Park Hill Fillies' Stakes at Doncaster, Nell Quickly just wasn't able to see out the trip of a mile and six and a half furlongs. The ground was ideal for her and she travelled very well through the race at the rear of the field alongside eventual winner Mimikyu. Moving forward in the straight, David Egan really felt he had a good place chance three furlongs out, but once into the last five hundred yards it was clear that Nell wasn't going to make the full distance. Chris van Hoorn's filly will now look to switch back to a mile and a half, where some listed races might provide a good winning opportunity now that the rain softened ground will be to her liking.

• Una Notte keeps on well in Chepstow mile race

  31 August 2022

  Una Notte had her third outing and ran a nice race at Chepstow yesterday afternoon, so that she will be given a mark next Tuesday and can look for a handicap event to contest. The race over a mile of the Gwent track threw up a real surprise as the favourite of Roger Varian's, with odds of 1/16, was turned over in a duel to the line. The two leaders had forged clear from halfway, but Una Notte seemed to cope well with the undulations of the course to move through and pass three rivals before entering the last quarter mile. Ultimately, she was ten lengths back from the principals, but she finished off her race well and will have benefitted from the racing experience to continue her progress.

• Sonnetina pleases connections with very promising Goodwood return

  30 August 2022

  On Sunday at Goodwood Sonnetina found a good opportunity to return to racing after her sole outing this year on the all weather. With some rain finally arriving, the good ground at the Sussex track suited her quite well and she ran a very good race over nine furlongs under jockey Sophie Smith. She was held up at the rear for the climb through the first three furlongs, then travelled well coming down the hill to make some ground on the field. Shaken up to come with a run inside the last quarter mile, Sonnetina kept on very well to pass many rivals and finish in fourth, beaten less than three lengths by the line. She will appreciate some softer ground now that some rain has come and she can be expected to run again very soon.

  Last week at Chelmsford, Supersonique faded in the straight and was a little disappointing for George Bass. She broke very sharply and had very good position in third place for a mile, but George had to keep niggling away at her to hold her place all the way around the Essex circuit, and the application of a visor in her next run might help her to concentrate and show a greater appetite for a race next time.

• Party Island takes them on and Gentle Whinny has a very nice introduction

  21 August 2022

  On the third day of York's Ebor Festival Party Island ran in the first race of the card, a large and competitive field for a twelve furlong handicap. From a wide draw jockey Silvestre de Sousa made too much use of him early in the race, skirting round the field to the head of affairs in the first half mile. From there he kicked on much too soon to lead from the top of the long straight, and Tony Killoran's gelding clearly wasn'r really relishing the fast ground conditions, changing his legs numerous times. Once he was collared by eventual winner Farhan inside the quarter mile, he faded to be overtaken by half a dozen and he and wasn't able to show his true running to the finish. He came out of the race fine, however, and now will seek a further target at this trip.

  At Sandown Park on the Saturday card, Chris van Hoorn's filly Gentle Whinny - cleverly named as was reported in The Times, being by Churchill out of Short Call - made her racecourse debut in a seven furlong event. She was rather green early on, as expected for her first day at school under Ross Coakley, but the way in which she ran on up the hill to pass rivals when left short of room up the far rail, made for a very promising debut and Chris definitely has an exciting Churchill filly -another prospect to add to his other charges by The Gurkha and Ulysses, As the first two year old to run from the yard this year this was a really pleasing debut, with Gentle Whinny finishing her race very strongly up against fillies from some of the very big name handlers.

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