Laura Thomas: Barbury trainer faces economic truths - and keeps the pointers for fun
At present, Barbury trainer Laura Thomas has twenty horses at her yard, but she is standing back from training pointers to concentrate on pre-training, rehabilitation and box rest for racehorses - mainly for Alan King whose yard is just over the hill.
It is, she says, very rewarding work and she told marlboroughequestrian.news: "From the economic point of view pre-training comes first. Pointers are for fun." She does currently have eight of them in the yard - including three youngsters.
Riding her favourite Karinga Dancer she stormed home in the opening two-and-a-half mile Club Members' race. The 12 year-old won by eight lengths.
This season the fun started well for Laura Thomas at the Cambridge University United Hunts event at Cottenham (December 2).
"He's the absolute love of my life, yard nanny and pet." And she may consider entering him for a Hunter Chase later in the season. "He appreciates a sounder surface and a shorter track."
That was a perfect return for a long haul drive to East Anglia. Last weekend (December 9) Laura took the six year-old gelding Captain Cuckoo all the way to Wadebridge in north Cornwall - a nine hour round trip - for the Cornwall Hunt Club Point-to-Point.
The Open Maiden had ten runners in each division. Dragon De La Tour finally and deservedly got his head in front in the first section, beating the staying on Captain Cuckoo and Ragged Dream. A slightly disappointing return on that mileage.
Laura still has Full Trottle - "A horse who has been a real stable star for us." The nine year-old gelding will have a Hunter Chase campaign this year - and Laura hopes he will go to Aintree for the Foxhunters in April.
She has high hopes of a four year-old mare so far un-named and known in the yard as Cash. Why? What else would you call the offspring of Fistful of Euros? The suggestions for a proper name keep coming. But it's not likely that 'Spaghetti Western' will get the nod!
She hopes Cash will be ready to enter the Vine & Craven point-to-point at Barbury on February 10.
Laura has no horses suitable for the Barbury International Racing Club meeting this coming Sunday (December 16). But she will be there enjoying the social side of pointing - and, no doubt, keeping an eye on the competition.