We
were pleased to welcome back Daliance (stable name Dali) to the yard after a
lovely long break at his owners’ (EPDS Racing) yard near Newbury.
Daliance was bought at Ascot
sales last year on 3rd June.
He was an angry horse when he arrived from the sales and really didn’t
like people or other horses. He was
basically pissed off with everything in life and needed time out. He’s had a hard time of it so far in his
racing career – he is now 6 years old but when he was bought by EPDS Racing as
a 5 year old last year, he had run 27 times – winning two and being placed in
the first four 18 times!! He is as tough as they come and is versatile with
having run on the flat, over hurdles & fences and won nearly £17,000 in
prize money. He also ran twice as a 2 year old.
He won his last race (over fences) and in my opinion was not enjoying it
at all. He had an extremely hard ride
all the way and relented enough on the run from the last to win. It was clear from watching his race that
something was bothering him and that if we could find out what that was, put it
right and give him a break then there is a fair chance we could improve him.
We found three or four things
that would have caused him enough trouble and any one of those three or four
things alone would be enough to stop any horse.
With time and treatment all is now well and I can’t tell you how much
happier Dali is. His aggressiveness has
completely gone. He looks kinder in his
eye and he is willing and enjoying his work.
We have decided to start him
back at the basics with plenty of walking and then lunging. He has taken to the lunging really well and
has his head in the right place which in turn is strengthening him through his
back. He is moving exceptionally well
and his back muscles are visibly developing!
When he first arrived last year his feet weren’t in the best of shape so
we have got them back to the right place and he no longer has his heels under
run. This will really help his tendons
now the angles are nearly perfect.
Shares
in Daliance are available; please contact John Powell at EPDS Racing www.epds-racing.co.uk if you are
interested. A 5% share is just £130 per
month with no buy-in or extra costs. He
is a half brother to 4 winners including Samsa (FR) who was placed in a listed
race and was only beaten 4 ¾ lengths in a Group 1 on the flat (winning over
£57,000 in prize money). He is also a
half brother to Lasting Applause (IRE) who was also placed in a listed race on
the flat again in France. Dali was
notably bought for 120,000 Euros as a yearling.
His sire, the multiple Group 1 winner Dalakhani, owned by HH Aga Khan,
won the French Derby & the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe and was only beaten
half a length in the Irish Derby (the only time he was actually beaten). Dalakhani has sired 7 Group 1 winners and 4
Classic winners. Daliance’s mother,
Everlasting Love, was 2nd in a Group 3 and placed in a listed race
as well as winning on the flat in England so the pedigree is there!
To me as a trainer, it is one of
the most rewarding things when you see a horse like this improve mentally and
physically and of course, whilst this is no guarantee that this will transfer
to the racecourse, it has to give you immense hope. I certainly am hoping that I will be
highlighting this blog in a few months time when he does exactly what I think
he will do! You heard it here first. We are very lucky to have him in the yard and
are looking forward to updating you further on his progress. Some pictures taken recently of him below.
