ICE LORD has a new home and has departed.

I confess to preferring a little time alone after his departure. He has been extremely important for a long time and fulfils the description “Fantastic Servant”. Nevertheless, the time most certainly was/is right and in trainer Chris Wall’s words “This is a very good outcome for Ice Lord himself”.

Raising a glass to our horse this evening is an easy plan to make. 

His new keeper is a very fit and active rider who was a top point-to-point rider (retired). Her wish is for an active horse to be ridden around her farm with her grandchildren presumably on ponies. In addition he may be taken to local shows – perhaps in Retraining of Racehorses classes or just showing for fun. These activities will ensure that he has interesting things to do.

The last, last thing to do to any young (in horse if not flat racehorse terms) horse is to turn him out with nothing to do. That is not going to happen, although he will at first “chill” in the winter, turned out and coming in, until being ridden from some time in the New Year. For him it will feel like being at Fawley House. One major benefit of such wintering, however young or old, being the opportunity for any niggles to disappear by themselves without the pressure of training.

We had one or two other expressions of interest to take him, but Chris sourced this lady having put out feelers. He knows of her and her locality and in fact remembers her from competing together many years ago. We liaised closely and the key documents are in place: (1) Ice Lord is officially retired as a racehorse and cannot be tried on the track again – no controversy but it needs to be done – I have confirmation directly from the BHA – and (2) in the unanticipated event of anything interrupting Ice Lord’s life on the farm, the lady will refer back to me or Chris and we would sort something out for him.

Her own approach to (2) suggests that interruption is impossible because she came to see him today bringing her own horse box – brought forward from the weekend for lockdown reasons – and liked him immensely – both on sight and as a highly experienced horse woman. Good judge!  We wish them a great life together.

Valete:

ICE LORD (IRE) grey gelding – born 2012

By Verglas out of Special Lady by Kaldoun, purchased as a yearling at Tattersalls December Sales by AllanBloodlines.

Winner for Hintlesham Racing UK of 5 races and placed 11 times:

His wins were at Salisbury, Windsor, Ascot, Newmarket, Doncaster, the last three being Grade 1 tracks. Supporting his description as “a Saturday horse”, his Grade 1 racecourse places were at Newmarket (5 times), Doncaster (2), Newbury (1), Ascot (1 –that single pixel loss that few of us accept!) – plus Salisbury recently and earlier at Windsor.

He ran to a top RPR of 100 with many performances in the 90s. His highest Official Handicap Mark was 95, and highest winning mark 92.

He leaves to become a rural Essex boy.