Astonishing had her Dark Angel filly foal at 2.20 am Sunday morning. All is well with mare and foal, I'd go as far to say she is a cracker. The filly is the 4th foal out of Astonishing and first filly which is great news for us here at Appletree. Our filly is a half sister to Gold Maze and our exciting Showcasing colt in training with Archie Watson. The plan at present will be to retain her for her racing career and then have her back at Appletree as a broodmare.

Yes My Boy (Footstepsinthesand x Amazing Krisken), a 3yo half brother to our very own Astonishing won the Bombardier British Hopped Amber Beer Novice Stakes over a 1m last night at Newcastle adding another update to an already solid page. The race looked strong on paper but Yes My Boy dealt out 3/4 of a length beating to the John Gosden Trained Cemhaan with a further 1 1/2 lengths back to Charlie Appleby's 88 officially rated Dubawi Colt Discovery Island. Yes My Boy Broke well and travelled before pressing on from the furlong pole, staying on strongly to the line. He looks as if he will stay further and will be exciting to see what targets Archie Watson has for him. Astonishing is in foal to Dark Angel and over her due date so we are waiting with great anticipation to see what she delivers. She has on the ground the exciting 3yo Golden Horn colt Gold Maze with Jessica Harrington in Ireland who is already Group 2 placed and entered in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Astonishing also has a 2yo colt by Showcasing which I have always loved, he too is being trained in Lambourn by Archie Watson. We have booked Astonishing in to visit Too Darn Hot this season. The coming summer should hold some interesting updates and good results.

Secret Advisor (Dubawi x Sub Rose) gained more Black Type for the page of our very own mare Astonishing (Galileo x Amazing Krisken) last night in Meydan Dubai, winning the Meydan Cup Sponsored By P & O Marinas (Listed Handicap) (Turf) over a 1m6f. Secret Advisor is out of a full sister to Astonishing, Sub Rose. We look forward to seeing Secret Advisor having more opportunity add black type to the page through out the Dubai Carnival. Astonishing is in foal to Dark Angel, due this weekend and booked in to visit Too Darn Hot (Dubawi x Dar Rae Mi) 2020 breeding season which makes the result very exciting indeed as Dubawi x Galileo cross is proving lucrative.

Fearns Pippin Showcasing filly becomes the second new arrival for AppleTree Stud in 2020 born in the early hours of this morning 12.10am in IRE at Coolmore Stud. She is Fearns first foal and according to Coolmoore she's a "CRACKER" which is great news and Showcasing is a great stallion to send maiden mares to. We have supported Showcasing well since we set up and he never gives a bad foal. She weighs 46.72kg (103lb) and Fearns is reportedly the perfect mother. Fearns Pippin will be covered by Churchill before returning home. Pictures will be posted ASAP

Appletree Stud is please to announce our first arrival of 2020. Jack Hobbs x The Pirates Queen colt was born at 11.30pm on 24/01/20. TPQ foaled with the minimum of fuss and we are delighted with her foal as he is the first colt she has produced. He is TPQ's fourth foal, TPQ is yet to have a runner but we are looking forward to seeing her other off spring running in the near future. Kalansi x The Pirates Queen16 filly will run in bumpers in the spring and is being trained by Alan King. Sea The Moon x The Pirates Queen17 has just gone in to training with Alan and TPQ's Sea The Moon 18 is broken and ridden away. I'm toying with the idea of running TPQ's 2 Sea The Moon fillies on the flat. TPQ had plenty of pace her self and Sea The Moon has really stamped his stock so watch this space.

Blacko made it 2 wins from 2 GB starts this afternoon at Warwick in the 1.00pm Try Racing TV For Free Now Juvenile Hurdle beating The Pink'n by 2 and 1/4 lengths. There was not enough early pace so Tom Bellamy aloud Blacko to set his own gallop from the second flight of hurdles, never looking any danger being beaten. The win now gives us options and we will definitely have to step up in grade next time. My target would be straight to The Fred Winter Handicap for juveniles at the festival as I think Blacko can progress and the handicapper can't be too hard on him after today as on face value he has run to a similar mark as Taunton last time. We could go to something like the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton and have pop at the Triumph if he won that, but I'm not convinced he's up to that level this season and as I have said in the past Blacko will be a better horse next season and when he jumps a fence in time. Alan, Paul and I will have the discussion over the next few days but I suspect it will be plan A.

Blacko makes his second GB start this afternoon in the Try Racing TV For Free Now Juvenile Hurdle (Class 4) (4yo) at Warwick 1.00pm. We are looking for him to follow up his decisive win at Taunton in December. There is a field of 8 in the contest and respect is given to the Dan Skelton trained Scorched Earth, a winner at Catterick on debut before finishing 4th in a nice race at Newbury behind the Henderson trained Mister Coffey. Alan King had the third in the Newbury race with On To Victory so again we have line through the form. The most Interesting opposition I feel is the Philip Hobbs trained Guernsey, he is making his British debut and has a similar profile to Blacko when he arrived from France, having run twice at Argentan being placed 2nd on his most recent start. it may be difficult to concede a penalty to Guernsey but we have improved and are likely to do so through the coming months We are again Delighted that Tom Bellamy takes the ride.

Far Rockaway finished 3rd in the Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Handicap 1m2f yesterday at Lingfield. Although slightly disappointed, she ran another solid race only being beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Island Hideaway, in what was a competitive affair despite there only being 4 runners. Far Rockaway popped out to take an early lead in the hope she could make all the running. She was challenged just before turning in and it appeared she did not quite have the gears of the winner and second, although a bump from the winner arguably cost our filly 2nd place. There are as always excuses, in hind sight we probably should of set a stronger gallop. We also need to take into account the fact we came back quite quick from her run at Wolves. She will have an easy month or so as there are no races for her until February. We are confident she can get her head in front in the very near future and she will stay further giving us more options.

Far Rockaway (Frankel x Darinza) looks to get of the mark tomorrow at Lingfield in the 1m2f Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Handicap (Class 5) (3yo 0-75) 2.20pm. Only 5 runners are declared and it looks a doable task off her mark 73. She has finished 2nd on her 2 previous starts at Chelmsford and Wolves. Far Rockaway was arguably unlucky at Chelmsford over 1m2f before finding Wolves too sharp having not had the gears to hold an early position, staying on late to grab a never nearer 2nd over 1m. Lingfield is a sharp track but Far Rockaway is back up to 1m2f and with the small field she should be aloud to go forward and get a good early sit. After the Newcastle result with Tomorrows Dream we will have to take into account we are running her back quick but there simply isn't another opportunity for her until next month. Ben Curtis rides for us again which is a positive, there is more in her favor than against.

Tomorrows Dream ran a sound enough race under her penalty at Newcastle yesterday in the 3.30pm Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Novice Stakes but I can't help being disappointed. It's not the fact she got beaten, it's the fact there are too many mitigating circumstances. I feel she was ridden all wrong and was not given the chance to run her true race. Tomorrows Dream was taken back from the start to sit behind the favorite hoping she would have the gears on her rivals. Personally I would of liked to of seen her go forward, handy with a lead which we thought was the plan. I take into account she was coming back quick and ran flat but after sleeping on it I still feel this morning she was not quite giving the chance to run her true race, ultimately she was too far back. All these points have been discussed with William and Paul. Its not about pointing fingers and blaming its about learning and getting things right in the future. On the positive side of the result Tomorrows Dream will be handicapped and ready to go to war in the summer with a decent mark. She will have a break now and come back to farm before resuming her 3yo campaign in the spring.