Eventmasters Racing October 2026 – Horses in Training Update

October has been another busy month for Eventmasters Racing, with Vaguely Royal taking centre stage in the prestigious Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket.

Competing against 29 rivals in one of the Flat season’s most competitive staying contests, he produced a creditable performance to finish thirteenth, improving on his position in the same race last year by two places. It was another pleasing effort from a horse who has already given us plenty to celebrate this season.

Away from the racecourse, there have been some exciting developments among our younger prospects. Our homebred two-year-old filly by Without Parole out of Turanga Leela, now officially named Heavenly, has been making encouraging progress on the gallops at Stan Moore’s yard as her eagerly anticipated debut draws closer. Meanwhile, our unraced Jukebox Jury filly continues to step up her work at Tom Ellis Racing, building towards her own first racecourse appearance.

Preparations for the winter jumps season have also been gathering momentum, with Ain’t That A Shame progressing well in his training and schooling ahead of his seasonal return. Four Decades has continued her education over fences, while several other members of our team have been in action throughout the month.

As the Flat season approaches its conclusion and the National Hunt campaign begins to take centre stage, there is plenty of interest across our string as we head into November.

Below is the latest news.

Four Decades – Continuing Her Education Over Fences

Four Decades continued her education over fences at Sedgefield on 29th September, making just the second chase start of her career. Stepping up significantly in trip to 2m5f28y for a handicap chase, she was once again partnered by Jack Andrews for trainer Tom Ellis.

Racing towards the rear during the early stages, she moved into third at the eighth fence and remained in touch as the field headed towards the closing stages. She came under pressure after the second last and was unable to make an impression on the leading pair, eventually finishing third of the four runners.

Although unable to challenge the leading pair, the outing provided another valuable learning experience over the larger obstacles. Since Sedgefield, Four Decades has continued schooling at Tom Ellis Racing, building on the experience gained from her first two chase starts. Her third appearance over fences is now imminent, and we hope the additional work at home will help her continue to develop her jumping and confidence as she progresses in this new discipline.

Mary – Encouraging Return at Sedgefield

Mary returned to action at Sedgefield on 29th September following a 72-day break. Dropping back in trip to 2m77y for a handicap chase, she was partnered by Charlie Todd for trainer Ian Williams.

Sent straight to the front, Mary adopted positive tactics and led for much of the contest. Her jumping was not always as fluent as it can be and a mistake at the second last came as the pressure began to increase. She was headed shortly afterwards but continued to battle on to finish a creditable third of the five runners.

There was plenty to take from the performance after more than two months away from the track. She should benefit from having the run under her belt and her willingness to race prominently and keep battling to the line provided encouragement for the coming months as she resumes her campaign.

Premium Seat – First Experience in Nursery Company

Premium Seat continued his education at Bath on 29th September, making his nursery debut and racing on turf for the first time. Dropping slightly in trip to 5f160y, he was partnered by Taylor Fisher for trainer Stan Moore.

Settled towards the rear during the early stages, he was asked to improve on the outside over two furlongs from home and began to make encouraging headway approaching the final furlong. His progress was halted slightly when he hung to the right in the closing stages and he was unable to make any further impression, eventually finishing seventh of the eleven runners.

Premium Seat will now be given a short break and is set to be gelded before returning to training. Having gained plenty of valuable experience from his first four racecourse starts, we hope the time away will benefit him as he continues to mature and develop ahead of the next stage of his career.

Vaguely Royal – October Racecourse Appearances

Vaguely Royal returned to action at Ascot on 2nd October, lining up in a handicap over 1m7f209y. William Buick was back in the saddle for trainer Ian Williams.

Slowly away from the stalls, Vaguely Royal raced towards the rear of the five-runner field and was asked to improve his position over three furlongs from home. He was unable to make the required headway as the race developed and ultimately finished fifth.

Just eight days later, he took his place in the prestigious Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket, tackling the demanding 2m2f contest under Ethan Tindall. Facing a competitive field of 29 runners, he produced a creditable performance to finish thirteenth, improving on his finishing position in the same race last year by two places.

Having been slowly away, he raced towards the rear before beginning to make headway in the closing stages. However, he encountered some traffic over a furlong from home, which interrupted his progress. Ethan reported afterwards that Vaguely Royal had briefly hit a flat spot before picking up strongly, particularly enjoying passing horses as he found his stride. He felt that a clearer passage might have enabled him to finish a little closer.

His third outing of the month came at Southwell on 26th October, where newly crowned Champion Flat Jockey Billy Loughnane partnered him in a handicap over 2m102y. Despite another slow start, Vaguely Royal quickly recovered to take the lead and set a steady pace. He was headed approaching the final three furlongs and although continuing to battle on, eventually finished fourth of the six runners.

Billy felt afterwards that Vaguely Royal may still have been feeling the effects of his excellent Cesarewitch performance, which he considered potentially a career-best effort. He reported that the horse appeared tired when pulling up and had not finished with his usual determination, suggesting that a period of freshening up could help him return to his best.

Despite a demanding October, Vaguely Royal has enjoyed a rewarding campaign, highlighted by his back-to-back victories at Chester and York during the summer. We are extremely proud of these achievements, which are a testament to the patience and skill of his trainer Ian Williams. A break may now prove beneficial following his recent exertions, allowing him to recharge before his next assignment.

Heavenly – Racecourse Debut Drawing Closer

Another of our exciting homebreds is edging closer to making her first racecourse appearance, with our two-year-old filly by Without Parole out of our own mare Turanga Leela making encouraging progress at Stan Moore’s yard.

Now officially named Heavenly, the filly has been stepping up her work on the gallops and showing plenty of encouraging signs, including comfortably keeping pace with stablemate Lushill, who recently finished third in a nursery at Wolverhampton.

It is always particularly rewarding to see our homebred youngsters progress towards the racecourse and with Heavenly now approaching the final stages of her preparations, we hope it won’t be too long before she makes her eagerly anticipated debut.

Jukebox Jury Filly – Stepping Up Her Work

Our unraced three-year-old filly by Jukebox Jury out of Roc N Roe continues to make encouraging progress at Tom Ellis Racing, where she has recently stepped up her workload as preparations for her eventual racecourse debut gather pace.

Having joined the yard following her purchase at the Tattersalls Derby Sale earlier this year, she is steadily building her strength and fitness while continuing her education under Tom and his team. The increased workload marks another positive step in her development as she gains confidence and becomes accustomed to the demands of training.

There is still plenty of work to be done before she makes her first appearance on the racecourse, but it is pleasing to see her progressing well and we look forward to following her development over the coming months.

Ain’t That A Shame – Winter Preparations Gathering Pace

Preparations for Ain’t That A Shame’s winter campaign are gathering momentum at Tom Ellis Racing, where he has been stepping up his workload and schooling as his return to competitive action draws closer.

Having enjoyed a summer break, the experienced chaser has been steadily building his fitness in recent weeks, with the team continuing to prepare him for the demands of the months ahead.

The Becher Chase at Aintree remains a potential early-season target, providing conditions are suitable. Having previously performed so admirably over the Grand National fences, it would be exciting to see him return to the famous Liverpool track.

For now, the focus remains on ensuring he is fit and ready for his seasonal reappearance, with suitable ground an important consideration as his winter programme takes shape.

Thomas Tallis – Another Outing at Wolverhampton

Thomas Tallis returned to Wolverhampton on 27th October for another handicap over 1m142y, with Finlay Bassett taking the ride for trainer John Mackie.

Having raced prominently in the early stages, he encountered a lack of room after the opening furlong and subsequently dropped back into midfield. He began to hang right when asked to improve over two furlongs from home and was unable to make any significant headway, eventually weakening inside the final furlong to finish ninth of the ten runners.

It was another disappointing result for Thomas Tallis, who has struggled to reproduce the encouraging form he showed when finishing third at Wolverhampton in August. We hope the team can find the right conditions to help him rediscover that level of performance in his future outings.

October has been another interesting month for Eventmasters Racing, with our horses continuing to gain valuable experience on the racecourse and several exciting prospects progressing steadily at home. As we head into November, attention increasingly turns towards the National Hunt season and the opportunities that lie ahead for our team.

Of course, you know the jumps season is truly gathering momentum when racing returns to Cheltenham! This year’s two-day Showcase Meeting on 23rd and 24th October was particularly welcome, marking the first action at Prestbury Park since the Festival back in March. The April Meeting and Hunter Chase evening were both cancelled to allow extensive upgrades to the drainage system along the home straight, making the long-awaited return all the more special.

With Cheltenham back in action and the winter jumps programme beginning to take shape, there is plenty to be excited about over the coming months.