It was not without lots of stress and I felt like I didn’t sleep for about two weeks before the Book II Sales at Tattersalls. I would not describe myself as somebody who has OCD but for those couple of weeks I think I gave OCD a trial, which was probably less than pleasant for everybody around me.
It was a great feeling loading them up to take them to the sales but there is still plenty of work to be done when you get there. There were lots of early starts with each of the yearlings being hand walked at 5am. Tattersalls at 5am is like watching DIY SOS. People, horses and mess everywhere and it has all totally disappeared by 7.30am with gleaming horses, raked walkways and maybe just a few bleary eyed stable lads showing a hint of the previous night’s escapades, giving away what had gone before.
Of course, the main aim of the game is to come home with a profit but when you are doing something for the first time you are never quite sure what to expect. I liked the horses but there is no perfect horse and two of them had a very interrupted preparation so were not looking as strong as I would have liked. Overall it was a great experience but what really made it was all the help and support that I received. There were lots of tips and advice and it really showed that although everybody is busy doing their own thing, they still have the time to wish somebody else well, which in today’s world is very refreshing.