Laura Morgan hails ‘phenomenal’ spell

Laura Morgan is riding high after her stellar stable form continued with a treble at Musselburgh on Sunday.

Champ Is Real, Seemingly So and Clear The Runway all scored under Adam Wedge at the Scottish track, bringing the stable strike rate to 50% over the past two weeks with seven winners from their past 11 runners.

Morgan is based near Melton Mowbray, nearly 300 miles from Musselburgh, and spent over 10 hours driving the horsebox to and from the racecourse having risen in the early hours to feed the horses.

Despite arriving home too late to properly celebrate, the long trip was made worthwhile by the trio of wins and was an experience Morgan would happily repeat in search of more success.

“For such a small yard it was fantastic, I couldn’t quite believe it, it was a crazy day,” she said.

“It was about five and a quarter hours away so it was a long old trip up there and back, getting up at four to feed, but it was all worth it.

“I didn’t do much celebrating, I think the others went to the pub! I was driving the lorry with the horses and I was getting them sorted when I got home at half 12 last night, so it was a long old day but I don’t care.

“I’ll drive anywhere for a winner, everyone says that about me!”

The yard’s recent triumphs are a welcome shift in fortunes for Morgan, with the string out of form earlier in the season and the trainer left to ponder if life had been easier when she was travelling head girl for Jonjo O’Neill.

“It’s phenomenal, you have to pinch yourself because a couple of months ago things weren’t going that great,” she said.

“A lot of the horses were sick and then you’ve got people on your back. Going from working for Jonjo for four and a half years, which was fantastic and I’d never swap that for the world, but you do think when you’re getting all the hassle and grief, ‘should I just go back to working at a yard and taking a wage at the end of the week?’.

“But on days like yesterday it all pays off and it’s just brilliant.”

Foxfield Stud, Morgan’s base, is very much a family-run enterprise, with Morgan’s sister, Kelly, training a string of pointers after a spell as a licence-holder employed by Sir Johnny Weatherby.

“We have a great team and it’s very much a family show here,” she said.

“I train them and Kelly has moved home, she was training for Sir Johnny Weatherby and she’s got a little yard down at the bottom with 10 point-to-pointers.

“She’s had eight or 10 winners already this season so she’s doing well, and then my brother is the farrier.

“He shoes all the horses in the yard, which is great, and Lizzy, his girlfriend, she’s a big part of it too.

“She does a lot of the school work and working on balance and getting them going right.

“We’ve got some great staff that have been with me for years, they’re all very loyal – it’s just a great family yard.”

The team could have even better days ahead as the yard houses a few exciting prospects, including the seven-times winner Socialist Agenda, who will sidestep the Morebattle Hurdle due to the likely testing conditions and could head for the Scottish Champion Hurdle instead.

“He won’t go on heavy ground, he’s more of a speed horse,” Morgan said of the chestnut.

“I’d say we’ll see what Ayr comes up like, he’ll go for the Scottish Champion Hurdle if that comes up good or good to soft at the worst. Possibly Aintree, we’ll wait but I wouldn’t run him on heavy.”

Another horse that could head to Aintree next is the unbeaten Bold Endeavour, who has claimed three wide-margin successes in a bumper and a pair of hurdle contests.

“He’s a lovely horse, I had him in this weekend but again, the ground was heavy,” said Morgan.

“We’ll step up to three (miles) and take the hood off, but I just thought it would be a bit stupid to run him on heavy ground when we could wait and go on better ground. He’ll maybe go to Aintree now and just go there a fresh horse.”