Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2015 5:50:58 GMT -5
Named for the river running through the middle of it's acreage, Riverview Acres was founded by former jockey Alexia Harshing at the beginning of the current season, although it has clearly been in planning for some time. It is a private thoroughbred racing and breeding stable, although their have been hints that they are in fact affiliated with a nearby showing stable (Welbeck Acres) that will also be opening it's doors in the coming months.
Riverview Acres started this season with a beautiful line of horses, thanks partly to the importation of horses from several outside auctions but also down to the purchases made in The Wire's start-of-season sale. This line has enabled them to make their presence felt, despite being a relatively small and new stable, and they certainly aren't to be overlooked as they continue to grow. The racing string of twelve horses includes: successful juvenile filly Sylvanite; recently debuted three-year-old Master Of Tides; National Treasure and recently turned grade one Predator. Alexia says she is still open to offers of further horses, and that she is keeping her eyes on sales locally.
While Alexia is the driving force behind the stable she is not alone. In her employ she has two novice jockeys (Samuel Knight and Lucy Hamilton); a broodmare manager with a history as a horse whisperer; and an on-site vet. She is also bringing back Silver Stride Stables jockey Tanya Stratt to bring yet another powerful influence into the stable. For those who do not recall, Tanya Stratt was the jockey of Paradise Island (now a broodmare at Riverview Acres) during her successful Triple Tiara campaign and will bring an experience to the jockey team that the others currently lack on the track.
"It didn't feel right, to start with." Alexia speaks about the delay in founding of the stable. "Matthias was a big part of my life, a good friend and a brilliant man. His death at the hands of cancer was a tragic loss not only to those who knew him but to the sport. I drifted away for a while, but racing meant so much to him that I knew I would not stay away forever. I timed the return well, really - not every stable gets to start off with the quality of stock I have managed to attain. I mean, to have Sonja back, and joined by the likes of Cute Italian and Once Upon A Dream? That's not even mentioning the youngstock or racers. We have been extremely lucky."
"Of course, we can only thank those who helped us getting started. Nick at Intrepid Racing, Ripley at Witch Creek Stables and Amber up at Stride Of Perfection Stables are all part of what made this possible. It's nice to see the tracks so busy, too - I remember a time when filling races was a struggle, but now it seems some cards are just bursting at the seams. It's exciting, not to mention nerve-wracking. It will take real champions to stand out in the next few years, I think."
"Our stock? Oh, we certainly have a chance at having one of those champions. We might not have as many horses as some of the bigger stables, but we're not going to lie down and make it easy for them either. Sometimes the stars come from the most unlikely places - the horse which struggles initially to break it's maiden can be the one which ends up a legend. I think that's something which is easy to lose sight of."
As we concluded our tour with Alexia, we felt we knew a lot more about the stable - and the passion which drives the staff there. We hope this article has given you some insight, too.
Riverview Acres started this season with a beautiful line of horses, thanks partly to the importation of horses from several outside auctions but also down to the purchases made in The Wire's start-of-season sale. This line has enabled them to make their presence felt, despite being a relatively small and new stable, and they certainly aren't to be overlooked as they continue to grow. The racing string of twelve horses includes: successful juvenile filly Sylvanite; recently debuted three-year-old Master Of Tides; National Treasure and recently turned grade one Predator. Alexia says she is still open to offers of further horses, and that she is keeping her eyes on sales locally.
While Alexia is the driving force behind the stable she is not alone. In her employ she has two novice jockeys (Samuel Knight and Lucy Hamilton); a broodmare manager with a history as a horse whisperer; and an on-site vet. She is also bringing back Silver Stride Stables jockey Tanya Stratt to bring yet another powerful influence into the stable. For those who do not recall, Tanya Stratt was the jockey of Paradise Island (now a broodmare at Riverview Acres) during her successful Triple Tiara campaign and will bring an experience to the jockey team that the others currently lack on the track.
"It didn't feel right, to start with." Alexia speaks about the delay in founding of the stable. "Matthias was a big part of my life, a good friend and a brilliant man. His death at the hands of cancer was a tragic loss not only to those who knew him but to the sport. I drifted away for a while, but racing meant so much to him that I knew I would not stay away forever. I timed the return well, really - not every stable gets to start off with the quality of stock I have managed to attain. I mean, to have Sonja back, and joined by the likes of Cute Italian and Once Upon A Dream? That's not even mentioning the youngstock or racers. We have been extremely lucky."
"Of course, we can only thank those who helped us getting started. Nick at Intrepid Racing, Ripley at Witch Creek Stables and Amber up at Stride Of Perfection Stables are all part of what made this possible. It's nice to see the tracks so busy, too - I remember a time when filling races was a struggle, but now it seems some cards are just bursting at the seams. It's exciting, not to mention nerve-wracking. It will take real champions to stand out in the next few years, I think."
"Our stock? Oh, we certainly have a chance at having one of those champions. We might not have as many horses as some of the bigger stables, but we're not going to lie down and make it easy for them either. Sometimes the stars come from the most unlikely places - the horse which struggles initially to break it's maiden can be the one which ends up a legend. I think that's something which is easy to lose sight of."
As we concluded our tour with Alexia, we felt we knew a lot more about the stable - and the passion which drives the staff there. We hope this article has given you some insight, too.
