10 February 2011 Seston's Training Career on the Up
by Carolyn Tanner
There are few stronger jockeys on the Point-to-Point circuit than Miles Seston, who has ridden winners on the flat and over hurdles and regulation fences as well as between the flags. In addition to riding, he is now looking to build up a training yard, and has already proved his ability in that direction as well, as was shown by Bonnie Baloo's recent success at Alnwick.
The first horse which Miles had to train was his own Be Upstanding, who won for him at Brocklesby Park in 2008, but six weeks later Miles broke both his legs in an horrific fall at Thorpe, and his horse moved to Cherry Coward for the rest of the season. He still feels the after-effects of that fall in his heel, which gives him some gyp at times.
The following two years saw him temporarily give up thoughts of training, concentrating instead on getting his riding career back on track, so this season will be his first full campaign in charge of other people's Pointers. He currently has two horses in his yard adjacent to Tim Easterby's Habton Grange stables, although there are two more to come in the near future.
Roger Metcalfe sent his home-bred BONNIE BALOO, who had had a couple of uninspiring Bumper runs, to Miles last September. "She was a bit weak when she came, but she bucks before she goes on the gallops and I nearly fell off her every day," Miles recalled. "I thought to myself ‘What has he sent me?'"
Her Alnwick victory came as a nice surprise to her trainer, whose main objective had been for her to have an educational run. "She wasn't the most natural over an obstacle when she came to me, and she schooled horribly over poles," he admitted.
Four miles from the course he stopped to fit her with earplugs to prevent her from getting too fired up, and removed them when she was in the paddock. "I thought she'd like a flat galloping track but she handled Alnwick very well," he said. "And she might have preferred better ground, although on that score she could be versatile."
There the flattery ends. "She's hard work sometimes, a typical woman," he grinned. "If she was human she'd be the neediest woman you could ever come across."
Miles enjoys bringing on young horses, and he believes that schooling is the biggest key with maidens, but when it comes to racing he doesn't believe in wasting a run. "You need to put them in the right races on the right tracks," he stressed. He is hoping that Duncombe Park will suit Bonnie Baloo, whose next outing could be in the Hunt race there this weekend.
The second of Miles's charges is DAY OF CLAIES, who came out of Harry Hogarth's yard and was recommended to Miles by Hogarth's assistant Fergus King. "He said it would be the best buy I could make," said Miles, "although I was warned he could be rusty first time out, and I only managed to get one school into him before the bad weather came." Prophetic words, as he dumped his jockey at Cottenham, where he was backed as though defeat was out of the question.
He redeemed himself somewhat at Alnwick, where he was travelling all right until being taken out by another horse pulling up. He has since had his back manipulated. "He's got a lot of ability," Miles opined, "but I need to get him to enjoy himself. He's had a few hard races in his time."
Miles described Day Of Claies, who belongs to John Swiers and Chris Barker, as "very straightforward," but immediately gave the lie to this by admitting "I'd only had him three days when he buried me, and it took me nearly an hour to catch him!"
Miles and Fergus King became friendly when both were riding for Malcolm Jefferson, for whom Miles was a conditional until weight got the better of him. The pair are joining up to train a couple of maiden Pointers due over from Ireland shortly.
In addition to running his own yard, Miles rides out for Richard Fahey every morning, and he goes to Gary Hanmer's Cheshire yard once a week. He will also be riding the Pointers trained by Nick Kent. Being away from his yard some days means that he needs a right-hand man, and here he has enlisted the help of former jockey Richard Tierney, who has proved a great asset.
Last summer he had a taste of being a broadcasting pundit, working for William Hill Radio at Royal Ascot, no less. Thankfully, given his opinions on Bonnie Baloo's feminine traits, describing the fashions was not in his remit.........
