Author: Russ

A week of zero entries for Somerville Lodge sums up the reality that the 2026 AW winter campaign has been something of a token gesture, with the emphasis being placed on the Turf campaign, especially with the increased number of older horses staying in training. It looks like Wiltshire will be the sole centre of…

With a record of 1-24 on the AW surfaces this year , patience has been high on the list of attributes required by William Haggas followers. However, as indicated before the races were ran, there have been few if any runners expected to deliver. We advised of the dangers of supporting the horses that have…

Whilst activity at Somerville Lodge is increasingly busy with preparation for the Turf season – AW runners continue to be few and far between. Only two declarations have been made up to Friday this week and both are on retrieval missions following disappointing runs earlier this year. We highlighted the risks in backing maiden fillies…

A majority of the established owners that send horses to Somerville Lodge are owner breeders which puts great emphasis, especially with the fillies, for the yard , as a minimum, to win at least one race for connections. Most are beautifully bred and expectations, quite rightly extend to obtaining black type. However both targets are…

The Haggas team avoided a winless January with the last throw of the dice when the 58 rated Henrietta Ronner showed vastly improved form to take out a 3yo Handicap at Newcastle. Just in case anyone needed reminding of the brilliance of the trainer, the previously disappointing filly, fitted with blinkers and ridden without restraint…

2026 looks set to go down as the worse in a decade for Haggas followers with the current run of 0-15. With only a few runners set to go to post this week its looks odds on, that for the first time since the Covid year of 2020, Somerville Lodge will go winless heading into…

The Lincoln entries have been made and its no surprise that 3 of the 4 Somerville Lodge entries are towards the head of the Ante post market with Crown of Oaks as the early favourite, in a market that features the 102 entries, at 10/1. Crown of Oaks will, if turning up, run off a…

Only 9 runners this month but the 0-9 record will be agitating Haggas followers who expect a 25% strike rate throughout the year.  No real sign of the first win of the year being forthcoming. Wujjood did attract support at Lingfield backed from 8/1 into 10/3 and rewarded the suggested EW interest. She ran well…

By the middle of January in 2025 the Somerville Lodge team had two winners on the board and headed into the Newcastle Trials Day Fixture having sent out 9 runners before the valuable Newcastle meeting. Last season was the inaugural running of this fixture at Gosforth Park and Haggas didn’t have a representative, which was…

The champagne corks were popping at Somerville Lodge after the sparkling 2yo debut performance by Extremely Vain took the yards total wins for the year in GB to a best ever 176. With an increase in the number of older horses staying in training this year – a target of 200 in 2026 is clearly…