Delatite gave us all a huge thrill last October when winning a bumper at Sedgefield by nine lengths. Sadly, the joy was short-lived as he was struck low by an aggressive infection some three weeks later, which required surgery. He is still undergoing a long convalescence and while his racing future is uncertain, he is bright and sound, so we are all keeping our fingers crossed for an eventual return.
In the meantime, spirits have been lifted by the arrival in the yard of his two-year-old half-brother Dereham, who is by our favourite stallion Sir Percy. We've only had two horses by Sir Percy in the yard before, but they are Hope Is High and Grand Liaison, who have each won five races, which will give you some idea why he's a stallion that a lot of trainers really like.
Dereham was broken in for us by Steve Barry and Katy Lyons, who run LB Equine Sevices in Pangbourne, and they have done a fabulous job with his early education. It's lovely to have him here with his brother, and we hope that the pair may be joined by Delatite's three-year-old full-brother, the giant Dear Alix, later this year.