NOTE: From 1st May, 2008, Clanbrooke will have a featured `horse of the month' on the front page of the website. Individual stable pages will only be updated once horses have been featured.
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01.05.08

Over the past few months, Doubly has certainly proved that he is a force to be reckoned with over the longer distances. He has had eight starts over the last few months for two wins, a third and a second in the Listed Ramsden Stakes over 3200m. A win may just have seen him bypass many of the exclusion clauses on the way to the Melbourne Cup. As it stands, he now has Black type but must win another race in the lead up to the Cups. A tall order for a horse who really only hits his stride when he has a few runs under his belt. In the meantime, Doubly is having a short break.

01.02.2008

Doubly debuted at Geelong in mid January with a great deal of expectation on his shoulders. Over 1221m however, Doubly was never a winning proposition, requiring far more ground to get his big frame moving. He will head to Kyneton now over 1450m which may also prove too short for him. Members are keen to see him over some real distance, the harsh state of the tracks the only obstacle in his way at present.

01.11.2007

Doubly Sure has spent the Spring gearing up for a big Summer campaign. However, the Spring of 2008 remains his goal and, given Master O'Reilly's success in the Caulfield Cup combined with the talent Doubly obviously possesses, owners are dreaming of Group 1 glory in the coming year.

01.08.2007

More nominations and more abandoned meetings meant that Doubly had not raced for six weeks when he went to the Valley in the middle of July. A phenomenal run, finishing third, pre-empted Tony's decision to send him to the paddock for the Spring and ensure that he is fit and ready for the Autumn and Spring of 2008 as we may just have something special in Doubly Sure.

01.07.2007

Experiencing an abscess to his hoof early in the month, recovery was a little slower than anticipated. Combined with problems finding a suitable race and the fact that even with a suitable race there is no guarantee that the races would not be abandoned due to the state of the track, Doubly did not have a start in June. Back to his best at the end of the month, however, we anticipate a nomination shortly.

01.06.2007

A disappointing run at Bendigo early in May had Tony scratching his head. However, it certainly showed that Doubly likes being ridden a certain way - and that was exactly how Tony instructed Danny Brereton to ride him at Cranbourne, on a track that would surely not suit him. And that was exactly how Danny rode him when he cruised to his Maiden win, the first of many according to owners!

01.05.2007

A first start over 1400m in mid-April was a pleasing start to the colt's racing career. He made up about 5 lengths over the lat 400m to finish mid-field and looked to have a lot more left in the tank. His second start at Seymour over 1412m was an improvement on this. Still too short for the colt, he made the placings, finishing 3rd in a great run. Tony will look to step him up in distance fairly quickly over the coming weeks.

01.04.2007

Although a couple of weeks behind schedule, Doubly trialled at the end of March over an entirely unsuitable 800m. Tony was extremely well with the way he conducted his way through the field and will find a race for him in early April.

01.03.2007

Recovering well throughout February, Doubly Sure was kept `under wraps' for a week or two and by the end of the month only a knee bandage remained as a result of his altercation with the wall in January. He remained alert in himself and just about ready to return to full work.

01.02.2007

Performing well against Haradasun in trackwork in the middle of January, everything pointed towards a possible first start in early February. However, towards the end of the month, a negligent council worker started a jackhammer on the road just as Doubly was returning from trackwork and he bolted back to his stable, forgetting to stop before crashing into a concrete wall. Fortunately he incurred only superficial wounds that will hold him up for a couple of weeks and he should be back in work in the second week of February.

 01.01.2007

Grinding out the miles throughout November, Doubly experienced absolutely no problems. Big, strong, with a great stride, it just remains to be seen how big his heart is. There is rarely a day passing now that an O'Reilly is not winning somewhere and we feel that the extra time we have given him will be to our advantage in the racing season ahead. He is getting fitter all the time and we think he should be ready to trial in 3 weeks time.

01.12.2006

Doubly Sure completed his pre-training towards the end of the month and is expected at Caulfield today. He looks great and we expect him to go through to the races this time in.

01.11.2006

Brendan continued to put Doubly Sure through his paces throughout October and still looks set to arrive at Caulfield at some point in November. 

01.10.2006

Although supposed to be spelling for the duration of the month, signs that he was getting bored prompted Brendan to put him back in very light work towards the end of the month. The long term plan is to have him in Melbourne at Tony's stable in mid November.

 01.09.2006

Doubly Sure spent the entire month of August roaming the banks of the Hume Weir at Bethanga Park and is due to return to pre-training in September.

 01.08.2006

Trialing early in the month, handling the barriers well, he showed some signs thereafter that he needed a break, going off his food and showing signs of shinsoreness. As such, it was back to Bethanga Park for Riles who, Brendan reported, raced down to the water and seemed to be saying, `home sweet home' when he arrived back. Tony reiterated that he is still going to be a good 3YO and probably a very good 4YO. Patience is a virtue.

 01.07.2006

Tony continued to be impressed by Doubly Sure throughout June and is confident that he will only improve. At this stage, Doubly is headed for a trial in the first few days of July. Tony's belief is that while it would be great to get to the races this preparation, he is going to be a cracker 3YO and we don't want to risk this in any way. Members will have to wait and see whether he comes through a trial before deciding that he needs a rest.

 01.06.2006

Members met at the stables on May 20 to have, for many, a first glimpse of their colt. Impressing Tony in his work to date, Reilly is an impressive colt who has been doing everything Tony has asked of him. Tony commented, as have many who have worked with him, that he has an incredible ability to simply switch on when asked and then switch back off when he has completed the task at hand. He is certainly an exciting racing prospect as the O'Reilly's continue to win in NZ. We expect him to trial at some stage in June.

01.05.2006

Members voted on a name for their colt in April. Winning with a resounding majority was....`Doubly Sure.' Thanks Barry for the suggestion. However the name may prove to be a stage name only as stable staff refer to him fondly as `Riles.'

Reilly arrived at Caulfield in the last few days of the month and we await Tony's return from Adelaide before he has a chance to ride him and give us a better assessment of his ability.

The Partnership dinner is scheduled for Friday, 2nd June and we look forward to seeing all the familiar faces there.

01.04.2006

The O'Reilly colt has been in work at Bethanga Park for around six weeks now and Brendan is, if anything, over-positive about his ability thus far. When he gave him his first fast sprint earlier this week he declared: “we have a racehorse.”

Members dinner will be held in early June.

 01.03.2006

Our O'Reilly colt went into work in mid February. He has been improving his fitness on the rolling hills surrounding Bethanga Park without any problems at all. At this stage and as long as everything proceeds according to plan, we anticipate a transfer to Tony's stable in mid April.

14.02.2006
A couple of photos taken last week.



01.02.2006

Although we decided to miss the Ready to Run Sales and race this magnificent horse ourselves, the work that our Colt did at Eliza Park has proved a solid basis for him. He has recently had a few weeks off due to a minor problem a couple of weeks ago, but is now ready to go into work in mid February. We look forward to closing this Partnership shortly and getting a name for our Colt.

01.01.2006



It has been decided that our O'Reilly Colt will come to Tony's stables in mid-January to commence his first preparation. Although we don't really expect him to race in the Autumn, we should gain a good understanding of the ability we believe he has.

01.12.2005

Our beautiful O'Reilly Colt was originally purchased by Dean at the Melbourne Premier Sales in February 2005. An outstanding pedigree, Clanbrooke soon found that few people in Melbourne had even heard of the NZ Champion O'REILLY.

A decision was made to send the colt to the Ready to Run Sales later that year and he was sent to Macedon Lodge for pre-training in September 2005.

Visiting the unbroken colt in the paddock at Bethanga Park early in the year, it was apparent that this colt had a lovely nature, willingly approaching his vistors for some special attention. However, it was him impressive physique and lovely walking style that attracted comments from all who inspected him.

When a few long-time Clanbrooke Members decided that he was their next purchase, a triumphant decision was made to retain the colt for racing. He is currently in the paddock at Bethnga Park, looking stunning (see below). We hope to see him racing in the Autumn.