Paul Robson Racing Club Update

Hi folks,

Thought we’d give an update on the Paul Robson Racing Club and where we stand now, 18 months after launching the project. To say it’s been eventful would be an understatement – that’s for sure!

At the outset we bought a talented young horse L’Insurge to give our members the full experience of being involved with the whole process from the very beginning.

After putting me in hospital with a broken pelvis in January 2025 by rearing up and decking me in our indoor ride, we did manage to get him two bumper runs then three in novice hurdles and were excited to go handicapping with him.

Sadly we hit a setback over the winter, losing the use of our round deep-sand ring for a few months because of the terrible weather and that seriously affected his training regime.

As a horse who needed specialist training on that surface, since he was too unruly to be ridden on our long woodchip uphill gallop, he was very difficult to train and unfortunately that exacerbated his issues.

After a few aborted attempts to get him going in a normal training regime, we had to make the reluctant decision to draw stumps with him last month because, unfortunately, despite having ability he just wasn’t mentally suited to life in a racing yard.

It was hugely disappointing for our members but, sadly, sometimes these things just happen in racing. He’s currently out in the field here at Hazelrigg while we try to find a new home suitable to his temperament.

Our second horse Away She Goes, who gave the Racing Club its first winner at Kelso last May and ran two good races subsequently back there and at Perth, made her seasonal comeback at Musselburgh in November.

We went into last season expecting her to make real progress and give our members some more memorable days on the course.

Sadly, after the Musselburgh race we discovered her to be lame behind and while some stiffness wasn’t unusual for her after racing, the vets discovered an issue with her off-hind joint, which had fused so they were unable to administer treatment.

Thankfully, she was in no pain but continuing to race was no longer an option. She’s been retired and is now a much-loved fun horse for an owner we know in the Borders and is enjoying life taking part in the Common Ridings at the moment.

So the Racing Club went from having two horses fit and ready to race, to having none – which was far from ideal.

After discussing things with our members we decided to pause memberships for 2026 until things were back on track.

Thankfully, we’re now ready to have our next runner.

Ravenswell, who ran on the flat last season, will now represent the Paul Robson Racing Club and we are currently putting the finishing touches to his work ahead of running for the first time in the club colours at Musselburgh next week.

A 5-year-old who went agonisingly close to winning at Carlisle last August off his current handicap mark (and was very unlucky with the draw at Newcastle when favourite next time!), he will combine running on the flat this summer with going novice hurdling later in the year.

He’s already shown he can be competitive on the level and his schooling over obstacles has gone well so far, so we’re hoping to have a good bit of enjoyment with him in the months to come.

Our members have been hugely patient and have certainly experienced the highs and lows of racing over the last 12 months, so I have to thank them for that and for their understanding.

While things haven’t been plain sailing since launching the club following our move to Hazelrigg, I’d like to think we’ve got our bad luck out of the way now and will be looking forward to a successful and fun future.

All the best,
Paul