Members of the Owners Group syndicate would gain a privileged opportunity of visiting the Newmarket stable that is home to one of horse racing's legendary names, Sir Mark Prescott. 

After taking control of Heath House in 1970, Sir Mark Prescott is going just as strong now as he was fifty years ago. Leading Newmarket trainer William Haggas gained most of his education under the wing of Sir Mark and the witty humour of the seventy-eight year old remains as sharp as a tack. The walls of the stable barns and inside the mind of Sir Mark Prescott hold many stories and memories of humans and horses alike through the decades. Prescott dominated the 1990's with the brilliant sprinter and iconic sire Pivotal, as well as the middle distance scene with dual Champion Stakes winner Alborada.
In recent years however, Sir Mark Prescott has returned to the top with a vengeance. His patient approach with the grey Alpinista saw her pick up Group One wins in Germany and France before she bravely landed Europe's biggest race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2022. He is also one of the shrewdest operators in the business, with his traditional methods for horses starting in handicaps. Over the years, he would race stoutly bred horses over sprint distances where they would have little chance of getting competitive, but once they were allocated a lowly official rating, they would be moved up to a more suitable distance; often landing multiple wins in quick succession. A historic memory from the 1990's would involve Pasternak, who completed the rare Magnet Cup and Cambridgeshire Handicap double. In the second of those races, Pasternak was backed by almost the entire country as if defeat was out of the question and the colt delivered in great style to land some hefty bets. 

The stars of the current crop at Heath House include Tiffany, a mare in the similar mould of Alpinist who has improved with age. She has graduated from handicaps all the way to the top, with two placings in Group One races at the end of 2024. The four year old Godsend has been a typical Prescott improver with five wins in six starts so far; rising almost 30lbs in the ratings in a short space of time. 

SHERIFF'S COURT - Age: 4 - Sire: Blue Point - Dam: Shemiyla

Owners Group are regular attendees at the Horses in Training sales that take place throughout the year at Newmaket and they have found a potential diamond amongst the rough with Sheriff's Court.

The bay gelding was originally owned by Godolphin, under the French banner of the operation. He holds a very useful blend of speed and stamina in his pedigree as a son of the excellent sprinter Blue Point. The Group One winner over five and six furlongs has seen his stocks continually rise in recent seasons with the success of his offspring such as Group One winners Rosallion, Big Evs and Kind Of Blue. On the other side of the pedigree comes another historic breeding operation, that of HRH the Aga Khan. The dam Shemiyla enjoyed a light career in which she won a Group Three in her native country, but at stud, she has produced the Group Three winner Lakota Sioux, trained by Charlie Johnston, as well as Sheraz who finished third in the Melbourne Cup two seasons ago. 

Sheriff's Court would make his debut as a three year old for legendary trainer Andre Fabre. Lining up at Saint-Cloud over six and a half furlongs, the ground on the day was described as heavy. Sheriff's Court raced in a prominent position throughout under the high class jockey Mickael Barzalona and kicked on into a clear lead rounding the home bend. With a clear advantage, the race looked sealed, but the gap would keep closing until he crossed the line just under a length to the good and made a nice winning debut. He would then go under the hammer during Godolphin's annual dispersal and it would be there where Owners Group stepped in and purchased the gelding. 
A break of nearly six months would elapse before he made a return to a racecourse, this time in the Owners Group silks. Starting at Kempton over six furlongs, he would travel strongly throughout the contest and despite taking a while to pick up, he made noticeable headway in the final stages to finish fourth. With that highly encouraging debut on UK soil under his belt, Sheriff's Court moved on to Windsor for his third and final novice race. Carrying twelve pounds more than his nearest rival due to his age and previous winning form, this six furlong contest would prove a tricky task. The early pace in the race was quite fast and Sheriff's Court found himself outpaced early on, struggling to get into a rhythm. By the time he was in the flow, his rivals had quickened past him as he returned home in eighth. 

After struggling to get competitive from a wide draw at Chelmsford in a strong looking handicap at the start of June, the four year old returned to the Essex venue a few weeks later where things would begin to pick up. Racing in an apprentice riders' handicap under young jockey Poppy Scott, Sheriff's Court would produce his best run with a second behind a Godolphin horse that is likely to rank at a much higher level. On the back of that pleasing effort, he would return to turf at Carlisle in early July. Reunited with Poppy Scott, the chestnut appreciated the softer ground conditions to rally up the hill and take victory for the first time in Britain. The margin would be just half a length, but it would be a weight lifted off the shoulders of those involved and now they can look forward with a multitude of options now open on the turf and all-weather.

OVERTURE - Age: 4 - Sire: New Approach - Dam: Tribute Act

The filly Overture is a homebred of her owners Elite Racing Club, but has been transformed on the track by the Sir Mark Prescott treatment.

A daughter of Epsom Derby winner New Approach, she is a distant relative to Elite Racing's superstar horses Soviet Song and Penzance. She has made her name at a much lower level, but she has provided plenty of fun for her owners throughout 2024. She would initially frustrate her owners at the start of her career with some slow starts and signs of inexperience in three starts at the end of 2023. After a long break that saw her return to action halfway through 2024 saw Overture finish slightly closer with each start. A first success on track would come at Yarmouth where she showed some awkward tendencies but still finished off well to win at a lowly class six level. It was her first try over middle distances and it proved to be the catalyst to success. A wide margin success would follow at Nottingham before a third win in the month of August would complete the hat trick at Southwell, where she had well and truly found the knack of winning. She wasn't done there however as the four timer of wins came where the sequence began, back at Yarmouth in game style.

This season has been a testing once however as her handicap rating remains very stiff on 87. Making her reappearance in a competitive handicap at Southwell in April, she would return in just sixth but the race looked a very good one for the level with plenty of improving fillies in the lineup that day. Afterwards, she would run at Goodwood, again in a class three handicap, but she could on close up at the same pace after suffering trouble in running. On her latest start, Overture took part in the listed Pontefract Castle Stakes at the South Yorkshire venue, where she faced some talented rivals. She could only run as well as she could, but returned in a well held fifth.

This year has been a consequence of her own good fortune as the four wins in 2024 propelled her handicap rating from 60 on her first win to a high of 88 following her final win, an improvement of 28lbs. The assessor remains stubborn to reduce the rating which has forced Sir Mark Prescott's hand by racing at a higher grade than suited for Overture. She has been a likeable sort though and she will continue to run with credit each time she lines up.  

PETULA - Age: 3 - Sire: Calyx - Dam: Affinity

The newest member of the Elite Racing and Heath House stables partnership would be the unraced three year old filly Petula. 
She comes from a family that both parties know very well as she is a half sister to the stable star and fellow Elite Racing-owned Tiffany, who has won at Group Two level and placed in two Group Ones at the end of last year.

A daughter of the late Calyx, a stallion who could have been top class on track but his career was curtailed and made a decent impact at stud prior to his premature death. Offspring of Calyx include the Group Two winner Persian Dreamer, who won at Newmarket in 2023 for Amo Racing as well as listed winner It Ain't Two and Group Two runner up Malc, both of whom ran their best races over five furlongs.
With the influence of speed from her sire, it will be fascinating to see where Petula is aimed at for her imminent debut. Her half sister Tiffany improved with age and longer distances, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see her start out over a mile. She has been working well on the gallops without looking a world beater, but connections will know that if Petula runs even to half of Tiffany's ability then they have a very good horse on their hands once more.

TIFFANY - Age: 5 - Sire: Farhh - Dam: Affinity

One of the stars of the Heath House stable would hold a link to the Elite Racing Club with their high class mare Tiffany. The late developing daughter of Farhh has been a shining example of the astuteness and patience handling of her trainer as she has risen through the ranks in the past two seasons. Starting her career in the lowly pits of Wolverhampton and Southwell, she would improve massively on her third start by winning comfortably at Dunstall Park. It would set up a sequence of progression with further wins coming in handicap level at Windsor and Newcastle. By the end of her first full season, people were starting to take notice of Tiffany and her first trip to Germany would see her win at Listed level at Hamburg. 
2024 would begin in the same way as 2023 ended as she would land another black type victory, this time at Baden-Baden, before making the step up into Pattern company in Britain. Back on her favoured all-weather surface at Newcastle, she would produce a stylish victory in the Group Three Hoppings Stakes over ten furlongs. She would look unlucky at Haydock after slipping halfway through the Group Two Lancashire Oaks, but rallied to take second at Haydock.
After a short break, she would take her form to a new level towards the end of 2024. A return to Germany at Baden-Baden saw her win the Group Two under regular partner Luke Morris before taking third in the Champion Filly and Mares' Stakes at Ascot, her first taste of Group One action. After that career best, she wasn't finished just yet as she would line up in the Grosser Preis von Bayern, a local Group One in Germany and she would lead inside the final furlong but was caught in the final strides by the eventual winner.

2025 was supposed to the coming of age for Tiffany, who held similarities to the stable's Arc winner Alpinista, an older mare who had plenty of winning experience in Europe before winning Europe's biggest race at the age of five. A fractured pelvis suffered in routine training work would prove to be a disaster for all her connections, but she has been nursed back to health and is close to a return to action. The whole year has been planned around a bid at Longchamp for the Arc de Triomphe, but time has presented Sir Mark Prescott with a new challenge to get his star to Paris in October in top form. 

A huge thank you to all of the staff at Heath House Stables, including assistant trainer William Butler and Sir Mark Prescott. It has been an honour to visit these historic grounds. 

Bonus Content: Newmarket Mornings