It’s a wrap!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by turflegends

Actually, no – it’s a scarf – lots of scarves to be precise. Here at TL Towers we’ve been getting more & more requests for colours scarves, so much so that we’ve had a quiet word with the weaving chaps and told them that we must make these available in smaller quantities, after all admirable though Kauto Star is, wouldn’t it be great to have a scarf in YOUR colours. (Oh, sorry Clive, didn’t realise you read this!).

So, here’s the deal, and it’s a very simple deal – We’ll make scarves for you, in your colours and all you have to do is order 25.

Never before have so few been offered to so many for so little!

If you have a small syndicate, or even just a group of racing buddies, why not commission us to make you a few scarves – you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how little they cost.

Actually, the title of this blog is a double entendre (yes we do those too) – You see we’ve also just completed all of the design elements of the new Turf Legends ranges and they’re now at sample stage (not long now Ladies) – With a fair wind we should be unveiling the new collection early March – Who says we can’t do timing!

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Bring on 2012!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by turflegends

Happy New Year to all our readers!

It’s nice to have clicked over the calendar and gotten 2011 out of the way – all in all it wasn’t the best year ever, so we’re looking forward to 2012 with great anticipation. Great things are happening at Turf Legends Towers, but as with all good things, they are taking time to come to fruition. Keep watching us on Facebook and the website for the latest developments.

Let’s get the low-lights of 2011 out of the way before we look at the highlights – for us on a personal level we are sad that Turf Legends (the horse) never got the opportunity to show his full potential, this was definitely the low point of 2011 for us. On a wider level it was a bitter/ sweet moment when Denman ‘hung up his hooves’ – he is a great “Legend” who owes nothing to anyone, and is probably my 3rd favourite of all time – Golden Miller & Edredon Blue taking the top spots. We also couldn’t end the year without a mention to the genius that was Ginger McCain, one of racing’s great characters.

On a positive side from 2011, we saw Frankel demolish all-comers to establish himself as one of the greats – and if rumours are to be believed there is more of the same in store for 2012. We couldn’t do a racing round-up without a mention of Kauto Star – and what a star! As if the festival wasn’t already building up to be a cracker.

On the subject of Cheltenham, we are pleased to be the ‘clothing supplier’ for the Cheltenham Racecourse Centenary Choir – we supplied shirts from the Classic colours collection for the male members of the choir, it was great to see Edward Gillespie in Arkle colours singing at Gloucester cathedral, alongside Red Rum, Desert Orchid, Golden Miller, Rooster Booster, Dawn Run & Cottage Rake!

Record crowds at the New Years Day meeting at Cheltenham would suggest that racing is in rude health, so if you can, get out to your local course and pick up the atmosphere. This really could be a vintage year. If you can’t get to a ‘proper’ racecourse, don’t forget the Point-to-point season is now on us, for a bit of proper racing. When we’re not feverishly designing new clothes, or working at Cheltenham racecourse, we can often be found ‘attending fences’ at P2P’s – our regular spot is the last fence at Whitfield so if you get to this one, come and say hello.

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British Heritage Brand Turf Legends by Off the Cuff

Posted on November 30, 2011 by turflegends

This is an amazing article written about us by Chris Hogan. Its so nice that someone grasps so clearly what Turf Legends is about. Please read and enjoy…

When Stuart King co-founded Turf Legendsback in 2008, his goal was to create a clothing brand that reflected the storied history of British steeplechase. He wanted to pay homage to the sport’s great horses and their riders in a way that conveyed his love for this sport and its historical importance.

Steeplechase is a bruising luxury. As a brand, Turf Legends has wonderfully captured this spirit of the sport, and of the men who have literally risked their lives in such a spirited and enviable fashion. As a lifestyle concept, steeplechase fits perfectly with the core elements of classic British country style. It speaks of landed elegance combined with the earthy practicality of a life dedicated to the turf and cherished animals.

TL Red Rum Shirt British Heritage Brand Turf LegendsWhere Ralph Lauren might create an elegantly fictitious history to lend style and implied meaning to a shirt, Turf Legends focuses on the real thing. Their range of beefy rugbys and soft polos are based on the real silks worn by real riders from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. A modern concession was made for Desert Orchid, the beloved winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989.

OTC had the chance to test out a few shirts at length over the past few months (this review had to wait until cooler weather made the rugby season-appropriate – we are sticklers) and they have become some of our favorites. Well-made and well designed, they capture the spirit and iconography of horse racing while not tipping over into the realm of kitsch.

Even the big Turf Legends “TL” logo of our Navy Sash Polo seems natural and appropriate. While a clearly a brand logo, it is also a badge of sorts, conveying the authenticity of the shirt’s roots and purpose. And each and every shirt has roots, celebrating the colors such steeds as Arkle, Red Rum and Golden Miller.

Desert Orchid Tag British Heritage Brand Turf LegendsAs an added nod to the company’s genuine love of this sport, the brand’s historical ambassador is the legendary horseman, Dick Rees. Rees was one of the great jockeys of the 1920s and ‘30s, known for his sartorial elegance and style both in and out of the saddle. He was also the winner of the inaugural Gold Cup in 1924.

To our minds, the shirts themselves are worth every penny, or in this case, pound. They are sturdy yet comfortable and chock full of interesting details such as logoed lining tape, Union Jack or Irish Tricolour flag depending on the horse, Dick Rees’ signature and the occasional locker loop. Some features are truly unique, like the Turf Legend ‘brand label’ that mimics an old style bookies ticket.

Each shirt also comes with a small information booklet which includes a brief summary of the horse’s career and describes why the horse is included in the Turf Legends collection – a really cool and meaningful feature. At £62.50 for a rugby shirt, less for a polo, they are not inexpensive. However, these shirts are built to last and age with real style. Also, wearing a Turf Legends polo, rugby or tee has the added benefit of letting you stand out in from the ‘pretend authentic heritage’ crowd.

The company does not distribute in the United States, so orders can be placed through their Turf Legends website. If you happen to be visiting Great Britain, you can find a local stockist here. Note that along with the address and store name, you can also find a link to the nearest race course.

http://offthecuffdc.com/british-heritage-brand-turf-legends

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Autumn, The Open & One for the Ladies.

Posted on November 1, 2011 by turflegends

It’s really starting to feel like Autumn now, and it has to be said that the leaves around the Cotswolds have been stunning this year. On the subject of all things ‘natural’, it must be said that Cheltenham did a great job going ahead with the ‘showcase’ meeting in October, because left to nature alone the going should have been officially “Rock hard”.

The ‘showcase’ always feels a bit like a trial run, for The Open, (or the Paddy Power, The Thomas Pink, The Mackeson or even the Massey Ferguson – depending on how old you are), anyway, whatever you call it, it’s a cracking meeting, and I for one can’t wait.

National Hunt racing surely has to be one of the best things about the winter months.

Great to see ‘our’ Sam Thomas taking a really active part in The Morning Line, if you haven’t caught up with it yet, Sam rides out on various yards ‘hot prospects’ for the season ahead.

On the subject of ‘one for the ladies’ the Turf Legends ladies collection is moving on quite quickly now. Preliminary designs are at the sample stage and we’re pretty pleased with progress. To be honest we were overwhelmed by the reaction when we first asked the question “Should we do a ladies collection?” and didn’t really expect that the demand would be so positive – so thanks to all of you who have fedback your opinions to us – they are always greatly appreciated.

Sales of the current ranges are still strong and we are braced for the usual Christmas spike for Classic Colours – so much so that we’ve boosted stock of the Desert Orchid shirt, which was last Christmas’s clear winner. I have a sneaky suspicion that Rooster Booster (not available last year) is going to make quite an impression too this year.

Just one final comment to make in this blog, The Greatwood Hurdle is on Sunday 13th at Cheltenham (during The Open meeting) and as most of you know, Greatwood is an organisation close to us – so to end on a quick appeal, please, please do whatever you can to support them – because like all voluntary and charity organisations at the moment times are hard and horses don’t understand recessions. Thanks.

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RIP Ginger McCain

Posted on September 21, 2011 by turflegends

Its been a very sad week with the loss of one of racing’s true LEGENDS. Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain sadly passed away early Monday morning after a short illness.

He was a popular and much loved personality within racing, even after retiring in 2006 and passing the reins to Donald Jnr he was still enthusiastic and attended the sport he held so dear.

Ginger trained the sublime Red Rum to three Grand National wins in 1973, 1974 and 1977 and then went on to win again with Amberleigh House in 2004.

You can tell how revered and loved a person is by peoples comments. From the most respected in racing down to the average person on the street everyone has felt a tinge of loss this week. Turf Legends would like to send Beryl, Joanne and Donald our deepest condolences.

The racing silks of Red Rum

Red Rum's racing colours

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Dessie is back… bigger and better!!!

Posted on August 24, 2011 by turflegends
The new improved Desert Orchid shirt by Turf Legends

Sam Thomas wearing the updated Desert Orchid shirt

A popular classic resurrected and updated…

Due to the popularity of the Desert Orchid shirt, from our Classics range, we have taken the shirt and updated it to an even higher standard.
The main differences being the incredibly soft peached cotton fabric and the self coloured collar making it closer to the riders original jockey’s silks.
The new shirt is available in sizes from Small upto XXXL right now on our website or from our stockists, all of whom are also listed there.
The shirt which was launched at MODA last week has caused quite a stir already and orders are coming in from all around the country!

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Value, MODA & Racing for Sausages

Posted on August 19, 2011 by turflegends

There’s no doubt about it- these are tough times. Only yesterday I was trying to explain to our cat that if things don’t get better in our household budget, Sheba Deluxe may off the menu, thankfully our cat has no concept of the subtle differences between Waitrose & Aldi.

To make it even more interesting globalization of the economy has added wild fluctuations into the commodity markets. Once upon a time you could plan production knowing that the price (in our case cotton) of raw materials would be fairly predictable – but now! Blimey, now you need to be an international commodity trader wizard just to work out the price of a piece of string (no matter how long it is).

But one thing is becoming apparent, at times like these we all look for value. Value is different to cost, when we have plenty of spare cash, 3 tee shirts for a tenner looks like a deal – because it really doesn’t matter if they fall apart after the first wash, after all what’s a tenner? But when every penny counts it really does matter if the tee shirt becomes a string vest. By comparing the sales figures of High Street brands at either end of the ‘value’ spectrum we can see that this happening right now. Quality clothing is still selling, it is the cheap n’cheerful retailers who seem to hit the hardest. Thankfully we have always made quality a priority at Turf Legends, and while our products may not always be the cheapest, we really believe that they offer genuine value.

We have just returned from MODA the fashion show, and whilst we achieved what we wanted to (and thanks to all you new accounts), there were times during the show when you could see the tumbleweed blowing through the NEC. No names, no pack drill, but there were stands near ours who we never saw anyone visit – and this is sad. You see, ‘we’re all in this together’ as a certain politician is wont to say – and without getting political – (this isn’t that sort of blog) he’s right. Now is the time to think about where and how your money is being spent, obviously we’d welcome it in our direction, but in the unlikely event that we can’t supply what you want, please spend it with a British company and/or quality products.

Being positive, and moving forward, we showed our proposed new ranges to the buyers at MODA, and we got some great positive feedback – so much so that we are now looking at getting production underway for quite a few of the new designs, so watch this space and all will be revealed.

As the flat season draws to a close, our Newmarket stockist (Golding of Newmarket) is sponsoring the Town Plate at Newmarket (26th & 27th August) and although we never need an excuse to get racing, we’re heading over to help them, (when I say ‘help’ I mean of course hinder!). Newmarket Town Plate is allegedly one of the oldest races on the calendar, and apparently all entrants get free sausages from the local butcher! If you’re around Newmarket when this is on, please come on over and say hello.

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Country shows & new clothes

Posted on July 14, 2011 by turflegends

We like nothing better than getting out of the office and meeting up face to face with customers, so we always love it when we can ‘do a show’. This year so far, we’ve ventured out to Badminton & Barbury International where we met many existing customers and made a few new friends. Our normal ‘showground’ is the NEC, so I have to say it’s great to be out in the fresh air, with lots of great country stuff to see, but I have to say, I’m a bit worried about the future of Country shows.

I’m sure the likes of Badminton will be OK, because these are internationally famous and well known types of event, the ones I worry about are the small county shows, and sadly these are my favourites.

These are the shows that you remember as being massive when you were a child, where the bulls were the size of dinosaurs and trilby hats and white overcoats were the fashion of the day. Surely these shows cannot die – can they? The reason why I am concerned is that the weekend of Barbury International it was also the Wiltshire County Show on the same site, on the Saturday & Sunday, and it has to be said that on Saturday there were more exhibitors than visitors. This could be down to a number of things, maybe the weather – although it wasn’t that bad, maybe the attractions, although I think the line-up including the Tiger parachute display team was pretty good. No, I think that it’s down to the economy – and this is what really worries me about the future of these shows.

You see, for a show to grow it has to be regular and if many of these shows cancel next year because of poor attendance this year, I doubt that they will start again – so they’ll be gone forever. Like the Royal Show at Kenilworth RIP.

So…. The first part of this blog is a bit of an appeal – if you have a local county show, please go along and support it. As a brand inspired by a uniquely British country sport we urge you to help to keep the countryside alive.

Now, off the soapbox, here’s the Turf Legends news. Firstly we’re pleased to announce a new colourway in the ever popular sash polo – Emerald & Navy, this one has already been popular with the High Street buyers – so you may notice it in a window display near you soon, if not don’t worry it will be on the website ASAP.

And here’s the big news…a new addition to the Classic Colours ROOSTER BOOSTER – about time too, I hear the shouts! Actually, although it says Rooster Booster on the sleeve, it could just as well be Detroit City, because it’s Terry Warner’s colours. We love it here in the office, not just because it’s a great shirt, but also it was also the colours that Turf Legends ran in for his all too brief career.

We’re now gearing up for MODA at the NEC in mid-August, and look forward to welcoming all our trade buyers to our stand where we’re offering them a sneak preview of Spring / Summer 2012.

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Greatwood Open day

Posted on June 7, 2011 by turflegends

One of the nicest events on the calendar for anyone with an interest in thoroughbred horses must surely be the annual “Greatwood Open Day”. Rainscombe Hill Farm, the home of Greatwood is as idyllic a venue as anyone who cares about horses could ever wish to find, managing somehow to perfectly blend chaos and order to create a feeling that all’s well with the world.

There are a number of charities that look out for the welfare of retired or badly treated horses, sadly, there are not enough – and shameful that there is a requirement in the first place. Even in this group of worthy organizations Greatwood stands out as a little bit different. Greatwood are the pioneers of the Horse Power programme, a truly extraordinary concept that uses the bond between humans and horses to bring hope into the lives of special needs children – with outstanding effectiveness.

Helen Yeadon, who founded Greatwood with husband Michael back in 1990, has chronicled some of the inspirational stories that they have witnessed along the way in her book “When Sophie met Darcy Day” – (and as a warning, if “The Horse Whisperer” made you cry, this one will have you bawling your eyes out). “When Sophie met Darcy Day” is gathering momentum up the book charts and whilst at first glance it could be viewed as just a ‘weepy horse story’ it is far, far more than this. If Nike were ever looking for a person who embodied their “Just Do It” slogan – Helen Yeadon would surely be a leading contender.

The Open Day is a wonderful opportunity to visit Greatwood and inhale some of the unique atmosphere that makes Rainscombe Hill Farm a special place – you can’t help get the impression that Helen so loves the place that she would gladly show visitors around for the sheer pleasure of it, but the sad fact is that Greatwood needs it’s Open Day to raise much needed finance and awareness.

As anyone who works with animals knows, the cost of feed and welfare is a continual drain on limited resources, couple this with the facilities required for special needs and it is clear to see that Greatwood needs continual financial support.

In recognition of the work that Greatwood do with racehorses, the charity attracts wide support from the racing community, and from this racing group Greatwood have worked with Turf Legends, racing’s clothing company to produce the “Greatwood shirts’.

The Greatwood shirts are a choice of Polo or Tee’s in Greatwood ‘signature’ purple. The Polo’s are available in men’s or ladies fit, whilst the tee shirts are unisex. Priced at a reasonable £25 for the Polo’s or £15 for the tee’s – a sizeable chunk of which goes straight into Greatwood’s fighting fund, they are a great way to look stylish while showing that you care.

www.turflegends.co.uk
www.racehorsesgreatwood.org

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Multiple congratulations!!

Posted on May 24, 2011 by turflegends

It’s that time of year again, jumps racing ‘proper’ has given way to the flat, so that’s another racing roller-coaster completed. Congratulations to A.P. for another brilliant year, and also what a year for Sam Waley-Cohen the first amateur to win the Gold Cup in over a generation.

Talking of end of seasons, it’s pretty much over for the domestic rugby season too, although there are a few ‘special’ matches still to watch out for, not least the upcoming England V. Barbarians match – and at Turf Legends HQ we’re all delighted to see that Henry Trinder has been called up to the squad! Turf Legends sponsored Henry Trinder as a Gloucester player this season and we’re pleased to report he has been spotted out and about in the county wearing his Sash Polo.

There is a strong link between Rugby and National Hunt racing in the South West, with quite a few rugby payers having interest in horses.  This link is going to be even more obvious later on in the summer when Zara Phillips becomes Mrs. Tindall!

With the Summer weather comes an increase in ‘outside’ days out, and one that we are particularly keen to draw attention to is the Greatwood open day. This is on the 5th June at the Greatwood HQ near Marlborough, we will be launching the Turf Legends Greatwood shirt at the Open day and are hoping that it will be worn by Jodie Kidd (Greatwood patron) although the fact that she is expecting a child mid-summer may cause a few sizing issues!

If you want the chance to meet some of the retired stars of racing, (inc. Deenos’ Beano) or even see a few of the contemporary ones parading, please try and get along to the Open day and also find our what fantastic work Greatwood do for racing.

So, in no particular order I’m going to end this blog with a few ‘advance congratulations’.

Henry Trinder – England call-up

Mike Tindall & Zara – Wedding

Jodie Kidd – Newborn

Sam Waley-Cohen – Gold Cup

& Not forgetting the champ – A.P.

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