Getting the winter blues.

Well, I think it is safe to say that summer has finally gone.
The weather is as miserable as sin at the minute with the mud making a quick reappearance in the fields and it will probably be with us all the way through until May now. Something else that might be soon coming out of retirement are my clippers. It's a sad sight when some of the horses start to lose their velvet-like, short, summer coats and turn into hairy bears but despite the number of rugs and duvets you can wrap them up in, Mother Nature will always win and the hair will grow.

One horse who always loses her summer shine first is Bavarica. Going to Ascot on Friday, she was in need of a clip but we left it for a day because it was in the back of our minds that she was in need of a break. Because we've had her almost six years now, we know the mare inside out and she had just started to become very keen at home, pulling Ross' arms out up the gallops. This would usually be a promising sign with any other horse but for Bavarica it usually means she is 'over the top' - i.e. in need of a short holiday. Anyway, we took our chance at the Berkshire venue but she ran a lifeless race and was duly put into the field the day after until the new year. She's won three races this year, nine in her career, and my gut feeling is that next year may be her last. I just want my daughter Shelley to win on her first.

The wet weather will play havoc with entries across the country but all the ones I've got in this week will enjoy the softer surfaces. Pyjoma makes her belated debut at Nottingham on Wednesday. She's had her problems (fractured a shoulder at the beginning of the year) but she's going OK now. She does have a temperament and we will do well just to get her there as she sometimes has an aversion to the horsebox but, fingers crossed, she won't be a pain.
We'll need some luck as well if Shelley is to have a ride at Warwick on Thursday. The amateur race attracted an astonishing 50-odd entries so we'll need a lot to not run if we are to go.

A trip up north to Redcar will be on the cards on Saturday if the ground is right. Spirit of Sharjah runs in a listed race and probably the best filly I've trained, Emmeline Pankhurst, runs in a maiden. I would take that praise with a word of caution though as she can be a right cow and on her debut earlier on in the year, she ran a howler and was later found to be in season. If the same horse that destroys everything on the gallops in the morning turns up at Redcar, then we should see a nice performance. But that's a big IF.

Rain's not a pain

It was a bit of a disappointing week in hindsight. We had plenty of raiders at Yarmouth's three-day festival and they all ran with credit - Sancho Panza (2nd), Exopuntia (3rd) and Marafong (3rd) all ran up to standard and it was just a bit gutting not to get a winner out of those lot.
It's helping a lot of my horses at the moment that the ground is soft at most courses because I've got a handful of runners who have all been waiting for some juice in the ground and now we've got it, they're running into the money.
Soft ground also means though that I've had to give some a break. Emma's Gift is on a holiday in the field as her preferred firm ground is sparse. Khajaaly is in the field as well, just for a few weeks, to freshen him up and get that spark back into him which he has been lacking in recent runs.
We also had Generous Genella running at Newmarket on Friday in a hot maiden but we needed to get another run into her and it also coincided with her owner's birthday celebrations at the track - I won't tell you which birthday Anna was celebrating! Genella has always gone well at home and I'm adamant that she is above-average but at the minute she's just a bit weak and when she fills her frame, she will do us justice. The only positive at the minute is that because she is finishing down the field, she will have a really competitive handicap mark for next season.

I've got half a dozen runners this week and they should all be in with a shout. Blackmore on Thursday at Wolverhampton will be an interesting one as it's his first run for us since we bought him off Roger Charlton in July. He came to us with a reputation for being unruly but since we've had him (and castrated him) there's been no problems. We had a nice surprise with him too as we were told by Mr Charlton that Blackmore would need a stalls test before he ran again so we booked it for Newmarket on Saturday but then the starter rang up and said he didn't need one - he was just on a warning. That was great but we have put him in the stalls at home anyway and he's given no worries - he's pretty quick out of the gates, in fact.

All's good

Sorry for the belated update but it's been a busy few days.
With almost two runners everyday, I've been driving the horsebox everywhere from Goodwood to Chester.
The horses are in cracking form - Little Meadow and Sancho Panza both ran into the second spot whilst Exopuntia landed third.
It's really rewarding when horses like these, who are admittedly not the most talented, run well because they try their hearts out and you don't like to see them disappointed. The same applies to the owners who are real sportsmen and women and love their racing. The more infuriating side to training is when you have a horse with all the ability in the world but little willingness to use it. Luckily, we don't have too many of those types.

My son, Ross, had his horsebox driving debut on Tuesday as I let him drive the vehicle home from Yarmouth and, after going around the first bend like Lewis Hamilton accompanied by an earful of abuse from me, he eventually realised that boxes have to go a fair bit slower round bends and he was then driving like an experienced pro. He said he enjoyed it but he'll probably regret it when I send him to Wolverhampton for the 9.20pm race on his own!

The stable apprentice jockey, and my nephew, Adam Beschizza has had a marvellous run of things recently with eight winners in the past fortnight. We've always known he could ride (he was riding on the gallops aged 10) and it's really satisfying to see him doing so well. He's got some really nice rides this weekend at Ayr as Roger Charlton has put him on one that (and I quote Mr Charlton) "is a stone well in" for the Ayr Gold Cup.

I've got a few easy days but runners are around the corner. Generous Genella runs at Newmarket on Friday and I hope she fares better than she did on debut. She goes well at home but it is an extremely hot-looking race and it would not surprise me if we saw next year's Oaks winner in action. Depending on the weather, King Columbo and Marafong will go to Leicester next Monday and they both have great chances.
Elsewhere, Blackmore will have his stalls test before racing at Newmarket on Saturday and I expect all to run smoothly. He has shown no problems at home and I can't imagine he will provide any on the track.

As promised...

...here are the results of my Q&A with the Racing Post, published last Sunday.

What's the best pice of advice you've ever been given?
Keep your horses in the worst company and yourself in the best.
What race would you most like to win?
The Feilden Stakes, Newmarket
Who would play you in a film of your life?
Pam Sly (I’m always mistaken for her)
Who would you most like to meet?
Sheikh Mohammed
What's you favourite/least favourite racetrack?
Best - Brighton/Lingfield, Doncaster should improve canteen for stable staff, poor food and very over priced
Sum yourself up in five words
Over worked and under paid
What really annoys you?
Lydia Hislop trying to pronounce Adam Beschizza’s name
What was the last film you saw?
Long time ago Racing Stripes with the kids
What was the last book you read?
Paul Nicholls' autobiography
Name a trainer to keep an eye on...
Seamus Cahill (greyhounds)
...and a jockey
Adam Beschizza
What was the best day of your racing life?
Ross Birkett and Adam Beschizza riding their first winners on Bavarica (can’t decide between them)
What's the best bet you've ever had?
Adam Beschizza to be Champion Apprentice next year
Who is your favourite horse?
Don’t Drop Bombs on whom I rode 7 winners, 21 now and still going strong
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Dingle, Ireland – great people and lovely scenary
What would you go as to a fancy dress party?
Wonder Woman
What would you have as your last meal?
Fillet steak and dry white wine
What's the funniest thing you've seen on a racecourse?
I had to attend a stewards inquiry at Lingfield with Adam Beschizza, the steward was having trouble pronouncing his name, so I explained it was said as 'Biscuit-Sir', he then continued the whole inquiry calling him Mr Biscuit
Tell us something only you know
I rode a winner at Lingfield when I was four months pregnant with my daughter Shelley
What's the worst thing anyone has said to you?
Julia who?
Who are your four ideal dinner guests?
Matt Lucas and David Walliams from Little Britain for the entertainment, Marco Pierre White for the cooking and my husband John to do the washing up.

What a difference a day makes.

It's amazing what can happen in 24 hours.
Saturday morning I was down in the dumps, a few of the lesser lights in the yard had worked below par and I was top of the Racing Post's 'cold trainers' list after not having a winner in nearly two months.
Come Sunday Afternoon, I'm on top of the world. As described in last week's post, Sancho Panza won at Windsor on Saturday and Exopuntia followed up the next day at Yarmouth.
'Exo' had been a shade disappointing recently after coming fourth on her seasonal reappearance earlier in the year. We had been experimenting with different trips for her and finally got it right (a mile) last time. Jockey Richard Mullen couldn't ride her after a fall the previous day so Tony Culhane got the leg-up. Tony had actually ridden the mare's half sister to victory twice so he knew the family.
Following orders perfectly, Tony steered Exo to a comfortable victory and which hopefully boosted her confidence.
To top it off, my son Ross also rode a winner at Goodwood for David Simcock and got a great picture in the Racing Post the next day.

Talking of the Racing Post, in today's edition is a questionnaire with myself. I tried to make it fairly light-hearted as serious answers are usually boring and I hope it makes someone smile. I'll put up the Q&As on here during the week when I get some time.

Only a few of our horses will be appearing in the Post this week as we don't have too many runners. Khajaaly goes to Doncaster on Tuesday and I expect an improved performance from him with the drop down to seven furlongs and the application of cheekpieces likely to suit.
The next visit to a racecourse isn't until Friday where King Columbo goes to Chester in a race which he should win. He ran a blinder to finish second last time and if all goes well, he should have a great chance.