Back in the groove.

Phew! Blackmore’s win at Lingfield last Thursday was a massive relief as the I had been on the ‘cold trainers’ list for a while and we had lined the horse up to win. We’d given Blackmore three quiet runs in maidens and this time, in a handicap, we stepped him up to two miles and he came good. Over a dozen of the syndicate who own the horse were in attendance and it was great to get a win for them as, for some, it was their first ever taste of success.

Blackmore is in again at Kempton on Wednesday and I’m tempted to run him but he will have a canter on Monday morning to see how he feels and if he is in A1 condition he will run again. He’s a nice horse and I think there is plenty of improvement still in him as he acts like a big baby.

The win has given the yard a massive boost and I’m still hopeful that we can reach our target of 20 winners for the year, one more than last season’s score. We’re on 15 at the moment but there are loads ready to win in the coming weeks and, with a bit of luck, we could hit a rich vein of form.

The next winner might even come tomorrow as Night Orbit is favourite for his chase at Southwell. He did well over hurdles last term and hasn’t done too badly over fences this time. He schooled particularly well this morning (see pictures) and I think he should take a lot of beating in a pretty uncompetitive race.

Also in a bad race tomorrow is Baggsy at Wolverhampton. She is not the most gifted horse but she tries and could land some prize money. The one we must beat in the same race is Marafong. I used to train him and this is his first run for his new connections since they claimed him off me in September. There probably isn’t much between the two on form so it will add a little extra interest to the race.

On the same day as Blackmore at Kempton is Always De One. She ran well on her reappearance at Brighton last time and she should be in the frame once again. The same comment applies to Exopuntia on Thursday. Her best efforts have been at Yarmouth but her rider, Tony Culhane, said she would really like racing at Southwell so we are giving it a go.

I’m pleased to say that the shares in my two new purchases (see last week’s blog) are selling fast and the pair are going well on the gallops. I can’t wait to run them but I’ve got to wait until all the shares are sold first!