Excited for the week ahead

I'm really looking forward to this coming week as we've some nice horses to run and hopefully at least one of them can get us back amongst the winners. There had been a few horses coughing in the yard about a month ago and some of them hadn't been showing their best form on the track but they all seem a lot healthier now and I think the results should improve too.

Up first tomorrow is Handheld at Windsor. He ran a huge race to finish in the frame at Doncaster on his seasonal reappearance last time. With a smaller field on this occasion, I hope he won't have to use up as much energy to get in front and he'll have the soft ground he loves too.
The following day at Yarmouth, we have another great pair of hopefuls. Automotive needed his first run after a break last time and I think he is a better horse on turf anyway. He is working as well as ever and if things go right for him, he should be involved at the finish.
So too should Tiger's Home. She was in great order last year before fracturing her knee so she has had plenty of time off to recover. In an ideal world, she would need a couple more gallops to be ready to win but this race came up with only a few entries so I put her in and I think she's good enough to fight out the finish despite not being fully wound up.

Automotive (Ross) & Handheld (Shelley)

Honeymoon Express (Graham) & Tiger's Home (Ross)

 

Continuing the busy week is Attain on Wednesday at Brighton. He has run well at the course before and will hopefully get the soft ground he likes. He was disappointing last time but was too far back to get involved and he is better when racing up with the pace. I'm looking forward to heading back down south as the town is not only my birthplace but we're also very lucky with our runners there!

Meddling came to ours with a big reputation from Sir Michael Stoute's yard and, despite working well at home, she is yet to show it on the track. She does get very wound up when at the races so ideally I'd like to run her at Newmarket where there is less for her to worry about but there is no suitable race there for a while. As a result, we're going to Lingfield on Friday. She finished second at the course earlier in the month and she is definitely capable of winning off her handicap mark if she decides to put it all in.
Another who let us down last time was Candesta but he did have the excuse of hating the soft ground. His best form is on the all-weather so he's trying it again on Friday in the hope that he can get back to his best.

Meddling (Danny)

 

Tailing the week is Veeraya at Newmarket. He ran a career best to finish mid-division in the Championship race at Lingfield on Good Friday and the handicapper only put him up a pound for it. If the blinkers work again, he should take a lot of beating.

We haven't run any two year olds yet and, after our early looking one Italia got injured, there has been no rush with the others as they are later maturing types. However, Celestine Abbey has really come on in the last few weeks and she's being aimed at a Newmarket maiden next month. I don't expect her to set the world alight but the experience will do her good and get her on the road to being a racehorse.

Celestine Abbey (Shelley) & Bushy Glade (Ryan)

 

Opus Too (Reno)