Another week, another winner. It's becoming a bit of a habit now after having one winner a week for the last three and it's not one I'll ever wish to stop.
We fired plenty of bullets this week though and it was the most unlikely shot that hit the target - from five runners on Thursday, Entrance (the biggest priced at 40/1) won at Nottingham. It could have all been so different...
The truth is, that on Wednesday night, it looked like Entrance wouldn't even be able to run because there was no available transport to get her to the races and I was resigned to the fact that her first run after a 100-day break would have to wait a bit longer. Luckily, Gay Kelleway's horse didn't run at another meeting that same day so we used her box instead - and thank God we did!
Although she was a big price, it wasn't a massive shock that she won. It was her first start on turf for us and she had strengthened up a lot during her break. It was a great win for the Hoofbeats Racing Club and there are still shares available in her if she really caught your eye!
As already mentioned, we had a lot of runners last Thursday and probably the most promising performance was from the two-year old, Acer Diamonds. We've thought a lot of him but he's so big and babyish that he would need the run and he did - he ran green when asked to quicken but looked to get the hang of things. He didn't have a hard race and has come out of it happy so he should improve next time.
My heart was in my mouth the following day when I saw Sunny Spells slip on the bend at Market Rasen. I get worried enough when one of mine goes jumping but the last thing you expect is one of yours to fall when there's not even an obstacle in front of him. Thankfully, he got up fine and jumped round with the others and I hope the experience doesn't effect him as he's ready to win.
Another heart-stopping moment was seeing a horse clip heels and fall right in front of my daughter Shelley at York on Saturday. I'm even more of a wreck when the kids are riding and although Bavarica was a bit too keen for Shelley, I'm just glad both came back in one piece as the outcome could have been a hell of a lot worse.
On a brighter note, I'm all ready for Royal Ascot this week and I'll be there in my finery on Wednesday with Emma's Gift in the Sandringham Stakes. I know you can't get too confident at such a competitive meeting but I really do think the filly has got a great chance. She loves Ascot but not soft ground so I hope the rain stays away.Night Orbit is in the Queen Alexandra on Saturday and although he will love the extreme 2m6f distance, he will no doubt be outclassed.
Not all the action is in Berkshire this week as I hope to have winners elsewhere.Khajaaly goes to Warwick on Thursday and, although it's his first start on turf in a while, the track should suit and he's in great form.
It's great to see the Newmarket Nights back on the calendar this Friday and I've got three high hopes if the ground is ideal.King Columbo is starting to show a bit more promise now and the softer the conditions, the better.
The same probably applies for Exopuntia who hasn't run in a while but is fit enough to do herself justice.
Spirit of Sharjah wouldn't want the ground as soft as the other two but he is so well handicapped and it is the lowest class he has run in for a good while. If things go right, he will win.
Three To Follow Update
After trailing the competition for so long, Richard Salmon has spectacularly lept into life and now is a clear leader thanks to Entrance's victory. The win also saw Peter Darlington edge into second spot.
1st - Richard Salmon (38 points)
2nd - Peter Darlington (33 points)
3rd - Shelley Birkett (31 points)
4th - Adam Beschizza, Maureen Youngs (28 points)
Two other on 25 points, 4 on 23, 3 on 18, 11 on 15, 2 on 13, 1 on 10, 2 on 8, 2 on 5 and one person on three points.
No comments:
Post a Comment