Weeks don't get much better than the last one we've just had as all the horses hit the target and The Ducking Stool provided me with a memorable birthday present.
Entrance kicked it all off on Monday with a great run to finish second at Pontefract (below).
She seemed to handle the testing conditions fine so that gives us a lot more options for the future.
Then the following day, Kampai almost pulled off one of the shocks of the season at Brighton. Having her third run in a maiden, she was sent off as a 50/1 no-hoper but surprised many (including us) by narrowly finishing second, losing by just a head.
Although some of the fancied horses ran below par, this was still a highly promising run and hopefully the handicapper isn't too harsh on her as she had never beaten another rival in her two previous runs for another trainer, before coming to us.
Buoyed by the decent results, we went to Yarmouth on Thursday full of confidence.
Silver Alliance ran another solid race to finish third. He is becoming quite tricky to win with as he can't hit the front too soon but still gives a lot of enjoyment to his syndicate of owners and he pays his way. He'll definitely win soon when things fall right for him.
That same day we had The Ducking Stool looking to gain some compensation for the wasted trip to Newcastle the week before.
Before the race, my son Ross got his first British TV interview and luckily he didn't jinx us as the filly never looked in danger of losing and won the race pretty comfortably.
She is five years old now and has needed a lot of time to mature but this season has seen her flourish and we hope she can make it three wins for the year next week as she'll probably run at Newbury, before her handicap rating is reassessed.
The reason Ross got to be interviewed was because he'd packed me off with John to London with a pair of tickets to see the play 'War Horse' at the New London Theatre.
It was a fantastic production and a rare treat for us to go to the Westend of London. The theatre was absolutely packed and if I could have one complaint, it would be that the place was far too hot but overall, it was a great experience.
Of course the night was made extra special with a winner (which we watched in a nearby bookies) and Ross had really pushed the boat out by putting us up in a four-star hotel - I must be paying him too much!
It's pretty hard to plan things at the minute with the changable weather but we should have a few other runners in the coming seven days.
On Saturday morning, we tried some (bright yellow) blinkers on Verona Bay with jockey Adam Beschizza riding and they seemed to do the trick as he won a gallop for the first time in his life!
Hopefully this is the key to him as he does have ability but can be quite lazy. He runs at Yarmouth on Wednesday, all being well.
Omega Omega was the third of the party and she has just been a bit flat since her last race so will be given some time to recover.
Two-year old Honeymoon Express (below left) has been coming along nicely but still hasn't made her debut yet as we wait for some firm ground with her. There's no point in running her on soft going as we know from her homework that she will hate it and we want her first racecourse experience to be as pleasant as possible.
Believe In Me was her work companion and she has been going really well since her latest promising fourth at Yarmouth. She is a pretty bubbly character now and can prove a handful for her rider Sam in the mornings!
Another filly waiting to make her debut is Lea Valley (below left). She was coughing at the start of the season but is now tearing up the gallops. She'll probably run at Yarmouth on Wednesday and will likely be quite green but she's one to remember for the future as I like her.
Her workmate was Exopuntia who was meant to run at Nottingham that day but the meeting was abandoned due to waterlogging...in July!
Luckily, we also had her in at Yarmouth so she'll go there and will appreciate the soft ground.
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| All smiles after a successful work morning! |
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