Sancho back with a bang!

I've been trying to tell my husband John that I like surprises but after 30 years together, I still don't think he's got the message. The horses often surprise me but not always in a good way as injuries crop up when you least expect them. I was pretty gutted when Sancho Panza suffered a tendon injury last March as he had been really progressive and had plenty more improvement left in him.
However, after a year in the field recuperating, he came back bigger and stronger this time around. His home work hadn't been electric but it was more important that he stayed in one piece so I never put too much pressure on him.
As I said before, I do like surprises - especially good ones - and Sancho gave me just that when he won at Yarmouth on Friday, 18 months after last hitting the track. It's a great feeling to know that you can get one to win after such a long time off but I was just as chuffed for his owners who were extremely patient during his recovery and gave him all the recuperation time he needed.

Sancho Panza wins at Yarmouth

Sancho's success made it seven wins for us this season and we look on course to top last year's tally.
A good splattering of rain meant the grass gallops were again in top order so we took a load up the Flat Gallop to strut their stuff on Saturday morning. I prefer to see the action on horseback so took old boy Handheld out for a spin. Doing things like this helps keep him happy as he has had plenty of hard graft during his career so days like these mean he can be freshened up between runs.

Handheld

First up were two of this week's runners Vastly and Automotive.
Vastly hated the soft ground at Nottingham on his last run so we're returning him to the all-weather in the hope that he can recapture his early promise. His handicap mark seems to be within his grasp and the trip is perfect so hopefully he can bounce back.
Automotive has been disappointing his whole career really and it is extremely frustrating as he works so impressively at home. His run at Lingfield on Saturday is last chance saloon for him and if he doesn't produce anything, he will be sold. He is rated so low that if he wanted to win, he could do so very easily. Let's just hope he starts performing at the races.

Vastly (Shelley) & Automotive (Ross)

Another raider this week is Attain. He ran really well on his seasonal reappearance at Wolverhampton last time and if the ground is soft at Goodwood on Friday, he should go very well. He is flying at home and looks well treated now so let's just hope rain hits the Downs.

Attain (Alfie)

Believe In Me has yet to run this season but she is almost ready to return. She is just an out and out galloper so one mile at a straight track like Yarmouth should be right up her street and she isn't too fussy about any ground type.
Her work companion was new horse Al Sahraa. She is pretty temperamental so we will just take our time with her as she needs one more run to qualify for handicaps.

Believe In Me (Annelie) & Al Sahraa (Scott)

No Such Number has had no luck recently with the ground going too soft for him wherever he has been entered so we are just keeping him ticking over until the right opportunity arises.
He accompanied Sheila's Heart in a steady gallop. Sheila has just been gelded but has recovered from the operation really well and seems a lot more mature mentally since the snip. Now he's more manageable, he shouldn't be too far off making his debut.

Sheila's Heart (Reno) & No Such Number (Billy)

You saw last week that we have just got a new puppy to add to our growing animal collection and the other day I saw another newcomer trotting across the field. We get plenty of deer hopping in and out of the woodland but I had never seen a baby as small as this one. The mother isn't very big herself so the baby must have been about the size of a rabbit. Very cute!