The going's always good at Yarmouth

It's fair to say that I love Yarmouth. It's not just that it is one of our local tracks or because the seafood there is great but we seem to have a lot of luck at the track.
I do enjoy sending a fair few runners to the seaside venue and on Monday three went in that direction and, following on from The Ducking Stool two weeks earlier, Silver Alliance came home in front.
He has had his attitude questioned in the past but the application of cheekpieces seemed to have a positive effect and he dug deep to win in a photo finish. This was his second win of the year already so if the rest of the yard can follow suit, we're in for a good season.

Silver Alliance (Shelley Birkett) wins at Yarmouth

The sun was shining at Yarmouth, as it has done all week, but that doesn't mean it has been a perfect week weather wise as the clear skies mean that the mornings have brought frost with them.
There's still a bit of  moisture in the grass and we've been making plenty of use of Newmarket's fantastic turf gallops.
Khajaaly had his final blow-out before running at Yarmouth on Tuesday. We don't train him like the others as he is a bit quirky but he seems to like his routine and if he can match his third place finish at the course last time, he should go close.

Khajaaly (Billy) in the mist

Also looking to give us another Yarmouth winner the same day is The Ducking Stool. She loves the track and should still be competitive off her higher handicap mark. The ground might be a bit too firm but she always tries her hardest and can hopefully be rewarded.
Sancho Panza is another declared that day but he has had some leg troubles so good ground is a must but it looks like it may be too firm for him to run.

Other runners this week include Vastly at Nottingham on Friday. He makes his handicap debut off a mark we think he's capable of winning off. He did a cracking bit of work on firm ground with Handheld on Saturday so things look good for a big run.
Handheld goes to the same track the following day and he is in fine form too. He does have his quirks though so I can't be too confident about his chances.

Vastly (Ross) & Handheld (Shelley)

We still have quite a few horses who have never run so it is a good idea to gallop them together in a 'mini race' so they can learn a bit about the game. Although they aren't pushed out like at the races, it is good for them to get close up with others and get the competitive juices flowing.
Our two juvenile fillies, Primrose Posy and Bushy Glade, are both nearly ready for a run and it will be great to have our first two-year old runners of the season.
The two horses at the rear of the photo below are Amelia George and Bethan, two older fillies who haven't run yet. They both came fairly late to us so have only just started serious work but the early signs are promising.

(l-r): Bushy Glade, Entrance, Primrose Posy, Amelia Goerge & Bethan

We also had some runners of the human variety as the annual Newmarket Heath Race took place on Thursday at Warren Hill. With only two runners in the field of 200-odd, we were always going to struggle but Ross managed to come home in 7th place. A winter spent sunbathing on Dubai's beaches probably didn't help the cause and he will reportedly come on for the run!

Ross in action

Further down the field was sister Shelley who jumped off at the back of the field and made eye-catching late headway to finish full of running in mid-division. Watch out, she may be well-handicapped soon!

Shelley finished strongly