Last chance to enter the Three To Follow

Even though we weren't represented at the meeting, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the All-Weather Championships at Lingfield on Good Friday and it looks as though the initiative, now in its second year, is a success.
Runners from Godolphin have certainly helped raise the quality of the races but it was great to see the smaller trainers having some success. Our neighbour Gay Kelleway had a day to remember after winning the three-year old sprint with a whopping £93,000 to the winner! She held a party in town last night and it was a rare occasion to have a free bar paid for by her so we made the most of it!

The runners from our yard all ran respectably last week with no one finishing out of the prize money. Candesta was really unlucky to finish second again, he had a wide draw and gave away quite a lot of ground. He deserves to win a race soon and hopefully he won't have to wait too long.
The trio who went to Chelmsford on Wednesday all fared well too. Dakota City is a horse I really like and this run should have sharpened him right up and hopefully he can go a lot closer next time.

Onto this week and it looks to be a pretty busy one.
Silver Alliance put in a career best to win at Pontefract last summer and we're heading back up there with him on Tuesday. He wouldn't want the ground too soft but has come out of his comeback run in flying form and, if he's in the mood, he should run well.

Meddling ran a good race at Chelmsford last week and she seems to have taken it well too so I've put her in again at Lingfield on Wednesday. She has won twice around the course and should put in another good effort.

Then on Thursday we have Bushy Glade at Chelmsford. She was just mugged on the line last time but has thrived since and probably has the best looking coat in the yard. The 1m6f trip is new to her but all she does is stay so it shouldn't pose a problem.

Attain (Adam), Avidly (Tina) & Bushy Glade (Ryan)

If we haven't had any luck by Saturday, hopefully things could get a bit better with three runners.
Go On Gal will be our first two-year old runner of the year and she is definitely ready for it. I was tempted to run her on the opening day of the season but I'm glad I gave her another couple of weeks as she has progressed some more. It's unlikely she will win first time out but if she can show some promise, I think she can build on it in the future months.
Accompanying her to Wolverhampton is Avidly. It is well-known that she has plenty of ability but trying to get it out of her is proving troublesome. She ran better last time and George Baker said she needs to step up in trip so hopefully that is the answer.

Honeymoon Express (Mark), Go On Gal (Adam) & Veeraya (Ross)

Everyone knows that Handheld is my favourite horse in the yard and, as he didn't need to do any serious work, I took him up the gallop to watch the horses work. I can't say he's an ideal hack though as when all the horses came past, he set off to join them!

Handheld in hack mode

I have been really happy with how Harry Bosch has been progressing. He came to me a few months ago and his preparation has been relatively trouble-free. His owners bought him to run at Windsor, a track he has good form at, and all being well he will run the in a couple of weeks. He likes firm ground though so we'll keep an eye on the weather.
Automotive had a bit of a winter holiday and he is in great form coming out of it. He will be back on the track in a few weeks' time with his big aim being the Newbury handicap in June which he has won for the past two years.

The Ducking Stool (Nick), Automotive (Ross) & Harry Bosch (Mark)

Vastly has had a year off with tendon trouble and his comeback has been a steady one to keep him fully sound. He is gradually stepping up his work and seems to be taking it fine. He is rated really low on the grass and it would be nice to take advantage of this when he returns.

Vastly (Sarah)

Like Vastly, Duke Of Diamonds had a touch of a tendon last year too. He is on a similar training programme and is taking it just as well.  He is unraced and still pretty green but he will be ok when running over a longer trip.

Duke Of Diamonds (Megan)

Candesta (Tina), Tight Lipped (Ryan) & Bethan (Megan)

THREE TO FOLLOW COMPETITION
Due to an 'administration error' (ie Ross cocking up) the blog for the last two weeks has said the Three To Follow starts on 28th April but it actually started 28th March. Don't worry though if you haven't already entered as the points haven't started coming in yet so this is your last chance to get your entries in before this Wednesday (8th April) when the competition will be officially closed!


The format is simple: pick three horses from our yard to score you points throughout the season - 5 points for a win, 3 for a second and 1 for a third.
The only rule is that you pick ONE horse from Pool A (two-year olds and three-year olds) and TWO horses from Pool B (older horses). When you've made your mind up, email your choices to rbirkett1989@hotmail.co.uk
The competition runs from 28th March - 7th November so don't delay - get your entries in and you could win the £100 first prize!

POOL A (Two and three-year olds) PICK ONE
Inauguration
Big Bang
Moment To Dream
Duke Of Diamonds
Unnamed (Archipenko colt)
Serendib's Glory
It's A Sheila Thing
Little Orchid
Go On Gal

POOL B (Older horses) PICK TWO
Dakota City
Silver Alliance
Vastly
Harry Bosch
Tight Lipped
Meddling
Avidly
Veeraya
Automotive
Bethan
Attain
The Ducking Stool
Honeymoon Express
Bushy Glade
Guising
Candesta
Handheld