I was really looking forward to running Queen of the West this evening at Worcester, but unfortunately the meeting was called off at 3pm this afternoon due to the track being waterlogged! We have yet to have a runner this month due to the ground, and it is getting quite frustrating now...... We have brought in another 3 horses this week - Present View, Marodima and Ultra Klass. They have begun their road work with all the others, and I look forward to having them on the track throughout the autumn.

Unfortunately this monsoon type weather is causing havoc with everyone's race plans, and it really is getting quite tedious.  Millers Reef was all set to run at Market Rasen yesterday, and would have had a serious chance on nice ground, but there was no point in running when the rain hit the track.  Although it is frustrating for us all, I do feel for flat trainers as we only have 7 'summer' runners, and they have far greater dilemmas, as Richard Hannon had to decide today whether to make an £11,000 supplement for Saturday's July Cup at Newmarket, and we are in for another unsettled week!

On a far more positive note - we brought 6 horses back in today as their summer holidays draw to a close, and we begin their build up for the autumn and winter.  Caminero, Graduation Night, The Hungry Monk and Tom Sang came back, as well as Buxom and Miss Milborne.  Caminero is going in for a wind operation on Friday, but the others will crack on with their (all important) road work. 

It was great to see that Ile De Re won the Northumberland Plate yesterday.  Caminero finished 2 lengths off him over hurdles at Sandown off level weights, and it was our first run, so the future looks promising for our chap.  He is out in the field at the moment, but will come back in a week, and we are going to give him a wind op before we go novice chasing in the autumn. 

Lettie helping out in the yard yesterday morning.

Knighton Combe won the Summer National last year, and the race is this weekend, but we decided to swerve that this season as he is 9lbs higher this year, and the race is 2 furlongs shorter as well this year.  We therefore ran him in a handicap hurdle at Worcester yesterday, as he looked potentially well handicapped being 14lbs better off over hurdles.  He missed the start due to one horse refusing to race, and was then playing catch up.  Tom got him into contention at the 2nd last, where I thought he would stay on and be involved in the finish, but unfortunately he made a mistake and pulled his off fore shoe off, and re-aggravated a previous injury.  Thankfully he will be ok, but the poor chap didn't deserve that at all.