13th October 2014 - Our first few winter runners

At last we've got some rain, and I've been pleased how our first crop of winter horses have run this week.  Some of them have just needed the run a bit, and shown that we've missed using the grass gallops here in Lambourn due to the dry autumn.  Fingers crossed we'll be on the grass this week, and we can step up the progress. 

I love this picture of first lot out on Saturday morning.

We took two of our winter horses to Worcester last Thursday where Alanjou looked to be creeping into the race really nicely until he was brought down 4 out. The race fell apart and you’d have to think he’d have been thereabouts. That was quite frustrating but at least he’s come out relatively unscathed. Major Milborne finished 4^th in the novice hurdle, but looked to just find 2m7 on soft ground a bit too much of a stamina test, especially on his seasonal debut, where he did go for his girth landing over three out. He’ll improve for the run and will now go novice chasing.

I was chuffed to bits with how Tea Caddy ran at Newton Abbot on Friday – she was 3^rd but she was only just touched off, and ultimately top weight just caught her out close home. I hope the handicapper may help a bit, and she should be winning before long…..there is a mares chase at Fakenham we may look at in November.

I thought it was a fair debut from Detroit Blues at Chepstow on Saturday, where he was 5^th in a hot bumper. He was quite keen early as we had expected he might be, the pace of the race was very slow and he was outpaced when the pace lifted before he ran on all the way to the line. The first four were only 7 lengths clear of us and there was a long way back to some useful sorts behind us. He’ll come on both mentally and physically for the run, and should be one to follow this season and beyond.

We run Present View tomorrow at Huntingdon, which is the same race we started him off in last season, before he went on to win at the Cheltenham Festival. He had a lovely long holiday after that, and this is a prep run before we aim for the Paddy Power Gold Cup. This race fits in nicely as it is a month away from the Cheltenham race, and our chase mark will not be affected by the result. Although fit enough to do himself justice tomorrow, our target is not a novice hurdle at Huntingdon in mid October, it is the Paddy Power….. fingers crossed he goes and wins tomorrow, but he will improve for this run.