Thursday 30th July 2026 - 17 winners and over £150k banked before the 3 week summer break.

Although we’ve not had many runners this month, we’ve added another couple of winners to the seasonal tally as our summer team have continued to hold their form.  We therefore head into the 3 week summer break from National Hunt racing having amassed a total of 17 winners so far this season.  We therefore sit in 5th in the championship with over £150k in prizemoney.  A lot of the ‘winter horses’ are back in, and the road work is well under way.  I am delighted that the horses have done really well on their holiday, and this certainly reflects in their condition - they are all looking magnificent.  There are still more to come back in once the summer team have gone on their holidays, and we are all hugely excited for the season ahead.

I was delighted to see Regarde get his head back in front over hurdles at Worcester. Our plan all summer was to win the Summer Cup, a race we won with Only The Bold last season, but things didn't go his way in that race last month. However, he appreciated dropping back into novice hurdle company and won well at Worcester under a fine ride from Gavin.

We were almost rewarded with a double on the day when Our Guide was beaten a head in the Class 2 handicap. He had won four of his five starts going into this and was very unlucky not to make it five from six. I'm sure his time will come again, back in novice company after the three week break.

We were narrowly denied another double last week when The Elusive Pike won the bumper and Machete Beach was beaten a neck into second in a handicap hurdle. The Elusive Pike is a brother to our Summer Hurdle winner, Pisgah Pike, and it was wonderful to see him winning on his racecourse debut. He was very green, having not galloped on grass here in Lambourn through the summer, and having not been away from home. So, for him to do that on debut was pretty impressive, and I think he's a horse to follow for the winter.

We've had a few too many seconds this month (six in total), courtesy of Ride Like A Girl, who ran well at Uttoxeter under a penalty in a novice. Donnie Azoff ran well at Stratford when second again under Izzi. Meanwhile, at the weekend, Rebel Tribesman finished second under a penalty up at Cartmel, and Obsessedwithyou was also second under a penalty at Stratford.

Hope Rising ran well to be fourth on her first run on the flat for us, and she should be winning before long when stepped up in trip.

We now head into the three week summer jumping break — jumping doesn't resume until the latter part of August — but there's still plenty of work to be done at home, with all the winter horses coming back in now.