Bitterly cold this morning and the forecast snow coming in. The biggest cheer of the morning was when the boys, having made Belinda continually check social media, she shared the news that Temple Guiting School was closed for the day! They were already in their jockey outfits for World Book Day – one armed with AP McCoy’s autobiography and the other with a fictional Pony Racing book but were happy to swap those clothes for ski wear and wait for the first sledging opportunity!
The second largest cheer of the day was from the team on the gallops second lot when, in -7 and a wind chill of far more, I suggested us all going to the Coach & Horses at Longborough for a cooked breakfast! They all agreed they’d rather quickly finish the yard after 4th lot so there was no rush so that is where we are heading! Much deserved and a big thank you to our Yardman Lucjan too whose work ethic is superb and he’s busy topping up our Leisure Ride Carpet Loop gallop and, at the moment, can’t be persuaded to join us!
Yesterday we bid farewell to our Assistant Trainer Jamie Goldstein after five years of being here. He’s helped us get to where we are today and was always first in and last out of the yard and never one to panic in any situation. He is moving back to be nearer to his family in Sussex and we are so grateful for all his hard work, dedication, support and friendship. We wish him all the best for the future.
Matthew Carter, who would rather be known as Foxy, joined us over a year ago and has agreed to step up into Jamie’s role and has had plenty of time with Jamie to ensure a seamless handover. We are thrilled to be able to have sourced our new Assistant from within our current team and, like Jamie, Foxy worked with me years ago with Nigel Twiston-Davies and I am delighted he’s accepted the role.