Cheltenham week was a great week and apologies for no blog since Wednesday – it doesn’t feel like our feet have touched the ground!
Our runners did us proud and although Back On The Lash hated the rain softened ground (goodness the weather was appalling on Wednesday!) he jumped for fun and ran well for a long way but Sean intelligently pulled him up as soon as his winning chance had gone and saved him for another day. His newly formed partnership of David Maughan, Harry Redknapp, Ollie Ryan, Karen Salters and Marcus Freer seemed to have a fun day though and it was great to get us all together. Obviously it would have also been more fun for us to be stood together in the Paddock in the sunshine but next time!
David Maughan’s Spanish Present ran an absolute belter to finish 9th in the Grade 1 Champion Bumper under Sean Bowen and we were delighted with him. He’ll go novice hurdling now and may have one run when the new season starts, if the ground is safe enough, before a deserved holiday although he may have a short break now too.
Frustratingly Brorson was balloted out of both the Pertemps Hurdle and the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Hurdle – either of which, being handicaps, would have been more suitable than the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on level weights. However, he too ran a belter, again for owner David Maughan, to finish well up the field in 8th place after a cracking run under a super ride from Jamie Moore. He gave his all and was quite wobbly up the walkway and also in the Unsaddling Enclosure and top marks to the Veterinary Team there for their help – Beth put him in front of the big fans and we all threw endless buckets of water over him and in no time (although it felt like ages at the time!) he was walking normally again and we are so grateful to them all for their help. He’s A1 now but deserves a decent holiday now and I’m so excited about his prospects for next season when he goes chasing.
We’ve had no runners this weekend although we’ve had a sickness bug in the house which we are fighting off and hoping that it’s only that – sickness and a heavy cold, fingers crossed!
However we have two runners today. Windy Cove makes her debut over hurdles and her first run for us for owners Adam Morgan and Nicky Clifford too under Sean Bowen who the Morgan Family have known since he was pony racing. She’s got a great attitude and has pleased us at home, jumping well and working well too so although you never know how they will take to their first run over hurdles – we hope she enjoys it and runs a solid race.
In the same race we have our microsyndicate horse Herecomeshogan for The Cotswold Lockdowners and David Bass partners him. Ultimately he’ll want further and probably a fence in time looking at how well he jumps at home but he’s a big baby and is still learning so we hope for a solid run from him too. Good luck to them both.
What a Festival it was – so many fabulous performances, super to see so many friends there too and what an inspiration Rachael Blackmore is – just brilliant.