A busy work morning yesterday with Conor Shoemark, Abi Stock, Max Comley and John Nicholson all in to ride out. We worked Debden Bank with Champion Court, Matravers, Lord Condi, Mr Mafia, Primogeniture, Sugar Storm, Morning Herald, Hartshorne Abbie, Cut & Run, Ask Alice, Lady Vitesse, Pirate Look, By Sulamani, Enforcement, Sporty Yankee, Peeping Penny, Cotswold Prince, Reve, Solstice Star, Weyburn and Back on the Lash. All the rest cantered.
PJ and Anne Maher were here to watch Pirate Look in action and Mark Allen brought his mother and his girlfriend Kate to watch his Sulamani three year old out of Sky Calling. A stunning morning to be out on the gallops and great to catch up with our owners. I’m sure there can be no better way than to spend a morning on our stunning gallops watching your horse and we actively encourage our owners to come and watch their horses work or school over obstacles.
No runners yesterday but one today – Young Phoenix at Stratford for the Statham family and under Tom Bellamy who was so unlucky not to win the Scottish Grand National yesterday just failing to get there until after the line but so gracious in defeat. He seems in good form and will appreciate the drying out ground.
Freddie was at at Grand National of a different nature yesterday with Belinda and Harry. They were at Arena UK in Grantham, Lincolnshire at the Shetland Pony Grand National Trials Day hoping to qualify Freddie to compete in some of their races over the summer with the ultimate aim for every child to qualify for Olympia at Christmas. They had a fantastic day which was superbly organised by Sebastian Garner and Vera Akehurst and Freddie is so lucky to be sharing the ride on a lovely safe pony called Billy thanks to Helen Newman-Moore and he was absolutely buzzing when he got home last night. The whole series is to raise money for The Bob Champion Cancer Trust and they are aiming to raise more than the £40,000 they raised last year. A fabulous charity and Bob was there yesterday to oversee proceedings.