Apologies for no blog for a couple of days. BT is driving us mad and it may not even be sorted by today – luckily the internet works in the house but the kitchen isn’t as productive a working area as the office!
A busy weekend and great to catch up with my relatives in Yorkshire on Saturday evening for a special family get together. It did mean that I couldn’t be at Uttoxeter to watch Dr Dunraven though but Issy Mangan was in charge there and was delighted to give Jon Hughes a massive hug after he finished like a train to take 2nd place and show more than he’s done on a racecourse before. A happy 2nd for once and so delighted that his group of owners have all decided he really is worth perservering with now and so his entry at this weeks’ Sales has been scrapped and we can’t wait to get see how he progresses over the summer. A real team effort and thrilled that he felt good enough to run so well.
Sunday the ground at Stratford was too soft for Brass Monkey and although he travelled and jumped well for a long way Conor Shoemark reported that he was hating it so we’ll wait for better ground for him. A bit of a case of sod’s law after such a dry spell but that’s how it goes.
The ground was going to be too soft for Young Phoenix’s debut however after pulling him out of Ludlow which was too quick, we knew the ground was safe at Stratford so he took his chance and Andrew was instructed to look after him. He absolutely delighted us as although he will appreciate better ground, he was grown up in the preliminaries and ran a professional race to finish 3rd. Very happy patient owners who have waited all season with him – he’s been a baby but they knew he was worth waiting with. Although tempted to run him again, the ground is sure to go and he deserves a holiday.
Yesterday Somewhere To Be also ran as if he wanted a holiday – a bit of a disappointing 4th at Towcester as he’s surely much better than that. He probably wants a fence too.
Today I’m off to Brighton for Whatalove under her new owners Peter Boggis and John Abernethy. Tom Marquand rides and it’s our first visit to Brighton. She is cracking form and will hopefully give her new owners plenty of fun over the summer and to get off to a good start today is the plan!
Stuart Baikie up this morning to watch Cottersrock on the gallops and have a catch up. He chose a good morning although all week promises to be nice and no better place to be than on the top of our gallops. As always, do get in touch if you wish to come and see the facilities we have here. You’ll always be guaranteed a friendly welcome!
Happy retirement to Annacotty who gave us so many fun days whilst he was in training here. He won five times for us including both ours and Liz Prowting’s first Grade 1 winner when he won the Feltham at Kempton under Ian Popham and then another awesome day at Cheltenham on Trials Day when he won there too. Liz gave me my first two winners as a jockey on Air Shot and so it was lovely to repay her with some fantastic days. He loves his hunting so we wish him a long and happy retirement.
We were so sad to hear that Anne & PJ Maher and Catherine Glazebrook’s homebred mare Dalton Glance was put to sleep at the weekend after suffering an in-operable bought of colic. Although she had been retired from racing, she was a super mare and as she was only young there was plenty more fun to be had with her in another sphere. Thoughts are with them.