The Blog

May 30th

"Phew - what a scorcher...."

No runners yesterday. A paperwork / invoicing frenzy, bowling Barney Baker with the occasional "doosra", being smashed back over my head pretty regularly, Tallulah a most excellent and speedy long on....

A glorious morning out on the gallops yesterday - and a decent gathering of Owners. Diana and Theo Maxfield here to see Generata, Michael Benn and Jenny Emery to see KitKat and Excellerator respectively, and John Guest and David Botterell to watch their One Cool Cat 2-year-old.

And off to Goodwood this afternoon with Kidson. He is out of the handicap (which goes against the grain), but he needs to run and off a mark of 45 he has been ballotted out too often. I just hope that he runs a reasonable race - good enough to sneak up the handicap and make life a little easier...

Rebelwithoutacause, bought as a speedy product of the breeze-ups at Doncaster last year, runs in the first juvenile hurdle of the year at Stratford tomorrow. Not quite the plan - but he has schooled well and is ready for this dramatic change of tack....

May 29th

Some morning out there. Still a little hazy - but already the promise of a cloudless sky. If we could only guarantee Summer mornings like this......

A fascinating day yesterday in front of a pile of paperwork that stretches from floor to ceiling. Chipping away at it - and then that charming Postman fellow comes up the drive with another delivery. An awful lot of paperwork from various racing administrative bodies - "carbon footprints" obviously not of major concern to those in the ivory towers. A ridiculous number of bits of paper requiring signatures before being posted back to whence they came - heard of email, guys and gals ???

I did get a call recently from a man who has been tasked to cut down on the relentless churning out of forms and inconsequential correspondence. I fervently hope that his work is progressing well......

I was discussing yesterday with some Owners the scary amount of form-filling and paperwork that is required to register partnerships / syndicates, colours, names etc. The system as it stands does seem horrendously time-consuming and, worryingly, confusing. I genuinely do not believe that it would be overstating it to suggest that people could easily be put off the whole ownership experience by the present system. It cannot be beyond the wit of man to produce a simple "Ownership document" upon which all required information can be written - a step-by-step guide to replace the clogging up of the system with countless envelopes heading backwards and forwards......

My paperwork ordeal mercifully interrupted by the arrival of Ted and Gaynor Voute yesterday evening. Perfect timing ........       

May 28th

Brighton at it's surliest yesterday.....

Horizontal rain, a testing wind, a sparse crowd populated by the odd Graham Greene character, an average card unlikely to live long in the memory of the few of us who were there. Bleak.

And Steig unable to raise the tone of the day, cantering two out but unable to sustain his run through the final furlong. The rain-softened, and possibly loose, ground perhaps the reason. He will have a small breather before returning at this level.....

The M25 playing it's ugliest hand. Journeys home from the Racecourse are a part of our lives - but sitting, damply, on this horror of a "road" can test the patience. We are lucky in that Far Westfields Farm is situated in a pretty central location - we have less far than many to travel to several tracks, but the nature of the job determines that we spend too many hours playing the lottery of our motorway system. Thank the Lord for hands-free telephones - at least the car can double up as a mobile office.....

The horses remain in great form. They look fantastic and the team continue to win an inordinate number of "best turned-out" awards - almost to the point that I am surprised if I hear somebody else's name read out. We are spending plenty of time in the Winner's Enclosure - but just missing that Number One spot. But hitting the crossbar is infinitely better than hitting the corner flag.... 

May 24th

A stunning day out there.

Thistle making his seasonal debut at Fontwell this afternoon - and I am looking forward to seeing this cheap purchase out of a Market Rasen seller back on the Racecourse....

Due to a variety of unconnected circumstances, involving plagues of locusts, global economic meltdown, the theory of relativity, the Hadron collider, Orion's belt, Madonna, the Euro-Vietnamese dong exchange rate, the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta and David Beckham, there will be no blog before Wednesday....

Bank Holiday well, y'all......

May 23rd

Just watching the pre-6 O'Clock Bank Holiday weather forecast - looking pretty good, which must be pretty unique for one of our holiday weekends......

Racehorses do not understand about Bank Holidays, and so it is business as usual around the yard over the next couple of days. A change of plan means that Thistle will head to Fontwell tomorrow, whilst Maddy and Kidson are possibles for Monday.

Our two runners on the Flat yesterday acquitted themselves with credit. Steig an honourable third at Newmarket (our second ever runner at HQ, and good to be sneaking into the winners enclosure) whilst Iguacu suffered the fate of all good each-way bets - fourth...

Both will be out reasonably shortly in attempts to work their way up to the more alluring end of the winners enclosure...

I was at Newmarket with Valerie - and we could not have been better looked after. Kew Green's owner Peter Jensen is on the Racecourse board and as soon as we walked onto the course he was insistent that we bring our Owners, Phil and Dan, up to the Royal Box. And then we were ushered up there again after the race to watch the replay. Fantastic hospitality......

No runners today (for the first time in many a day) and the Napton Pony Club show beckons - allegedly. Tallulah a natural rider, Barney more from the "Brod Munro-Wilson" school of riding so well perfected by his Father....  

May 22

Goodwood looking pretty glorious again yesterday....

Pleased with Smicker Smacker's debut, happy with Phoenix Enforcer's first run of the season, and Court Wing has now had three runs and will be turned away to strengthen up. Not a bad day - and not a bad place to be able to call "the office". The views across the downlands and south to the sea are spectacular on a day like yesterday - mercifully no sea frets, for that really can make it pretty miserable...

Newmarket with Steig, Brighton with Iguacu today. Both go there at double figure prices, but both seem in good form. Each-way squeaks, I guess....

And no runners over the weekend. Tallulah's 5th birthday yesterday - there is talk of Legoland tomorrow afternoon. Sounds utterly terrifying...!! 

May 21st

Another fine run from Shut The Bar last night at Worcester. Jumping brilliantly, he battled all the way to the line for a highly creditable third placing. Holiday time beckons - and he deserves his time in the Sunshine having gained three victories and a couple of placings since the turn of the year.

I was down at Goodwood with the Scott Dunns and, with the Sussex track looking at it most alluring in the early Summer sunshine, it was great to be back at what must rank as my favourite Flat track. Double Moon was a little "starstruck" by the whole experience - but Tony Culhane looked after him, and I am sure that there will be other days. All part of the learning experience....

A decent crowd, and good to be able to meet up with two of our new Owners, John Guest and Peter Crane (who has had so much success with the likes of Fire Up and Strike Up The Band). And an excellent lunch before racing with the Scott Dunns, my Mother  and Sister - the pasta with Emsworth cockles absolutely stunning !!

Back to Sussex with three today - after a number of  National Hunt runners (and, luckily, winners) in the past few days, we turn our attention back to the Flat for a while. Brighton and Newmarket tomorrow.

And a good trip to Towcester at dawn yesterday morning to work and school five. Keith the head groundsman the most accomodating of Racecourse personnel - a beautiful morning, PC O'Neill and Andrew with us, no dramas.....    

May 20th

Blimey - "George Baker in running quickly shock at Leicester races..."

A fine second run from my namesake, belying his 33/1 starting price and the expectations of his Trainer, to finish a close-up third behind two decidedly useful opponents. Onwards and upwards....

Edward Whitaker, the best racing photographer ever (probably..) there to record the three GB's for posterity - a unique occurence, and hopefully the first of many trips to the Winner's enclosure for Team GB....

And an hour later Maddy filling the same third spot at 28/1 to confirm the fact that the horses are in decent order. She ran no sort of race at Southwell last time when we fancied her and so this was a pleasing revertion to type for this tough little filly.

Candida and I headed to Leicester from The French Horn at Sonning - now that is some restaurant, with a spectacular Thameside setting. Lunch with Peter and Anne Scott-Dunn after a tour of their farm and the several horses (including the holidaying Double Dash and Tish Too) that they have around them.

We take their Double Moon to Goodwood today. A 50/1 shot in the Racing Post and they are usually pretty close to the mark - we shall see.....   

19th May

And so, to quote Marcus Armytage who called last night, "the great day has arrived......"

George Baker the horse, trained by me ("allegedly"), will be ridden by George Baker the jockey in the first at Leicester this evening. I doubt very much whether this has happened before - but I very much doubt whether there will be a fairytale outcome. This is a horse who is still learning his trade and, like his Trainer, he needs to improve physically and mentally before he can be considered to have a live chance of getting his head in front. He is not devoid of ability - but my gut feeling is that he will be a better horse next year.

A busy day yesterday. Runners at Southwell and Bath - and C and I at home to greet Peter and Sue Jensen who were here to see Kew Green who has been retired from his role at the British Racing School. He is very happy in a muddy field teaching a few of the younger team members a few manners - and hopefully passing on loads of his infinite wisdom...

Vested Interest resented the kickback at Southwell, thus realising my fears about running 2-year-olds at the track. 6 furlongs on grass will be his next port of call. And down at Bath, both Music Box Express (3rd - and showing all his old zest) and Highland Storm (an encouraging 4th) got into the Winner's Enclosure. Not a bad day at the office....

Some exciting new arrivals up the drive yesterday - and I am happy to report that the early feed is taking longer and longer. A good sign. 

C and I off for lunch with the Scott-Dunns today before heading up to Leicester. And with several owners and potential owners due up the drive in the next couple of hours, another busy day ahead. We would not want it any other way........    

May 18th

Another "airmiles" weekend - but a good one.....

To Bangor on Saturday. Shut The Bar a better horse on faster ground, a morning of decision-making as Ed Gretton, the Clerk at Bangor, reported 14mm of rain up to midnight the previous night, the deciding factor being the withdrawal of the forecast odds-on favourite McMurrough. And what a relief that we sent the horsebox off down the drive....

The ground was fine, on the softer side of good but by no means definitively soft, and so "Ralph" was allowed to take his chance. From some way out, it was a two horse race between us and the heavily backed Donald McCain trained Grasscutter. A mistake at the second last did not help our cause - but our fellow was always holding the other horse from the last. A third win this year from Shut The Bar and he is a real credit to his owner-breeder Di Mitchell and we hope that there is more to come from this bonny little horse....

A celebratory drink or two, joined by Course Chairman and our Owner Bobby McAlpine and by Steward (and also Owner) Anthony Perry - hopefully the first of many winners at this alluring racecourse. 

Back home at 7.30, a quick bath and change into fancy dress (a red tailcoat, a top hat and a whip..??!! - don't ask...), and then back on the Fosse Way and onto Bath.

Jade Findlay's 18th Birthday party. Suffice to say that it was a proper party......!!

Up reasonably early, a farewell pat for the legend that is Big Fella Thanks (greyhound, not horse - "that is like meeting Red Rum !", I had been told the night before) and back home just in time to rendezvous with Tinks for the drive to Fakenham. Patrick and Valerie collected on the way, the only marginal blip being me entering "Fakenham Magna" and not "Fakenham" into the Satnav - luckily both destinations are in "roughly" the same part of the country.....??!!

Sparkling Montjeu is fast developing cult status - at least with me. She thrived on the step up in trip and by cruising home 9 lengths clear she becomes our first 4-time winner. She travelled so much better than previously, a factor of the significantly further distance over which she was running, and when Andrew kicked her on entering the back straight it was "game over" . 

A busy day ahead - Vested Interest's debut at Southwell, Highland Storm and MBE down at Bath. And Peter and Sue Jensen here to see their old hero Kew Green who is enjoying himself in a grassy field. After a weekend of National Hunt sport it is back to the Flat for the next day or two - I hope we can have as much luck as we did over the weekend....