Hedgehogs. Annoying little brutes. Probably not at the top of most people's lists of "animals most likely to keep you awake at night" - but they are doing a pretty good job of it around here....
The problem is not their incessant chatter and gossipping as they pass below our bedroom window. It is the fact that the legend that is Headleys Blue (19 times Walthamstow winner) spies them at dead of night through the window - and then all hell breaks loose......
A decent weekend. Excellerator ran a fabulous race on her comeback to the fray - a highly creditable third at Haydock, and the promise of plenty more to come. Franny Norton was impressed and left us in the unsaddling enclosure with the words "Group Filly" hanging in the air.
We are incredibly lucky to have bumped into such a good horse so early in our career. There are many people involved in this great game who will own horses all their lives and not come within a million miles of owning one as good as her - I know most of her Owners appreciate how lucky they have been, especially as she was a relatively cheap purchase at 16,000 Guineas. Onwards....
And a couple of hours later the beautiful (apparently...) Nadine Gratz steered Iguacu to victory at Nottingham. An especially pleasing result - and a massive credit to the team - as this horse arrived here with nil form and a mark of 37. We had to run him in a Conditions race (because, luckily, that dreadful Banded Racing has sensibly been disbanded) behind the likes of Winker Watson et al to try and get him up to a mark off of which we could go to war. And, for once, the plan has come off. Iguacu off the mark at the 13th time of asking - and, whilst he is no superstar, I would be bitterly disappointed if we cannot nick a race or two more with him. And there will certainly be no German jokes from this quarter after supermodel Nadine did the steering with great panache......
That Federer fella. Puts years on your life - especially as his victory was reasonably crucial to ensure that the couple of short trips away with the kids in August could be financed. A long afternoon, much pacing about, the result of course never really in doubt.....???!!!
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