Breezy today but generally warm and sunny with the odd passing shower.  The end of August and time for an update from the yard where the preparation of our team of horses for the winter is very much in full swing.  Although we have a small advance party being proepared for the Perth September meetings most of the horses have only just come up to full work. We also introduced jumping to their regime this week, I’m very happy with where the horses are, they look well and are all doing their work with zest and enthusiasm.  Some photos of them jumping…

Old Comrades (Amy) one of many young hroses we are looking forward to this season

It has been a wonderful summer of weather and sport; I love flat racing and had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to York for Juddmonte day, fantastic sport at a great racecourse that does everything so well.  And then last weekend at Perth a tremendously successful inaugural Scone International Horse Trials, so well organised and marketed.  It simply wouldn’t have been possibly under the previous ownership of Perth Racecourse and a hugely postive event for equestrian sport in Scotland.

Another… Takeyoutotheisland (Dom) – the horses all jumped about 20 obstacles, all the same whether unraced youngsters or seasoned chasers

Of course tomorrow is the day when the new Chair of the BHA finally takes up his position.  I suspect he will be greeted by rather a full intray, where on earth does he start?  Goodness knows, but one place he will be expected to be will be Westminster on the afternoon of 10th September when racing is going to be putting its case to as many MPs as it can persuade to cross Parliament Square from the House of Commons to the QEII Conference centre, having cancelled racing that day in an effort to be noticed.  The latter at least seems to have worked with Racing making it onto the front pages of the national press and into the main news bulletins.

Eloi du Puy (Jess)

Ostensibly the meeting is about persuading the Treasury not to harmonise and/or raise betting duty on racing in the autumn budget.  Gambling is an easy target for this cash strapped government but the unintended consequences for the underlying sport could be very damaging.  I say ostensibly because the real issue is to try to explain that the fiscal disadvantages suffered by racing in the UK relative to other racing jurisdictions are damaging our competitive position and that without intervention to improve we may well end up a third world country in racing terms rather than being the global leader.  We are clinging on to the latter position by our fingernails and without fiscal help the situation will undoubtedly look very different in 5 to 10 years time.  If racing is nurtured it can be of benefit at so many levels and that includes the Treasury; smother it and everyone loses, it will carry on but the opportunity will have been wasted.  Over to you Lord Allen…

Hello!  Warm and muggy here this evening at the end of a hot and sunny week.  As warm a week as I can remember with the office windows having been open 24/7 since Monday.  Watering has been the name of the game at Perth and we have two rare August runners declared at the track’s twilight meeting tomorrow where the ground is currently described as good.

Artic Mann

Artic Mann is first up in the staying handicap hurdle at 5.35, he loves the track and could run very well but he will need overnight rain to run, if he does Dom will take the ride and claim a valuable 10lb off his top weight – 12 run.

Everyday Champagne with Bruce this morning

The staying chase at 6.38 has been the target for Everyday Champagne for some time now and his preparation has gone perfectly.  Ground seems to be the key to him and if it is proper fast ground then he should have a great chance especially if he can get into a good rhythm with his jumping, it was too soft for him the last time but he ran a great race on good to be 2nd on his penultimate start – Bruce rides and 8 run.

And with his regular rider Jess

We were lucky to enjoy a lovely holiday in Italy last week and it has been great being back with the horses this week.  They don’t appear bothered by the heat and seem in a good place, as ever we are building them up slowly and they are now cantering a mile on the sand gallop or a little less distance interval training on the hill gallop.  They look strong and well, can be fresh at times but are generally relaxed and focussed in their work.  Fingers crossed all looks in place for a good season, let’s hope we are lucky.

The icy cold bath has been very much appreciated this week!

A wet morning for a change but weather has been pretty good most days recently, at least it feels like we are actually having a summer which certainly isn’t always the case.  Yard is fully back up and running now with 45 horses to ride each morning, all bar one just walking and trotting and will start steady cantering soon.  This conditioning work to build muscle strength is an essential part of the training programme for equine athletes and will play a key part in their ability to remain robust through the winter, patience is paramount.

Seems like an age since we last had runners; three at Perth at the beginning of the month when the French air traffic controllers prevented me from being there.  An inauspicious day – Beat the Retreat ran well to a point prior to backing out of the battle, 10th run for him was probably one too many so he is out in the field.  Maillot Blanc ran well enough to be 4th, this was also his 10th race so he is also now having a break.  I think the ground was probably too soft for Everyday Champagne, he has had an easy month and will hopefully be back at Perth in August.

Katie on Mack the Man at Carlisle

And then there was Mack the Man in the Ladies Day Charity Flat Race at Carlisle with Katie on board – she had a great spin, right up there turning for home prior to taking his time a bit in the closing stages.  It was always going to be his swansong and I’m delighted he has been retired to live with Zoe who rode him a lot here.  He’s been a cracking horse for Kit, his “second career” having been a high class performer in the South in his younger days.  He won three times for us including a valuable Go North Final and his overall career stats look pretty good with 7 wins from his 39 starts and £104k in prize money.

Mack the Man – Kit

Lovely to see him finish racing sound with a good home; we have retired & rehomed 12 horses this summer, I see it as one of our key responsibilities to “do right” by the horses that give us so much fun.  Fortunately we have roughly the same number of new horses joining the team and I feel very blessed by the quality of young horses that have arrived.  Let’s hope we can do them justice and they are lucky.  We failed to buy at the Arqana sale at Deauville but still managed to come home with a very interesting juvenile hurdler, more of him later.  Aside from him we have six graduates of the Irish point-to-pointing scene including several winners, two bumper horses with good form and a couple of very nice homebreds joining us as well as three horses that were in pre-training last season.  Exciting times and I love watching them develop from week to week.

The entrance to Clairfontaine racecourse in Deauville

And of course our star recruit in France, Hamandio, may well end up not coming here at all.  Having won three in a row he was beaten at Dieppe two weeks ago so is now having an easier time prior to hopefully returning to Auteuil in the autumn.  Not sure what after that, I’m suggesting point-to-pointing but not sure that is idea is gaining much traction… Our next runners are planned for three weeks today back at Perth, by then we should know whether or not we have a Chair for the BHA, actually we will hopefully tomorrow night as there is a crucial Board Meeting taking place where I imagine they will have to decide whether to vote for their own demise… or not?  Enjoy the rest of the summer, I’m loving the flat racing season and all the top quality sport – great to have a little time to enjoy it.

Lords a couple of weeks ago, lucky to enjoy a fabulous day watching England play India