The cold east wind with one and off rain persists; been like this for a week now and this pattern looks set for the next fortnight, the only changes being wetter and colder from time to time – doom and gloom! And wetter it looks like being at Newcastle tomorrow where we have two horses declared on ground that may well ease significantly from the current good to soft. Both horses are perfectly capable of winning these races based on their previous form but need to improve on what they have shown so far this season.
First up is Half Track in the staying handicap hurdle at 14.25; he is stepping back up in trip and, as I’m not quite sure whether he stays 3m on soft, he will be ridden patiently in the hope that he can do his best work at the end – Bruce rides and 11 run.
Half Track
Our other runner is in the novice handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys at 16.10 and I am delighted that Dom is back to take the ride having been injured at Musselburgh in late November. He is raring to so I hope Burning it Up is as well; it s real puzzle as to why he hasn’t replicated the form of his 2nd at Perth in April, perhaps he needs to go right handed but he is creeping down the weights and Dom’s 10lb claim will be very handy. He is also wearing cheek pieces for the first time – 13 run.
Burning It Up
Our Yorkshire venture last week wasn’t especially productive, for the first time in his life Ned Tanner failed to show up, putting in a lack lustre display from flagfall; I thought everything was right for him and Sean thought he felt brilliant on the way to the start. Don’t know what was up but we will be running all the usual tests this week, all being well he will be out again soon. The ground was too soft for Suspected; Ginger Mail (3rd) and Anamanda (5th) both ran well at Doncaster, though looked like a drop back in trip would suit them. At the Percy point-to-point yesterday Not the Chablis ran well to be 4th.