A fine day, definitely cooler and we seem to be missing the heavier rain affecting the South. Horses seem in a good place, only two race fit at this stage – Everyday Champagne and Artic Mann who both hold entries at Perth on Monday. Have to see what the weather is going to do and meantime it is down to Tyneside tomorrow afternoon in readiness for The Great North Run on Sunday morning.
Aside from Perth we are hoping Hamandio may reappear at Auteuil on Tuesday
This has become a bit of an annual pilgrimage for us with Kit and Johnny both regular participants and Rose and I waiting at the finishing line drinking coffee! It is always the most tremendous occasion as the world’s largest half marathon and this year Kit is our runner and I imagine he is hoping to run sub 90 minutes. There is an excellent app for tracking progress which we will anxiously be watching – you can get all the info and download it here
There is of course a very important charitable element to the whole thing and Kit is raising money for the Injured Jockeys Fund. This Charity has always been very close to my heart going back to the collection at my Father’s funeral 33 years ago. Obviously Lucy was a big beneficiary throughout her career as a jockey, particularly in recovering from her career ending injury in 2020, five years later she still benefits from physio treatment at Oaksey House in Lambourn. The support they provide is invaluable and the risks facing everyone that works with horses were brought home this week with two serious injuries here on the gallops; Katie suffering a severe concussion last Friday and Mark breaking his humerus on Wednesday. We wish them both a speedy recovery and if you do feel inclined to support Kit’s efforts and the IJF you can do so here – https://www.justgiving.com/page/kit-alexander-2