Light frost this morning, bright and quiet and a useful schooling morning. Plenty of horses ready to run now and we are planning a busy weekend, that will kick off at 4.45am tomorrow when Becca and Jess will head off to Wetherby, where we start with Beat the Retreat running in the Charity Race at 11.50 with Erin Donnelly on board over a mile on ground that will be on the easy side of good. This has been an ambition of Erin’s for some time and whilst I am sure horse and jockey will be as fit as any, looking at the pedigrees the other (flat bred) horses might be a bit faster – shame it isn’t a 2m race! Hopefully they will have a good spin – 8 run.
Beat the Retreat
We then run Shooting in the 2.20, the Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle, a valuable Listed race that we have had in mind for him since he came over from France in July. Having won on the flat as a 2yo he ran four times over hurdles in the spring winning once and finishing 3rd twice, latterly in good company. We are certainly throwing him in at the deep end tomorrow though at face value his French form certainly justifies his place in the race. Haven’t been sure what to make of him at all in training, his work is hard to read as sometimes he can appear somewhat disinterested. It may be that he is taking time to acclimatise or this may just be what he is like. We should learn a lot tomorrow – Bruce rides and 8 run.
Shooting – the Racing Post database suggests he rain in Switzerland in July, very odd, this was taken here on 8th July!
On to Ayr on Saturday with eight declared runners at their opening jumps meeting of the season and then hopefully two or three for Carlisle on Sunday – more later.