Heading into Autumn

Hard to believe we are already at the end of August, this summer has been busy and has just flown in.

We have had a few runners over the past fortnight and although no winners, several have impressed. Gweedore ran an absolute blinder at Musselburgh last week to finish second. He was giving the winner a full stone and I was pleased to see him bounce back from his Ascot run. Samurai Sneddz ran a great race for third at Hamilton and looks to be knocking on the door for a second career win. Ben Asker put in a decent performance to pick up forth at Carlisle under top weight on tacky ground. It was a good run on conditions that in hindsight were not ideal. In the same race Spartakos gave Sam an awkward ride and looking back through his previous runs at Carlisle this seems to be a pattern for him at the track. He would enjoy being back round a bend on soft ground. Slainte Mhath ran a cracker in fourth last night at Hamilton. She really needs 6 furlongs but I took the opportunity to get her out on soft ground over an inadequate 5. She was a little outpaced early on but finished strongly and looks a winner waiting to happen when we get all the right conditions.

The next few weeks looks busy with both runners and opportunities to restock as we look forwards to next season. I am planning to head down to the Horses In Training sales at Newmarket this week and also the Somerville Yearling sales next week. Both sales dates will likely clash with us having runners which I have to admit I hate as for me being at the races with runners and owners is one of the most important parts of my job. It is very important for the yard that we have fresh stock and youngsters coming through so we can keep improving and moving forwards.

Those who follow our social media will know we said goodbye to Flaming Glory at the end of last week. Blaze was a much a loved part of the yard and it was a very tough day for all of us. He suffered an injury back in February and his rehab appeared to be going well and outwardly everything looked good. However, when he when he had his 6 months scans the results were sadly very disappointing. He was looking at spending his life contained in four walls which is no life for any animal. There was a lot of heartache but there was only one decision that was right for him.

Our next planned runners are at Carlisle on Tuesday. Slainte Mhath holds an entry but I think conditions will be too dry for her. Kitty Pi heads there and we are hoping the step up in trip helps her travel easier early on in the race. Then in the last Samurai Sneddz will line up over 1 mile 6 which should suit him well back at the track where he previously won. We also have entries at Hamilton Wednesday and Haydock Thursday!

Here Come The Girls

What A Week