Chilly

Cold and breezy today but mainly dry and a constructive morning with the horses, Four Fiddlers, Papamoa and Tipsy Dara headed over to Lucinda's, some worked on the all-weather here and tomorrow's runners had a scamper round the farm and a pop over the fences.
Desperate day yesterday in the end as we lost Massini Man, with a rating of 123 arguably the best horse in the yard he had developed an infection in his suspensory ligament on a hind leg, this had been caused by a minute but penetrating puncture wound, no blood or anything to indicate it had been there but the infection destroyed the ligament leaving us no alternative, on Monday he had been completely sound. Brother Jamie bought him with me at Doncaster in August, he was the first horse we saw, he ticked all the boxes and we were both delighted that Jamie managed to buy him, he was a great prospect as a classy Hunter Chaser for his Corinthian rider, until this week everything had gone perfectly and he was due to make his debut for the yard before the end of the month, there we go, at peace now.
Much happier of course was the return of Joey, I am still trying to piece together exactly what has happened over the last three weeks, she is very thin and infested with worms but as boisterous as ever, I am sure Mrs A will have her back in tip-top condition in no time; she appears to have been used for hunting by local poachers, no doubt starved to make her more aggressive, our four cats better beware! Afternoon spent watching 13yo's knocking seven bells out of each other on the rugby pitch and listening in to the racing from Ascot. Lucy suitably impressed by ladies changing facilities of which she had exclusive use, she heads to Market Rasen tomorrow, we have an early start taking four down to the Alnwick p2p where it promises to be rather chilly!