Tough start

A tough start as a professional yesterday for Lucy with two outsiders; Floreana was out of her depth and never able to compete, Mirage Dore ran a more promising sort of race but tired in the latter stages to finish a remote 5th at 33-1.  The Paddy Premium was tiring in 4th when unseating Wilson Renwick at the 2nd last, I think the testing ground just asked a bit too much of him on his first run back after a break.  Today we run Papamoa in the 4.05 with Lucy on board, he is a promising young horse but lacks experience and whilst he will come on for the run he could put up a bold show if it rides soft.

Calm before the storm, The Paddy Premium in the paddock at Perth

Reaching for it.....

Mud-spattered Lucy

Floreana

A tough day for Lucy but tougher for young Adam Nicoll (left)

Off we go

The Paddy Premium (Lucy)

The waiting's over and tomorrow we send out our first runner since 5th June when The Paddy Premium lines up for Mark Fleming in the 3.35 at Perth, 6 run, Wilson Renwick rides and the ground will be on the soft side.  He seems fit and well and schooled nicely this morning - fingers crossed.  A momentous day for Lucy as well when she takes her first rides as a professional, on Floreana for the Boswells in the 4.45 and Mirage Dore for Rose Dobbin in the 5.20.  She becomes only the 3rd female professional jumps jockey in the UK and I believe the first ever from Scotland so let's hope it works out.... on Thursday we hope to run Papamoa in the 4.05 with Lucy on board.

Foraging

A wet night and wild this morning as the tail-end of Hurricane Katia blows in. Not a day for messing about; 3 lots, 25 mins warm-up in the school, twice up the all-weather, 20 mins warm down and back in. It feels as if we have already had more than our share of autumn storms and its only 12th Sept! One or two pics taken on Friday by an old friend who is setting up a new racing club which I am hoping will have its horses trained here, more details to follow!

Papamoa (Holly) and Isla Patriot (Kelly) on the all-weather

Northern Flame (Lucy) and Little Glenshee (Gemma) stretch out on Lucinda's woodchip

Papamoa and Four Fiddlers forage for Cotoneaster - a valuable source of nectar

Oh wettest of years......

Annual rainfall records are being broken and we sit here with a couple of hundred acres of valuable grain to combine with no sign of the weather giving us the chance;  all over Scotland there are huge tracts of land heavy with cereals, the absence of sun has made them slow to ripen and people are starting to become a little bit edgy.  Too much time is being spent looking at the weather forecast, tomorrow is to be stormy and wet and whilst we should get a couple of decent days mid-week it is due to turn wet again next weekend, ten days of good weather would sort it for most people, let's hope, in the mean time we wait for the contractors.....
Horses in good order though and the upside is there should be some nice ground about when we start racing, our most forward horses are probably 3 weeks off a run but we will no doubt be tempted to make a few entries at Perth in 10 days time.  Chapel at Johnny's school today, they've only been back a week but there are an alarming number of boys on crutches and with arms in slings..... good old rugby!

Swansong

Glorious warm breezy afternoon here today, perfect combining weather and a stark contrast from the rain and gales earlier in the week.  Our first expedition to Lucinda's AW on Tuesday with The Paddy Premium, Papamoa and Forcefield, plenty of work here as well -  in the schools, on the riverbank, round the stubbles and up the all-weather, Louisa (fresh? from Burleigh) in this afternoon to do flatwork with The Paddy Premium, Forcefield and Northern Flame.  Lots of visitors which is fun, horses appear well, another week and we will be thinking about entries...... yo ho.
A triumph at Sedgefield on Tuesday when Lucy won what may well be her last race as an amateur on Pete for Barry Murtagh. A tricky ride in a competitive looking event, he races keenly and has to be produced in the shadow of the post as he will stop in front, she pulled it off but plenty of drama at the last hurdle, pictures courtesy of John Grossick.

Pete (Lucy) in the centre takes the last at Sedgefield



Agricultural (left) takes a nasty tumble

 

Ouch... and Jimmy McCarthy takes a glancing blow from Pete

Coming and going

Big day yesterday for Family Alexander as the youngest headed off to boarding school for the first time, it brought to an end what has been a very happy summer despite the weather and Mr & Mrs A were a bit choked up as they headed down the drive, big deep breath and all seemed to go smoothly once we arrived.  Busy again today and the gallops and horses were in fine fettle on an atmospheric autumn morning, pictures of some of the horses that were out on the riverbank below.  Tomorrow at Sedgefield Lucy rides Floreana for the Boswells in the 4.50 in what looks like an ordinary contest and then Pete in the 5.20 for Barry Murtagh.

into the mist

Buffalo Ballet (Kit - 20 today!)

Capital Venture (Lucy H)

Fleet Fox (Emma)

Forcefield (Lucy H)

Un-named Hellissio 4yo (Gemma)

Isla Pearl Fisher (Amy)

Little Glenshee (Gemma)

Northern Flame (Emma)

Ocarina (Kit)

Papamoa (Amy)

The Paddy Premium (Lucy A)

Seeking Power (Kelly)

Soft Day

Soft weather, as they would say in Ireland, here this morning - ie steady warm horizontal drizzle - but an excellent one with the horses, all cantering 10f in the deep sand round school then once all the way up the all-weather and two faster halves - all seem in very good fettle, just need to do my best not to mess things up over the next month.  Quiet day on the walker and in the padocks tomorrow and then another step forward next week, beginning to think we might even have one or two ready for Perth........

Scratch my back........