How about that!

At last...  some of the famous Perth silverware!

they say that this game could tame lions; we work hard and have plenty of ups and downs but just ocassionally it produces something really special and for Kit to win the Champion Hunter Chase on Commercial Express at the Perth Festival on his first ride under rules in a thrilling finish in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd on a marvellous spring day was just fantastic.  Kit received a tremendous reception with live interviews for the crowd and for television; he deserved it, he has worked hard and must have watched the recordings of his favourite jockey Timmy Murphy winning round Perth on this horse 30 or 40 times, he is a tricky ride that needs produced in the shadow of the post, classic Timmy Murphy stuff , not easy to emulate and we've had a few near misses but to get it right when it mattered on the big day was really special.  Jamie finished 4th on Noir et Vert who ran a big race but just faded in the late stages, he deserves huge credit for his Herculean effort in doing the weight which involved shedding 9lbs in the 24 hours prior to the race - no mean feat!  Lucy finished down the field on Floreanna who needed the race and earlier in the afternoon The Paddy Premium failed to stay on his stable debut and will now be dropped back in trip.
As ever a short book could be written about Commercial Express since he arrived at Kinneston from David Johnson and the late Peter Monteith (don't I wish he had been there yesterday).  The latest chapter involved Kit and I returning from walking the course at Balcormo 12 days ago to find the horse unwell, he worsened during the evening and late on that Saturday night Kit and I held the horse for the vet as he pumped fluids into his stomach; to be in the winners enclosure at our local track 12 days later perfectly illustrates the roller coaster on which we ride............

Here we go..

.. the big day at last, all season I have been hoping that we might be able to engineer a racecourse clash between brother Jamie and Lucy and Kit; I am absolutely delighted that barring last minute dramas (possible!) it will happen today in the 4.20 at Perth, the Champion Stayers Hunter Chase, when Kit rides Commercial Express, Jamie rides Noir et Vert and Lucy rides Floreanna for the Bowswells.  The atmosphere at Perth yesterday was tremendous with a huge crowd enjoying splendid weather and competive racing on beautiful ground, today should be even better.  Both of our two runners have been in cracking form in point-to-points and have previous winning form over fences at the track, Floreanna makes her seasonal debut but would probably have won this race last year had she not unseated in the home straight.  10 run and the ground will be on the soft side of good.
Earlier in the afternoon we run Mark Fleming's The Paddy Premium (well, I have a small share too..) in the 2.50, it's his debut for the stable, Paddy Aspell rides and 8 run.  He is a lovely horse, a real professional, was 2nd a month ago at Stratford and if he stays the longer trip & his new trainer hasn't screwed anything up then he won't be far away.  Tomorrow we run Playing Footsie for the Billinges in the concluding bumper, 14 run and Fearghal Davies rides, it's effectively her first race after being bumped badly at the start last time at Kelso.

Noir et Vert

The Festival started well for us yesterday with Papamoa finishing 3rd at 33-1 in the opener and Four Fiddlers finishing 3rd at 40-1 in the 2nd race, Northern Flame disappointed again and will now undergo an operation to help his breathing, Forcefield finished 8th of 18 in the last but never travelled and I suspect needs his summer break.

Commercial Express

Perth

More glorious weather but close inspection of Perth racecourse last night revealed thoroughly watered ground with a thick carpet of grass, Donald, the head groundsman told me he had been able to cut the grass six times already this year whereas in a normal year he would struggle cut it momore than once prior to the Festival meeting. 

Four Fiddlers

Forcefield

 This enables us to have a few more runners than normal and we start off with four tomorrow; Papamoa makes his belated reappearance in the 2.10, Fearghal Davies rides and 14 run, he was a promising 3rd on his hurdling debut back in November but after such a long break I am just hoping he runs a nice race, he has been ready to run for about six weeks so should be fit. We run two in the 2.45, Northern Flame (Paddy Aspell) and Four Fiddlers (Lucy) - the former disappointed last time out and I have been trying to pinpoint what is troubling him, he seems very well at home and runs in a tongue tie for the first time tomorrow, Four Fiddlers ran a so-so race on his hurdling debut and I hope he can build on that experience, particularly now he is stepped up in trip. Forcefield runs in the 5.35, 18 run and it is a competitive handicap, he runs in a tongue tie and first time cheek-pieces, both really to help him travel, he was second in the bumper at this meeting last year and I think the track will suit him.

Northern Flame

Papamoa

If this weather holds it promises to be a memorable Perth Festival with the Royal Wedding meeting on Friday adding to what I am sure will be an excellent atmosphere, I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who can find the time to come along.

Let them eat...

Just add milk.........

 ...sweets, one of the many highlights of Mrs A's catering for the jockeys at the Fife Point-to-Point on Saturday.  Unfortunately there weren't many there as the recent dry spell has led to a dearth of runners in point-to-points up and down the country, ironically it rained steadily for most of the day and the ground was fine; there were a few highlights, most particularly for us Kit winning the 5 runner Winners of One race with our home bred Skipping Chapel.  It was very much a last minute decision to run & his preparation was far from conventional, most particularly involving an intensive dressage lesson from Louisa on Friday afternoon.

Skipping Chapel

 That of course brought the 2010/11 official season to a close and after the dire weather before Christmas taking out a large chunk of the core season I am delighted with the final stats - 9 winners and 12 seconds from 82 runners, 11% strike rate and 26% first two with just under 50% of all runners placed - a great testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here who have done a fantastic job.

The lorry waits, Easter Sunday 2011.

Of course the new season starts straight away and the immediate focus is the three day Perth Festival starting on Wednesday this week. We were out early on Easter Sunday morning to sharpen up a couple of our Perth runners at Lucinda's woodchip, we have eight horses that we hope to run over the three days.

Warming up

                                 

Mrak Fleming's The Paddy Premium (Lucy) and our own Commercial Express (Kit)

Cooling down...

And now..

Easter, the Fife Point-to-Point and Perth entries; glorious weather all week so fast ground means that what might have been a crazily busy day tomorrow should be a relaxed fun one with perhaps one or two runners at Balcormo where determined water has taken the sting out of most of the ground.  Perth looks typically popular with massive entries which is likely to result in fiercely competitive racing, I will look at the ground on Monday but I imagine the groundstaff will have done their usual excellent job and it will be thoroughly watered, if it is on the easy side of good we hope to have 3 runners on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday and perhaps one on Friday thereafter it will be the Lauderdale on Sunday 1st May.
It's been a good week here after a few vexing dramas last weekend, the horses have been working hard on the all-weather and the riverbank as well as making a few trips to Lucinda's; it has been great to see them out in the paddocks in the afternoons enjoying the spring grass and warm sunshine, this should keep them in good heart.

Amy (left) & Holly (right) enjoy some of Mrs G's famous chocolate cake to avoid having to carry too much lead tomorrow.

Minimal family representation likely tomorrow, probably just "Uncle J" but plenty of excitement in the yard as Amy rides her pointer King's Envoy in the Ladies and our work-rider Holly forsakes showjumping for one weekend to have her first ride in a point on the recently acquired Dee Cee Boulter - there has been a request to Mrs A for a large bottle of Malibu for the Ladies Changing room, hopefully for after rather than before the race......... good luck!  

Today

more fine weather; Papamoa, Twelve Paces & Northern Flame went to Lucinda's, Minimo & Commercial Express schooled over fences and Playing Footsie schooled over hurdles, the rest worked on the riverbank and all-weather.  Watering continues at all the racetracks but the weather looks settled well into the weekend so care will be required.  Mrs A has a new job, in charge of jockey's catering at Balcormo, keep telling her not to spoil them but she won't be told, I'll just have to sit in their changing room all afternoon (a la Mrs B - that's another story!).  Well aware that Perth are racing next week the famous couple have of course already had their wedding (you didn't really think all those pics on the telly were live did you, that would be far too high risk), not many people know this of course but I managed to find a video of the Royal Wedding ho, ho, sorry to spoil the surprise but at least you can come to Perth now.

No Show

4yo by Hellissio ex Harrietfield

Another splendid day and 16 horses did 3 steady 7f canters on the riverbank gallop, it is nearly perfect now and hopefully we will do some fast work on it later in the week.  A few others went hacking, we're at the stage in the season when a lot of the horses really need turned away for the summer, it's not quite time to turn them out though and there are a few good meetings left so we are trying to keep them fresh and fit in the hope that at some stage it rains, I am sure it will, probably just after I have cracked and put the horses in the field!  We also have a few youngsters that need ridden again before their summer break, with 20 horses in work here we are pushed for time so one or two will go away for a month and a couple will be ridden here including this horse (above), a 4yo by Hellissio he is the 7th foal out of Harrietfield and I am really looking forward to training him, he was doing fastish canters before we turned him away in November and will hopefully be the best so far.  Despite my resolution to stop breeding horses this afternoon I was unable to resist booking Harrietfield in to Black Sam Bellamy who stands down in Shropshire, have a look, he is an awesome horse and is a full brother to the mighty Galileo and a falf brother to the even mightier Sea the Stars, she will leave on Friday.  Entries out for Saturday, badly need some rain at Balcormo, Carlisle and Kelso, nothing really in the forecast so can't really make plans, just concentrate on making sure the horses are fit and well.