Glorious.......

Scotch Warrior (Lucy) leads the field at Perth

 A week of glorious weather and a productive time with 15 horses being exercised for about 75 mins each day; lots of walking and trotting, afternoons out in the field in the sun, and plenty of grub; important goundwork ahead of a long season, some will start cantering this week.  Lucy continues to be busy, two rides at Thirsk yesterday produced a 16-1 3rd and tomorrow (Monday) she heads to Carlisle for 3 rides at the ultimate Ladies night, an all lady rider pro-am card with Alexandra Burke playing after racing, they sold all 10,000 tickets for the evening some time ago, extraordinary. Gordon the gormless gnome will have headed back to the Alps with his satchel bulging after a productive Goodwood (£162 profit to a £10e/w stake he tells me), having been there on Thursday I can see why he loves the place, he moans that he can't bet in Swiss francs, puts the pressure on his cousin Frank who will no doubt insist on me giving him some airtime for the Ebor meeting at York. Doncaster Sales on Tuesday with an important order to fill, meanwhile, scenes from Kinneston yesterday........ 

Four Fiddlers (Emma)

Flamimg Thistles admires his new surroundings

The Paddy Premium (Emma), Isla Pearl Fisher (Kit) Buffalo Ballet (Holly) Seeking Power (Jen) and Little Glenshee (Lucy)

Isla Patriot, Four Fiddlers and Ocarina

Four Fiddlers

Capital Venture

Heading home

Nearly there!

Glorious finale...

Another great day for Gordon yesterday, getting the winners of 3 races and 2nd in the other two. Today looks a bit harder...

2.05: Thunderball (91-NAP), Quasi Congaree (75)
2.35: Icon Dream (86), Classic Vintage (86)
3.10: Crystal Capella (95), Midday (94)
3.45: Tajneed (80), Fathsta (75), Colonel Mak (70)
4.20: n/a
4.55: n/a
5.35: Guest Book (87), Audemar (84)

Gordon the Great....

haha, he's a bit full of himself after getting the winners of four races yesterday and second in the other two, a return of over £185 to a level £10 each way stake! Oh well, bound to go pear-shaped today...

2.00: Drunken Sailor (93), Jukebox Jury (92), Redwood (92)

2.35: Neebras (98), Western Aristocrat (96)

3.10: Green Destiny (85), Proponent (80), Highland Knight (80)

3.45: n/a

4.20: n/a

4.50: Chachamaidee (92), Dever Dream (84)

5.25: Quality Art (93), Albany Rose (85)

NAP: Reverse Forecast Neebras-Western Aristocrat

Goodness gracious me...

all summer we have been wondering, just wondering, if Frankel is something very very special; yesterday's awesome display at Goodwood went a long way to confirming that. However much of a jumps aficionado I may be I find the purest excitement from horseracing comes from sublime moments of pure speed, just fantastic.  And a 10-1 winner from good old Gormless.
Lucy's rides were both non-runners at Perth, the sudden heatwave caused the ground to dry up very quickly, on Tuesday night Scotch Warrior ran well for a long way but tired on the run in and pulled up sore, Pete was a close third. A busy bee she will be this weekend with rides at Musselburgh on Friday, Thirsk on Saturday and Carlisle on Monday, meanwhile back to Gordon.....
Thursday.......

2.15: Oceanway (97), Chain Lightning (94)
2.45: Masamah (91), Noble Storm (91)
3.15: Opinion Poll (93), Fox Hunt (84)
3.45: Wild Coco (96), Meeznah (94)
4.20: n/a
4.55: Dimension (93), Tuscania (90)
5.25: Aldwick Bay (94), Kinyras (83)

BANKER: Wild Coco 2/1 William Hill

NAP: Wild Coco-Meeznah reverse forecast

Gormless by name...

gormless by nature, today's selections..........

2.00: Royal Diamond (86), Bowdler's Magic (81)

2.35: n/a
3.10: Canford Cliffs (98), Frankel (97)
3.45: Tanfeeth (97), Arch Fire (90)
4.20: n/a
4.55: Lutine Bell (93), Webbow (88)
5.30: Valencha (95), Ken's Girl (85)
NAP: 3.45-Tanfeeth @ 13/2

Oh no

it's Goodwood again and the gnome of Zurich is back in the country for his favourite meeting and has requested that he be allowed to act as a guest tipster on the blog, so here we go, another year of Gormless Gordon's Goodwood Greats....... I think the recommendation is a modest e/w tipple on his first two selections.......... I've been quite clear, make us a profit or "you're fired"

2.00: Our Joe Mac (91), All Action (89), Circumvent (81)

2.35: Slumber (95), Fiorente (95), Namibian (91), Hunter's Light (89)

3.10: Strong Suit (99-NAP), Red Jazz (89), Libranno (87)
3.45: n/a
4.20: n/a
4.50: Viva Vettori (83), Guest Book (80), Charlie Cool (74)
5.25: Arganil (85), Admirable Duchess (84), Noodles Blue Boy (81)

See what I mean, laid back or what? Forcefield & Four Fiddlers showing plenty of enthusiasm for their morning exercise!

I omitted to mention that Lucy has one other ride this evening at Perth, Over the Clyde for Willie Young in the 7.35.  Tomorrow she rides Frontier Lad for Mike Smith in the 2.55 and Danny John Boy for Barry Murtagh in the 5.15.  Our lorry will be up at Perth this evening to collect Flaming Thistle who is joining the stable from Nicky Richards in the hope that the point-to-point field will allow this smart horse to find his confidence prior to returning under rules next spring. Some other pics taken at Kinneston this morning, in order that I avoid becoming a complete pest Gordon's updates and other news this week will be posted on the blog but not alerted via email.......... good luck!

New arrivals Ocarina and Capital Venture

Papamoa



First lot heading out, watched by (from right) Northern Flame, Papamoa, Fleet Fox & Daasij



Summer at last....

Glorious weather today, more hay being made, 15 horses out hacking and trotting - all looking relaxed and well.  Lucy had a great weekend being placed in the two big Ladies Races, 2nd on her first ride at Ascot on Saturday and then 3rd in the Ladies Derby at Carlisle yesterday.  She will be up at Perth this week, tomorrow riding Scotch Warrior in the 8.40 for Mike Smith and Pete in the 9.10 for Barry Murtagh and hopefully picking up a couple of rides on Wednesday.

Scotch Warrior - through the hail!

I listened to Lucy's race from a very special restaurant Domaine de Capelongue where we were enjoying the centrepiece of  my old friend Cree's 50th birthday celebrations with a motley crew assembled from around the globe, I think one could call it a 24 hour "gastrobinge"  - great fun but I was back here in time for evening stables on Sunday and the weigh-in wasn't too disastrous.  Always good to be back and I am always surprised by what I notice even if I have only been away for 48 hours, this time I was struck by how chilled out all the horses seem to be, the yard was spotless and there is a sense of order and routine about the yard that seems to have the horses feeling very at ease with themselves - much more so than usual, I'm not sure what it is, quite a few are living together in pairs in the barns still, maybe that helps, it was an experiment I started last year with one or two worriers, it seemed to work and now that I don't have (quite) so many young horses about the place I can role out the concept further.  Whatever it is long may it last.
I was happy to have missed such a disastrous King George, I have read plenty about it since and was taken by John Gosden's remarks re adrenaline overcoming pain, I remember when a promising horse I had called Fearless Foursome shattered his pastern as I was riding him on Lucinda's gallop.  I held him for some time whilst we waited for the vet then xrayed prior to putting him down, I was convinced that horse suffered no pain despite a catastrophic injury, he  munched some grass and was completely calm.
If you need cheering up after such a grim weekend on so many fronts watch this, and apologies if you've already seen it.......funny talking animals   sorry, very silly!