7th April 2016

The atmosphere at Aintree is fantastic as are the girls in the finery, I’m sure many ladies regretted wearing nothing but a polyester dress cut above the knee with no sleeves. The wind howled across the racecourse sending most for cover. A sight to behold!

Bells on Sunday didn’t disgrace herself at all, of course we dreamt of getting closer but is wasn’t to be this time. Todays listed bumper was a considerable hike up in class and I am far from disappointed. She will win races having already won a p2p and a bumper. We are lucky to have her and she will give us a lot of joy yet. We've had a lovely day, a delicous lunch and I would have been home a lot earlier had Mrs Newell not wanted to watch, listen to Toploaded (i think that's what they were called, bloody dreadful nosie) in the Bull Ring. Mrs Newell is pop concert fanatic. 

Last nights blog generated some interest. I received an email below which kept me awake laughing sometime into the night. My attempts to discover who sent have failed.

Great blog, love reading it, good point re amateur races, I support them a fair bit and fully agree that how can the BHA take a fee with no redress to the jockey financially and as norm I drop the jock £100 for their efforts and travel. Thus in effect costing me 100 wickets more than the normal pygmy, I will raise this at the next NTF meeting,.... knowing you don't participate!!!, I shall do my best.

Unfortunately the usual rule of thumb begins with Rupert Arnold nodding, then when it's passed round the room nodding some more, a prawn sandwich is added, then more nodding. I think instead of the NTF trainers windshield badge we should have a nodding dog/Rupert Arnold lookalike.!!! Could be a winner that one..... Doubless nothing will become of it but I will try.

I will also be getting more facts before commenting on an amateur jockey who has been injured but had no pay out form the AJA insurance, albeit, many un kept promises of it being sorted. It is all very well insuring people to ride out anywhere in the world but little point if they don’t pay out when a genuine claim is made.

I was flattered to be asked to train Annie Power next year and thought it only sensible to get the first of many photos of the 2 of us. Only 5 days late!