8th October 2021

Neville’s Cross and Montgomery are in fine fettle after their runs yesterday.  

Nothing too serious for any of the horses this morning, the fat boys club worked hard around the sand. Tea Clipper, Marty Time and Glory and Honour all cantered quietly around the sand before having a little blow on the hill. All of which head to Chepstow tomorrow, to read my thoughts click here.

Doyoufollowpartnership were here to see Gold Clermont school over fences upsides Thomas Patrick. We had a lovely lunch together and Guy Day has a project to pull together. If he can make it work it could be really fun. I will keep you updated if he thinks it has legs.

Oisin Murphy has failed the race riding breathalyzer today and made a public apology on social media. Sky sports racing put up the apology during their coverage of Chepstow today. I can’t cope with him and blocked him moths ago on social media. Am I missing something or is he really as important as he thinks he is.

I watched the short film that has been made about metal health in jockeys, it is incredibly real. Although, the one jockey who spoke to me as the jockey in the film did to his trainer has never ridden for me since. Trainers get the same abuse. However, as I have eluded to before on here, we are generally older and dare I say it a little wiser than some of the jockeys who get abused and depressed. I know, to the letter how they feel but with age one matures and things don’t get me down as much as they used to. For a period of time, in my early day as trainer I expected a lorry to turn up the following morning after a horse had run badly. I have learnt, owners come and go but the loyal ones are like diamonds. Some have left and come back, others have been asked to leave and others just go from yard to yard, that’s life and I am so grateful to have those who support us through good and bad times. No one feels the pain more so than me when a horse disappoints us all. Riding is the easy part but jockeys seldom have those diamonds that most trainers have. It is worth watching on the Attheraces website.