23rd April 2018

The trip north produced a mix bag of results, Flashing Glance never really travelled with his usual zest, I think we may leave the hood off next time. We will get him back in his grade and see where we are with him. Sebastopol on the other hand was a very impressive winner in the bumper. The Ayr bumper is always considered a hotly contested event with many leading trainers targeting their better horses at it. To win it, at the third time of trying felt very special and the journey home was very short. Both horses have returned home in fine fettle, Sebastopol spent a few hours in the paddock this morning and will now be given his summer holidays.

Typical Monday morning canters for the horses today, Dorking Boy and Albert pulled out at 3 A.M and headed to Punchestown, he has settled in and didn’t turn a hair on the journey. He is certainly sitting on the top table over there, the race is a seriously hot contest and he is faced with the task of beating Blackbow as well as a few other seriously talented horses.

Many of you may remember my grandmother turned 100 in September, she has been unwell. This afternoon I went to visit her in Oxfordshire. At 82 she was still riding her bicycle to the village shop and well into her nineties still cleaning a couple of houses in her village. The lady owners were considerably younger than her yet she referred to them both as the old ladies.