26th January 2022

Ginny’s Destiny, Adrimel, Lossiemouth, Highstakesplayer, King Ferdinand, Glory and Honour, Dibble Decker, Highest Sun, Glory and Fortune and Gold Clermont all worked yesterday morning.  Many of the others are ticking over, if they aren’t fit now, they never will be. To think that I am telling owner the ground is too fast for their horses in January is simply extraordinary.

There has been some confusion over weights horses are carrying in races, saunas and body protectors. During covid saunas were closed and were never going to reopen with mental health becoming the go to excuse for one and all. Jockeys were given 3lbs as a result of saunas closing and have always had 3lbs for their body protector. If a horses weight was published at 11.12 they carried 12.4. It was the same for every horse in the race, they carried 6lbs more than the published weight. Now the powers that be have raised the bottom weight to 10.2 and the top weight to 12 stone and reduced the combined 6lbs allowance to 3lbs. It gains a single pound in weight in the horses favour. I don’t agree with this at all. I can only speak from my experience as a jumps trainer, jump jockeys seldom hand out a pancake saddle, most have a lead cloth and we have runners with top weights and bottom weights.  As a very poor amateur jockey I struggled with my weight, not helped by the 60 pints of Heineken Export consumed most weeks. If a jockey allows his daily weight to increase by 2lbs he will still have to waste as hard when he has to ride at 10.2 as he would have done 10 stone, it makes no sense to me and surely the same applies to flat jockeys who struggle to do the minimum weight too. I would like to see the top weight carrying 11.12 without any allowances made for the jockeys. We have always had jockeys that can’t do low weights, but many can and that is life. Before we know it, someone will suggest that we gather up everyone’s finances and sharing it out equally across the whole population. 

My jeep blew up last week so anyone visiting in the immediate future will not have to move tennis rackets, cricket boots, spanners and many other essential items to hitch a ride up the gallops to watch their horses. Market Place came to the rescue and another one, which was clean and empty was purchased in the next door village.