Behind the string.
Warm and pleasant again over here.
Mrs D and the kids arrived safely yesterday and we are thoroughly enjoying the break.
My team report everything to be running smoothly back at basecamp and Nick oversaw 13 workers on the Limekilns first thing. They included Sweet Solera entry Sharaakah and Qeyaadah, who could head for a juvenile novice heat at Haydock on Friday evening.
Three runners at Chelmsford tonight spearheaded by God Willing in the mile handicap. His last two runs have been bitterly disappointing, but he had previously made a positive start to the campaign including finishing second here off 2lb higher in May. The unexposed ones look to have more in hand, but our horse is well drawn to be ridden prominently and we know he handles the surface.
Kafoo needs to bounce back from his flat effort at Nottingham but the step up in trip will suit him, while Island Authority is steadily getting the hang of things and we wanted to run her on the all-weather rather than tackle firm ground again.
Three declarations for Thursday with Rock Lobster going to Haydock, Global Avenger to Wolverhampton and Kitten’s Red to Brighton for the lady amateur riders handicap. We are delighted to have secured Serena Brotherton, who is easily the best in the business when it comes to this discipline.
No entries for Monday but Trip To Paris and Red Cadeaux were given the option of the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day. That pairing were also entered in the Caulfield Cup yesterday, while Manndawi was put in the Cox Plate. As would be expected, both of those contests look fiercely competitive at this early stage.
Five handicap changes to report including a 7lb rise for Ejbaar following his maiden win at Pontefract. Trip To Paris has been left unchanged on 113 – they haven’t moved Big Orange or Quest For More either – which is slightly surprising given the trio were clear, but it might prove beneficial for us in the long run.
Finally, the summer seems to be passing us by quicker than ever and preparations are well underway for the Open Weekend here in Newmarket on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September. The committee behind the event have just launched the website for this year – take a look here: www.newmarketopenweekend.co.uk
Ed