Happy Easter to you all. I left my Easter egg hunt to rush off to Towcester races; usually a total scrum and one to avoid at all costs but his lordship (Course owner Lord Hesketh) decided to charge a tenner entrance fee instead of the usual free admission, and as a result numbers were well down; but what a difference. Towcester today was comfortable, fun and full of people who wanted to go racing rather than finding somewhere to drink out in the sun! They saw some good racing on well prepared ground..well done Keith.

Metal Detector who was Longshanks work companion twice last week,has not managed to put his head in front for a couple of years, bolted up in the 3 mile handicap chase ridden by another ex KCB jockey Andrew Thornton. Andrew who did his time with me in Lambourn, certainly suited Metal Detector and gave him a great ride, but the horse you should note out of the race was my old in mate Glen Thyne who would have won without the use of blinkers; so watch for him over 3 miles and without blinkers! Anyway it was a welcome relief to have a winner with such a big week ahead

Haydock have again confirmed why they are possibly the best National Hunt course in the country; in my opinion.  When clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright says it is genuine good ground, you know it is; and that is why they had so many runners at their meeting today.

The flat track next to the jump track was very firm and the two other courses were fantastic; that is what it should be. Now we have a week of fine weather ahead, lets prey Aintree will be as good; we all know they will try and Haydock's staff will be there to help.

King Of Gothland was taken off his feet and although he finished he was a long way behind. Even Flo was far from Flo at Newton Abbot; she certainly gave the impression that she spat the dummy out; very disappointing.

While most of racings general public and a great many jockeys head to Lambourn for the fun and fare of their annual Open Day, we will have had a quiet one in comparison. Jeremy Young, Ben Halsall and Di were in to ride out; we worked a few and watched Longshanks canter up the gallop; a very welcome sight.

The Lambourn Open Day is always well attended and bloody good fun, it is a chance for many a trainer to show off his wares, in and out of their yards!

The highlight is either the camel race which I won in 1997 (my only ridden winner!) or the jockeys/celebrity sponsored bungee jump. There is always a baying crowd at the bottom shouting PULL as they are about to jump off the platform; the only difference is the lack of an over and under pointing at them.

I have purchased a decent bumper horse in Ireland this week and I am delighted to say that it has been bought by an old  owner returning to the fold; more on both when the horse arrives.

Alan Bailey and Graham Potts were in early this morning to discuss how to go forward with Longshanks' foot.

Alan, who is one of the top remedial blacksmiths in the country, has understandably been pondering for a few days, on how to proceed. This morning with the help of vet Graham Potts, yesterdays plastic shoe was removed and a specially made aluminium shoe was put on Longshanks; designed to take any weight and therefore pressure off the sore area, and I am pleased to say, as we all are, that Longshanks is now sound.

Longshanks went off to local trainer Jim Wilson to swim late this morning, he did 18 laps of his pool. (I might have done the odd lap or two myself, about 30 years ago, after one of Jim Wilson celebrations; I think it was after he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Little Owl!)

Jim, who has swum more horses than perhaps anybody in the country, was hugely impressed by how fit Longshanks was.

Just in case you were wondering where I come into the equation, I am doing my bit for Gloucester County Council by sweeping in front of wherever Longshanks goes and will continue to do so between now and April 14th!

It is never an easy time for any trainer, especially when these sort of things are sent to try us; but the one thing that makes a huge difference is that Longshanks' owner Alan Halsall knows we are doing our best and has total faith in what we are doing.

Alan has had horses with me for a good eleven years and we have been through many highs and for that matter lows; it is all part of being involved in racehorse ownership, at times hugely difficult, but in the end his loyalty and friendship, as with all my owners, is terribly important.

On a bright sunny morning we had visits from Colin Mackenzie of the Daily Mail and Will Hayler from the Evening Standard; all doing their Grand National stories and of course seeing Longshanks and Thorndale Farm.

Moving on to a lighter note to finish I received the following email late last night; I think reading it is all very much self explanatory!

I wish to complain about your April Owner of the Month – Mr Donald George Churston who is known to me as Pop, has 13 grandchildren not 12. Being the 13th I feel I should complain about not counting.

I was born on the 19th February 2007 at 6.20pm after twisting myself up several times in my umbilical cord and having left my mummy in crutches for the last month of pregnancy I feel very sad at not been thought off (does that show Pop’s age not remembering me?). I am now 6 and a half weeks old and I am only 2 months off from growing into my jockey’s outfit in Pop’s racing colours (it even has Blick Rothenberg’s sponsorship on it) I shall send you a photograph then to prove it.

This has upset me so much it has put me off my milk and I shall cry – something I am very good at and have been doing since the moment I was born.

Yours very miserable,

Jonas Michael Charles Buckell

Don Churston’s 13 grandchild, 10th grandson!
 

Bloody cold here this morning with a north wind sweeping over the Cotswolds, even the poor lambs looked miserable, anyway it did not stop Jason Maguire coming in for two lots; he rode Even Flo and Metal Detector while young amateur Felix St Giles also did a couple of lots.

Longshanks returned to the yard this morning after a long session of synchronised swimming; he behaved rather like a school boy returning home for the holidays; he neighed to all his mates on arrival and looked very pleased to be back.

Graham Potts our over worked and stressed out vet has this afternoon moulded a plastic shoe round Longshanks' foot; the result had us all smiling.

Alan O'Keeffe and Felix St Giles were in for two lots. Alan rode work on King Of Gothland and Girardii. We also worked Martovic, Even Flo, the Alderbrook Gelding, Galaxia, Lord Seamus, Metal Detector, Leac An Scail, Predestine, all the rest cantered.

We x-rayed Longshanks' foot last night just to make sure there was not any other damage or for that matter any foreign body in his foot; the x-rays proved that there was nothing untoward; he is improving and the blacksmith is hoping to have a shoe on in the next 24 hours. Longshanks is swimming well and is very much keeping up his fitness levels. Now they are watering at Aintree!

Marcus Armytage wrote an interesting piece in his diary column today; some of you might well have heard it, although I wonder if you noticed?

James Davies and amateur Felix St Giles were in for two lots this morning.

Sam Barnes called in to meet me and discuss his idea of starting up a racing partnership for next season; Sam is an avid National Hunt racing nut and has long thought about going into ownership, which I hope was increased by his visit to Thorndale Farm.

Local reporter or rather local in living terms; Alan Lee of the Times was down to see us, it was the first visit to the yard for one of racings best journalists. He was obviously here to see and discuss Longshanks, who as we all know he is currently swimming.

We were full of visits today as JP McNamara called in to see us; his mates were playing golf just down the road; this gave him every excuse to stop all my staff working while he chatted away with them during evening stables. JP is looking remarkably well and he is growing a beard!!

JP has been helping out the Northern Racing College with a bit of helpful and friendly advice for the students. JP has also been on hand with helping the John Smiths team of experts choose the finalists for their Peoples Race, to be run on Grand National Day.

Richard Stephenson, Alan Walker's fund raising manager sent me the following email as a result of the piece in last week's blog, regarding the disgraceful treatment of struck off vet Alan Walker.

The Appeal fund has attracted £11,000 in donations - about 75% from vets and 25% from the public in the first 10 days. The severity of the sentence has sparked off a 'unique' response (the words of the RCVS president). The normally very conservative equine veterinary profession has backed the call for a more 'proportionate' punishment. As mentioned in your blog 320 vets and one Baroness have signed up to the demand that this case be reconsidered. Donations have varied from £10 up to £2000 but large or small they are all equally welcome. Donation forms can be obtained from The Pool House Veterinary Practice

Thank you for your tremendous support - Alan needs every bit of help that he can get - we all know that this is yet another case of the good guy being done down to make a questionable example.

The Appeal is against the disproportionate nature of the sentence not against the verdict.