Baileys Blog

Plus 12 and dry when driving in.

Worcester.. Always good to see Clerk of The Course Libby O’Flaherty.. she is good at her job, but one of her first remarks to me is ‘always good to see you here Kim’..Not sure why?

It was the official opening of the new weighing room.. celebs there including Richard Phillips to help cut the ribbon.. It is a very good building and certainly those lucky enough to venture in professionally are very happy with the facilities which leave many courses looking rather old fashioned or very out of date..

Paul and Elizabeth Kellar and granddaughter Emmy were at Worcester to watch and support Elizabeth’s home bred Faerie Cutlass.. Lauren Keen Hawkins was riding, and we were all please with the way FC ran and the way LKH rode.. Second, yes annoying, but after an abortive trip to Cartmel where FC hated the tight course, it was good to see her run well again…

One of the reasons why FC went to Cartmel was because Paul and Elizabeth were on their way to Islay when their son William works at the Ardahoe Distillery .. Good news for the trainer was a bottle of their finest.. Thanks, William.

The great Istabraq died yesterday at the ripe old age of 32. A remarkable horse and brilliantly trained by Aiden O Brien.. 3 Champion hurdles and a very happy life in retirement.. Ther are videos of all his runs.. He was very very special. Read Alastair Down.

Talking Alastair. I met an Alistair Rogers this week.... He has the best job around.. Hosting fishing parties for Where Wise Men Fish..

Very fresh horses here this morning...

The Third Test against The West Indes starts today at Edgbaston.. Will Mark wood hit 100mph?

Olympic Games opening show tonight..

We also have one runner at Uttoxeter.. Gerard Mentor runs there and for my thoughts please click here,

Paul Kellar reminded me of an old fishing joke.. not too disimilar to one I put on here a week or so ago..

How do you catch so many fish and why do you choose which side of the river to fish?

Well if wife's leg hanging out of left side of bed, I fish the left bank.

If hanging out of right side, I fish the right bank. Never fails.

What if leg hanging out of both sides of bed?

Who cares about fishing!

Paul also asked me to add this caption to the family photo in the second enclosure..

When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride He shouts to scare the monster who will often step aside

But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

On that note Happy Birthday to Mat Nicholls.. on holiday..

Plus 15 and damp when driving in.

Mat has joined his family  in Austria.. mobile phone turned off..?

Jane Lay called in yesterday afternoon to see her horse Law Of Supply. 

We have just the one runner this afternoon at Worcester.. Farrie Cutlass and for my thoughts please click here.

“The Irish summer: it’s the one season when you can experience all four seasons in a single day.” – Irish Proverb

“There’s a touch of magic in the air when the Irish sun shines down on us.” – Irish Saying

“May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.” – Irish Blessing

“Summer in Ireland is like a fleeting whisper of warmth and sunshine amidst the emerald green.” – Irish Proverb

Mats blog today...

Plus 9 and dark when waking up in Stanstead. About to board my plane for my family holiday in Austria, the first time I’ve been abroad since before Covid and the first time Sylvie has been abroad…Evelyn and Sylvie went ahead via road last week but that didn’t really appeal to me.

Busy at the yard now, most horses back in and trotting…a lot of fresh ones and new ones, a lot of dreams as usual… It’s always this time of year that we introduce new staff, the curse of racing and probably the wider world is the lack of people wanting a job and although we have a brilliant base of people who are here a while we always need new ones. It’s remarkable how many people fail to turn up for interviews, I’m thinking of starting a directory of people who have let us down and it’s a long list!!

It’s been a good summer on the sporting front, I love summers with football tournaments, a very underwhelming one this year though, pretty boring all round and although we got to the final there was never any real edge of the seat moments…manager gone, probably for the best but careful what you wish for..2 finals and a semi final in 3 tournaments is not something we as a nation have been used to growing up..

Cricket has been good, a day at Lords was great fun although a few days recovery was needed after spending the day with a celebrity. When I wasn’t taking pictures of him I was fetching his drinks… The sales where tough going but great fun, both during the day and the evenings. I hadn’t been to Deauville before but it’s a good sale and venue if anyone wants to come with me next year!! 

'May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.” – Irish Blessing

“Summer in Ireland: where the grass is always greener and the rain is always falling.” – Irish Saying

“The Irish summer is a season unto itself, defined by the beauty of its landscapes and the warmth of its people.” – Irish Proverb

“In the summertime, when the weather is high, you can stretch right up and touch the sky. When the weather’s fine, you got women, you got women on your mind.” – Van Morrison

Plus 14 and damp when driving in.

 “A rainy day in Ireland is better than a sunny day anywhere else.” – Irish Saying

“In Ireland, the summer is just a brief interlude between rain showers.” – Irish Proverb

“There’s no better way to enjoy the summer than with an Irish breeze and a pint of stout.” – Irish Saying

“The summer sun in Ireland has a way of making everything seem like it’s covered in magic.” – Irish Proverb

Plus 14 and dry when driving in.

Please spare a thought for Alice Proctor who was had a horrid fall at Cartmel and is now in intensive care in Preston hospital... 

Lady Gwen did not behave that well in the paddock and I am afraid she was not good at the start either, but when she did start and ran well to finish 5th.. A big improvement on her last run..

Biden standing down..

Cricket.. England home and hosed

Golf.. Xander Schaulffele won The Open.. Justin Rose tied for second..

Moving on to horses...

The Sogann 3 year old out of Diavoleria (half brother to Does He Know) has been broken in by Martin Jones and now heads back here for a month out at grass.. Peter Kerr who runs all my KBR partnerships/syndicates has one/tenth share left in this lovely chap.. Please ring Peter on 07901763643 for further details..

“Ireland, it’s the one place on earth that heaven has kissed with melody, mirth, and meadow and mist.” – Irish Saying

“In Ireland, the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs.” – John Pentland Mahaffy

“Ireland is a land of poets and legends, of dreamers and rebels.” – Nora Roberts  

“Summer in Ireland is like a welcome friend who stays just long enough to make you miss them.” – Irish Proverb

Plus 14 and dry when driving in.

Thunderstorms on the way??

Mark Woods bowled at 97.1 mph yesterday. He bowled the fastest over ever recorded in English cricket.. you have .4 of a second from the moment the ball leaves Mark's hand before it hits you!

The West Indies battled well..Superb century by Kavem Hodge..As usual I am wrong, it is not such a one sided match!

So what did you think of last night ITV! programme Champions Full Gallop?.. A really good insight to our sport..

We have a runner tomorrow at Stratford..Lady Gwen runs there and for my thoughts please click here.

An old farmer drove to a neighbour's and knocked at the door.

A boy, about 9, opened the door.

The farmer asked, "Is your Dad home?"

The boy replied, "No sir, he isn't; he went to town."

The farmer said, "Well, is your Mother here?"

The boy said, "No sir, she went to town with Dad."

The farmer said, "How about your brother, Howard? Is he here?"

The boy said, "No sir, He went with Mom and Dad."

The rancher stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other, and mumbling to himself.

The boy said, "Is there anything I can do for you? I know where all the tools are, if you want to borrow one, or I can give dad a message."

"Well," said the rancher uncomfortably, "I really wanted to talk to your Dad. It's about your brother Howard getting my daughter, Suzie, pregnant."

The boy thought for a moment, "You would have to talk to Dad about that. I know he charges $500 for the bull and $50 for the hog, but I don't know how much he charges for Howard."

On that note have a great weekend..

Plus 13 and dry when driving in.

Warm yesterday and will be warmer today..

Samantha Drake and James Kenyon were held up in horrific traffic yesterday so they rescheduled their visit and arrived yesterday afternoon.. What a great day for a tour of Thorndale?

An outrage this morning.. Sign of things to come??

We jumped Fairie Cutlass first lot..

Cilla Wills was here third lot to see her KBRS horse Zmiinyi... Carol Bailey joined us..

Our vet was in for his Friday visit.

Andrews Bowen started their annual gallop maintenance this morning.

Cricket.. England going well, probably a one-sided contest but who knows..Whatever it was a fun days watching.

The Open in Troon and it rained..Not a great start for Rory..

Tonight on ITV1 racing has its big series.. .. Champions..Full Gallop..

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE

A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.

“Impossible!” says the doctor. “Show me.”

The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, she pushed her elbow and screamed even more.

She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed.

Everywhere she touched made her scream.

The doctor said, “You're not really a redhead, are you?”

“Well, no,” she said, “I'm actually a blonde.”

“I thought so,” the doctor said, “Your finger is broken.”

Plus 13 and dry when driving in.. It is getting warmer!

John and Laura Garrett called in to see their horses.. Jeudidee, The Bull McCabe and his KBRS horses Magical Escape, Fair Frontieres and Gerard Mentor... They then went up to see Jason Maguire who is breaking in Lully du Houx.

Samantha Drake called in late morning.. A first visit to Thorndale for her..

Good to see Robert and Nicola Baillie yesterday.. Robert supplies all our haylage and as a passing comment, just before he left, he mentioned that prices were on the move.. upwards!

The BHA sent round a circular yesterday informing us that Nurofen has been added to the banned drug list when found at the races.. in the racecourse Stables to be precise .. Apparently, a horse was found nuzzling through a stable staff's personal handbag and met a packet of Nurofen..!....No joke.. if caught, the stable person or rather I imagine the trainer faces a £1500.00 fine..Some headache!!

I was slightly concerned that all those magnificent fighter/bomber planes that have been flying over Thorndale for the last couple of days were preparing for World War 3 (might be) but it turns out that the Fairford's Royla International Air Tattoo starts today.

It is golf's time for the spotlight as The (British) Open at Royal Troon also starts today.

Also starting today is the Second Test against The West Indies at Trent Bridge.

Talking cricket.. The England Ladies team have won their T20 series against New Zealand

KNITTING

A Motorway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the M1

Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!

Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the policeman wound down his window, with his hand hard on the his horn, yelled, “PULL OVER!”

“NO!” the blonde yelled back, “IT'S A SCARF!”

I forgot to mention that it was Grand National winning jockey Marcus Amrytage's 60th birthday yesterday.. it was not in the Daily Telegraph even though he writes for them!

Plus 11 and dry when driving in..5 mm of rain yesterday

Football didn't come home.. Summer never arrived.. Might as well put up the Christmas tree!!

But summer is here, well at least for a few days..

Phone back up and running.. What a palava.. Those of you who sent whatsapp messages from Sunday to midday yesterday, I am afraid they have not arrived.. Lost in space or the cloud?!

Robert and Nicola Baillie were here third lot to see their KBRS horses Mikhailovich, Isle Of Gold and Magical Escape.

The England Football manager Gareth Southgate has resigned.. What a job as whatever you do you cannot please everybody and listening to the wireless you wonder what he has ever done to be there in the first place!!

But please note that he made history by not only becoming the first coach to guide the national senior men’s team to a second major tournament final but also their first on foreign soil. Gareth has been in charge for eight years and 102 games…

I take my hat off to him.. Enjoy a bit of quality time Gareth as in my opinion you deserve it..Who knows.. those who moaned might wish you were still there in 2 years’ time when the World Cup comes around..

The King's Speech later.. Hummmm?

Now that the horses are starting to return to Thorndale we are still looking for somebody to drive the tractor and help in the mornings.. we will also be looking for a new member of staff.. We have a happy team here so if you fancy a change do get in touch..

Paddy and Mick were having a few beers at the bar together, recounting old times when the call of nature caused them to line up at the stainless steel, still deep in conversation. But Paddy could hardly ignore the fact that Mick was very well endowed. “I say, ’tis a remarkable dong you have there,” Paddy was prompted to remark. “Wasn’t always that way,” replied Mick. “Medical science can do wonders with transplants these days,” he said.

“I got this done in Dublin. It costs me twenty thousand euros, but as you can see, well worth it.” Paddy was envious. He packed his bag that night and drove to Dublin. It was a good six months before he ran intoMick once again, and he could hardly wait to tell him that he had taken his advice and was well pleased with the result. “You were diddled. I got mine for ten thousand euros only,” said Paddy.

Mick could hardly believe it. Same address in Dublin, same doctor. Thinking that he had been ripped off, he asked Paddy if he could have a look. Once more, they lined up at the stainless steel and when Mick took a peek, the worried frown which had creased his face disappeared, and he started laughing.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No wonder you got it at half price,” Mick laughed. “That’s my old one!”

Happy birthday to Laura Ruck Keene

Plus 14 and when driving in. 14mm of rain here yesterday.. 7 mm at Worcester and 30mm at Nottingham racecourse!

More rain. St Swithins day yesterday so are we in for 40 days of wet weather? On that note poor Newton Abbot fell foul of the yesterday’s weather when their forecasted yellow warning hit them and waterlogged the racecourse..They have had a torrid time this year in more ways than one.

Alex, our blacksmith, spent most of the yesterday hammering on new 'Dr Martins' to the horses feet that returned from the fields.. back breaking probably.. sweaty.. not in this weather!

Really sad to read that Richard Landale has died.. Richard was a star for Kelso and for racing in the North.. He was always good fun to be around and he certainly made Kelso what it is today.. He will be hugely missed.

Call me a grumpy old man but when I saw a Gloucester Highways truck with two men filling in the 4 huge potholes on our local road my instant reaction was that my mug of tea would not spill over my trousers when driving in every morning..

I went to thank them, but then noticed that the biggest pothole was not filled.. When I asked them if they could or were going to, they said that it was not on their ticket and had not been ringed with a white line, so no!.. I does make you mad at times??

Tuesday brought in our weekly vet visit.

It was good to see Graham Potts fully recovered from his day with Mat at Lord’s..  Apparently it was a long day and even longer journey home?

Paddy and Murphy Enjoy a Day Off

Two best friends, Paddy and Murphy, are working on the site of an office building.

Paddy says to Murphy, "Well, buddy, I'm going to get a day off by pretending to be mad!"

Paddy climbs up the rafters, hangs upside down by his knees and then shouts at the top of his lungs, "I'm a light bulb".

He kept saying it until the foreman had enough and yelled, "Paddy, you fool! You've gone mad. Go home!"

Paddy leaves the site. Murphy starts packing his things so that he, too, can leave. The foreman asks, "Where are you going?"

Murphy says, "Well, I can't very well work in the dark, can I?"

To finish.. Happy birthday to my daughter in law.. India Bailey..Mind it could well have been yesterday, but without my phone to remind me I am slightly guessing!!