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6th November 2023

Plus 6 and dry when driving in..

Immensely proud of our weekend runners...3 winners..

On Saturday. The Edgar Wallace was magnificent when winning at Wetherby .. Top weight, as all my Saturday runners were .. TEW jumped off virtually in front and was almost never headed. A first winner for us and a fine ride from Gavin Sheehan or as others know him as Gavin Snowden..

I was at Ascot where First Flow and Two For Gold ran absolute blinders under top weight.. Both finished second.. Our two old boys did us proud...Stars..

My day at Ascot did not start as it should..

Arriving in time, I walked to the owners and trainer entrance and on seeing the sign for a WC took the call and went in… As I was leaving, two rather lovely ladies walked in.. embarrassed that I might have made the wrong call, or was it one of those new modern unisex loos?..

Anyway, I was so worried that they might take my exit the wrong way, I apologised to them and then turned sharp left without looking..I head butted a glass door and stumbled over a bollard and fell like a dead weight or a felled tree flat on my face in front of a packed owners and trainer ticket area..

Luckily I have a big nose, otherwise I would have lost the remains of my front teeth.

Blood pouring everywhere and rather shell shocked I was rescued by Sophie Henderson (wife of Nicky) who took me, or rather led me to see a course doctor to be patched up.

Yes you might think how funny, but it was not for me, although it was for others..

When I went into the weighing room to collect a saddle I saw Nico d’Boinvile, who had apparently witnessed my demise.. and yes you guessed it.. he told his best mate David Bass, who in turn (jokingly) told all his fellow jockeys that it is well and good riding for KCB, but he likes have a drink at 9 am and hence it was only a matter of time before he........

I would like to say I recovered and had a really enjoyable days racing at my favourite racecourse..

Yesterday up bright and early for the long drive to Carlisle.. No black eyes and no bruising to show for my misdemeanour at Ascot.. bar for a bandage of my nose.

I met up with Martyn and Sandra Steer-Fowler in Cheltenham and was driven there and back by Martyn who really has missed his vocation.. brilliant chauffeur.

It is a long way from Devon, but when your trainer suggests that your horse needs a galloping track and there are very few suitable races, Carlisle was the ideal place to start.. annoying probably for the S-F’s as their local track is Exeter, but no suitable races there this week for their horse.

Anyway the good news is that Trelawne did what he was asked to do. Jumping magnificently he always looked the winner..

We were all hugely pleased and mighty relieved as the pressure was on at odds on!

We have been waiting for a year to jump fences with this stunning horse and after a really good hurdling career he was ready, although those who follow my Instagram account might wonder after watching him deposit Laura Collet when jumping poles about a month ago..

David Bass was thrilled as we all were..

Sandra was hugely and rightly proud of her hombred boy.. The Real Partnership was also respresented by John and Veronica Full... sadly Robert and Katy Axcell Steele were at a Center Parcs..

Phantom Getaway ran well for a long way and jumped brilliantly for a novice, but he was finished very tired and will come on the for the outing.

At Huntingdon Fair Frontieres ran a shocker and was never at the races...it has been a long time since he has, so perhaps he had forgotten what to do!? Something is amiss..

Then Mr Grey Sky jumped well and won well.. that was a slight surprise, but a very happy one for his owner Phil Andrews who was there yesterday, although he was not for The Edgar Wallace at Wetherby..

All in all a good weekend for him and a very good weekend for us..All our winners carried top weight.

A big thank you to Carlisle for looking after us so well.. Top racecourse in every sense of the word..

Well done team Thorndale and head girl Charly Bond and a special mention to our blacksmith Alex Hall who has transformed TEW's feet.. No foot no horse..

Monday morning and we have two runners today at Plumpton..

We run Sprucefrontiers and Par d'Amour and for my thoughts please click here.

Have you heard about the first baseball game in the Bible?

In the big inning. Eve stole first, Adam stole second. Cain struck out Abel. The Giants and the Angels were rained out.