Baileys Blog Search

Plus 11 and dry when driving in.

More horses out to grass and the steam cleaning has started..

Last night I went flat racing at Ascot. Supper with Kevin and Dermot Clancy in their box. Fab views of the racing although there was a small crowd.. well it looked that way from up in the smart grandstand..

Monsieur David Bass a été ce matin pour traverser ..?

We worked Crazy Jack, Ballyknock Lad, Jimmy The Jetplane, Patsys Castle, Trojan Star, Magic Money, DidntItellya, Kilty Caul, Vital Evidence, Braw Angus, Policy Breach, Taras Rainbow and Sunblazer.

Worcester Races appeared on my radar again for next week and I noticed with worry that one of the best clerk of the course in the country Keith Ottesen has been moved on.

Keith is well known for the respect he has from trainers and Worcester has been his flag ship for the last few years.

Trainers seemed to have lost all respect for Worcester Racecourse as its ground was always patchy.. i.e. over watered in places and firm in other parts where the watering had missed..

Keith took over the running of the racecourse side and transformed the racecourse to such an extent that we all felt comfortable running horses there as the ground description was accurate, honest and safe.

Worcester might not have ticked many of my boxes when it came to looking after owners, but it certainly did with the ground. Worcester is probably our busiest summer jumps racecourse and it would be a huge shame if by taking away its one gem it ruins its summer.

I am sure the new Clerk Of The Course Libby O’Flaherty will be good, but it is a hugely different racecourse to look after compared to Wolverhampton .. One is sand and one is grass… we shall see.. You have to wonder what ARC are upto..

We have three runners over the weekend.. well four actually as Archie rides in a pony race later at Chaddesley Corbett.

Milord runs tonight at Warwick while tomorrow at Ludlow we run Gaelic Myth and King Simba.. for my thoughstt on their chances please click here..

Staff party night tonight.. John Perriss is kindly taking ALL my staff out to a celebration drink/ supper;  blacksmith, vets rider outers and other halfs are all included

The venue is Harry Cooks in Cheltenham.. John has had 12 winners this last season and it was his best ever total and is celebrating that fact.. Good man John it will be a great night out and I can see you dancing with the team in The 21 Club later... sadly Clare and I are unable to attend due to a previous invitation..

Clarissa Daly emailed last night...

Dear Kim..

Static Bikeathon – Ludlow Races 8th May

We have volunteered to find some racing folk willing to help take a small part in a fundraising effort. We are raising money in conjunction with Strutt & Parker in aid of The Sebastian Coe Charitable Foundation (SCCF). SCCF is giving 80% of their proceeds to Cancer Research UK (CRUK). A percentage of this will go directly to Pancreatic Cancer in support of Walking the Courses.

There will be 2 static exercise bikes next to the Paddock (very private!): one bike will be for the Strutt & Parker team, and one for the Racing team. The idea is, by relays of lots of people, to simply bike as far as we can in between the first 5 races to see which team can go the furthest in the time allowed.

If you have a few minutes please please will you come and get on the bike? The more people we can get to bike – the less time we will have to spend on the bike! The Chairman, Directors, Clerk of the Course and jockeys will all be doing their bit! We would be so grateful if you could spend a few minutes on the bike and show these Estate Agents what we are made of! Alternatively you could nominate any owners to do a stint – just let us know!

There will be buckets being shaken by the bikes so the more racing folk who bike, the more money we will raise!　

I would like to add - 　Lycra is not compulsory!!