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Plus 11 and dry when driving in. Too warm and horses too warm under their rugs this morning.

Arriving in the yard early I could still hear horses that ran yesterday being trotted up by Mat to see if they are sound. Yes they all are

Oh what a day of .. seconds..

At Ayr..The Drinkymeister fell at the second.. bloody long way for John Perriss to go to see that happen. The Matt Lambert then had his turn to be equally disappointed when Cascaye just did not run well enough.. She is not showing what she shows at home. Chateau Robin was second.. he jumped well and ran accordingly and then Knockanrawely got worried out of it and was second too.. just..He was very unlucky..

Not a good visit to Ayr.. But the racecourse were brilliant at looking after my owners and staff. A big thank you to Ayr as their owners and trainers facilities were like a good London restaurant but free..

A very long way to go but my word Ayr appreciate your visit and make an owners days out one to remember.

At Exeter we had a big turn out for the Racing For Maggies two runners. Another Venture ran well to finish second and looked a horse capable of winning a big staying handicap this winter. Biscuit pulled up making a noise.. was it the ground? Time to investigate and finally Rhaegar ran a blinder and yes you know what I am going to say.. he finished second.. 4 bloody 2nds in one day.. Bugger…

Long journey home from Ayr for all..Perhaps in future I will keep my horses down south or employ Brian Hughes when heading North of Wetherby.. Not for one second I am suggesting that my two jockeys did anything wrong but Brian wins everything up North..

Robert Bevis who had Sainte Ladylime and Cracked Rear View for schooling during the summer was here to watch them jump fences.

We race again today with two running at Ludlow. Cresswell Legend and By The Boardwalk and for my thoughts on their chances please click here.

My travelling head girl Leigh and her racing blog..Two weeks of..

The racing is in full swing now and we are having runners nearly every day. We are having regular winners too! This season has been slow to start but we are in full flow now, it is a long season and we want the horses to continue to the end.

I had a good trip up to Newmarket. Everything is made easier with a winner! It's not the nicest drive and it is not straightforward when you get there as you have to drive over to declare and then box the horses over from the stables, but Sunblazer is so well behaved it makes it all a bit easier! It is a lovely course and you definitely get the feeling you are somewhere special. The canteen is next level, as well as the normal meals they offered pan fried salmon with risotto for only £5. As good as you would find in a restaurant.

A bit of a contrast was the rare trip to Plumpton, a course we don't often visit as it is quite tight and undulating. The stable yard is small and tight, not ideal on busy days but the stables are large and well lit and the washdown hoses were powerful and warm. The canteen was a let down. The same price as Newmarket and no where near the same quality.

I have noticed that more racecourses are providing a free meal to stable staff. Warwick, Exeter and Cheltenham have done it for a while now but Newton Abbott started proving free food this season and Wincanton on Saturday provided a voucher for the canteen. This is good as it is homemade food and large portion sizes. They also have hot puddings!

On to another busy week but with plenty to look forward to it doesn't seem like hard work at the moment!!

I forgot.. Paul and Elizabeth Kellar were here second lot to see their horse Mon Palois ..but he had already been out..