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Plus 9 and dry when driving in. unseasonably  mild?

Yesterdays runners at Leicester did not do much for the Christmas cheer.

Early Learner needs very good ground, but as I rather feared she would find the ground too soft for her down the home straight.. Weird ground at Leicester at the moment as it encompasses all.. Firm, good to firm, good and soft.

It reminded me of the day when the watering system at Worcester broke and flooded parts of the course and Jenny Pitman complained to the clerk of the course at the time Hugo Bevan.. Hugo asked her why she was complaining, and asked what she wanted .. she said good ground and Hugo replied by saying.. well you have that and if any of your other runners want anything else we have catered for them too… it did not go down well…

Thibault was another who found the ground too soft up the straight.

Last night I was a late guest on Gloucestershire BBC radio with Cheltenham's clerk of the course Simon Claisse and head groundsman Ben Hastie .. We discussed Cheltenham’s New Years day meeting and the Festival..

David Bass was in this morning having recovered from a bit of food poisoning.. His father cooked Christmas lunch for him.. He found he could do a weight previously unattainable.

We worked a few and jumped Diva Reconce, Full Tilt and Silver Kayf..

Iain and Angie Bell were here second and third lot to see their KBRP horses Knockanrawley, Peeping Tom and Lord Apparelli.

We have four runners over the weekend. Today we run Station Master and Commodore Barry at Doncaster and tomorrow at Haydock we run Another Venture and Mr Grey Sky and for my thoughts on their chances please click here.

Today sees the last day of Richard Osgood’s tenure as Clerk Of The Course at Newbury.

Richard has been in charge for 39 years and has been one of the best.

We wish him a very happy retirement and wish Keith Ottesen all the  best as he now takes over the reigns of this well known racecourse.. I hope Newbury supports Keith and help him modernise their course..

Well done to Richard Johnson.. a well deserved OBE

A six-year-old goes to the hospital with her mother to visit her Grandpa.

When they get to the hospital, she runs ahead of her mother and bursts  into her Grandpa's room.

"Grandpa, Grandpa," she says excitedly," As soon as my mom comes into the room, make a noise like a frog!"

"What?" said her Grandpa.

"Make a noise like a frog because my mum said that as soon as you croak, we're all going to Disney World!

Have a great weekend and see you on Monday.