The team are back in full swing now and even though our large raiding party to Yarmouth on Saturday evening didn't bring home a winner, there was plenty of encouragement and they all ran as we expected. Alibaba fared best with a second place and we thought he would go close having dropped a long way down the weights. He has always been a better horse on turf compared to the all weather so it was no surprise to see him back to form on the green stuff. There wasn't a lot to split Notre Dame and Silver Shamrock in the one mile handicap with plenty of promise from the latter, looking like stepping up in trip will see her win a race. The turf season never really gets going properly until the Craven meeting here in Newmarket so it's great that it is finally upon us this week and we can wave goodbye to winter. We will have just the one runner at HQ with Larenta making her debut in the fillies' maiden there on Wednesday. It is likely to be a hot race with all the big yards represented but it'll be a good day out for her and she will learn lots from the experience. Two with better chances come the following day at Chelmsford. Corporate Raider had a busy year last season and had plenty of success with it so he deserved a decent winter holiday. He has come back revitalised and a bit fitter than most of mine have been out of the winter so he could run well on his first start of the year. Whatever the result, he is sure to come on for it still. Smokey Malone has no fitness concerns having run over the winter and he should have a good chance at the same meeting. As ever, he needs luck in running to suit his hold up style but he is very reliable and always gives us a run of our money. The weekend will see two runners at Nottingham on Saturday. It was a shame that the track's first meeting of the year was cancelled last month due to water logging as soft ground is exactly what Macho Son needs. Things have dried up a bit but hopefully there's still enough juice in the ground as he always runs well on his first start of the season. Heer's Sadie on the other hand will likely need the race that same day to blow away the cobwebs. She is a bit of a Brighton specialist nowadays so she will have bigger targets there later this summer. FOUR TO FOLLOW UPDATE Now there are some points on the board, here are the current standings at this very early stage: Ian Wright - 6 Julia Feilden - 5 Jonathan Kinge - 5 Rob Weston - 5 Gerry Garrard - 5 Dave Morris - 5 Dave Allaway - 5 + Lots on 1 point We got some great news this week that Moralisa is settling into her new home very well. She wasn't with us long before injury forced her retirement but I'm so glad she has settled into her new life with owner Debbie. The start of the new turf season has been a bit of a disappointment so far with more meetings on the grass abandoned than taking place due to water logging. Hopefully things can improve for this week and we are looking forward to the return of racing at Yarmouth which usually doesn't get too wet so should be good for racing on Saturday. Before then we will have one entry at Southwell on Friday evening. Corporate Raider will be having his first run back after a winter holiday so, like a lot of the team, we expect him to need the run and improve for it. He is very happy with himself at home and I'm sure he will have another successful season for the N.E.T. Racing Club. We will be well represented with the return of Yarmouth but a lot of that will depend on the ground and some want it soft and others don't. In the opening contest we will probably have both Alibaba and Spanish Mane entered. Spanish is always a little tubby after her winter holidays and usually needs a couple of runs to get fully fit again so she will be using the race as a blow-out. Alibaba on the other hand is raring to go and I'm looking forward to running him on turf now he is down to a low rating having not fared too well on the all-weather over the winter. He is a better horse on the turf so I hope that he can bounce back to form. In the second race we will be represented by Leon Trotsky who will be making his debut. He has come on leaps and bounds since he joined us and has improved physically every day. He is faring well on the gallops but will be against blue bloods from some of the country's biggest stables here so it'll be a learning curve for him that he can improve upon. Queen's Company has already had a run this year and that should have blown away the cobwebs and set her up for a big run this time. She loves the course and doesn't mind any particular ground conditions so fingers crossed she can run well. We have a blank race before another two entries in the one mile handicap. Silver Shamrock ran her best race last year at this course and she is quite a light filly so might be fitter than a few of our others have been on their first run this season. Notre Dame will also be entered and she comes here on the back of two wins on the all-weather. She wouldn't want the ground too soft so we'll see what the weather does but it'll be interesting to see if she can translate her form on to the turf. The day will conclude with Hurricane Kiko in the six furlong handicap. He has been disappointing recently so we're hoping a switch to the turf can perk him up. |