07/03/21

All the talk in the yard and in the whole of racing this week surrounded the uproar following the shocking photo of leading Irish trainer Gordon Elliott sitting on top of a dead horse on his gallops. It is hard to fathom how he ever thought it was a good idea and why on earth he would choose to sit on the horse instead of the ground if he was that desperate to take the weight off his legs is beyond me. It is fair to say that his reputation is in tatters now and it will take a lot of time before the public's faith is restored in him.
I have no doubt that the photo is not a true reflection of him as you cannot be a racehorse trainer for as long as he has been without showing care and compassion for your horses - they will not perform to their best if they aren't treated to the highest standards and his big-race wins are a testament to this. However, it only takes one moment of madness to undo the hard work and he is now paying the price. 
It remains to be seen how the BHA will punish him after the Irish authorities dished out a six-month suspension but it would be a hard pill to swallow if his horses were allowed to run at Cheltenham under a different name when everyone knows Elliott is assisting in the background. 
Time heals and Gordon would be best to get away from things for a few months, let the dust settle and then rebuild his career when the eyes of the world have turned to something else.

The racing world keeps turning and Gordon even had four winners the day after the photo was leaked so it's clear the show must go on and we're represented with a few runners this week.
Heer's Sadie makes her debut at Kempton on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to seeing how she goes. She was one of our sharpest two-year olds last year before she had a little trouble with her knees but the time off since then has done her the world of good as she is a much stronger filly now. I expect that she will be a bit inexperienced and will improve a lot for the run but hopefully she can show some promise like she has been at home.
Travelling with her that day will be Raha. She looked a bit flat last time so we've freshened her up and hopefully she can get back to form. I have a feeling she is a better horse on the grass but it's a while before then so she can have another run here to keep ticking over. 

On Friday we have another couple of entries at Wolverhampton.
Sir Gregory has taken a bit of time to develop and will come on a lot for his first run here but it'll be good to get a run under his belt.
​Piranhadrama has shown promise in her three novice runs and got a fair rating afterwards too. Time will tell what her ideal distance is but hopefully she can get competitive now she is in handicap races.