23/08/20

Horses never stop making you look a fool and that happened to us in a good way on Wednesday as good old boy Limerick Lord got his first win on the grass at the age of eight. He has been a prolific winner on the all-weather down the years with seven victories to his name but he had never quite matched that level of form on the green stuff before. Truth be told, he only made the long trip to Bath last week because we were going anyway with Paintball Wizard and we thought they could keep each other company. Wiz never got going in the soft ground but Limerick seemed to love it and we were amazed to see him come out of the fog in front with 100 yards left to race having not been able to see much of the race due to the murky conditions.

Limerick Lord gets back into the winner's enclosure at Bath

It was apprentice jockey Tyler Heard's second winner for us from just three rides with the other one finishing second and he kept up his great record for us when finishing second on Gas Monkey at the weekend. Monkey was just nabbed on the line at Newbury seven days earlier and this looked an ideal opportunity for him to run well again and we were just hoping he would be fresh enough to put in another good performance. He ran a great race again to finish second, beaten by an easy winner, and did the best he could from his wide draw and with a steady pace. He has been second three times in a row now and really deserves to win soon for the N.E.T. Racing Club.
It was great to see some of our owners back at the races this week with five members of the Club going to Sandown. Many more were keen to go as well but racecourses are still heavily restricting numbers so hopefully it won't be too long before everyone gets a chance to go. The feedback from the day was very positive with the owners feeling like they were treated like royalty and some even said it was better than a normal's day racing as there were no crowds!

Maureen and Julia battle the crowds at Sandown!

We did loads of miles in the horsebox last week and it'll be busy again in the coming days with plenty of entries.
Yarmouth is back on Tuesday but will only be having races on the straight track having had problems with the ground recently. Approve The Dream is the first entry but the rain forecast on Tuesday will need to come as I don't want to run him on firm ground. If he does take his chance, we will try hold-up tactics on him as he has been making the running recently and folding very tamely so hopefully the change can perk him up.
One Of The Girls was green on her debut a couple of weeks ago and this run will be another bit of experience for her looking towards handicap races later in the year.
Spanish Mane is the third entry on Tuesday at Yarmouth and she has been running really well recently and likes this seaside track in particular. She seems fit and well at home still so I see no reason why she can't put in another good effort as she doesn't seem to mind whatever the ground is.

We don't have many runners at Newmarket considering it is just down the road but we have two entries in the same race there on Friday evening. Hopefully the race gets enough declarations to divide as I don't really want to run the two horses against each other.
Engrave took a while to get fit after lockdown but she is there now and has run well the last twice. A big, galloping track like Newmarket should suit her and I hope she can keep up her recent improvement.
Mrs Meader will be making her debut for us having switched stables this year and I'm looking forward to seeing her run. She is a full sister to our stable star Gas Monkey and she seems to be a very similar type and I expect her to be hitting her peak now she is four years old. She has done all her work at home with little fuss and is fit enough to do herself justice so it will be interesting to see how she goes although we will learn plenty about her after the experience.

On Saturday we will be at Windsor with another couple of runners.
Valletta Sunset was disappointing at the track last time having run well in his novice races but maybe the one mile trip on firm ground was just too sharp for him so the 1m2f in softer conditions this time can hopefully see him fare better.
​Winter Snowdrop got her first taste of success at Yarmouth last time and she has come out of the run in fine form. She is a very straightforward filly who gallops and tries all day so this track should be ideal for her to run well again.

Winter Snowdrop winning at Yarmouth last time

There's no rest for the wicked as we're back to the seaside on Sunday with another two entries at Yarmouth.
Oud Metha Bridge ran no sort of race at Salisbury last week when he stumbled out of the stalls and couldn't adopt his usual front-running position. If he's fresh enough and the ground is soft enough he could run again and it wouldn't surprise me if he bounce back to form straightaway.
Entered there too will be Divine Queen who would also need the ground good or softer to run. She didn't stay the one mile trip last time so seven furlongs should see her in a better light and I hope she can start to show some form here.