30/01/21

It's always good to see the back of January which is often a long, dark and cold month. Luckily we haven't been hit too hard by bad weather but there's still time for things like snow to come as we have seen in the past. We've actually been blessed with some lovely weather recently which almost makes you think spring is on the way so let's hope it does come soon.
If that doesn't get you looking forward to the new flat season then seeing our two-year olds training in the mornings will. We have a really great bunch who are all doing their work well and processing significantly. Some are more forward than others at the moment but there's still time for them to catch up before the juvenile races begin in the spring.

Our small team of horses to run on the all-weather are continuing to do themselves proud and Arpina almost pulled off a huge shock last week when finishing second at 100/1. It looked like a surprise on the form but we knew she had the ability to go close, she just needed to make the running. What did surprise us was how she battled back once headed and showed a very willing attitude - something that she hadn't shown in the past!
Arpina always comes out of her races feeling fresh so we'll be running her again on Tuesday back at Wolverhampton. It's the same course and distance as last time and arguably a bit of a weaker race so fingers crossed she can surprise everyone again.

The only other entry for the week is Smokey Malone on Thursday. He is in at Southwell and Chelmsford but will probably head for the latter as it looks slightly easier at this stage. He has been running well without things going his way recently so hopefully he can get a fast pace to chase and can finish with a late rattle.

I'll probably be at the sales on Thursday as Tattersalls hosts a two-day auction of older horses. I have an order for one filly and may buy one to syndicate depending if there is any value to be found so watch this space.