Back to life

After a quiet week without a single runner and not too much going on in the yard either with many of the team just on walking exercise as they come back from their winter holidays, we'll be springing back to life this week with a load of runners.
That's hoping we survive Monday morning first as all the ones who have been walking for the past couple of weeks will be ridden again for the first time to go for a trot and the horses are expected to be a bit fresh! Fingers crossed everyone can stay in the saddle and the relief is that the first day is the worst day - they are far more sensible from Tuesday onwards!

Kicking off the runners will be a pair at Wolverhampton on Monday.
Majestic Moon is a very consistent horse but finds winning quite hard so it may be that he needs a little help from us so he will be running in a claiming handicap this time. In these races, the trainer effectively sets the weight the horse has to carry based on the price they are put in to be bought for and I hope I've set a weight which gives him a chance but is high enough to put people of buying him as I don't want to lose him but that's the risk you face in these races. To help further, promising apprentice Toby Eley will be riding and he takes another 7lbs off the horse's back. He hasn't run at Wolverhampton before but I don't see why he shouldn't like it.
Sea Shack's chance in the last race of the evening looks to have been blown by the wide draw he has been given. He's well handicapped and in good health at home but it'll be tricky to win from stall 13.

On Tuesday we'll be battling the M25 motorway to get to Kempton with Wilson.
He bounced back to form with a cosy win at Lingfield last time and, despite going up 4lbs in the ratings, I think he can still be competitive off his new mark. Seven furlongs seems to be his best trip and he has recovered well from a heel infection which meant he had to miss his last run.

Wilson and Shelley after winning at Lingfield last time

On Wednesday we have three entries and I reckon all of them will take their chance.
It is no secret that Gas Monkey is a bit of a pet to me after he became the first winner I have bred when winning last year. I have been very patient with him and didn't give him too many races last year as he was still developing but he showed very good form on each of his runs. He'll be better this year and goes well fresh so I hope he can be in the prize money once again and give the N.E.T. Racing Club something to shout about.

Lulu Star (Sam) & Gas Monkey (Ross)

Also there will be Winter Snowdrop having her first ever run. She came to us in the autumn and has strengthened up a lot in that time but I think she will need the run for experience and will be a better horse when she is fully matured a bit further down the line.
The third runner is Telekinetic. She was very similar to Winter Snowdrop in that she needed time to mature but I think she is getting there now and the handicapper has given her a fair rating after her three runs in novice races. She is working well at home now and I hope she can start to get her career into action now that she is in handicap races.

Winter Snowdrop (Shelley)

A blank day on Thursday gives us a chance to get our breaths back before racing again on Friday.
Lulu Star is entered at Kempton but looks unlikely to get a run which is a hame because I thought the conditions of the race suited her very well.
Maazel should definitely get a run at Lingfield the same day and he will once again be coming with a late charge, just hopefully this time the early pace will be fast so he can be seen to best effect. He is a winner waiting to happen, he just needs things to fall right for him.

Maazel (Chloe)