I saw in another birthday this week but didn’t have much time to celebrate as the racing train steamed on with runners up and down the country. It was lovely however, to get the afternoon off with John and go for afternoon tea at The Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds. It was delicious and with a glass of champers thrown in, I highly recommend a visit! I almost had another reason to celebrate this week when ecstasy turned to agony as Corporate Raider looked sure to bag another win at Brighton, only to be collared late on. He has been a revelation since discovering the track and gave NET Racing Club members another thrilling finish. Smokey Malone ran another lack lustre race on Monday. I think it is best he has a little freshen up and he will now have 3 weeks in the paddock before bringing him back for August when racing at Southwell starts back up, where he loves. Heer’s Sadie and Queen’s Company ran respectable races each this week, but both need a strong gallop to aim at which didn’t materialize for either and they will both have another day. Our first runners next week will be on Wednesday at Yarmouth. Spanish Mane and Macho Sun go head-to-head in the same race. They pair have got something to prove this season having not won yet this year but that means the handicapper has relented on them and with the ground now turning soft they should be competitive. Also that day is Stintino Sunset, she is a model of consistency and won’t mind the rain softened ground, so another big race is expected from her. Mrs Meader is another who loves the soft ground, and she runs at Doncaster on Thursday. We are continuing trying her over 1m 6f as I feel she is still unexposed over this distance and seems to have lost some speed over the years. We look forward to welcoming you all on Friday evening for our BBQ! THREE TO FOLLOW LEADERBOARD: Ian Maxwell 38 Ross Carson 33 Rodney Gleed 31 Rick & Barry Palmer 30 Sue Tagg 29 Stuart Barnfield 28 Malcolm Roper 27 Julia Feilden 22 John Ford 20 Sophie Feilden 19 Shelley Birkett 19 We always love to catch up with some old faces... Pictures of the week: NET Racing Club didn’t have long to wait for their next winner after Corporate Raider as Grand Duchess Olga scored on Wednesday at Kempton. Ridden by Hollie Doyle, Olga was trying Kempton’s polytrack surface for the first time. The pair sat towards the rear in a fast run race and came home to win easily by ½ length. That is 3 wins now for Olga since joining us a year ago for just £4,000 and we will be at the July sales again this year trying to find another one! We have a few chances again next week, starting with Smokey Malone at Wolverhampton on Monday. He has disappointed of late after a great start to the year, but he has dropped a few pounds in the handicap and will hopefully go well in a weak race. The next day we head back to Brighton with seaside regulars Heer’s Sadie and Corporate Raider. They are both in great form at home and if their races are run to suit, the pair should be thereabouts. Queen’s Company has a couple of entries at Yarmouth on Wednesday, she loves the track and is another who has come back down below her last winning handicap mark, so fingers crossed for a good week on the track. We are now edging towards our annual Owners BBQ on July 12th. Please could everyone let me know if you will be attending so we can have an idea of numbers for the evening and morning events. We are looking forward to welcoming you all and hopefully the weather gods will be on our side! It is also time to begin transfers for the Three To Follow competition. You can now take out one horse and add in another. Points already earned before transfer by your new horse will not be counted but points earned by a horse you are taking out will remain. Please see the Horses In Training page for full list of horses. You can email me or Shelley ([email protected]) with your decision. Good luck! THREE TO FOLLOW LEADERBOARD: Ian Maxwell 38 Ross Carson 33 Rodney Gleed 31 Rick & Barry Palmer 30 Sue Tagg 29 Stuart Barnfield 28 Malcolm Roper 27 Julia Feilden 22 John Ford 20 Sophie Feilden 19 Shelley Birkett 19 The week in pictures: |