The turf is coming!

It has seemed like an eternity but finally Spring is here with some decent sunny weather and the start of the turf season next weekend.
Jack Frost hasn't quite gone into his summer hibernation just yet as we were greeted with an icy start this morning but luckily there is some heat in the sun now and it soon melted away.
We are at a bit of a crossroads currently with many of the all-weather team either resting or moving elsewhere and the grass horses are just hitting full fitness now so it has made for a quiet few weeks runners-wise.

Things definitely pick up this week though with a busy end to it, starting with the racecourse debut of Secret Strategy at Wolverhampton on Thursday. I bought him from Godolphin last summer and planned to run him in the autumn but a setback meant he had to wait until now. He has been showing plenty of speed at home so five furlongs looks an ideal starting point for him. I thought this maiden race wouldn't be too hot given the time of year but there are some highly rated horses in the entries so he might struggle to make a perfect start but as long as he shows some potential for the future and comes back safe, I'll be happy.

Veeraya (Chloe) & Secret Strategy (Adam)

Another lightly-raced three-year old is Our Cilla and she makes her seasonal comeback at Lingfield on Friday. She had two educational runs at Newmarket last autumn and this run will be another good experience for her as she looks one who will improve for handicap races later in the year.

Our Cilla (Chloe)

The 2017 turf season kicks off at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting on Saturday and hopefully we will be there with Gatillo in the concluding apprentice race, providing the ground is good to soft or softer. Gatillo is a lovely, big horse who was caught flat-footed at Chelmsford last time. He loves soft ground and will be seen at his best on it so it will be worth waiting for the right conditions.
The following day we'll be back at Doncaster again as old favourite The Ducking Stool makes her comeback for another year. She had no luck last year as her favourite track Yarmouth had few fixtures due to ground problems and then luck deserted her elsewhere. She is seems as enthusiastic as ever at the age of ten and it will be great to have her back for the N.E.T. Racing Club. The 1m4f trip on this occasion will likely be too sharp for her but she is a horse who needs a run to get back into the groove and this is a good starting point.

The Ducking Stool (Ross), Duke Of Diamonds (Caitlin) & Gatillo (Sarah)

Tallulah's Quest (Tess)

Pitch High (Sam) & Candesta (Hannah)

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FOUR TO FOLLOW LEADERBOARD

​Tina Skinner 11
Mark Jackson 10
John Birkett 10
Dave Morris 10
Rita Aspland 10
Bill Aspland 10
Sam Feilden 10
Chloe Peacock 10
Tessa Stone 10
Caitlin Wells 10
Clare Peacock 10
Ged Turley 10
Brain Pyrke 10
Phil Gunning 10
Martin Godfrey 10
Malcolm Roper 10
Linda Grady 10