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Two runners today, Toptempo runs at Newmarket at 4:30 and Rayvin Black is at York in the 4:45…

Snowy morning

Friday, 16 December 2011

"Christmas weaves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

Norman Vincent Peale.

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Fillies out of training with Nanny Nutmeg

An extremely dark morning and although at six o'clock there was no rain it started snowing from around nine o'clock. It is still coming down and has started to settle on the rooftops and Heath. The shortest day is nearly upon us and you could certainly tell this morning because it was very hard to see which string was cantering up the Hill. I was standing in a bunch of several trainers and we were all straining to see whose were whose.

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Snowing this morning at Newmarket

Both our runners ran well yesterday with Red Hermes finishing third. She still ran very green but is now handicapped which opens up more options in the New Year. Zenarinda travelled really well and Tom Eaves thought that we would be better going back in trip. This shows the differences of opinions between jockeys as Eddie Ahern reported she wanted a mile and six plus and Tom says go back in trip. I think in the New Year I shall try both!

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    Some of the weanlings     

The corruption trial eventually ended on Wednesday with several jockeys and owners plus their associates being warned off. This is what was always going to happen once  the betting exchanges started. It is so easy now to bet on all sports and there are so many people making a living out of it with very little tax coming back into the relevant sports, especially ours. I have always maintained and will do so till my dying day that you should never be allowed to bet on anything to loose. It opens the floodgates.

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The team at Garrowby

I had a great trip to Garrowby yesterday - Angie and I took the team out for their Christmas lunch. Alan, Tina and Rachel do the most marvellous job and we very much appreciate and thank them for all the work they do. We both had a good look round at the wide variety of horses we have got up there. They all looked fantastic. The weanlings have thrived again and are such lovely horses for the future. The horses out of training are so relaxed there that they are nearly horizontal. We have one yearling going into training just long-reined and he looked an absolute picture. The in foal and barren mares are very content and getting bigger and our companion mares are doing a sterling job. All in all a very successful visit.


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Tina's chickens and her cat  

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