It was this big!

Last week was a quiet one with only three runners and it looks like being a similar story this week with National Hunt racing taking place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before we embark on another five day break.  Why there are such gaps in the calendar remains a mystery to me and personally I find it unforgivable that there shouldn’t be at least one jumps card on somewhere in the country on each of the weekend days – these are the days when people are most able to go racing, so why are we not making the sport more accessible?

Looking back, our only runners of the week came at Stratford on Saturday and I thought that Bathwick Street ran a fair enough race to finish fourth in the novices’ hurdle.   It was a decent looking race for the time of year with a couple of previous winners in the line-up and while he was readily left behind when the pace quickened this was still a step in the right direction from his hurdling debut at Worcester the previous week.  He could well be better off in handicaps and provided he is granted a realistic mark, there is no reason why he cannot pick up a little race somewhere.

Later on the card I thought that Purple ‘N Gold ran another super race in the 0-150 handicap hurdle.  A winner on the flat and over hurdles, he has filled the frame for us on a number of other occasions since being bought from an all-weather claimer and while it was disappointing he couldn’t quite get his head in front, this still has to be considered a personal best (especially when you consider that he did not get the best of luck in running).  He will surely face another rise in the weights which will make his task more difficult, although he should continue to be competitive – he richly deserves to get his head back in front before too long.

Away from the racecourse I was able to get away from it all for the day (although I did have to take Tom Scudamore with me!) when we enjoyed a spot of fly-fishing on the River Test as guests of Professor Caroline Tisdall.  I understand that it is an extremely rare opportunity to fish perhaps the most famous trout stream in the world so it was a real privilege for me despite a lack of experience.  The only previous time I had fished was with Chester and I was probably in short trousers back then!  Even so, I picked up the thread enough to land my first trout (as you can see from the picture below) and no, before you even think it, it was a different fish from the one pictured with Tom Scu!  Thank you so much to Caroline for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

I was glued to the television over the weekend as I watched the action from Burley horse trials unravel and I would like to offer my sincerest congratulations to victor Andrew Nicholson who was winning the event for fifth time and for an unprecedented third successive year aboard the incredible Avebury.  This was an amazing achievement from both man and horse and they should rightly be very proud.

Onto this week and owing to the abridged fixture list we have runners at Newton Abbot this afternoon (Monday) as well as a couple of entries in the handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter on Wednesday.  Street Entertainer was the easy winner of a selling hurdle last time, while Houston Dynimo confirmed his well-being when narrowly beaten in the Listed Mildmay Chase at Newton Abbot’s big fixture last time.

Looking to the weekend, although there is no jumping I will still be a keen viewer as the final Classic race of the season, the St Leger takes place at Doncaster.  Derby runner-up Kingston Hill has looked a ready made type for this race since winning the Racing Post Trophy on the track as a two year old and is a worthy favourite to give Roger Varian a first Classic success.  While the race doesn’t seem to hold the same importance that it did in the calendar years ago, it should nonetheless be a very exciting contest.

As usual for all of the latest news from the stable, keep up to date with Chester’s Daily Chat or follow me on Twitter @DavidPipeRacing

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