Grounds For Concern

The trouble is that a number of the courses have watered their ground to try to maintain a good, safe surface through the summer and when you get any notable rainfall on watered ground, the going inevitably ends up bottomless.  We endured such a scenario on Sunday at Uttoxeter when we had to withdraw our four intended runners at the meeting (as well as our flat runner at Nottingham) when the ground eased dramatically.  It is frustrating when this happens, especially as the horses that we have in at this time could all do with a quicker surface but all we can do is keep an eye on the forecast and enter where the ground is best.

One horse who handles good ground but certainly wouldn’t mind it more testing is Shoegazer.  Our seven year old absolutely bolted up at Hexham under a penalty last Tuesday to record his second chase success from three starts and has won on all ground from good/firm to heavy.  His jumping has improved with each run and he is clearly a very useful sort to have on the go at this time of year and could well line-up next in the valuable Perth Gold Cup on Sunday.

Sadly I couldn’t be at Hexham to see Shoegazer as I was up at the Doncaster Sales looking to buy some more potential stars for the season ahead.  I came back with a couple of nice types in Soliwery (a half brother to the very useful winning pair Solix and Soliya) and Palace Jester (a multiple winning hurdler) and they are both looking for owners at present.  They are likeable individuals who I am sure will enjoy their share of success and - if you would be interested in further details please feel free to contact my office for a no obligation chat or drop me an e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Talking of stars, you couldn’t fail to be impressed by the success of Camelot in the Derby on Saturday as he blew away his rivals by five lengths with the minimum of fuss.  The further he went, the better he seemed to be going and the Triple Crown seems to be there for the taking.  I know that the St Leger is not necessarily a fashionable target for a superstar stallion of the future, but the vibes would appear to be that connections are casting aside commercial decisions and seriously considering taking the romantic route and bidding to emulate the great Nijinksy who was the last horse to land the Guineas, Derby and St Leger in 1970.  I certainly hope that they decide to go for the Leger – the race could do with the boost of a great champion in the line-up and I (and I’m sure most racing purists) would love to see a bit of history made.  Victory for Camelot on Town Moor would also secure a grand slam of the English Classics in one season for Aidan O’Brien – an incredible achievement, and one that I am not sure has ever been achieved before.

I have enjoyed watching the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations over the last few days and the Concert in the Mall outside of Buckingham Palace was an amazing spectacle to behold and certainly worthy of a Queen.  As if all of the organised celebrations were not enough, I was delighted to see her Carlton House mark the occasion with success at Sandown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday evening.

We certainly have plenty of entries up and down the country over the next few days, but with the weather as it is plans are still very much fluid and we will be keeping one eye on the sky before deciding who goes where.