There are two jumps meetings today at Market Rasen and Sedgefield and in Ireland they have a jumps card at Punchestown, as long as it passes a morning inspection.  The stable does not have any runners today.  It was due to be the first fixture of the season at Taunton today but that was abandoned early in the week with the ground being described as too firm and unraceable.  We did have some entries there but those horses will wait for another day and fingers crossed the rain continues to fall so that Taunton's next fixture in two weeks time can take place.

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       Harry Junior Winner at Lingfield

It was great to get another winner on the board yesterday with a first career victory for five-year-old Harry Junior.  He has been a long-term work in progress, which makes his first hurdle success even more rewarding.  Bought as an unraced store horse, he has been very green and babyish but he is finally coming of age and that is showing on the racecourse.  He ran well over 2m4f on his handicap debut at Worcester and progressed again on his first try over three miles at Lingfield yesterday. He led nearly the whole way with his ears pricked and jumped well.  Despite being challenged approaching the last flight of hurdles he flew the hurdle which basically won him the race.  He galloped on strongly to the line and it was a good staying performance.  He is still learning and he will be even better over a fence in the future but I am sure he will continue to build on this performance in the short term.

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There are three jumps meetings today at Hereford, Huntingdon and Lingfield and we have three runners at the latter.  There is no flat racing and in Ireland there is a jumps card at Fairyhouse.  Purple Owl, Harry Junior and Gold in the Rivers are our trio of runners and all are ridden by Jack Tudor. 

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Jaipaletemps & Rian Corcoran Winners Ffos Las

It was a very wet and soggy day for everyone at Ffos las yesterday but the team left the course with happy smiles following a win for Jaipaletemps and a first professional win for young conditional jockey Rian Corcoran.  It was special for me as it was our own family horse who mum claimed from France and I look after here at the yard every day.  It was our six year old's first win in Britain, his fourth in his career and he was given a great ride by Rian.  He had been running okay without winning earlier in the summer but we gave him a little break and this was the first time he encountered the soft ground which he performed best on in France.

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Today we head to Ffos Las (me included!) with three runners, Pachacuti, Allstitchedup and Jaipaletemps.  Ffos Las is likely to have the softest ground anywhere around at present, with more rain forecast on Sunday morning before racing it could well be heavy by racing and all of our horses will not mind that.  Pachacuti runs in the three mile handicap chase at 1.10pm and Jack Tudor rides.  We are looking for an improvement for him after a disappointing reappearance at Newton Abbot last time. In his defence, he probably found the trip sharp enough on ground not soft enough but equally we expected better.  He has run well at this track before and off his current handicap rating I will be disappointed if he does not win or go close to winning this afternoon, this is not the first time I have said this about him though but I have a feeling it will be true one day soon...

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We have only one runner today but it is a good one and we are hopeful of a big run.  King Turgeon is already well on his way to Aintree this morning to run in the 2.40pm Grand Sefton chase at 2.40pm and Jack Tudor rides.  He won this race twelve months ago impressively taking to the Grand National fences and exceeding our expectations.  He goes back today as one of the favourites for the race and more pressure on his shoulders but he is in good form at home so fingers crossed!  His form tailed off a little last season after a brilliant start but there were reasons for that.  He has had a wind operation during the summer and goes well fresh.  The good to soft ground is ideal my only real worry is that he is racing from a twelve pound higher mark than when winning a year ago in what looks a more competitive race.  What will be will be however and I wouldn't swap our grey and I shall be a nervous watcher later this afternoon!

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It is great to be back racing at Exeter today after they lost their first meeting due to the ground being too firm.  I imagine the ground will be quick enough but they have done their best with the weather as it is and the feature race is the Haldon Gold Cup at 2.25pm.  JPR One is the defending champion but Kalif Du Berlais is the favourite for Harry Cobden and the Nicholls team.  We have one runner at Exeter, Vision De Maine who runs in the 3.35pm handicap chase over three miles and Jack Tudor rides.  This is his seasonal reappearance and he will like the ground.  It is a competitive race but I think he has scope for improvement off his mark of 109 and he won his first two chases of last season and I hope fresh is best!  He didn't run badly in his races after this but has benefited from another summer at grass as he is a lovely big horse who is still only six.  I hope he has a good each way chance and can progress again as the season goes on.

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