Shaking Scores At Warwick

We had another winner yesterday afternoon when Shaking Hands won the staying handicap chase at Warwick.  It was a really gruelling test over 3m2f on pretty soft ground and stamina was certainly at a premium.  Fortunately our runner has that in spades and having briefly looked in trouble for a moment, once Tom Scudamore got after him he stayed on strongly to record a ten length victory.  It was hard work, but he looks capable of winning again over extreme distances.

          
                                 Delighted connections with their winner Shaking Hands at Warwick

We had another winner yesterday afternoon when Shaking Hands won the staying handicap chase at Warwick.  It was a really gruelling test over 3m2f on pretty soft ground and stamina was certainly at a premium.  Fortunately our runner has that in spades and having briefly looked in trouble for a moment, once Tom Scudamore got after him he stayed on strongly to record a ten length victory.  It was hard work, but he looks capable of winning again over extreme distances.

*****

Have you heard the one about the two fellows that bought a horse each?  "To tell them apart we should paint one of their tails" said the first chap.  "No, that will never work" replied his friend, "The paint will come off while they are running around in the field".  "Why don't we tie a ribbon around one of their legs instead then?" asks the first man.  "That will come off too!" replies the other.  After a few moments the first chap finally exclaims "I know!...why don't you take the white one and I will take the black one?!"  I wonder if Nicky Henderson has ever heard of this story?!  Unfortunately for Nicky he had a non-runner at Ffos Las and Warwick yesterday when it transpired that the Seven Barrows team have had the two runners mixed-up for some time.

*****

How good was A P McCoy aboard Folie A Deux at Warwick yesterday?  It took all of the champion jockey's strength to get this one home in front and is surely a candidate for ride of the season.  The fact that the horse traded at 1000 on the exchanges tells you what sort of chance he looked to have in-running - I find it hard to believe that anyone would put up those sort of prices about a McCoy runner...they must be feeling a bit sick this morning!

*****

Cheltenham have had the frost covers down on the track since Wednesday in a bid to ensure that they avoid the worst of the cold weather ahead of their Festival Trials meeting this Saturday.  Let's hope the meeting goes ahead without any problems as there will be some great action to savour including the Cleeve Hurdle in which the stable's exciting grey, Grands Crus is an intended runner.

*****

The old adage goes that you should always follow a yard in form.  In that case you will be watching the runners from Mark Johnston and Jeremy Noseda's flat yards - the are both boasting a 50% strike rate at the moment.