A Difficult Day!

Did I walk under a ladder yesterday?  If you had been watching the racing yesterday, you would have thought that I had!  Qalinas looked all over the winner turning into the straight in the conditional jockey's handicap hurdle and from nowhere Kadouchski suddenly bounced back to life and stayed on up the Sandown hill to get the better of us close home.  Then, later in the afternoon Dan Breen won the three runner novices' chase by a short head from Giorgio Quercus, but he carried the runner-up right after the last and the steward's reversed the order following an enquiry.  It pains me to say it, but it was the correct decision and Tom Scudamore received a three day ban (11-13th March).

Fortunately the ban does not coincide with the Cheltenham Festival, so Tom will still be alright to ride at jump racing's greatest fixture (Barry Geraghty also picked up a one day ban).  Our owner Stuart Mercer took the news very well and illustrates what a good sport and a gentleman he is, "The horse ran a blinder and came back safe, so who cares" he said, "although I am now going to sack Tom Scu!".  Of course he was only joking, Stuart has a great sense humour...you only have to take a look at some of the hats and ties that he wears to know what I mean!

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I am pleased to report that Newcastle gets the go-ahead to race following an 8am inspection.  Comply Or Die bids to follow-up his success in the 2008 Eider Chase this afternoon - he went on to win the Grand National after that - wouldn't it be fantastic if he could do it again?  The ground is very heavy so the 4m1f trip will certainly sort them out.  Chepstow have called another inspection for 9.30am and following plenty of rain over the last 48 hours, the meeting is far from certain to go ahead.

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Below are a couple more photographs from the gallops from earlier in the week and they feature a couple of this afternoon's runners.  They are of Street Entertainer and Newcastle runner Decoy, as well as Kempton runner (and previous course winner) Kazzene in action with Mr Thriller.

  
Above left (l-r) Street Entertainer and Decoy, and right: Kazzene and Mr Thriller on the gallops earlier this week