Another Cracking Day

        Jurancon runs at Newbury Today

We start the new week with another cracking day of racing to look forward to on both sides of the Irish sea.  We have three runners, two at Newbury and one at Doncaster.  Penn Avenue makes her hurdling and stable debut in the 12.25pm fillies juvenile maiden hurdle at Doncaster and Conor O'Farrell rides.  She is twice a winner on the flat and has settled in well to our routine since arriving at the yard and has taken to jumping well.  She shows a good and feisty attitude which will stand her in good stead today and I can't wait to see her get started.  There are seven runners and the betting suggests it is a tight little race and we are about 9/2 fourth best in the betting.  The first two in the market have shown some form over hurdles already so that will stand them in good stead but I would like to think we won't be too far away.

We have two runners at Newbury, Morradi and Jurancon and both have Jack Tudor on board.  Gericault Roque was declared but is a non-runner on account of the ground.  We feel it has just dried out a little too much and while his legs are a little fragile we shall wait until we get some more rain.  Morradi runs in the second race, the 12.40pm Introductory hurdle.  This will be his second outing over hurdles and it will be good to get some more experience under his belt.  He has some good flat form in the book but was quite novicey on hurdling debut and this is a very competitive races and we are a big price.  I think the favourite, Act of Innocence will win again.  Jurancon runs in the 2.22pm handicap hurdle over 2m4f.  He is a lovely horse who we like a lot.  He has some very good form last season but ran badly on his only start of this season so far at Cheltenham.  The physio found him not to be right after the race and we can definitely put that run down as too bad to be true.  It took him a little while to come right but he seems in good form at home now and it will be good to get him back on the track.  It is another competitive race and we are about 7/1 in the betting and while I would just like to see him come out and run well, if he is back to top form I do think he is well handicapped so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

The Challow hurdle is the feature race on the Newbury card and No Drama This End is favourite and will take all the beating.  Alongside jumps racing at Newbury and Doncaster the third meeting comes from up at Kelso.  There is flat racing at Newcastle while in Ireland the great action continues at Leopardstown and Limerick.  I am looking forward to watching Lossiemouth in the 2.32pm Christmas hurdle and Wodhooh in particular in the mares hurdle a little earlier in the day.

Yesterday, there was a good run from Bashful Boy to be second at Southwell on the all-weather but Gentleman Toboot proved disappointing at Leicester.  I thought he would win and win quite comfortably but we can put this effort in the too bad to be true category.  He seems fine this morning and we will monitor him and see if anything comes to light in the next few days but we know he did not run his race and he is a million times better than this.  Bashful Boy ran a solid race, chasing home a well regarded favourite and there will be easier opportunities for him to win going forwards.  Activist also ran a much better race at Chepstow on Saturday.  He looked in trouble leaving the back straight but rallied for the jockey's urgings up the home straight to finish a never nearer fourth.  The ground had dried out a little too much for him over this trip but he finished the race strongly which he does not always do.  He looks worth a step up in trip if we don't get any rain in the near future and he can resume winning ways on this evidence.

I still don't know what I'm wearing to the living room on New Year's Eve...

I might not even go!

Happy Monday!