A Close Finish!

I thought that Tom Scu gave Close House a good strong ride at Towcester yesterday afternoon.  It was very testing ground and there were three in with a shout as they came to the last but our four year old stayed on well up the hill (which has been described as "more like the north face of the Eiger") to score readily by four lengths.  He looks to be an out and out stayer and could follow-up under a penalty.

We are represented by two runners at Ascot, Our Father (T Murphy) and Piraya (C O'Farrell) while Wings Of Icarus (A P McCoy) is our only runner at Uttoxeter this afternoon.  The ground at Uttoxeter will certainly be testing having survived a 7.30am inspection.

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With Tom Scudamore off to Newcastle tomorrow, connections have taken the commendable decision to keep Conor O'Farrell aboard Dynaste in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.  The pair have been united for four of the grey geldings five starts since arriving from France and were successful in a decent handicap hurdle at Taunton last season, before making a scintillating seasonal debut in the Fixed Brush handicap hurdle at Haydock last month - a race that was won twelve months earlier by the stable's top class Grands Crus.  Dynaste faces his toughest test to date tomorrow when taking on reigning champion staying hurdler Big Buck's, but he is improving rapidly and it should make for an exciting contest.

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I was pleased and amused to see that David Ashforth has finally backed a winner in his "Grab A Grand For Christmas" project.  He backed our winner Close House and craftily managed to get 2/1 about the even money favourite from bookmaker Barry Johnson...I will certainly have to get that bookmakers number (especially when you consider how pretty the young lady paying Ashforth out - Barry is a funny name for a girl isn't it?!)

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I always enjoy taking a look through the birthdays in the Racing Post and I was intrigued to see that it is Benny Andersson's 55th birthday today.  They credit him as a "Swedish Musician and Owner/Breeder"...surely Swedish Musician is a little bit of an understatement - he was ABBA!