I have had good NH teams for the last couple of seasons and won a few G1 races, but my flat teams have never been able to compete in more than 0-85 h'caps. After the Dubai results I am hopefull that my sprinters and milers will be competetive, but the longer distances are still poor.

Tuesday continues the good work from the stable with 4 winners, 1 on the flat and 3 over fences.

Flat

Magictown Boy was a star today winning the 8f Craven Stakes quite handilly. That's two from two for him and he must be in with a chance for the 2000 Guineas next week.

My 1000 Guineas hope, Sugartown Girl, also had a good race finishing 3rd in the 7f Nell Gwyn. Hopefully extra furlong next week will suit her better.


NH

Quest Forrest Boy won the Juvenile race just getting up to beat Grays horse. My Juvenile hurdlers are looking good. Ther were two Juvenile races this week and my horses won both of them.

Calpotstreet Girl won the Irish Stud Novice race on her maiden run just beating Leons horse by a sht-hd.

Duncanstreet Boy won the Ascot Novice chase. What a great run. He led from start to finish. Usually my horses don't like to front run and when they do front run, they tie up badly in the last furlong.

The big disapointment so far this season has to be Axlestreet Boy. He was a star in my trials but has had an 11th place and a fall. Could be a short career for him when week 5 comes along.


Congrats to all the winners and placers.

Great comms as always.

Usual service resumes with my flat team today, nothing getting even close. The NH team ran close in several still waiting on ground, but places for Chasing Aces, National Sensation, Elaborate and Kiss My Estate.

Day 2 and back to earth with a big bump. I think a couple of mine were still on the screen as the winner went past the post but others were so far behind they were almost in the next race.
On the plus side their handicap marks will drop.

Broke the duck with "Libranno" (10yo) returning from last season picking up the 34F maiden chase and quite comfortably I might add but will have a hefty rise in the weights so some mis-management over its next few races to get that sucker down lol. The rest of my Hunt team was pretty dire with nothing to add.

Flat is bad so far this year, some luck in running would help but some of these are just plain awful and I am not sure dropping in the weights will help.

Big shout for the Handicapper Sirus, your handicapping of the horses that run in race 17 after only one week was all bar magnificent, 9 horses within a length a proper handicap race imo & a great finish to boot. ("Small Talk" (6th) lead pretty much to the 1/2f but never gave up)

Anyhow better than last season now, as it took 7 weeks for a win, so off the mark and gives me a time to improve on the total winners I had last season.

Well done to all who make it seem seamless....

What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours ..........

Well not that much really but Tuesday was a lot better than Monday. Still had a lot of flops and falls but at least a few things to cheer. Melancholy Way who I believe to be my best horse made her debut and ran well finishing 5th over 3 miles. Was running on at the end so hopeful she will stay Gold Cup Trip. Maybe try her out in Hennesey if the handicapper is kind. My second best chaser Tamara Champlin also made her debut and fell. Why is this a positive thing you may ask. Well in my game in every single race she ran she either won or fell. So I can remain hopeful. Had she finished down the field would probably have been disappointed. My best result though was Crazy Parachute again finishing 4th in the long distance race. He is looking like my National horse. As he is gamebred though I can take no credit.

A tip for anyone without a National horse. If you go to Thursday auction before National there is always a declared National runner in it. It is where I bought CP and he went on to win it for me. I did it again the following year with another horse. Maybe luck or coincidence but worth a look.

Mostly disappointments on the flat but Janis Joplin and You Keep On Moving were in the money in the Guineas trials so hopefully they will win before season is out. A windmill tilt at the Guineas may be on the cards

A better Week already for me with Robin Goodfellow Bypassing some tougher races and going to the William Hill Lincoln and winning giving me my Second winner of the season on the flat and getting my first winner over the jumps with Seek The Pearl which was a shock because its a better hurdler and with a Rating of only 108 over the hurdles can exploit that with one more run in the Hurdles Pertemps Network Qualifier then its chasing the rest of the season until the final at Cheltenham.

Gray

Well done to Ehab Farah on what I believe to be his first winner

Thanks! Now who is it you want me to drop the rating on???


With handicaps as my only logical place to earn checks my horses improved some in week 2. Two 2nd's and two 3rd's. All I need to do now is place my horses wisely. Which after every week I think I do. Only to be humbled again, week after week. Beating you guys is hard. Even you fellow donkey trainers. Surely you've seen the screenshots of horses I've bred? They're mostly high quality stock and yet they get beaten pretty good in league. This is a hard league and the competition at the top is really good this season.

Congrats to Ehab on his first win! Pretty quick off the mark for you.

Although I don't have a winner as yet - the first two weeks have been my best start in the three seasons I have competed - so I will take that as a positive and am looking forward to when all the lower handicaps fire up.
My only down side is my Hunt team has taken a lot of tumbles or unseated the jockey which hasn't happened like this before.

I wouldn't worry too much about fallers, I think that it is just some random occurrance in races and is not really related to a horses jumping ability.

The big trainers have fallers as well. I think one of Ghosts horses fell at the first fence. Five of mine failed to get round this week and yet 3 of them were highly placed in week 1.

A very quiet Wednesday for the team, only 1 placer in the flat and 2 placers over the sticks.

After a great Monday and Tuesday it's back down to earth with a bump.

Still no wins for me.

1 2nd and 2 4ths in flat handicaps which was good to see.

NH - Most were running over the wrong obstacles to get marks so the season starts for real next week when the handicaps really start

Many thanks all race runners, handicappers and commentators. You all do brilliant work