R1 Eureka Stockade 13th – the winner Glad Rags (Kevcon) is something out of the box. Has won over 1400m & now 1200m. Was just too good for here rivals here and made my horse look very bad indeed. You have a good one there Kevcon!! Must not forget Amayar 4th (A Cripps) who was blocked badly when making rapid ground. Cruz Chart (Hemz) was blocked as well.

R2 Favelon 7th – Not a bad effort over the unsuitable distance of 1000m. Never really thought he could win here but he hit the front very briefly at one stage but could not resist the class and power of the winner Shamardal (Kenny). She looks top class. I would love to race Roya against her sometime.

R3 Speedito 1st – A little sigh of relief here as the good to soft doesn’t really suit but was classy enough to win. Has won six from six and am now looking to enter him in the Doncaster next week. Draws will be huge there. Screenwriter (Kenny) misses out again. I like this horse and hope he wins soon.

R4 Danleigh 1st – Great comm from Ryan here. I need to learn a lot from you m8. True!! One of my US raiders who is Six from Six and very pleased with the win. Not sure where we go from here though.

R7 Rustica 1st – Rustic’s first two starts were poor runs but she is a capable horse so was pleased with the win here although not confident. She loves Ascot and maybe that was the difference.

R8 Machine Head 1st – just hung on to win here from the courageous binocular who I thought was going to go past mine. But Machine Head dug deep and just won. The 3rd placed runner Android was very unlucky being blocked twice before making ground quickly on the first two. It beat Binocular last time out and Binocular just failed in this race so Android would have gone close indeed. The one to watch.

R9 Jetstream 1st – Good winner here against some tough opposition. Once again this horse loves Ascot and it helped greatly with its win. Wise Owl (Kenny) was game in defeat.

R10 Jeune 1st – Very happy with this win as I was so disappointed by its last start effort in the English Oaks. I was concerned by the extra 2kg it had to give to most of these but she powered home the last 100m and am now looking to try and secure a G1 for her. One of her main rivals Merlene will have a huge say I’m sure.

R11 No runner here but what a fantastic race for Nick Driver and his winner Johnny Corleone. Winning it in the last 50m when he looked gone 400m out. And what about the call by Ryan, had me on the edge of my seat. I give up you are the champion caller of the season Ryan. Can you do all the races??? Once again fantastic race and congratulations Nick.

R12 Streeter 1st – Top weight carrying 58kg giving the field a 2kg advantage and still managed to win. To be fair I thought it had the run of the race, racing near the rails throughout and got clear running when needed. Lions Den set a good pace which helped my horse. Will now try and find a G1 win for him.

R13 Eurythmic 7th – One of the most frustrating horses in my stable. She never misses the break in the ck but for some strange reason she has missed the break 4 out of the last 6 starts!!!! I have made a stewards inquiry and I am awaiting the results. This horse beats Speedito many times in my ck although only just. Congratulations to the winner Miss danehill, she is just more consistent than mine but I would love to see this horse race as it should. It never misses the break!

R15 Galleon 4th – game effort by my horse but Lilly Fa Pootz (Kenny) 1st is all class. Northern Alvar (P Hogan) 2nd and Highland Gate (David) 3rd ran terrific races.

R16 Roya 1st – Exciting finish with Roya just hanging on. My main goal this season was to win the Golden Jubilee, one of the premier 1200m races of the season if not the best. I’m so thrilled to have won with Roya, probably my best horse. But I must say both Joni Wikabe (Liam) and Kangaroos Skip (Ryan) were very, very unlucky as Liam’s horse was held up and carried 60.5kg to Roya’s 56kg and Ryan’s horse got blocked for a run twice as it was making good ground. I feel for you Ryan must be very frustrating m8. I really do hope that both those horses get clear running next time we meet because they are both ready to strike!! Reiteration (Kenny), Kappa Dancer (P Hogan) and Great Booze Up (Kevcon) were game in defeat and are not too far away. Liam don’t you wish you had Joni Wikabe as a 3yo!!! With 56kg on its back would have bolted in.

R19 Perfect Rhythm 1st – I can’t believe I won this. Started from barrier 18 and went 4 and 5 deep the first turn and was top weight with 61.5kg. I know it likes the cut out of the ground but wasn’t really expecting a win. Will be going to the Rosehill Guineas next week.

R20 Streetcraze 4th – The first two Minervan Air & Beacon both deserved their positions because they were carrying 60kg & 62.5kg respectively. Gladiator was courageous getting third.

R21 Didn’t have a runner but what an exciting finish. Gabriele won deservedly but Homestay (Kenny) 2nd was so unlucky missing the break and getting blocked runs. Casamento (Ryan) 3rd was unlucky too and Denebola (Florian Remoue) 4th just missed out. Brixton Joy (Green Park Racing) 5th wasn’t far away and it too was blocked for a run a few times. Exciting race.


Congratulations to all the winners and placers and nice to see Kevcon, Hemz, Fixit, Liam, J Gorman, P Hogan, Green Park Racing and Nick Driver amongst the winners circle. Hope I haven’t forgotten anyone.

Nice week I suppose, 2nd with Mission Cuckoo finishes behind Shamardal yet again, thought we might win today but 2nd again, well done to the winner still unbeaten I think.
Got some compensation with Gabriele in the 2yo maiden so I`m happy with the win but would have loved that elusive G1.

Well done all winners and placers.

Scatters, you can't believe my cursing when Joni didn't get up. In my game, Joni wasn't great as a 3yo but made his mark in Dubai and America in the big dirt sprints, making me think to put him in US league and he'd be winning - how wrong was I with no wins over there but how close Joni got there!

Joni always meets trouble though, typical Spencer horse some would say... I also thought the rating of 91 without a win in US meant the system thinks I got a good horse, that's why I ran Joni in such a race and had a few quid e/w when everyone backed other horses and drifted out to 120/1!

Any news on transfers? Itching isn't the word to get Joni over to UK picking up a turf maiden, as the weights going to be awful in anything other than G1 or maiden now

was a weird week for me, i dunno whether im happy or not with it!!

didnt get a winner but i had a lot of horses run well and get a good place on ground that isnt exactly great for them!!

Faithful Friend ALMOST had the Coventry, Marching Queen just failed in the Hunt Cup, Mr Magoos Wife ran well behind Shamardal to come 4th, Casamento unlucky 3rd, Master Blaster good 5th in St James, Carribean Sunset nice debut 2nd in Vase, Kangaroos Skip ran really well in 3rd in the Jubilee, Gladiator 3rd in Stayers - so good runs just came up short going for a win

highlight for me was the Gold Cup - i really did want to see Johnny win , Nick really really wanted this race and i think he deserved it to be honest so well done bud i bet you really enjoyed that. Could you tell i almost lost my voice coming to the line i needed to breath - i just couldnt believe what i was seeing mate i thought My Petra had stolen the show. Whta about that horse ay, what a cracking run to race that far clear and battle and chug away to come 4th . great run Padraig mate!!

Appreciate the comments guys - obviously theres that 'never like hearing your own voice' feeling when i listen to one of my comms, im sure you guys know where im coming from. So its nice to hear people enjoying the race. I love this league and if there were no other commentators and i had time i would do a full meeing like that - because i know it would make it more enjoyable and you guys would appreciate it. I hope to be given the chance to do a lot of comms for the Cheltenham Festival.

Well John im glad ill be getting your vote - i wish rich would tell us what the prize is for 'caller of the season' but you are getting my vote buddy - your comms are almost as good as your horses lol!! but not quite coz your horses border on the ridiculous!!!i want to hack your computer and steal them all

If you still have Joni as a 3yo test him against himself as a 5yo at Ascot and see how close or how far they are from each other.

When I trial Liam I always trial against a proven horse. Obviously I trial against horses that performed well in the previous league season and use that as a barometer. That’s why the Donate n Draft was an excellent idea imo.

Race 1 Glad Rags (1st) - I really wasn't sure how he would run here because his performances in trials were rather mixed and if pressed I'd say he's better over 7f. He got his ass handed to him on numerous occasions mainly by a filly called Tap Dancer but he was also beaten by several others as well. Maybe my 6-7f juveniles are a decent bunch for once! At the furlong pole I would have been chuffed with 3rd as I thought Faithful Friend (Ryan) and Bandicoot Kid (Nick) were going just as well if not better. Not sure where he'll run next, the Chesham is a possibility but he's more likely to wait until week 9 for the July Stakes or Superlative.

Race 3 Monteverdi (8th) - Ran better than the placing suggests. He's not a gr1 horse and ran here because he needs to race to be eligible for handicaps.

Race 6 Babylon (5th) - If any of my horses has a hard luck story, it's this one. Dropped right out by the jockey, he was making rapid progress on the leaders when blocked just inside the final furlong and lost all momentum. I think he would have gone very close with a clear run. Definitely his best run so far.

Race 7 Canny Lass (5th) - She did the same on her debut and completely missed the break. She was always playing catchup and did well to get as close as she did. Really gutted by this as I thought she was probably my best chance of a winner this week.

Race 8 White Laughter (5th) - A much better run here than on debut and something of a surprise. I expected him to find the competition much too tough and like Monteverdi his level is probably going to be handicaps.

Battle Horror (6th) - I couldn't believe I entered this one in a gr2 at RA. She's a handicapper and for most of the race looked well outclassed being last for most of the race. She ran on well over the last 3f however to finish a creditable 6th. Another who has produced a season's best performance, so well chuffed.

Race 14 Rated X (3rd) - Yet another horse who has run a cracker. He just about stays 2m so tracks like Ascot really stretch his stamina. The goodwood Cup in week 11 is a possible target as the sharper track might help him get home.

Race 16 - Great Booze Up (6th) - She travelled really well upsides the winner until the 2f pole and then found nothing under pressure. I have to admit I was expecting her to run a little better although all the horses who finished in front of her are top drawer. Anyway, my hunt for a first gr1 continues...

Race 17 North Light (5th) - Another solid effort from him on ground he hates.

Race 18 Windy Miller (3rd) - I thought he might be outpaced as 1m4f is on the sharp side for him. Opportunities are limited since his best trip is 1m5f. Ran really well to make the frame.

Race 19 Breathless (16th) - The only really bad run from the stable this week. She trials like a decent horse but just hasn't performed in the league. She ran really wide especially round the home bend but was never in the race at any stage.

Race 20 Gold River (6th) - Has already won a race, so doesn't owe the stable anything. I thought she might win again just over 1f out but got run out of it in the closing stages.

Race 22 Tudor Minstrel (8th) - Ran well but wasn't good enough on the day. I'm considering a transfer to the US for this one as he seems to be better on dirt.

Some excellent races complemented really well by the commentaries from Ryan and Scatters. The Gold Cup was a great race to watch and I have to admit I was willing My Petra home as it's stamina ebbed away in the final furlong.
Well done all winners and placers.

Not sure what to say after just watching those races. Obviously gutted after the Gold Cup. My Petra was left to make the running which is not her preference on ground far from ideal and still looked to have stolen it even a furlong out. Apart from Baalbek Sea coming second in the National it was probably the most devasted I've been by a result in the league. Full credit to the winner though and nice for Nick to win a race he obviously wanted a lot. Great commentary on that and al the other races too..

Bounce dotted up in the 2m4f handicap which was a little consolation.

Apart from that I added to my ever increasing total of second pacings with Nigella, Mid Life Crisis, Northern Alvar and American Allie all running big races.

Congrats to all the winners!

Padraig

Pretty much the same as you Ryan had no winners but some horses put in some great runs.

Race 1 Coventry stakes, Amayar second run after winning maiden in week 2 , finished 5/15 but looks like he will win a race sooner rather then later.

Race 3 St James Palace Stakes, Jak O The Shadows finished 3/13 behind Speedito, great run put in by Jak is a class horse and beat home some other really good performers just cant match up to the unstopable power of Speedito.

Race 6 Royal Hunt Cup, Corenne 4/21 places are a bit all over the place on TOM but ran a creditable 4th and will likely run well again next time out.

Race 7 Queen Mary Stakes, Shen Al Calhar 2/12 Will win a race soon i hope, she is a machine against all my horses at home but just finds it difficult to produce on race day, 5f or 6f dont make any difference to her she great at both!

Race 9 Norfolk Stakes, Deathwatch Guard 6/14 Got caught flat footed and behind another horse when others kicked for home, stayed on late but race was already lost by the time he got going.

Race 10 Ribblesdale Stakes, Amys 11/16 A rematch of the Oaks with lots of horses reoposing, 16 runners having to come from the back always ends up running wide and did in this, about 7 wide at times and uses far to much energy up for her turn of foot to count at the end.

Race 22 Dallas Maiden, Kigali 5/23 Hold up horse which comes from the very back, with 23 runners and running 5th a very good effort, the amount of runners pushed him sideways as well as going forward as the runners stretched across the field. Not run over ideal distance in 3 starts so very optimistic he will go close when he does.

Other runners finishing:

Free year 7/7..2m horse could not handle the extra 4f .
Shayol Ghul 9/13
Bleakness 6/14..runs well till closing stages,no turn of foot!
Vale Of Lakes 7/19..finding her distance hard to judge.
Callandor 7/16..So one paced may switch to jumps.

congratulations nick, great finish and well deserved.
race was ruined for me by my horse being taken wide for every bend and never being there to challenge, really annoyed by it but thats horse racing. roll on the prix du cadran.

well done all winners and placers.

steve

I had a great selection of 3rds, 6ths and 7ths.

My sprinters are better than everything else...

I don't sadly. Was finding it hard to play as it was about 47th season that game - I wish I still had it for breeding purposes, as it had; Double Em, Joni, Sammy Bear, Praise Italia, Acung and Frankel in there

I also didn't know about the league when I had a 2yo who could do 5f in 56seconds

Ahhhhhhhhhh well. I'm happyish with how things are going so far in my debut season