Alderluck

There are three meetings taking place today - a jumps card at Chepstow as well as two all-weather flat cards at Wolverhampton and Kempton.  With all the rain we have had I would imagine that the ground at Chepstow will be very testing and we will be seeing some tired horses.  The stable has no runners this afternoon.  Today is the first day of Spring and while the seasons may change, at least we can rest easy in the knowledge that some things always remain the same - it's going to rain!

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Grand_Exit__By_Degenerate_gallops

*Grand Exit N/R at Warwick this afternoon*

There are three meetings taking place this afternoon - two over the sticks at Haydock and Warwick as well as an all-weather flat card at Kempton.  The ground at the jump meetings will be pretty testing and the stable has two runners at Warwick, High Ville and Grand Exit (pictured above, left).  Both have the form required to be competitive in their respective races and should handle the ground so we will be hoping for the best with them.

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  Chester_boppers

There are three meetings taking place this afternoon at Exeter over the sticks, as well as two fixtures on the all-weather at Southwell and Wolverhampton.  The stable has just one runner, Henok in the novices' chase.  He has to face Jump City and Dare Me who were both rated in the 130's over timber so our runner appears to have a tough task according to official figures.  Nevertheless, he has schooled well at home and will be partnered by man-of-the-moment, Midlands National winning jockey Mikey Ennis.

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midlands_national_2013

What a fantastic performance from Big Occasion to land the Midlands National at Uttoxeter on Saturday afternoon under amateur jockey Mr Mikey Ennis.  Our six year old cruised into the straight running away before going on to win with any amount in hand on only his fifth start over fences.  It was certainly the biggest win of Mikey's career who is now contemplating turning professional...he is certainly tidy and capable.  I wonder if the owners The Old Betfairians had a little wager on the outcome?  With a name like that I wouldn't be at all surprised!

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After all of the excitement of the last week, it seems a bit of a subdued day with only a couple of meetings at Carlisle over the sticks and Lingfield on the all-weather to keep us entertained.  A word of caution - if you are going to have a wager on any of the runners at Carlisle, do make sure that you back horses with guaranteed stamina.  I once walked up the last three furlongs of the home straight and I would liken it more to the north face of the Eiger (not than I have ever climbed the north face of the Eiger, but you know what I mean!).  I can understand why they sometimes say that horses walk from the last there...I was almost crawling!

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Master_Overseer_Uttoxeter

Well, the Festival is all over for another year but there is still plenty of action to look forward to, including five meetings this afternoon...three of them take place over the sticks at Ffos Las, Uttoxeter and Kempton, while there are also two all-weather cards at Wolverhampton and Lingfield.  The higlight of the day is the Midlands Grand National and the stable has two runners in the race, Big Occasion and last year's hero Master Overseer (pictured above).  Master Overseer (or 'Mo' as he is affectionately known in the yard) is much higher in the weights this time around from a mark of 147 but he is a difficult horse to pass when getting into a good early rhythm.  The Tracey Shuffle is our only other runner this afternoon and he takes in the competitive 2m4 1/2f handicap hurdle.

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Matuhi_gallops
                     Matuhi

It is with great sadness that we have to report that Matuhi had to be put down after suffering a fatal injury when falling at the last fence at Cheltenham yesterday.  Our ten year old was in the process of running an excellent race and would certainly have been placed had he not come down at the last.  He was attended to very quickly by the racecourse vets and given every to chance to recover but unfortunately he had to be put to sleep, please be assured he did not suffer.  Matuhi was loved by all the staff at Pond House and this has put a real dampener on everyone's spirits.  Our thoughts and best wishes go to his owners, the Kaplan and Phillips families at this sad time.  Matuhi was the winner of 8 races in his career, on the flat, over hurdles and fences as well as being placed numerous times.  He was great servant to connections and had given great pleasure over many years and he will be greatly missed.

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