First Win for Harry

       Harry Junior Winner at Lingfield

It was great to get another winner on the board yesterday with a first career victory for five-year-old Harry Junior.  He has been a long-term work in progress, which makes his first hurdle success even more rewarding.  Bought as an unraced store horse, he has been very green and babyish but he is finally coming of age and that is showing on the racecourse.  He ran well over 2m4f on his handicap debut at Worcester and progressed again on his first try over three miles at Lingfield yesterday. He led nearly the whole way with his ears pricked and jumped well.  Despite being challenged approaching the last flight of hurdles he flew the hurdle which basically won him the race.  He galloped on strongly to the line and it was a good staying performance.  He is still learning and he will be even better over a fence in the future but I am sure he will continue to build on this performance in the short term.

Purple Owl finished a close fifth in a decent looking novices hurdle while Gold in the Rivers ran his best race to date since joining he yard in finishing second on his chasing debut.  He seemed to enjoy the switch to the larger obstacles and he did nothing wrong in defeat, staying on well to the line.  He was a good each way price and on this evidence he should have no trouble in winning a similar contest.

There are two jumps meetings today at Bangor and Ayr but the stable does not have any runners.  There is no flat racing in Britain and the only Irish action comes on the flat at Dundalk. Jack Tudor is in action at Bangor and looks to have a couple of good chances of adding to his recent winners.

The rain certainly came at Pond House yesterday (and wind!) and in Ireland racing at Fairyhouse was abandoned.

Yesterday, early closing entries were made for the Fighting Fifth hurdle at Newcastle and the Becher Chase at Aintree.  While were didn’t have any entries for the former, King Turgeon has been entered for the Becher Chase on Saturday 6^th December.  He has come out of the weekend well and he seems to love the fences.  We will see what the weather does in the meantime and what the ground is closer to the time as I imagine he would not want it too testing.

NASA is launching a satellite to say sorry to the aliens.

They are calling it Apollo G.

Have a good day!