Christmas Eve

Although there is no racing on until Boxing Day, it is still all go at the stables.  All horses still need feeding, mucking out, grooming and riding out so there will be plenty of staff in over the festive period.  David will be planning the travel arrangements for the five Boxing Day meetings, as well as our Irish runners.  The owners will all be keen to run and will doubtless take family and friends.  At the moment it looks as though most of the meetings will get the go ahead - the biggest threat this year would appear to be the rain rather than freezing conditions that blighted our winter last season.

Although there is no racing on until Boxing Day, it is still all go at the stables.  All horses still need feeding, mucking out, grooming and riding out so there will be plenty of staff in over the festive period.  David will be planning the travel arrangements for the five Boxing Day meetings, as well as our Irish runners.  The owners will all be keen to run and will doubtless take family and friends.  At the moment it looks as though most of the meetings will get the go ahead - the biggest threat this year would appear to be the rain rather than freezing conditions that blighted our winter last season.

I still think that it is a great shame that one of our local tracks, Newton Abbot sold their winter meetings some time ago after years of waterlogging, to concentrate on summer fixtures.  Ironically since they reorganised their schedule the weather down this way (I live only a few miles down the road) has been unseasonably mild and dry and they wouldn't have had many problems!

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There will be one fewer familiar face in the yard in the New Year with the retirement of former Hennessey Gold Cup winner Madison du Berlais (pictured right).  Madison has been a grand old campaigner down the years and he enjoyed a standout season in 2008/9 when winning Newbury's great chase.  He went on to add Grade 2 success at Kempton with a decisive victory over Denman before winning the Totesport Bowl at Aintree (again having taken Denman's measure when his rival came to grief two out).  He just seems to have become a bit wise to the game, but owes nobody anything.  Indeed, owing to Madison's efforts owners Roger Stanley and Yvonne Reynolds have been able to invest in further horses - the result...Grands Crus and his full-brother Gevrey Chambertin and you certainly couldn't complain if you owned them!  Madison is sound, happy and healthy and is another good illustration of David knowing when the time is right to call it a day with these wonderful old campaigners.

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Finally, I would just like to wish Gerry Supple (left) a happy 34th birthday.  Gerry, who still has the odd ride from time to time, has been at the yard for donkey's years and does a good job with the schooling of the horses at home, while he also regularly assists at the races.