It has been a relentless day. I rode 6 lots out before taking the Kayf Tara filly to Cheltenham for her vetting. She sailed through and I left James in Cheltenham over night to look after her. James will breeze her in the morning and i'll rush back there as soon as I finished riding out in the morning.
Michelle Hayward came in this morning to massage 2 horses that get a little tight. They do not suffer from tying- up and their muscle enzymes as well within the normal parameters. I have tried various treatments for this type of problem and Michelle certainly helps them more than most, I am also a fan of magnetic rugs and both horses live in them. When she starts treating a new horse I have her every other day for a week and if I see a noticeable change for the better she then treats them twice weekly. I would recommend Michelle to anyone.
On route back from Cheltenham I dropped in at the vets and picked up my young horse who responded to the drugs really well. He'll have an easy week before we start getting him back into full again.
When I came home I put a race on Attheraces website. Sholto my 5 year old son told me who won and who was second before they had gone a furlong, he had watched the race live. I thanked him for this infomation and said I was in fact interested in a horse named Megastyle. I pointed the horse out and he then told me that the jockey fell off once they turned for home. I must admit I doubted him as it was a bumper. However he was spot on!!!! He then went and watched his idol AP McCoy (the champ, as he calls him) win the grand national on Don't Push It for the hundredth time. If anyone wants to know where a horse finished in that race I am sure he'll be able to tell you. He wrote a get well soon card to the champ when he broke his ribs a few weeks ago. In return he received a signed photo of Don't Push It. I think the photo went to school today and is now in his bed. I was totally touched my AP's kindness and thought it was a lovely thing for him to do. He certainly made Sholti a happy boy. Sholto tells me that all he wants to do is be a jockey and can't wait to start pony racing. I'll soon need to repair the arm of the sofa if he continues belting it with a garden cane every day after school.
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Phillip Hobbs trainer file on line on Racing UK. I believe that one can learn so much from listening to people like Mr Hobbs. It was reassuring to know that great trainers like him suffer with the same problems as the lesser ones and that in fact he too makes the same mistakes as I have done with certain horses.
