The 3 horses we took for an away gallop pleased me, they worked over a straight mile and 1 furlong. All others either went for routine canters or into the loose school for more jumping practise. It was one of those mornings when I wondered if we would ever get through it all. By the time we did I had to turn around and ride Glens Boy for the second time, he is a huge horse who has just receovered form a soft pallet operation and will take some getting fit. He goes out twice a day and hack canters for miles.
The entries at Chaddesley Corbett are huge and I can see a 10 race card by the time they divide a few. Thankfully, Trouble Digger is in the 2nd race so he will get the best of the ground. I have expressed my concerns previously about maidens racing on the worse ground at the end of the day. Of course I want the best ground for my horses which are predominately maidens, however it makes sense for many reasons. A maiden jumping out of cut up bottomless ground does nothing for their confidence, it is also so much harder for them, resulting in more fallers and the horses in general getting a much harder race than need be. NOT an ideal introduction to racing. Maidens on the whole, mind and a few others excluded are the future of the sport, in my mind they should get the best of the ground. Billy Biscuit could end up racing on ground that has been galloped over by 150 horses, this alone would stop me running him. Sometimes a little commmom sense would prevail!
Sholto and Panda have gone with their mother to the Heythrop carol service, Tilly has stayed at home with me to help at evening stables. She has been preparing for a Wizard of Oz performance on Friday afternoon and says she has sung enough for one day.
