We are getting a bit bored as we haven't got anything to run right now.I got back from a break to Thailand last Tuesday and was standing on the gallops the next day when it was -6 thinking why didn't I stay another week.
The cold weather has  stopped and we now have the rain which is making the ground very testing.II watched some very good racing from Cheltenham on Saturday but the whole day was marred by the death of Many Clouds which really brings to home what wonderful brave creatures we look after in our business.We all used to see him on the gallops every day with his regular rider Nathan onboard and I suppose we just took it for granted that he would be there every day.Its a very up and down game we are in and it's tragic for everyone involved with 'Clouds' but as Oliver Sherwood said this morning on the gallops 'life goes on' and he is absolutely right as it does!
I have sent out some brochures for our new club (The 25 Club) and have had a very positive response so far. So hopefully we can buy four nice horses in the spring for the club to go to war with next season and run in the better races.
All the horses are well and cantering away so should start getting busy in about two weeks.

We have had very few runners lately as we have done so many wind operations on all of them that we don,t have many to run at the moment which is a bit frustrating .
I ran Wishicould at Newbury last Wednesday and she ran a really nice race to finish third although she is crying out for three miles and should win when we find her the right race . At Wincanton on the Thursday we ran Morney Wing who was very disappointing having won his last race and was eventually pulled up.I am convinced that it was the ground that did for him as he was never travelling.
On Saturday we ran Seventh Sky in the Peter Marsh at Haydock and he never got his way as they went flat out from the start.which didn't suit him at all. There was a very expensive French horse in the race called Alary who was having his first run over here and had been hyped up as a Gold Cup contender. The horse was pulled up after which his jockey was heard to say 'I hope they kept the receipt'!
Only have Like The Sound to run in the next few days so things will be a bit quiet.
I got back this morning having had a week away to find this weather a little bit on the cold side!

We all had a very busy Christmas and just about survived. I had my ex wife,kids,sister and my divorce lawyer round for Christmas lunch and it was very jolly.
We had a few runners at Wetherby on Boxing Day but no great excitements .I ran a nice mare last Saturday called Wishicould and she ran a really good race to be placed in her first hurdle .
I had a very jolly dinner for twelve people on New Years Eve which got a bit messy in the end.I thought it would be great fun to see the New Year in by drinking champagne in my hot tub with all the others. I also thought it would be a good idea to put bubble bath into the hot tub to liven things up a bit. Well nine of us got in and although it was a bit squashed you couldn't see anyone as the foam was about five feet high! I was trying to drink a glass of Bollinger but with three inches of foam on it,it looked more like a pint of Guiness !
I got up on Sunday morning and when I opened the curtains I thought it had been snowing as my lawn was white. On closer inspection it turned out to be foam from the hot tub and a lot of it we could have built a foam man.
On Monday we went to Plumpton with Morney Wing for the Sussex National and I really fancied him as he had been acting like a two year old for the last fortnight.We had Noel Fehily riding and ground was right for him. Then Noel was stood down before the race with flu having ridden the first winner so we had to get Paddy Brennan as a last minute replacement.
Everything went well in the race he jumped beautifully and travelled easily winning fairly nicely in the end. It was a nice race to win on a Bank Holiday Monday especially as the owners are a very good bunch and have supported the yard by having three very nice horses.
We are having a good season and need to get some more horses for the next campaign. At least this year has started better than the last one!

I started the week off at Ascot sales where we sold Airpur Debois and our unbeaten hurdler Chief Bottlewasher. We didn't so much as sell them we more or less gave them away but I suppose that was their true value . I am in a very unusual position right now and one I don't think I've ever been in before and that is that I don't owe the sales companies any money as we speak so I must put that to rights.
I went to the dentist on Wednesday for a filling which cost me £240 and left thinking how can you spend so much money to be put through so much pain!
I have ridden two lots out most days last week but rode Apalis on Friday who spends most of the morning bucking.On the way back to the yard I felt my back go and found it difficult to get off the horse.I got straight into my hot tub and in 20 minutes felt like Rudolph Nureyev. Normally I use the hot tub at night and feel great when I get out but never really know whether that is because of the water or the half bottle of Sancerre that I have just got down me!
We had a very good boys dinner at mine on Saturday where we put the world to right and discussed the finer things in life.
It was a quiet week last week runners wise but we will hopefully run a few this week.

I rode out a couple of lots before going racing at Plumpton on Monday to saddle a lovely mare called Bull and Bush. She hadn't run for over a year but ran a really nice race by finishing third and will obviously come on for the race.
We also had a new secretary start called Lois who has taken over from Sam as Sam was finding it difficult to fit all her jobs in.
We sent Cody Wyoming to Lingfield on Tuesday and he absolutely bolted up in a 14k handicap chase. He won by 12 lengths so the handicapper may take a dim view!
There was a lot of frost last week and it made life a bit difficult as it was not easy to school them until late in the morning when it had thawed a bit.
I jumped my new hunter on Friday and I reckon thats the first time I've been off the floor for well over a year.Anyway I haven't lost it and felt pretty good!
Had a very busy day on Saturday with five people for breakfast and then on the gallops to watch second lot.We also had four runners with three going to Sandown and one going up to Aintree .
The day started with American Gigollo making a mistake at the first and unseating Tommy so not a good start.The next runner was Some Kinda Lama who ran a cracking race to finish second on ground he hated and was not beaten far.We then had Seventh Sky running over the National fences up at Aintree and he jumped super to finish fourth with top weight so put in a very gallant effort.In the last race at Sandown we ran Morney Wing who jumped beautifully to finish a very close third and give all his owners a big thrill.
I must say that the racing at Sandown over the two days summed up everything that is good about National Hunt racing with perfect weather and superb races contested by good horses.We just need to find a few more of them!

Got soaked riding out two lots on Monday but it was quite a good cure for a hangover from lunch the previous day! As I had quite a bit of stew left over from Sunday lunch I stupidly invited the Monday Club round to finish it off thinking there would only be four of them and ten turned up. It was a very jolly lunch considering I was still feeling a little bit shabby from the day before.
We schooled some young horses and they both jumped really well on Tuesday morning with Gavin on one and Tommy on the other.
There was a NTF meeting at Oaksey House in the afternoon (National Trainers Federation) of which I am on the council so I always try to attend.We had a good turn out for it and an even better turn out in the pub after where we all put the world to rights.
I ran Royals and Rebels at Hereford and he ran a nice race finishing fourth but he will be better over a fence.
We had a big schooling day on Thursday with two owners down and a few jockeys in luckily it all went well.
I rode out two lots on Friday and one pulled a bit hard with me which didn't half do my back in. I had half an hour in my hot tub and felt as good as new, it is the best thing I have ever got and it has done my social life a bit of good as well.
I lit the fire and watched the racing on Saturday which I should enjoy but I do find incredibly frustrating. Only about seven years ago we had the second in the Hennessy with Airforceone and I would much rather be on a racecourse than sitting at home watching it!
We had a big day on Sunday with about fourteen members of the Steeplechasers syndicate coming down to see Fixed Rate and Some Kinda Lama schooling over hurdles.All went well and then we had a very enjoyable lunch down at The Hare afterwards. It has been a very successful syndicate and very well run by both Bill Brindle and Andy Stone who have got things spot on.I am going to launch a club to buy four horses for next season and run it along similar lines to The Steeplechasers so watch this space!
I had a new horse arrive from Ireland on Sunday that my daughter Tildie and I are going to hunt and he looks as if he might do the job.
We have a big weekend coming up with entries at Aintree , Sandown and Kelso so with a bit of luck I won't be sat at home in front of the telly!

The week started well when I had two very nice fellas come down to see American Gigollo and subsequently bought him to stay in the yard . Good start to the week !
We schooled Fixed Rate and Apalis for the first time on Tuesday and they both jumped beautifully so they won't take long until they're going over the big ones .
My aga has been a bit dodgey so I had it serviced on Wednesday and now it is as good as new and the ovens are an awful lot warmer .
I donated a share in Cody Wyoming and a breakfast/ gallops to an auction for Shooting Star Chase which is a childrens hospice and they managed to make a total of £3600 for the pair . I received a very humbling letter from the head of fundraising for this charity and I must say that the next time I moan about a horse getting beat I will think about these poor kids and maybe that will put things into perspective .
We had a power cut on Thursday that affected the houses at the top of my property .I must say that Southern Electric were first class and got the job done by 1.30am but at about 3am we had a break in at the yard which caused a bit of damage as they broke in through three doors . The police were fantastic and said they would come round at 8pm on Monday night only three days after the crime had happened . I told them not to bother!
We had a lot of rain which means we can get on the grass gallops now which the horses love for a change and think its great fun.
We ran a nice horse at Ascot on Friday called Doolin who I thought would run well but he didn't get home as he displaced his palate.He is having a wind op today.
I had a lovely owner who came to see me on Saturday called David Barry and I told him I was looking for a new hunter.In the afternoon he rang me to say he had not only found one but also done the deal on it so he arrives this week.