Monday, 09 February 2015 10:05

Monday 9th Feb

Well after a bit of a winner drought and an outbreak of ‘placeditis’ it was great to have a winner at Kempton on Friday.

 Four runners meant a busy day for the team, and a two lorry trip, which turned into a story on its own!

Under the Phone and Thomas Crapper on the first box, with Holly and me – Kelly and Harriet with the two bumper horses leaving later.

 An uneventful trip with the first two, but the peace shattered as we arrived at the races to a call from the other box to say that they has had a blow out on the motorway! An immediate turn around for me, abandoning Holly with the boys! A few phone calls resulted in a friend dropping everything and going to their assistance with a replacement lorry – a complete motorway closure of the M40 as they swapped lorries, a meeting at Oxford services to swap again onto my lorry and a dash back to the races, leaving Harriet to wait for the breakdown guys to finally appear with a new tyre!

 As always great teamwork, and huge thank you to Roy Hall who came to the rescue, getting to the girls faster than I could to get the horses off the motorway, the motorway police where also great and the team at Kempton just got on with it and had a winner whilst we were on the M25!! Gutted to miss the action, but managed to watch Under the Phone finish on Kelly’s phone whilst in a very slow bit. I think anyone near us must have thought they were next to a couple of lunatics jumping up and down and yelling our heads off, with three barking dogs also joining in!  

 Thrilled for The Tricksters who have had a torrid time of late with losing their previous horse Ballyhooley Boy to colic last year. A good many of the group there to cheer UTP home and other members keeping up with the action from as far away as New York, Burma and India!! The emails afterwards made for some great reading!

 Also chuffed for Joe who rode a super race and was not fazed by taking on the champion jockey going to the last! In fact AP was so disgusted at being beaten by Joe that he announced his retirement the next day!!

This winner reduced Joes'  claim to 7lb – he is well worth it and deserves to get a lot more opportunities.

 Thomas Crapper was having a run before Cheltenham, and had a nice jump round and a gallop – track probably not suiting him too well – he prefers a hill in his way!

 The two bumper horses both disliking the sticky ground. Myroundorurs is a lovely, good moving baby chaser, he pulled far too hard for his own good, and will want better ground and has to learn to settle. Our first runner for Andrew and Jane Nicholls, who we are delighted to be training for, welcome to them and we hope to have lots of success for them.

 The Lion Man ran well for a first run, he is a replacement horse for John and Margaret Cooper who own Dancing Daffodil with us. DD is off to stud, so ‘Roary’ (I know it’s a good one !!) has some big hoof prints to fill!

 Thankfully no drama on the way home, and to The Blue Boar for a celebration steak when we got home. Everyone far too tired to cook, and as usual the pub very accommodating regarding cooking late for us. Thoroughly recommended if you are in the area.

Happily all the horses home safely and fine the next day.

 

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