Lovely horses - other people's and ours

I've seen some lovely horses over the past few days. I enjoyed Epsom via television - and I really do mean ENJOYED - so can't claim to have become too familiar with the horses there, but Scorpion on TV looked as magnificent as ever when winning the Coronation Cup. I'd still hesitate to say that he's back to the form he showed as a three-year-old, but let's hope he's on the way. You'd rarely see a horse sweat more before a big staying race and still win it, but it was refreshing to hear Aidan O'Brien's lack of scare-mongering post-race: when asked if had been worried about it, he said that he'd probably have worried more if he hadn't sweated, because all it had signified was that he was a horse who sweats a lot, which apparently he does every day at exercise. Being able to hear good interviews like that is one of main reasons why I prefer generally to watch big meetings on television rather than attend them. And if you'd have been there you'd have missed the interview with Brett Johnson (who seemed as if he was on his way to a funeral, probably in somewhere like Dunedin) and Mark Gallagher (who looked as if he'd been beamed in from Mars, and as if he believed that that was happening was normal) before Leander's bold challenge for the Derby. Authorized was the obvious star, and I particularly enjoyed his win because of having expected it, because of having written a really glowing grey panel on his Derby credentials last October and because of having enjoyed admiring him most days in his build-up. However, despite Authorized's brilliance, he had to share star billing with the people. Frankie Dettori was the obvious story, and a very good and happy one, but the Oaks to Henry Cecil was the best result of all. And the fact that Ted Durcan was the pilot was the icing on the cake. One just had to admire Aidan O'Brien's ongoing run of success - first and second in the Coronation Cup, second and third in the Oaks, second in the Derby - and the fact that he used eight Irish(-based) jockeys for his eight Derby runners. And Hogmaneigh winning the Vodafone Dash for Stuart Williams and Saleem Golam was another very pleasing result. In short, it was two days of the best racing.

And then we had day three yesterday, which was Prix du Jockey-Club day at Chantilly. It's become a tradition (started last year when I turned 40) for me to have a birthday week, and a day trip to France kicked it off. It was a long day (leaving home at 5.00 after having checked the horses and done one or two things in the yard, and returning at 11.15, with about 570 miles of driving in the interim) but a really good one. We took Alix Choppin and Francis Graffard as navigators, and their local knowledge ensured that we only got lost twice. Francis actually managed to navigate himself onto Sheikh Mohammed's aeroplane for the return journey, and without his assistance we managed to cut down on the wrong turns. We also took Pippa Cuckson (above with her fellow owners), part-owner of the William Haggas-trained Conquest who carried Hugh Bowman into a creditable fifth place in the sprint. Pippa ensured that there was never a dull moment on the journey, keeping us entertained with a flow of trenchant aphorisms (including that one, which she borrowed from Peter Willett). So it was a lovely day, an enjoyable journey to a lovely place to see some fine horses and great racing, and in excellent company.

The enthusiasm for Frankie Dettori's win on Lawman (top picture) in the Prix du Jockey-Club was infectious, but my dispatches give particular mentions to: Walk In The Park (left), a magnificent half-crazy giant stallion who was having only his fourth run since finishing second in the 2005 Derby; No Dream, only sixth in the Prix du Jockey-Club, but a truly beautiful and lovely horse; Vision Celebre, a lovely lightly-raced grey horse who finished second for the Aga Khan in the Grand Prix de Chantilly; Champs Elysees, aged four but still looking so immature - it's easy to believe that he will eventually land the obligatory Group One that seems to be the norm for all the children of Hasili; and All Is Vanity, a brave filly who gave David Barons' former jumps jockey Stuart Cargeeg, now a trainer in Marseilles, and provincial hoop Franck Blondel a very happy Group Two success in the Prix de Sandringham. Another great day.

So let's hope for great days for us this week. However excited I was by the racing at Epsom and Chantilly, I'll be going to Lingfield tomorrow and Nottingham on Wednesday far more keyed up. I gave Milton two steady five-furlong canters this morning and he feels on great terms with himself for his resumption under Brett Doyle at Lingfield. He still blew quite hard after his last gallop on Thursday, so a win first-up, especially from the worst draw, probably wouldn't be a realistic expectation, but he should run well. As should Lady Suffragette at Southwell in the evening. I won't be there, but I passed Saleem Golam as I rode Milton past Mark Tompkins' stable this morning and so I told him all he needs to know about her. She should run well. As should By Storm on Wednesday. Her not running has been a source of frustration in recent weeks, but she gets an outing in what should be a weak race, so it would be disappointing if she can't put up a good show. It's a race for inexperienced apprentices, which can be a minefield, but Marvin Cheung, Greg Chung's apprentice who will ride her, is a sensible lad and a good rider, so let's hope he can secure a smooth passage for her. And if you are wondering about Kirsty's absence from our Tuesday runners, she picked up a one-day suspension when she rode Michael Tabor's horse at Pontefract the other week.

And if you are wondering about Somewhere Safer's performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday, she wasn't good enough to be competitive, which was neither unpredictable nor disastrous. She'll be back in her own grade next time and remains a lovely horse in very safe hands. It was a thrill to have her run in a big race - now we've got to concentrate on getting one of these horses here ready and worthy to do the same thing.