Indian winter

We were lucky enough to have an Indian summer last year. The newest arrival in our team, Steph Ierston, has subsequently enjoyed an Indian winter, because she has spent the winter in Mumbai. We have, of course, 'enjoyed' an English winter, and are still enjoying it, notwithstanding the fact the daytimes recently have been considerably more pleasant than they were. Poor Steph has, though, had to endure a succession of frozen mornings since starting here at the beginning of the month and, while today was March's first dawn of above-zero temperatures, it's been cold enough this arvo and it will freeze again tonight. But it has been dry for six days now, and that's particularly good; especially so as, with conditions drying up, we should be able to run one of these jumpers who have been waiting for less taxing conditions, She Is A Cracker looking likely to run at Stratford on Monday. Yesterday was just the most splendid morning with brilliantly sunny skies above a hard frost - as I hope these photographs suggest, the first being of George Margarson's string cantering up Long Hill AW sometime after 7.00 yesterday morning and the second being of four of Michael Jarvis' horses cantering along the first sand on the side of the Heath quarter of an hour or so later.

Our other new arrival has enjoyed an English winter too, which is surprising as he is Indian - not that you'd know it from his name: Rodney O'Brien. Rodney is from Bangalore but he is of European descent, his father being Ivan O'Brien, an Irish jockey (ex-jockey now, obviously) who found himself enjoying considerable success riding in India and consequently made India his home. So that's two new colleagues we have, which is good. Each, of course, could be forgiven for thinking that the current conditions aren't very nice, but conditions are definitely improving as the days are lengthening, so hopefully we're going in the right direction.

We had a third person accustomed to the Indian sun here this morning because Micky Fenton, who was one of several British or Irish jockeys to spend the winter in the subcontinent, came in to ride out this morning. This helped to make the morning very easy for me, as Saturdays generally are if we have Hannah Nunn, who helps out when she is not at school, here. She rode three this morning and Micky rode one, so I was able to organise things so that I only rode one horse - and that one, Ex Con, is such a pleasure to ride that it meant that my morning was very enjoyable. The string of five which went out at 8.30 featured five horses having their first shot of faster work of the year (for some of them it was their first shot of faster work ever) and that was very satisfactory because all the horses (all of whom are unraced) took the exercise in their stride, as is shown by this photograph of them (left to right: Silken Thoughts and Micky, First Pressing and Steph, Rhythm Stick and Hugh, Asterisk and Rodney, Jenny Dawson and Hannah) walking back down Warren Hill with pricked ears and relaxed expressions. A subsequent lot also saw me on the Heath on foot, as Tony Fordham and I watched Rodney give a very perky-looking Batgirl a couple of canters (pictured) along the first sand on the side of the Heath.

What we've got to do now is to try to have a winner because we don't want to let the side down. Dave Morris hit the target at Kempton last week courtesy of King Canute, who is owned by and ridden out daily by Richard Nunn, Hannah's father, which was really nice. Don Cantillon had a horse win a couple of races on the Flat a week apart last month. Jonathan Jay has had two runners this week for two winners, while Willie Musson has had two winners this week, one ridden by his former apprentice Stevie Donohoe and one ridden by Jamie Mackay, who has been riding out for him - as he is shown here (in the light brown jacket) doing on the morning of the day he rode the winner. Jamie is another under-achieving jockey, but he is such a likeable lad that I'm always very pleased to see him reach the winner's enclosure. So that's four of the five Exeter Road trainers among the winners recently - now it's down to us to try to catch up! And, of course, just around the corner in Rayes Lane we have Mark Tompkins, whose stable has seemed to be permanently in form over the past couple of years. His string is looking good as it readies itself for the forthcoming season. He looks to have plenty of horses in strong work, as this photograph (in which the horses I presume were on their way to the Al Bahathri for a gallop yesterday morning) suggests. The leading rider is yet another man in form: Mark's good apprentice Ashley Morgan, who rode a winner for Jeff Pearce during the week. Ashley's a diligent, hard-working lad who rides well, so that was another victory which I was pleased to note.