I enjoyed my overnight stint in the ATR studio with Matt Chapman, who miraculously managed to avoid saying "Up for the Cup", arguably one of Racing Post's most over-used headlines (which was duly dragooned into print yet again on this occasion). Matt was at his brahmatic best, and seemed to enjoy the night as much as I did. And he coped very well with my contradicting pretty much everything he said! I was, as seems to happen every year, surprised and relieved to find how easy it was to get through the night, even with my stamina being particularly tested by the fact that I'd prepared for the night with a trip to Kempton. Mind you, I recall that
last year I went to Kempton on the Tuesday, having been up all night, which is probably over all a more taxing way of doing things. So, by comparison, a trip there on the Monday wasn't making things too hard. We're still enjoying some unseasonably pleasant weather, but recalling last year's trip to Kempton I remember revelling in the fact that I was walking around the racecourse in shirt-sleeves in November, which is what I was doing again this year - so perhaps conditions are not unseasonal at all: something ceases to be unusual if it becomes the norm. You'll have seen the Kadou ran well again at Kempton, finishing second again. He
was actually flattered to be second as the leader and seemingly certain winner fell at the last, and he was well beaten by the horse who became a lucky winner. Still, it was a race contested solely by horses with form, so second of the seven finishers was far from a disgrace. He did seem to find some of the fences a bit of a struggle: he's only very small by steeplechasing standards, and the little bit of extra size (as Gus observed when inspecting the track) which fences on Grade One tracks seem to have probably isn't ideal for him. Still, despite finding things hard work, he ran his usual brave race and didn't let his evident tiredness (which is clear in the after-race photograph) deter him. I'll try to keep him to lesser tracks henceforth and I remain hopeful that he might achieve an ambition for me by adding a steeplechase victory to the Flat and hurdles wins on his CV. He truly is a very, very special horse.
I'm sure that the weather is going to spoil shortly, but it really is lovely while these mild conditions last. October was a vintage edition of that month, and November has started mild, sunny and dry. It was lovely this morning, conditions being ones in which man, horse and dog alike could revel. In such lovely weather, it was inevitable that my camera wouldn't stay in my pocket for long, and Dr Darcey's friendly face made an obvious subject for some sunny-morning snaps. The Dr is entered at Sandown on Saturday, but there look to be some very promising
French imports in the race, so I think that we'd be well advised to wait awhile, probably until Folkestone ten days later. Alcalde will run at Sandown, but the Dr can stay at home and spend some quality time with his mates, as we can see him doing in these after-work pictures this morning of him saying "G'day" firstly to Gus and then to his mini-me, Karma Chameleon. I hope that my energy levels will be back to normal by Saturday; they are a bit low at present after my sleepless night, but I'll turn in now, and I hope that nine hours in bed might help get me back to normal.
I enjoyed my overnight stint in the ATR studio with Matt Chapman, who miraculously managed to avoid saying "Up for the Cup", arguably one of Racing Post's most over-used headlines (which was duly dragooned into print yet again on this occasion). Matt was at his brahmatic best, and seemed to enjoy the night as much as I did. And he coped very well with my contradicting pretty much everything he said! I was, as seems to happen every year, surprised and relieved to find how easy it was to get through the night, even with my stamina being particularly tested by the fact that I'd prepared for the night with a trip to Kempton. Mind you, I recall that
last year I went to Kempton on the Tuesday, having been up all night, which is probably over all a more taxing way of doing things. So, by comparison, a trip there on the Monday wasn't making things too hard. We're still enjoying some unseasonably pleasant weather, but recalling last year's trip to Kempton I remember revelling in the fact that I was walking around the racecourse in shirt-sleeves in November, which is what I was doing again this year - so perhaps conditions are not unseasonal at all: something ceases to be unusual if it becomes the norm. You'll have seen the Kadou ran well again at Kempton, finishing second again. He 
was actually flattered to be second as the leader and seemingly certain winner fell at the last, and he was well beaten by the horse who became a lucky winner. Still, it was a race contested solely by horses with form, so second of the seven finishers was far from a disgrace. He did seem to find some of the fences a bit of a struggle: he's only very small by steeplechasing standards, and the little bit of extra size (as Gus observed when inspecting the track) which fences on Grade One tracks seem to have probably isn't ideal for him. Still, despite finding things hard work, he ran his usual brave race and didn't let his evident tiredness (which is clear in the after-race photograph) deter him. I'll try to keep him to lesser tracks henceforth and I remain hopeful that he might achieve an ambition for me by adding a steeplechase victory to the Flat and hurdles wins on his CV. He truly is a very, very special horse.
I'm sure that the weather is going to spoil shortly, but it really is lovely while these mild conditions last. October was a vintage edition of that month, and November has started mild, sunny and dry. It was lovely this morning, conditions being ones in which man, horse and dog alike could revel. In such lovely weather, it was inevitable that my camera wouldn't stay in my pocket for long, and Dr Darcey's friendly face made an obvious subject for some sunny-morning snaps. The Dr is entered at Sandown on Saturday, but there look to be some very promising 
French imports in the race, so I think that we'd be well advised to wait awhile, probably until Folkestone ten days later. Alcalde will run at Sandown, but the Dr can stay at home and spend some quality time with his mates, as we can see him doing in these after-work pictures this morning of him saying "G'day" firstly to Gus and then to his mini-me, Karma Chameleon. I hope that my energy levels will be back to normal by Saturday; they are a bit low at present after my sleepless night, but I'll turn in now, and I hope that nine hours in bed might help get me back to normal.
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