Good omen?

We've had a good omen for our trip to Kempton tomorrow with Karma Chameleon: Dave Morris, who occupies the far side of this property, sent out a winner there this evening, Zaheeb (ie 25% of Dave's string, pictured here back in the summer, ridden by his trainer) winning under a typically excellent ride from William Carson, who promptly rode the first winner which he his dad, Willie's son Tony, has trained in the next race. William has had a really good tutor (Stuart Williams) and that education, complemented by the Carson genes, seems to have produced a really good jockey. So that was grand, and let's see if we can't make it two winners by Haafhd at this Kempton meeting for Beverley House Stables. Since we've been targetting Karma Chameleon at the AW, I've noticed that Haafhd has a lot of winners on the AW. When the baby doctor (ie Karma Chameleon) finished second at Kempton last time, Amy Weaver had a winner by Haafhd on the same card; and then I noticed two Haafhds winning on the same AW card shortly after that. I am sure that one could provide a very convoluted line of reason to show that Haafhd's stock are, by stride pattern or the like, particularly well suited by the AW, but I suspect that it's nothing more complicated that because Haafhds in general are not very good he has a lot of runners in the winter. On the subject of Amy's winner, by the way, I ought to salute her for that project: she bought the (seemingly very unsound) horse out of John Dunlop's stable at the Horses-in-Training sale for around 3,500 gns, ran him in two claimers for two wins, and had him claimed, by Tom Dascombe, for 12,000 pounds after the second of those two victories, around a month after his arrival in the stable. I would be very surprised if it does not turn out that Amy had the better of both of the deals in which she was involved with this horse. Anyway, our dear little Haafhd (pictured here on Monday, enjoying one of the greatest luxuries which the world can offer a horse, ie a roll in the mud on a sunny day) heads to Kempton tomorrow, so let's hope that he can further enhance his father's excellent AW record.

As the pictures of Doctor jr show, we're still doing very well with the weather. True, it's been stormy, but we've been very lucky in that nearly all the bad weather has happened at night. We've had very little rain during daylight hours, and the worst of the fierce winds seem to have raged during the night too. And, of course, storms keep the temperatures up. So we've basically been having bright, spring-like days - which probably explains why we've already got some bulbs (daffodils?) pushing their shoots upwards into the light. They'll realise the error of their ways, of course, when we do get some consistent frosts, but they provide an interesting and heartening sight at present. So all remains rather pleasant, as is suggested by this view which I enjoyed while trotting around the Severals yesterday. What has made the week even more pleasing so far is that both of the yearlings currently present are now both broken. Roy, as you know, was ridden last week, so for the past couple of days he's been ridden while the Nayef gelding who came from the December Sale was long-reined. Anyway, as of today both are broken, which is great. They make a very good pair so, while there's no hurry for either of them and I doubt that either will be doing much/anything during the first quarter of the year, they can wander around between now and Christmas to ensure that, if and when they have a spell so that they can get a bit older in peace, they will head off for it knowing too much to forget it all while they're on holiday. The Nayef, in particular, is wonderfully bold, and it was a real pleasure to watch him having his first riding lesson from Hannah this morning: it was all a big adventure to be enjoyed for him, and if he approaches all his tasks so willingly (which I am sure that he will do) then he surely has a good future ahead of him. Let's hope that they both have.

I can't close without saluting John Egan (pictured on what I think remains his most recent British winner, the David Griffiths-trained Not My Choice at Wolverhampton 15 months ago) for returning to the winner's enclosure, on the Michael Halford-trained Salam Alaykum at Dundalk on Friday night. John doesn't ride very much in the British Isles nowadays - he's only had seven rides in Britain this year and 20 rides in Ireland for one win - but he's as good a jockey as you'll ever see, and he's such an ingrained horseman that his ability to ride will only desert him the day the ability to breath deserts him. Elsewhere, another top jockey kept his end up today. It must have been tough for William Kennedy to watch, rather than ride, Time For Rupert running at Newbury in the softest race he's contested for three or four years. I'd say that I'd have won today's race on him, never mind William doing so, but life goes on - and William gave the best example of business as usual on his only ride of the day, finishing second on a 125/1 shot in an earlier novice hurdle. As I've said previously, he'll bounce back. As, of course, will Jimmy Quinn (pictured) who has been rubbed out for six months for keeping the wrong company. I'm delighted to find that Jimmy has, as I had expected, been cleared of any wrong-doing while in the saddle - and the benefit of reaching middle age is that six months nowadays pass in the twinkling of an eye. He'll be back next summer and will then have several more years of good riding in him. And he'll find that I'll be merely one of many trainers still keen to use him.