Don't let the sun go down on Folkestone

I'd better get up to date on this blog as regards our runners, because we're having a few.  We had two yesterday, and I'm pleased to say that both went well.  Ethics Girl headed off to Yarmouth with Terri, where she ran well under a massive weight (including Darryll Holland) to finish third in the mile and six handicap.  I went down to Folkestone with Gus and Silken Thoughts, who ran equally well under an even bigger weight (plenty of which was inert as her rider Cathy Gannon doesn't weigh very much) to finish third on her first try at a mile and a half.

Ethics is so reliable and yesterday was yet another mighty run from her.  Silken, on the other hand, hasn't always had things go her way this season - more my fault than hers - so it was particularly pleasing to see her return to something like her best form.  Basically, as I had probably mentioned after her previous run at Folkestone over a shorter trip, it had taken me far too long to get her up to the longer distances which clearly suit her best nowadays.  I'd been on the point of running her over a mile and a half this time last year, but only got round to it yesterday.  Still, better late than never - and she clearly appreciated it, travelling much more kindly through the race and passing other horses in the closing stages, than than being passed.  So that was lovely - as was the day, as you can work out from these before-and-after photos, with the 'before' shot showing her heading off to the start and the 'after' picture showing her coming in off the track behind the unplaced Godolphin runner.

The downside, of course, is that one spent the day half-reflecting that that might prove to be one of our last trips to lovely Folkestone, with the axe being poised over its neck and scheduled to fall at the end of the year.  That's just criminal.  Quite why this is being allowed to happen to a lovely track which invariably produces well-maintained and safe ground, which is extremely well run and which always attracts a good-sized and happy crowd is beyond me.

Shouldn't Jockey Club Racecourses be doing something?  Shouldn't the Horsemen's Group, which seems to have become an expert on racecourse management, be doing something?  Shouldn't we all be doing something?  But, if so, what?  I've said previously that Folkestone is one of my favourite courses, and I might as well say it again now.  And Gus loves it too, as you can see in the second of my second pair of photographs, which naturally come with the caption 'Don't let the sun go down on Folkestone racecourse' (with Silken Thoughts featuring in the first shot, of course).

Looking forward more positively, we have Grand Liaison declared to run at Lingfield on Friday, Zarosa likely to be declared to run at Catterick on Saturday and Simayill (pictured here after her work last Thursday morning, and not to be confused with her former stable-companion of virtually the same name who won the listed Sir John Musker Stakes at Yarmouth this arvo) likely to be declared to run at Kempton on Monday.  We also had Batgirl and Roy entered at Yarmouth this week (today and tomorrow respectively) but the ground is sure to be quite firm there, so it made sense in each case to leave it for another day.  Anyway, let's hope for good runs from those those who do run.