International stable

We'll have runners in two countries tomorrow, which is quite a thought.  Admittedly that's only England and Scotland, but the two courses are the best part of 500 miles apart.  I'll head off at the end of the morning today with Frankie (ie Douchkirk, pictured on the Al Bahathri on Thursday with Lucinda) up to Musselburgh, and then Hugh will go down to Plumpton tomorrow with Wasabi (seen schooling up at the Links on Tuesday).

It's not feasible to go to Musselburgh and back in a day, and in this case heading up this afternoon and then coming home tomorrow after racing seems the best way to do it.  It would have worked out perfectly if we'd been in an early race tomorrow, but we're not: we're in the second last at 4.20 so I can't see myself getting home before midnight, but c'est la vie.

We've had such drying weather in the south over the past few days (as these two photographs taken yesterday morning suggest)  that one can fall into the trap of assuming that similar conditions persist all over the UK.  Sadly, that's not the case, and on the weather map I can see a very solid band of rain over central Scotland.  One has just got to hope that Musselburgh doesn't get too much of a drenching as it would be a debacle to head all that way to run on ground that is too soft for Frankie.

It was close to good there at the time of entry, but has subsequently deteriorated to 'good to soft, soft in places', so we've just got to hope that it it deteriorates no further.  The good thing is that at Musselburgh - especially when it's windy, which it's going to be - the ground, being sand based, only slightly above sea-level and only half a mile inland, dries constantly other than when it's raining.  So we've just got to hope that it doesn't spend too long raining.  We'll see.  And, as ever, we'll head off hoping for the best.