Pre-Christmas runners

I'm behind with my blogging again, I'm afraid, but I had better throw out a brief chapter before turning in on a Saturday night as we have runners over the next couple of days.  We hadn't had a runner for nearly three weeks until Roy (pictured going to post under Hector Crouch) ran at Kempton on Tuesday night and, although things didn't work out, he didn't do too much wrong.  He'd run well from the back of the field on the previous occasion and we had him ridden a bit closer to the pace this time.  He's a very buzzy horse and this didn't work out as he did too much, too soon and inevitably weakened, but he'll be right.

Our next roll of the dice comes tomorrow afternoon when Russian Link (pictured coming home from a schooling session at the Links this morning) runs at Fakenham.  We'd hoped to have three runners at the meeting, but that had gone down to two by the time that the entries closed on Monday; and by declaration time on Friday that had gone down to one.  So let's hope that that one runner can be worthwhile (and that she remains in good shape, lest the team is further reduced to zero before 2.30 tomorrow afternoon).

We then have our final pre-Christmas runner (and what ought to be our penultimate runner of the year) on Monday afternoon at Kempton when Senator Matt (pictured on the Heath yesterday morning having a stalls' practice session under Robert Tart) makes his debut in a mile maiden race.  He's an unraced four-year-old, but he's been very straightforward since arriving here in the summer, so I hope that nothing will intervene and that he will indeed not be an unraced five-year-old.  He's proved a model pupil really, so it'll be very nice to get him started.  So, while Christmas is obviously on everyone's mind at present, what's really on my mind is running these two horses tomorrow and the next day.  Fingers crossed, both should perform with credit.