Heat at last

We're having a spell of glorious weather which seems to have come out of nowhere.  We had two runners last week - Dereham at Bath on Tuesday and Turn Of Phrase at Chepstow on Thursday - and it's easy to forget that when we went to Bath it was a relief to get there and find warm weather.  It had been unseasonably chilly when we left Newmarket in the morning and it was fairly chilly when we got home at night, so we really were luxuriating in the 21 degrees or whatever it was at Bath.  And that was only six days ago!  It seems like six weeks ago after the past three days of temperatures here nudging 30 degrees.  Long may this good weather last!

The two runners were both unplaced but neither was beaten very far and both, and each ran respectably.  For both I had a feeling early in the race that it wouldn't be our day.  Both jockeys rode very well and did exactly what I asked them to do, but in each case it was clear that the race was not panning out in a way which would not play to the horse's strength.  But no harm done.  Dereham is one of our two planned runners this week (at Chepstow on Friday night) and I'd hope that he should have a chance there.  Turn Of Phrase may go to Bath next week.

More immediately, we have Hidden Pearl going to Nottingham tomorrow evening.  She's third favourite in an eight-horse race, preferred only by the two last-start winners, and I think that that's fair enough.  Perhaps the best tip is that provided by her 2021 form figures: 6543.  Will she finish second this time?  She might.  We also had Broughtons Mission entered this week, at Catterick on Wednesday.  However, we elected not to run him.  It's very hot at present and that makes race-days harder for the horse.  You'd run if it was clearly the correct race for the horse and the horse was ready to run well, as is the case with Hidden Pearl and Dereham, but in this horse's case it was going to be his first run of 2021 and his first for us, and only the second race of his career, so there's no urgency and it clearly makes sense to wait until next week when it won't be quite so hot (although hopefully it'll still be fairly hot).