July week

I hope that we will have a runner tomorrow, as the plan is to head off to Chepstow with Ethics Girl (pictured at Goodwood in May). It'll be July Cup Day and part of my thoughts will be on the July Course, rooting for Scenic Blast and Takeover Target (I'll be cheering for them both equally fervently, so I've listed them alphabetically so there shall be no favouritism) but the 9.10 at Chepstow will be our July Cup, and that's where I'll be. Let's hope for no cock-ups - and as Alan Munro is engaged, we should at least be guaranteed a ten-out-of-ten ride. We had a runner on Monday, although we actually should have had two. I scratched Stardust Memories as I wasn't totally happy with her when I rode her the previous morning - and thank God I did so, because Carol duly found a few things amiss with her on Tuesday morning. These are easily fixed and are no big deal, but I was just so glad that I hadn't run her because it would have been to nobody's benefit for her to have run. Least of all hers. So that left us with Douchkette running. She ran satisfactorily and behaved well, so that was very pleasing. It was not, granted, a debut to have one checking the entry book to see whether entries for the Yorkshire Oaks had closed; but she wasn't disgraced, tried her best and seemed to enjoy the sport. So, fingers crossed she'll make the grade at whatever turns out to be her level.It was very nice to have George Baker on board her, because George is a jockey I very much like. He's ridden for us since he was a lightweight claiming apprentice and has invariably provided a very satisfactory and professional service. Not that it's now easy to remember that he was once a lightweight apprentice, as he's about the same size as me (but considerably more accomplished at keeping himself trim), and it's interesting to compare this photograph of him making Douchkette look quite small with the one in the previous chapter, in which Clare Lindop makes the filly look massive!

July Week is always a busy one, and one of the ways of filling the time again came courtesy of an invitation to the Darley Stallion Parade at Dalham Hall Stud I was delighted to be there today, to enjoy a really good lunch after inspecting some of the world's classiest stallions, including of course last year's Derby winner New Approach (the chestnut pictured below) and another stallion whom I particularly admire, the 2003 2,000 Guineas winner Refuse To Bend (the bay pictured above). After enjoying the Sheikh's hospitality, I was very pleased to see Godolphin have three winners today, two at Newmarket and one at Folkestone - the investment of money and enthusiasm which Sheikh Mohammed has put into racing means that one would have to have something seriously wrong with one's brain if one begrudged him success.

As you'll have worked out, now that I've finally and belatedly taught myself how to download photographs, I've gone mad doing so. I took a couple of crackers this morning - well, they aren't good photographs, but the subjects are pretty special. The first one could be entitled 'David and Goliath'.I took this at around 6.15 this morning as I was making my way home on my first horse of the morning, Anis Etoile. I was very pleased to find myself coming home behind Takeover Target, one day before his July Cup bid. In addition to wishing Jay Ford and Joe Janiak good luck (it's Joe's son in the photograph, but Joe was waiting at the end of the Heath for his charge), I was also very pleased to take a (very bad) shot which had him in the (sort of) foreground and some of the massed Godolphin blue ranks in the background. The following lot we bumped into Dan Morton on Scenic Blast so I was able to salute him too, and then on the way home we passed Luca's string, which presented a perfect photo-opportunity: three Aussie jockeys side by side, Kathy O'Hara, Michelle Payne and Brad Rawiller. Douchkette was kind enough to stand stillish while I took a few photos (I have to take several to give myself any chance of having one usable shot) and the hoops were kind enough to keep smiling.

Tomorrow sees the culmination of Richard Dunwoody's 1,000 hours of walking. He's done ever so well, because he's so full of the joys of spring despite his punishing schedule. I had the great pleasure of walking another couple of miles with him this afternoon: I had cycled up to the Bedford Lodge to drop a cheque off, only to be invited to join the next trek which would be setting off a bit later on. It was a very jolly gathering, including Declan Murphy, Jim Crowley, Seamus Durack, Jamie Railton, the former decent apprentice (and now Godolphin employee) James Bosley and Richard's mother, plus some of the team of proper walkers including 1956 Melbourne Olympics contender Eric Hall, and it was a pleasure to take part again. I'm sure that Richard and his support team will be happy enough to see the back of the ordeal, but its termination will be rather sad from everyone else's point of view, because he has brought great joy and enthusiasm to the town. For that alone we can thank and salute him, over and above the colossal sum which he will have raised for the four charities. So my wish-list for tomorrow largely centres around Ethics Girl winning at Chepstow, Scenic Blast and Takeover Target filling the quinella in either order in the July Cup, and Richard enjoying his final mile up the July Course. He certainly deserves to.