It'll be another late night tomorrow: we're in the 9.10 at Stratford, which will probably mean getting home around half past midnight. But it will be worth it if Frankie runs well (while it won't be worth it if he doesn't). The Racing Post has put him in as favourite, but I don't know that he necessarily will go off as such, with Nicky Henderson having a previous winner in the race and with Paul Nicholls having a runner who has been placed in his only point-to-point (and who was, presumably, bought for a king's ransome). So it might be a decent enough race for the time of year, and running well definitely won't be dependent solely on winning. I'm sure that Frankie will run well, though, even though I'm not sure quite where that will leave us; and I'm also sure that he'll be well ridden. No William tomorrow as the race is restricted to conditionals and amateurs - but, while
I always like to have William on board, that certainly shouldn't be a disadvantage as we'll have the excellent local amateur Jack Quinlan on board. Jack came in early on Saturday morning and rode him (above - on a damp drab morning, which contrasted markedly with the conditions two days later, ie this morning, when Sara is pictured at the end of Bury Hill AW on the same horse at the start of the hottest day of the year so far) which was typically conscientious: Jack is an outstanding young rider whom I'd use unhesitatingly on any horse for whom William was not available. In fact, it's rather unfortunate for Jack that we do have William as I'd be happy to have Jack riding them all, really. Still, from our point of view we've got the best of both worlds, being able to call on two very good riders. We've people like this on our side, how could we go wrong?
With these late nights surrounded by the inevitable early mornings, one doesn't necessarily want to fit many social engagements into an already over-full day. However, there were two events which I was delighted to attend over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding and subsequent reception of two very special people, Camilla Milbank and Jamie Trotter. As some of you might recall, their lives were knocked for six almost two years ago when Camilla suffered a very bad fall on the gallops on
Racecourse Side when riding work for Luca Cumani (pictured at the reception with some of the "Cumanites" - in this case, Ed Walker, Marco Botti, Guillermo Arrizkoreta, Simon Sweeting and myself, who have all made their way into the world with varying degrees of success since enjoying a good education in his employment - and it was a particular pleasure to see Guillermo at the wedding, one of my favourite people who is now back in his native Spain,
training with great success, with the last two Spanish Derbys having fallen to his charges) which has left her seemingly permanently paralysed from the chest downwards. It is probably the case that one learns most about people from how they face adversity; and since that awful day both Camilla and Jamie have shown themselves to be people of the highest calibre (which was something which we knew already). They genuinely have met with Disaster, but have brushed it aside in the most magnificent way possible. To be present at their special happy day, therefore, was a true delight, as hundreds of well-wishers took pleasure in their happiness and wished them all the
good fortune which they both so richly deserve. Let's hope that they can enjoy as long and as happy a life together as Colin and Eileen Casey (pictured firstly with their long-standing friend Willie Snaith, while Colin is then pictured with their neighbour Jimmy Uttley, while two more friends, Vince Smith and Brian Raynes, are then pictured at the table together) have done - the following day I had the pleasure of lunching in the Rosary in Exning as one of the guests at their 55th wedding anniversary. That was a lovely occasion and again it was a delight to be a guest of two very special people on their special occasion.
And where's the brahma in all that, you might ask. Well, therein does not lie the brahma of the chapter; that came today. I've had a very political day, with a meeting of the East Anglian branch of the National Trainers' Federation this afternoon followed by a meeting of Newmarket Town Council this evening. You might find it hard to spot the brahma there at first glance - but it was there all the same. You might be aware that the Rowley Mile is used as a conference centre on non-racing days. There might be three or four conferences taking place on one day, in various different parts of the stands. One of today's conferences was our trainers' meeting (which itself was a barrelful of brahmae). Anyway, on my way in I amused myself in trying to decide whether there were two different conferences taking place in the same part of the stand, or whether there was one conference which was being described in two equally appropriate ways. Decide for yourself.
It'll be another late night tomorrow: we're in the 9.10 at Stratford, which will probably mean getting home around half past midnight. But it will be worth it if Frankie runs well (while it won't be worth it if he doesn't). The Racing Post has put him in as favourite, but I don't know that he necessarily will go off as such, with Nicky Henderson having a previous winner in the race and with Paul Nicholls having a runner who has been placed in his only point-to-point (and who was, presumably, bought for a king's ransome). So it might be a decent enough race for the time of year, and running well definitely won't be dependent solely on winning. I'm sure that Frankie will run well, though, even though I'm not sure quite where that will leave us; and I'm also sure that he'll be well ridden. No William tomorrow as the race is restricted to conditionals and amateurs - but, while
I always like to have William on board, that certainly shouldn't be a disadvantage as we'll have the excellent local amateur Jack Quinlan on board. Jack came in early on Saturday morning and rode him (above - on a damp drab morning, which contrasted markedly with the conditions two days later, ie this morning, when Sara is pictured at the end of Bury Hill AW on the same horse at the start of the hottest day of the year so far) which was typically conscientious: Jack is an outstanding young rider whom I'd use unhesitatingly on any horse for whom William was not available. In fact, it's rather unfortunate for Jack that we do have William as I'd be happy to have Jack riding them all, really. Still, from our point of view we've got the best of both worlds, being able to call on two very good riders. We've people like this on our side, how could we go wrong?
With these late nights surrounded by the inevitable early mornings, one doesn't necessarily want to fit many social engagements into an already over-full day. However, there were two events which I was delighted to attend over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon we had the great pleasure of attending the wedding and subsequent reception of two very special people, Camilla Milbank and Jamie Trotter. As some of you might recall, their lives were knocked for six almost two years ago when Camilla suffered a very bad fall on the gallops on 
Racecourse Side when riding work for Luca Cumani (pictured at the reception with some of the "Cumanites" - in this case, Ed Walker, Marco Botti, Guillermo Arrizkoreta, Simon Sweeting and myself, who have all made their way into the world with varying degrees of success since enjoying a good education in his employment - and it was a particular pleasure to see Guillermo at the wedding, one of my favourite people who is now back in his native Spain, 
training with great success, with the last two Spanish Derbys having fallen to his charges) which has left her seemingly permanently paralysed from the chest downwards. It is probably the case that one learns most about people from how they face adversity; and since that awful day both Camilla and Jamie have shown themselves to be people of the highest calibre (which was something which we knew already). They genuinely have met with Disaster, but have brushed it aside in the most magnificent way possible. To be present at their special happy day, therefore, was a true delight, as hundreds of well-wishers took pleasure in their happiness and wished them all the
good fortune which they both so richly deserve. Let's hope that they can enjoy as long and as happy a life together as Colin and Eileen Casey (pictured firstly with their long-standing friend Willie Snaith, while Colin is then pictured with their neighbour Jimmy Uttley, while two more friends, Vince Smith and Brian Raynes, are then pictured at the table together) have done - the following day I had the pleasure of lunching in the Rosary in Exning as one of the guests at their 55th wedding anniversary. That was a lovely occasion and again it was a delight to be a guest of two very special people on their special occasion.
And where's the brahma in all that, you might ask. Well, therein does not lie the brahma of the chapter; that came today. I've had a very political day, with a meeting of the East Anglian branch of the National Trainers' Federation this afternoon followed by a meeting of Newmarket Town Council this evening. You might find it hard to spot the brahma there at first glance - but it was there all the same. You might be aware that the Rowley Mile is used as a conference centre on non-racing days. There might be three or four conferences taking place on one day, in various different parts of the stands. One of today's conferences was our trainers' meeting (which itself was a barrelful of brahmae). Anyway, on my way in I amused myself in trying to decide whether there were two different conferences taking place in the same part of the stand, or whether there was one conference which was being described in two equally appropriate ways. Decide for yourself.
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