Cry Fury behaved and ran well yesterday and finished in mid-div and I hope will have the opportunity to run again before the end of the season.

Sea of Heartbreak ran a really good race to be beaten a short head for third in an extremely competitive Fillies Listed race. I was pleased to see her run so well, her enthusiasm and progress has been remarkable this season. She started on a rating of 70 and I would imagine that the handicapper could raise her 12-14lbs after yesterdays race to a rating of around 106.  She has been a great friend to the yard and I am sure she will win more races in the future.  It is very sad that her enthusiastic owner/breeder David Hardisty who set up Oaklands Stud in Sussex a few years ago,  died tragically a few days after she won her 4th race at Newbury on the 23rd July.

Zero Money ran well to be 3rd on his side in a race that was as difficult to win as a Stewards Cup or Hunt Cup would have been with 30 runners !  

Striking Priorite unfortunately hung right and the bit went through his mouth which meant that it was a wasted trip to Wolverhampton last night.

There are no runners today or on Sunday.

These are a selection of the yearlings that I hope will come to us as a result of this week and last weeks sales:-

LOT 341                ROCK OF GIBRALTAR EX KIRK                                Bay Colt foaled Feb 28th 2009

LOT 759                THREE VALLEYS EX ALEXANDER DUCHESS      Chestnut Colt foaled May 4th 2009

LOT 1017              KYLLACHY EX ELEGANT TIMES                               Bay Colt foaled Feb 12th 2009

LOT 1019              ROYAL APPLAUSE EX ELIDORE                              Bay Colt foaled March 27th 2009

LOT 1210              ZAMINDAR EX KARDELLE                                         Bay Filly foaled Feb 24th 2009

LOT 1121              JEREMY EX GRACEFUL AIR                                     Bay Colt foaled March 22nd 2009

 Discovery Bay was a little disappointing yesterday and he appeared to hang left all way up the straight making it difficult for Steve Drown to get him on an even keel. He did in the end run on to hold 3rd place.  As far as I can see he was fine this morning but I will know more when he is ridden out next week but he did appear to jump the path (a furlong after the start) and landed in an awkward way and in the process may have hurt himself.

Silbury ran as well as she could but unfortunately even with a rating of 52 she could not quite make the frame.

Cry Fury is a good looking colt from a good Juddmonte staying family. I trained his dam Cantanta to win a race at Nottingham in 1992 which seems a long time ago and she has produced several Group performers, Cantilever, Tailfeather, Bowstring and more recently London Bridge who is his full brother.  He will appreciate a mile and a quarter next year but I hope he gives us some encouragement today.

Sea of Heartbreak is a really sweet filly who apart from Goodwood in July where she injured herself , she has a very consistent record (4 wins so far)  Todays race is a big step up in class but she has been pleasing me at home and I will be disappointed if she does not run well and give her owner Liz Hardisty some encouragement to keep her in training as a four year old.

Zero Money has had a good season but todays race seems a bit ridiculous with a maximum field, in an ideal world he likes space so I don't imagine conditions will suit him particularly well today.

Striking Priorite has not run since the Spring where he won a very weak race first time out at Kempton.  He has been difficult to train so I am a little in the dark as to his prospects but I hope he runs well before going to the Horses in Training Sale at the end of the month.

Genki has now retired for the season but we all hope that he will be able to continue again in 2011. In his fourth season he reached new heights and achieved a RPR of 114 at Haydock when he was 4th in the Haydock Sprint Group 1.   There are however a couple more possible overseas trips in store for Definightly, as he holds entries at Maisons-Laffitte on 1st November (Gr3) over 6f and in Rome on 14th November, another (Gr3).  He loves soft ground so there might be more fun to be had, before his winter break in his owners paddocks.   Cityscape will not run again this season and it has been decided to aim him at the Lockinge Group 1 at Newbury in May, let's hope that unlike this year, we have some rain in April. His last race at Newmarket  '' produced a much improved performance from him, with a really taking display and he will have plenty of opportunities open to him next season, when he will be up to winning a Group 1'' according to Timeform. I believe he is now rated as the best son of Selkirk with a Timeform Rating of 127.

 Discovery Bay ran a race of promise over 7 furlongs at Newbury and I would expect him to improve and he should be suited by going a mile at Nottingham today.  He is still a rather unfurnished and immature colt and he won't reach his full potential until going over at least a mile and a quarter in 2011.  His dam by Rainbow Quest needed a mile and a half and she was out of Film Script who stayed a mile and a half and won the Lingfield Oaks Trial for us in 2000.

Silbury has been much too head strong in her previous races.  I hope that she is now learning to settle better, she probably needs further than 6 furlongs but unfortunately with a rating of 52 there are precious few opportunities for her.  

 Walcot Square threatened to deliver in the closing stages but faded and his next start will be at the Horses in Training Sale at Newmarket.

Deceptive as I suspected showed alot of inexperience and she did not particularly enjoy the kick back, she will improve and I hope to run her again maybe on the turf before the end of the season.

Primevere won in good style in apparently a course record at Kempton for a two year old over a mile, she has always been an exciting prospect and her work was encouraging and she did well to overcome plenty of interference in the straight.  She will be put away now until next season and I hope that she will be up to running in the better fillies races, she should stay at least 10 furlongs being by Singspiel. Her half sister by Oratorio is one of the last few lots (Lot 1073)  being sold this evening at Newmarket so maybe a timely boost for her.

 Walcot Square was a bit disappointing last time but I hope that returning to the polytrack will suit him better.

Deceptive is a lovely strong filly but has only been in training for a couple of months, she has shown promise but is still inexperienced and will improve for the race.

Primevere is an attractive chestnut filly who has been showing promise and I would expect her to run well today and she should make a nice mile and a half filly next year.

I bought several yearlings yesterday including a colt by Jeremy who is a half brother to a good two year old  this year rated 100 and an exciting Royal Applause yearling colt who looks as if he will be a two year old and a Kyllachy colt from a good family.

No runners yesterday or today but I did manage to buy another nice colt by Three Valleys (USA). He was bought for 24,000gns and he is out of a smart race mare who won twice at 2 years and achieved a rating of 103. Her 2 year old, Scarlet Rocks has already won 3 races so far this season. He looks to be an exciting prospect and it would great if Three Valleys was able to produce high class runners like his close relative Dansili. The sales continue until the end of the week so more foot slogging and hopefully some purchases.The market remains selective and there is real shortage of nice horses. I can imagine a lot of new breeders returning their studs to food production in the future as the market continues to contract as there are still far too many horses being produced

Avertor turned out to be a big disappointment again, he has a very ' easy come easy go' attitude at home and he always seems to work well  above his racecourse performances . At the beginning of the season he would have been most people in the yard's ' nap' and I don't really know what has gone wrong.  All of his sprinting companions and work mates have made great strides forward....Definightly from a rating of 84 to 106, Genki from 96 to 111 and Zero Money from 77 to 90....I still haven't worked it out but I will try, yet another frustration !

Definightly is a bit of a star and he's giving his owners/breeders Simon and Rosalind Emmet a really good season. Today he finished second in a competitive Listed race at the Curragh. This time last year he had just been gelded and while he was turned out in a paddock to get over his operation he somehow managed to gallop into a fence and put a 6'' nail through his knee. At the time the prognosis for him to continue as a racehorse was in the vet's words '' very guarded ''.

Newmarket Sales.   I thought that looking at Book 2 yearlings today at first sight was a little disappointing, there seemed to be so many beautiful horses here last week but there are bound to be some great bargains to be had and the search goes on tomorrow.  Thank The Lord I am not trying to sell yearlings as there are going to be some very tense and unhappy moments during this week, when vendors try to sell their babies that have been cared for with great passion and love during the last 18 months .These yearlings were produced at the top of the market (nominations at their highest ) and the market has probably had a downward correction of at least 40% since then. But let's remember there are still some great races that will be won next year and the year after, anyone fancy winning the Derby or even the Dewhurst should pick up the telephone and get involved. Good trainer still available if you are quick... ?