Waterborne is a grandson of Spout who I trained and she was a very game staying mare who won Group 3's. He is a very nice character but he has the make and shape to improve with time and distance, but I am hoping that he shows some promise today.

Marlinka is the fastest two year old by a long way that we have and so far she has done nothing but please us. Her last race in France was probably not a very strong contest which means that she now has a 3lb penalty. There are several fillies rated above her but I hope that she can keep going and give her many Elite connections another good day.

Silbury is a well bred filly by an ever increasingly popular stallion in Dansili. She will need todays experience in a competitive race but as always it is exciting if two year olds can show some promise for the future and she certainly won't be given a hard race.

Goldtrek has had a good break since her last victory at Lingfield but she is now racing off a 20lb higher mark than when the season started. She seems to be in good form but she is running in a much more competitive event. She belongs to a wonderful group of enthusiastic owners (Axom) who so far have had lots of fun with her and I hope will continue to do so in the future, she may well be a filly to keep in training as a four year old as she has plenty of scope and a relaxed temperament.

Spoken has been a much improved racehorse since he was gelded having now won twice since his operation. He seems to be suited by bowling along in front which he may be able to do today but there is one other potential front runner. He operates well on fast ground being such a good mover and I would be concerned if the ground was too slow at Goodwood this evening, it is forecast to be good on the round course and good to soft in places in the straight. I have always liked him and he is owned by one of fhe most enthusiastic owners in England ! 

I was amused to read in the Telegraph that a Whitehall Editor had stated that passports for horses and Licences for animal trainers are among Council rules that Ministers should scrap, Town Hall had claimed  "in the current climate we can't afford to waste a single pound on things that do not help provide services to people."   I hope that the BHA have seen this as I would be happy not to pay for a Trainers Licence fee but I hope that I do still provide a service to people/owners !  

Marzante unfortunately was the victim of a lorry fire on the M25 which meant that there was complete traffic chaos and he would not have reached Sandown until after his race time.

Sugar Beet ran as expected at Ffos Las, travelled well but was outclassed by the first two who had the best form and were very fancied in the betting.  She was beaten eight lengths and will run in a 6 furlong Nursery in the next few weeks, she is suited by fast ground.

Zero Money was a little disappointing but Steve Drowne reported that he was unsuited to the lose ground after 14 mls overnight. He loves to hear his feet "rattle" but would not have beaten the very easy winner, King of Reason even if the ground had been fast.  The handicapper had decided on Sunday that his rating should be raised by 2lbs in the future and I hope he will now have a rethink as I don't believe he can be competitive off a rating of 88. Running over a mile for the first time was a bit inconclusive and he may drop back to 7 if there is a more suitable race in the future.

A really nice day out on the Downs this morning after plenty of rain which enabled all the horses to do two canters on the grass which makes a nice change from the polytrack.

It sounds as if all horse owners are going to be faced with increasing feed bills as I hear the price of barley has doubled since June and wheat is up 50%, this I gather is due to a serious drought in Russia and Ukraine which is driving prices higher by the day. My local hay producing farmer told me yesterday that there is also a shortage across the country due to the lack of rain in the Spring and farmers having to feed their cattle more hay during the summer than usual.

Marzante ran an encouraging race at Salisbury, showing his inexperience but staying on in the closing stages. The form has been franked but todays race looks competitive, but he is a big strong gelding and should improve as the season progresses.

Marzante ran an encouraging race at Salisbury, showing his inexperience but staying on in the closing stages. The form has been franked but todays race looks competitive, but he is a big strong gelding and should improve as the season progresses.

Zero Money goes for a three timer at Ffos Las this evening, he has probably been a bit lucky in having conditions in his favour so far. Fast ground and an uncontested lead seems to suit him well which may be possible again this evening, he also steps up to a mile which I think is worth trying as he is now becoming more relaxed. Ffos Las has had plenty of rain but the ground  drains well there.

Sugar Beet has been a bit unlucky in her two races so far as there were no starting stalls due to traffic problems at Warwick and in her last race at Leicester she missed the break and then met plenty of traffic in running.  This evening she is taking on two well bred fillies with good form and I will be delighted to be within 5 lengths of them.

Genki was ridden for the first time today and seems to have recovered from his torn muscles which resulted in him being very stiff for a few days after the Stewards Cup. It would appear that several of the more fancied runners also had a problem with the going, so lets hope we can get back to the races in the near future. Horses rated over 100 have limited opportunities but the Ayr Gold Cup would remain on his wish list.

Sea of Heartbreak was also stiff in her hind quarters after her disappointing run at Goodwood but after plenty of physiotherapy and stretching exercises, she is now cantering and in good form. I am hoping she might be able to run again later this month in a mile and a quarter handicap at Newmarket.

At last we have had some good rain overnight which we have been lacking for so long and apart from the occasional shower we have had no rain for months which has been very frustrating.  I am looking forward to working some of the more backward two year olds on the grass and hope that a "star" might emerge !