Friday 2 January
Matty has made the headlines in todays Racing Post, and the funny thing is he shares it with Her Majesty The Queen no less!! The report in the Post reads as follows: MAGIC FOR THE QUEEN,BUT IT'S NEAR DISASTER FOR MATTAKING. - There are few things a Norfolk crowd like more than a victory for the Queen and Midsummer Magic ensured the first day of the new year got off on the right note for local racegoers, when carrying the royal colours to victory in the 2m maiden hurdle. Even the Queen would have been knocked off headline billing had the name of Mattaking been added to the 'Fakenham' fiasco list - he so nearly took the wrong course with the 2m 51/2f amateur riders' handicap in the bag. Midsummer Magic a 5-1 chance was sent to the front from the start and held on resolutely by a neck for Felix de Giles when challenged by Mvuto, providing her jockey with a winner on his only ride of the afternoon. The Queen has been enjoying the holiday season at nearby Sandringham and was represented by her racing advisor. Sir Michael Oswald said 'Mid Summer Magic is a tough little mare and has the right attitude. Every time she was challenged she put her head down and fought, and she will hopefully go on from this now.'Thirty five minutes later Mattaking enjoyed a change of fortune,but not before giving his backers a few anxious moments. the 5-2 Fav moved smoothly into the lead four out under Brian Toomey and had the race in safe keeping jumping the last.But he nearly took the wrong course when his jockey changed his whip to his left hand and his mount drifted right. thankfully for Toomey, there was no embarrassment, because he took corrective action in the nick of time,pulling his mount left of the guide rail running up to the fence going out of the straight.Stuart Edmunds, assistant to trainer Renee Robeson, said 'I think the rider just got excited. He ran well when a decent second at Huntingdon and deserved that after his fall last time. He is in at Leicester next week and we will have to see.' I am pleased to say that Matty is fine this morning and we will monitor things before deciding what to do next week. Bobby Gee was declared today for a handicap hurdle at Wincanton, it looks very hot and defintely not as easy as his task was at Haydock earlier in the week which fell to the weather, but there are only two further opportunties for him this month and he needs a run so lets hope it's on and we get a run. E Major schooled well ahead of his run at Ludlow on Monday if it escapes the frost.
