Wednesday 7 August

You can't win them all - and sometimes we have a horse that does not make the grade. In these instances we find it is our duty to find a good, caring home for them. Tara Dancer has unfortunately fallen into this bracket. Her last run was very disappointing, and although Paddy Brennan felt there was a future for her, he also advised that it would be nearly 12 months before we would benefit from his advice and that it would be a fairly low level affair IF she was to get her head in front. For this reason we decided to pull stumps with her, and we are now in the process of finding her another home/job. She remained at Fences Farm after her race, and 'Alice' spent quite a bit of time re-schooling her, which involved teaching her that life was not all about the gallops, and that she will have to walk, trot, canter and stop in her new life. She was a quick learner, and on Monday she went down to Michael and Fiona's to relax in the field while we search for a suitable home for her. This sometimes takes a while - with Bobby Gee it was well over 12 months, but it as important part of what we do, and we will keep you all updated on our progress! In the news today - the BHA have announced a few twilight fixtures ina month or so - no problem here - all but one are flat fixtures - the odd thing is that they have scheduled a jumps meeting in Stratford slap bang in the middle of 13 days when there was to be no jump racing! A break that has been in the calendar for months, that has meant hard working jockeys, valets and stable staff can plan a holiday and recharge the batteries. Now, personally I find a break in September a bit odd anyway - it is at a time of year when the horses are coming to full fitness, and those of them that want a sounder surface can be placed to some effect - so why stop the jumps season then? Surely a more logical approach would be to have a 12 day break in the middle of August, it is in the school holidays, so that those with children can get away, and most of the winter horses are nowhere near a run! Perhaps next year someone will see sense! The most BIZARRE story of the day can be found on the Daily Telegraph's web-site and involves England Cricketer Montey Panesar and some bouncers in Brighton - google it and have a read - you could say that the bouncers 'Took The Pee'!!