Tuesday 29 September

Tuesday is ratings day, and with a few runners recently it has been eagerly anticipated! These are the main players - Cloonacool +4lbs to 136, Bold Conquest -1lb to 115, San Telm -4lbs to 122, Reyno +4lbs to 100. The headline out of these is Cloonacool - a 4lb rise seems fair, and it means that we have now decided on a plan. Cloonacool will head to Ascot on October 31st for the £60,000 William Hill handicap hurdle, a race in which he would carry between 10-4 and 10-10 judging by recent runnings, and a race in which you would like to think he would run very well. The entries for The Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenhams Open Meeting close just before the William Hill, so he will get an entry in that as well - so that will remain an option after Ascot if we decide to take it! Very exciting times, two press interviews this morning, really sets the pulse racing for the winter months!! We still aim to run Cloonacool over fences this season, but at the moment, the early part of it is geared around handicap hurdles. Bold Conquest being dropped 1lb doesn't make that much difference to where he can go. but he has had a couple of days off and Stuart said yesterday that he was 'bucking and kicking and very fresh'!! Stuart has also just phoned to say that San Telm has worked really well this morning, and if the ground in Uttoxeter is no quicker than good, he will have his first run in nearly a year. Josh Moore will ride, as he gets on really well with him. Kayla runs this afternoon in Southwell, and is a short priced favourite to go one better than her last run. The trip will suit. Christmas Twenty will go to Warwick on Thursday (2.10pm), and Native Princess will go to Bangor On Dee on the same day (4.30), if their ground is no quicker than good. Its all go - but really exciting - everyone has a spring in their step!!