Sunday 8 November

A very wet Saturday morning!! Only one hardy visitor - Bob Graham popped up to see his horses work, although we did it from the comfort of the car!! After breakfast we drove up to the top of the hill - in rain that can only be described as torrential! The team riding out were soaked to the skin! Stuart discovering that Fences Farm jackets were not quite up to keeping out the level of rain that was falling! Second lot all worked well - Wolf Of Windlesham lead the work with Smart Exit. WOW is a very good work horse, and he did what he does best yesterday - in fact SE worked really well with him - as WOW is a very speedy horse! WOW has an entry in Ludlow on Thursday, and will be entered in Cheltenham on Saturday. SE is still very much on course for a week on Wednesday in Chepstow. Pine Warbler and Bonellis Warbler (half brother and sister) both worked nicely in behind. Both are ready for their second racecourse experience, and will have entries in the next week or two. Sage Grouse went well, and Stuart was delighted with San Telm who he rode. ST missed his date in Chepstow with a very small problem with some scar tissue on his joint, but that has responded well to treatment, and he worked well. He will alos have entries in the next week or two. The rain eased off when we got back to the yard, but by some feat of misfortune - it decided to rain again as third lot stepped on the gallop. Stuart joined Bob and I in the car to see three do a full cnter, and a breeze off the top. Gosel lead Cloonacool and Sneaking Budge. Gosel is a 3 yr old that has been at Fences Farm for while. Homebred, he was planned to go back to Sir Michael Stoute, but plans remain fluid with him - he is improving every day! Cloonacool is as fit as a flea and doesn't need to do too much. Stuart was keen to see how he was yesterday, as we are both slightly concerned that next weekends Greatwood Hurdle could come a bit too soon for him. A final decision will be made tomorrow - and I will let everyone know as soon as I can. He does have the options of hurdles in both Ascot and Newbury, and novice chases in Leicester and Kempton later this month. The third one in this bunch was Sneaking Budge. SB has had a quiet week since he arrived from the sales - but he has not been idle - he has learned to jump for a start - and has proved to be a complete natural. Yesterday he went faster than a canter for the first time when he breezed in behind Gosel and Cloonacool. He looked mightily impressive. He can certainly gallop, and Megan who rode him described him as a steam train! He has a big long stride and really covers the ground. Megan can't wait to ride him in a piece of work - which she will possibly get to do when he strides on mid week! He will be running this month, and only 2 shares remain - so get in touch of you are interested in this exciting prospect for juvenile hurdles. 07909 518902 or info~nickbrownracing.co.uk Christmas Twenty is in fine form, and he has Leicester in early December as a date for his next run. He looks a nice prospect, and will need to be as it looks as though the handicapper thinks he has run to a mark around 125 in his Stratford run - as he has given the fourth horse (who was nearly 5 lengths behind CT) a rating of 120 for a novice handicap in Cheltenham on Friday!! Dawn Commander has now fully recovered from his wind op, and will resume work shortly.