Wednesday 13 January

A bright and sunny morning - and a cracking morning to be at Fences Farm. Nice to see Ken Jackson, who was in to see his three horses go through their paces second lot. It was worth the walk up the hill to see Sneaking Budge breeze very nicely with Wolf Of Windlesham. Bold Conquest did one canter, and Cloonacool did two canters. All the horses looked really well. Stuart returned from his holiday, and looked equally fresh and well. Ken didn't fancy another hike up the hill, but Stuart and I strode on to see Smart Exit, and Savingforvegas do 2 canters among others. A race planning session ensued over a cup of tea, and a few options were discussed - including trying Cloonacool over a slightly longer trip. Stuart spoke to Josh, and it may be an avenue we experiment with before the spring. We will do our homework and see what races are open to him and go from there. If he were to stay slightly further now, it would open up a host of opportunities, and if he doesn't then his handicap mark would be unaltered - so there are good reasons to experiment with it at this stage.