Wednesday 12 October

Apasionado heads to Uttoxeter tomorrow for his hurdling debut. He is contesting the 2.20 race - a 2 mile EBF Qualifier and faces 6 rivals. Apasionado was a worthy winner of his UK debut in a bumper in Market Rasen 18 days ago, and has schooled very well at home since that outing. His home work has also been very good, and hopefully we will get a good run tomorrow. The ground should be ideal, and the 2 mile trip should suit him at this stage. He needs to finish in the first four tomorrow to qualify for the final next March, which is the first priority - so hopefully he will have an enjoyable hurdling debut, and come home safe and sound!! Stuart has been on the phone to the handicapper today, and as a result Sneaking Budge has been given a hurdles rating - not quite the (cheeky) 105 that Stuart opened with him, but 120, which to be fair is the lower end of the 120-125 range that we had him in. SB is in fine fettle, and looks a totally different horse to the one that they had to deal with last winter - and as he won his last race, it looks like we could be having some fun this year!!