Tuesday 4 April.

It has been a few days since the last post on here. Land Leagu headed to Uttoxeter on Saturday for his handicap debut. He had been declared in Fontwell on Friday, but the ground there was good to firm in places, and we felt that it was not worth risking him on that. Instead he was declared in Uttoxeter where they described their ground as good to soft. Pine warbler wants cut in the ground, and he too was declared in the staying handicap hurdle. We thought that good to soft would just about be OK for both. Land League had run three nice races in novices, settling better each time, and in his last run in Huntingdon very much looking like a step up in trip would suit. The ground was softer than ideal on arrival, which was not ideal. Brendan rode, and the pair travelled and jumped great until they turned into the straight, where the fuel tank emptied very quickly. Nothing has come to light after the race, and we can only assume that LL failed to stya the extra distance. He seems fine after the run, and will have entries again in around 10 days time, back over 2 miles. Pine Warbler was also making his handicap debut for the yard, and ran a cracking race to be second. He is a tough brave battler, and puts absolutely everything into his races. An admirable horse! Both seem fine after their runs. Legal OK ran in Ascot on Sunday, and travelled like the winner into the straight before tiring over the 2m 3f trip. He seems fine avfter his run. Yesterday we headed to Huntingdon for Kingsley and Top Garrys debuts. Both declared in the concluding bumper. Ciaran Gethings on Kingsley, Connor Shoemark on Top Garry. Both are big raw babies, whos future is very much ahead of them, but Stuart felt that it would be good to get a run into them to let them learn their trade, and for him to learn about them as neither of them had left the farm for a racecourse gallop for one reason or another. Both behaved well, although both found the experience a little daunting and were green in the preliminaries. To be fair both were very green in the race. Kingsley getting badly outpaced at half way, and really not knowing what it was all about, while Top Garry too ran green, but kept plugging on to finish 6th. I think it was a decent bumper and both will have learned a great deal from the day. Both will now school over hurdles before being put away for a summer break. Today we travel to Kempton with Tricky Silence. This run will qualify him for a handicap mark, where he will life much more to his liking, but at least today he will get ground that appreciates unlike his last two outings where the ground has been soft. Tomorrow I am off to the first Flat Breeze Up Sale of the season in Ascot, and on Thursday we are off to Aintree with Maria's Benefit. Chandos Belle has her wind op on Thursday, after which she will head off on holiday.