Tuesday 1 August

Cloonacool and Land League travelled to vet Ben Brains yard just outside Bourton On The Water this morning to be undergo an overland scope and have remedial treatment as necessary. Cloonacool went round the gallop 6 times and there is nothing to report. We had thought that his soft palate may have been dislocating under pressure, as it does billow slightly at rest, but the scope proved this not to be the case, and he needs nothing doing. Land League was very uncooperative, and would not allow the vet to get the scop into him at all - they tried every trick in the book - but he was not having any of it - so unfortunately he was not scoped. Unlike Cloonacool he does make a slight noise at home, and instead of using the most up to date science, Stuart will have to go 'Old School', and assess what he thinks needs doing, based on how LL behaves at home, and the noises he makes. So both horses, for differing reasons are on their way home, without having to undergo any form of remedial work - at least with Cloonacool we now know, and we will just have to suck it and see a bit with Land League, and do what we think best, when we think it is best to do it.