Two matters of Admin.!!--- Apologies to anybody and everybody who has failed to contact us by e-mail or view the website for the last 10 days. Somehow our domain name was allowed to expire and it was then 'snapped up' by a Paul Webber in Melbourne, we think a car dealer...... Obviously the australian version of Kevin Williams! We have just managed to re-establish 'paul@paulwebberracing and www.paulwebberracing.com . I do hope that this has not caused aggravation or inconvenience.--- This year our Owner's Day, on 20th September 2009, is metamorphosing itself into "The Cropredy Lawn Open Day". This is because we wish to raise some much-needed money for The Air Ambulance that serves Berks/Oxon/Bucks. We have had two flying visits from this amazing service within the last two years.

Thankfully neither of these visits were horribly serious, but nonetheless feel we should try to help their fund-raising campaign. We hope that we will get even more people here for a very special day and that 'actual owners' will not mind sharing their event with other visitors, who we hope will become owners by the end of the day! If you know of people who would be interested in a visit to Cropredy Lawn, please get in touch with us, so that we can add them to our invitation list. Introductions to new owners will be enormously appreciated and very well rewarded!!--- VERY MANY THANKS.

After the relative calm of June, Cropredy Lawn is well back into busy mode. Indeed with the Lord's Ashes Test just reaching its magnificent conclusion, attentions can be focused now on preparing for the 'core' N.H. season ahead.All cleaning and painting is finished and the 'jumpers' are returning into their smartened rooms like school boys after the long summer holiday. These horses look tremendous and importantly, are not too fat as the hard feed that they have been fed daily, stops them from gorging themselves on limitless grass. It seems to take us about twelve weeks from field to racecourse and we aim to have the first 'winter jumpers' ready from 1st October. We have kept busy 'breaking in' the new horses from the sales and some two year olds that have been raised here. Some of these have nearly completed their primary education and will soon re-inhabit their fields to grow and develop through the winter and return for further training in the spring.The flat-string has been running well, but have spent recent weeks finishing third and fourth.

Some of them, including TRIBE, KRISTALLO, RED BIRR and ROBERT THE BRAVE will now either have a little break or revert to jumping in a few week's time. Our sole representative at the races this week will be TRADE FAIRLE at Bath on thursday. This colt has disappointed badly in his first two starts. We had a little word in his 'shell-like' ear in conjunction with applying a visor and he has certainly changed his ideas. AUSTRALIA DAY ran another consistent race to be third at Sandown and he will go to Goodwood for the opening race of the festival next tuesday. He remains in good form but does want real summer weather to arrive to insure his favoured very fast ground. The handicapper raised him another pound to a rating of 98, so life is not getting any easier for him! If showers persist, he could wait for Haydock and Sandown in August.

As The Sun used to say, "Phew...what a scorcher", but now that the editor Rebekka has become Mrs. Charlie Brooks, the headline could be a little racy than that!!If I was a horse I think that I would quite like to be trained at Cropredy Lawn or 'Clipperty Clopperty Lawn', as a friend re-named it recently! Not only do all the string go through the Water Walk straight after excercise to cool their legs, they then get a swim, before going back into their rooms to 'drip-dry' during the heat. Addionally in the afternoons they all get a cooling dip to help them remain comfortable until the evening. It's an equine spa and therapy club around here! Another advantage of the equine pool is that the day's runners can have a swim just before getting onto their horse box to go to the races, thus helping them 'keep their cool' during the journey and at the races.We hope that this attention to detail will help on friday when AUSTRALIA DAY returns to possibly his favourite track and probably mine, Sandown. He has risen 7lbs. in the weights for his win at the course last time and he has a rapidly-improving 3.y.o. filly of Mark Johnson's to contend with.

However 'SKIPPY'always gives his best and seems to continue to be in great form.If Martin Dwyer can cunningly steal a length or two on the bend, they may still find him difficult to peg back.KRISTALLO has a fine each-way chance at Warwick where he is stepping up in trip to 1m. 6+f. He ran a good race on his debut when fourth at Windsor and looked as though further would suit him well. He has worked well since.RED BIRR ran a 'cracker' at Chepstow to be third beaten a neck and 1/2l. and has another go at Nottingham on saturday night. We would like the forecast showers to materialise to take any sting out of the ground as I would not want to risk him on very firm ground. He always tries his best (as long as things go his way!) and it's time to get him into the winner's enclosure again.