A star was born around these here parts yesterday................. COIS FARRAIG showed himself to be a horse of vast potential when running on to finish 19 lengths behind Bellvano who is himself now favourite for the first at Cheltenham in March! If 'FARRAIG' has been born under a lucky star, then we could have someting special in the yard, we'll see.
Today we have two more seasonal debutants. MARLEY ROCA improved all through last season and ran very well when second at Uttoxeter in May. He has continued to develop and mature into a mighty beast now and i hope he'll be in the first four today. HERE'S THE KEY ran on well in her only bumper in February and would have run in the mares final at Sandown in March, but pulled a muscle in her hind-quaters before the race. She schools well and this looks an average race. 'CRUELLA' looks the type to handle the notorious 'north-face' of the Towcester mountain, but you just do not know for sure what type of horse handles this track until they have run there.

A disappointing debut for CITRUS MARK at Newbury yesterday, but he did get badly banged about when travelling well into the straight and is understandably lame this morning. Not the introduction we expected or he needed, so we'll re-build him and his confidence.
Two nice debutants at Newbury today, ICY COLT (ARG) and COIS FARRAIG (gaelic for 'By the sea'). 'PEDRO' will need the experience and i'm not sure how an argentine-bred will handle softish ground, but he has scholed very well and should show promise. 'FARRAIG' is a lovely chasing type ,who won a 2 1/2 mile point-to-point in Ireland in April. He will want further than this and this is a hot Newbury novice hurdle, but he is a horse to follow for the season.

Yesterday was a big day for the Webber family and Cropredy Lawn when TAFIKA finished a very promising fourth on his debut in the bumper at Chepstow. 'TAFFY' is the fifth generation of his family to wear my Mum's colours and the fourth generation to have been bred and raised at Cropredy Lawn. He is a mighty 16.3h+ beast who is bred to be a magnificent chaser. His grand-dam Auntie Dot was third in the Grand National as well as winning 15 races, while his great grand-dam, Dream Isle won twelve. It is also the family of Townley Stone, Ollie Magern and Petite Margot and soon to be the family of a lovely un-raced Alderbrook gelding we have called Uncle Ant. He stayed on very well in typically testing Chepstow ground and has had a perfect 'prep' for the 2012/2013 Welsh Nationals!
Today we unleash CITRUS MARK, a four year old by Mark of Esteem out of that great racemare Lemon's Mill. He has lived here since his yearling days and has developed so well in the last year. He worked well on the grass at Edgcote last week and will run well today. I just get the feeling he may be one piece of work short, having had a little interuption for a sore shin some six weeks ago, but he is a horse of great potential.

Don't think the Trainer will get much sleep tonight.
A middle-sized yard such as ours does not have a battery of howitzers to fire at the enemy, we have to rely on snipers and guerilla warfare to try and dart in, to pick off the occasional big prize. Tomorrow we send our troops off in a wide pincer-attack on Ascot, Haydock and Huntingdon. No point moaning about N.H. prize money, there is stacks of it on offer over this weekend, let's hope we can grab some for our owners.
TIME FOR RUPERT dives into the deep end off the top board at Ascot tomorrow and will mix it with all sorts of proven high class horses. This race still seemed preferable than a seasonal debut in a 3m. 1f. slog in Haydock's heavy ground. We do not disguise that we think this horse has developed and improved, but he will improve further for tomorrow's race. He will run well, but i cannot quite see a fairytale occuring...... but it may well later in the season. SCAMPI BOY is another son of Flemensfirth that we admire and this horse worked very well with 'RUPERT' on the grass at Edgcote last week. His nickname is 'Phonsie' after the legendary Phonsie O'Brien from whom i bought him. Let us just hope that a little of the legendary O'Brien magic has rubbed off on him......... i think it has.
PENNY QUEEN has a tricky task at Huntingdon, but has come on for her first start at Towcester where she got no luck in running. She re-opposes her conqueror, but will be much closer over this 2m 5f. trip. LASKARI is our best chance of the day, where everything looks ideal for him in the 'veterans' chase at Huntingdon. Right-handed, decent ground and 2 1/2 miles should be spot on.
APPLEADAY will have conditions to suit at Haydock and forgive his first start as he has needed his first run of each season and has run identically on his debut each time. He is ridden by my highly talented God-son, Tom Scudamore and i'm sure he thinks it is time to repay all those fantastically generous presents and endless helpful advice !!

ASHAMMER makes his debut for us at Huntingdon today. He had one run when trained in France by M. Royer-Dupre for H.H. Aga Khan and arrived earlier in the year, since when he's been given plenty of time to grow and mature into a fine horse. He is a half-brother to Ashkassar and works well at home. He is 'garnished' with A.P. McCoy, which is honour for the yard and if he repeats his home work, will win today. My only 'caveat' is........... a son of King's Best going jumping??????????

AUSTRALIA DAY has just set off to Taunton on a retrieval mission for his unfortunate experience at Kempton last month. He was a little stiff and sorry for himself after slipping on landing at the first hurdle, before completing four miles around Kempton, including the jumping of two steeplechase fences! He schooled well yesterday and looks to be back to his usual fierce form. The track and the ground are ideal and he has an 'evens favourite's' chance..... but then we said this last time.
AUSTRALIA DAY was one of 22 horses that schooled yesterday. TIME FOR RUPERT and PENNY QUEEN practised over our specially-made replica of Hayock's brush hurdle, (or mini steeplechase fence) in preparation for 'RUPERT's seasonal debut in their valuable handicap on 21st Nov. He schooled really well and looks every bit the chaser-in-the-making, but is only a five year old and the competition in this season's novice chase division looks terrifying! I'm hoping that he'll make into the top level of the staying hurdlers and saturday will tell us whether he will.
EDGEBRIAR schooled over fences for the first time this autumn and looked awesome. Others that impressed include, COIS FARRAIG, ASHAMMER, SARANDO, BLACK ANNIE and KRISTALLO. With some of our runners having needed their first run upto now, i feel that the string are now pretty straight and should show their best efforts now.
Please keep those fingers crossed!

SORRY!

I argee we'd all like to be told of 16/1 certainties, but ALASI did only just win by a short head, in the last stride!

As i've said and you've realised, most of our runners have needed their first run and there is no doubt that ALASI will improve no end from her's, it's just that she has had an extra two weeks before her debut, but even she has not worked on the grass.

Yesterday was particularily thrilling as ALASI is the first winner for Shully Liebermann, who is such a tremendous supporter of Cropredy Lawn and has supplied us with some ALASI (jumping second) winning at Lingfield.

very promising fillies. Sadly Shully was

unable to attend his 'maiden winner', but i'm sure will be present for many, many more. Many

people thought ALASI to be the pick of the paddock and as she stands nearly 17 hands, she did tower over many of her rivals. It was a promising effort as the field was made up of some good bumper-winning fillies, we hope this filly has a bright future.

JUST VICTOR runs at Warwick today in a small, but tricky-looking race. He wears a tongue-tie today which i hope will help him to finish in the first four.

Somehow Haydock has survived its early morning inspection and racing goes ahead today, after some very pesamistic predictions yesterday. The heavy ground is perfect for APPLEADAY, but it will test his fitness on his first start of the season. This is not his big aim, but he is very ready to run. William Kennedy will have to settle him early, as he flew the first fence and then ran too free with Dominic in the Midlands National in April. However the horse cannot lie out of his ground as he is not very quick, a proper test for our jockey today, to get it exactly right!

In this business it is very important to appreciate the good parts of the day, such as the horses looking healthy, being healthy, working like the wind(!) and schooling well. These two pictures represent the best part of this trainer's day.....Today.
You saw the first picture of our newest purchase, GTAAB on the web-site yesterday; now on his sixth day at Cropredy Lawn, you can see his first experience of jumping!
Talk about 'a natural jumper', this is
as good a pupil as we've had here.
What is also so impressive is his
temprament, as he is still a colt He is
just so cool. I really do not think this
horse should remain unsold for very
long, so if you feel the faintest
temptation, please give me a call
a.s.a.p.

Plenty of horses 'schooled' well this morning with AUSTRALIA DAY showing 'no worries, mate' from his unfortunate fall at Kempton. He will probably swerve Wincanton this weekend in favour of Taunton or Cheltenham next week. ASHES SUMMER continues to thrive and jumped well with TIME FOR RUPERT, LLAMA FARMER and HERE'S THE KEY. Three fillies worked well together, with OSMOSIA, BLACK ANNIE and an un-named Overbury all showing promise.
Sadly all the pleasure of these performances was wiped away by Andrew Thornton disappearing through the wing on a hitherto completely reliable jumper. This horse's name has been with-held to prevent ambulance-chasing, so-called 'lawyers' from contacting me or the horse's owner. Andrew's almost legendary experience of injury told him instantly that he'd damaged his left shoulder. He was quickly, but legally, driven to see his surgeon at the Ridgeway Hospital near Swindon and sure enough his own diagnosis was proven too accurate. He has sustained a fracture to his left scapula which will mean 4-5 weeks on the sidelines.
The ability of National Hunt jockeys to find a chink of light in a dark, gloomy tunnel is well-documented and it is that very spirit that can inspire recovery from injury and frustration that would reduce normal humans to gibbering basket-cases. Andrew's reaction to this frightful injury was to ring his pal Dominic Elsworth, who is also on the injured list. Poor Dominic had a horrible fall at Ffos Las two months ago and is still feeling the effects of his concussion. As their favourite pastime golf (?) is off the agenda right now, they plan an unusual treat for National Hunt jockeys...... Lunch!
The only honourable thing for a trainer to do was to offer to sponsor their 'theraputic troughing'! Just wish i'd qualified to join them, but currently neither wearing a sling or having a headache, I did not deserve an invite! A few moments later I receive a picture text of Marco Pierre White's pub, The Yew Tree near Newbury and then one merely saying, "Dom Perignon or Cristal?"
More proof, though none is ever needed, of just what special people, "The Knights of the Pigskin" really are. Let's hope the day has ended a tiny bit better than it looked like doing earlier.

HERE HE IS............ FOR SALE.

GTAAB.

3.y.o. B. C. Cape Cross- Nabadhaat.

16.2 hands, strong, rangy colt with an excellent temprement. Bred by Shadwell Stud, by the sire of SEA THE STARS and his grandmother Roseate Tern won the Yorkshire Oaks. Trained by Ed Dunlop, GTAAB ran with promise three times as a two year old, but then proved too backward with little 'niggly problems' to run this summer. Has been given the time to mature and develop and has a fantastic frame to make into an excellent dual-purpose prospect with the scope to jump fences in time.

Bought by myself and Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock for 16,000gns at last week's Tattersalls Horses-in -Training sale where he was Lot 976. Please give me a ring to discuss GTAAB in more detail.