The horses remain healthy and fresh and have been running well, without actually winning in the last ten days. COIS FARRAIG looks a star in the making judged on his second to Oscar Whiskey at Sandown last friday and SCAMPI BOY ran very well to be third in his first hurdle race at Doncaster yesterday. LLAMA FARMER also contiunued to show 'star potential' when fifth at Haydock, but found three miles too far for him at this stage. EDGBRIAR was third at Haydock, despite hateing the very heavy ground and ran a nice trial for the Jewson Novice Chase at Cheltenham in three weeks time.
Today SARANDO has a tough assignment at Huntingdon in the valuable Sidney Banks Novice Hurdle, a race won by TIME FOR RUPERT last year. It very difficult to evaluate what he acheived when winning at Lingfield last time, as the ground was 'bottomless' and the second horse has been well beaten since. However SARANDO continues to improve and conditions should suit him well today. He's no betting proposition 'on the book', but i'm sure he'll run well.

THE PHOTOFINISH PRINT.

of 4.20pm Kempton, 14/02/2010.

(Photo courtesy of Racetech.)

KRISTALLO and KENTMERE

are separated by a 'short nose' !!

Well, it seemed more sense than galloping them at home so KRISTALLO and KENTMERE went to Kempton on sunday and at least they nearly dead-heated! 'KRIS' just beat 'WILLIAM' last time, but it was just so remarkably close this time that we probably will not dare to run them together again. Of course we were all thriled for 'KRIS' to win, but secretly we were also cheering 'WILLIAM' on to get his turn! Split loyalties all around here.

Two encouraging runs from our 'Future Chasers' division yesterday. TAFIKA ran well until outpaced in a good novice hurdle at Bangor and as befits a grand-son of Grand National third, Auntie Dot, he'll appreciate a longer trip, now he is strong enough to get it. DON'T TELL NINA stayed on after also being out-paced in a very classy bumper on his debut at Kempton. He is a fine, rangy horse who has tremendous scope for fences in the future amd showed a good tough attitude.
Today we run two promising novice hurdlers in FIRM ORDER and ASHAMMER at Warwick and Newbury respectively. FIRM ORDER has improved with every run and i hope that this trend will continue today when i think he has a good chance in a trappy race. ASHAMMER disappointed at Huntingdon when he hung badly left for no explicable reason. He has worked well at Wolverhampton on two occasions since then and i hope that he will behave better today. He is a half-brother to Ashkazar and shows plenty of ability at home but as this is a hot novice hurdle, i think we'd be happy to finish fifth.
Hope you all enjoy a truely epic days racing at Newbury today.

SARANDO.

Winning.... in the snow!

Lingfield, 8th Feb. 2010.

Sarando is registered as being owned by 'Eight Men and a Hoss'. As this horse went 13 lengths clear in effortless style through appalling Lingfield mud and snow, you would have sworn he was owned by 800 men and a tribe of Banshee, such was the screaming and shouting from the stands!!!

This is the first horse this syndicate, led by Nick Sercombe and managed by Racing T.V. star Mike Cattermole, has owned and what a way to start.

Living and vivid proof that the winner's enclosure can still be found without spending the G.N.P. of a small nation, on the winner of a three year old race at Auteuil!! SARANDO was recommended to me by Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager at Juddmonte Farms and approved by Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock, as i could not get to the sale myself. We could not have a better team on our side!

This could be a first runner at THE Cheltenham Festival, for a new syndicate, with their first horse. Give us a call...............We could/should/would try and do the same for YOU.

KRISTALLO (Ger).

Winning at Kempton, 28th Jan 2010.

( photo courtesy of Bob Williams )

KRISTALLO winning under Dane O'Neill, with KENTMERE, on far side finishing third. We especially like the dark background as most pictures on our web-site recently have featured the glaring white background of snow!!!