GTAAB learning The Water Walk.

During these baking hot days, it is a great benefit to our horses to have both The Water Walk and the Equine Swimming Pool. Tremendous heat builds up within horses' tendons during exercise and so we try to reduce this by walking the horses through cool water as soon as possible, to reduce the damage this heat can cause to the fibres that constitute the tendon. Also the Swimming Pool is a great way to cool the horses off both after morning exercise and with a swim in the afternoons. At this time of year all the runners have a swim through the pool just before getting on the horsebox for the races. We find this keeps them much cooler during travel and in the lead up to their race.

We have two runners at Stratford tonight. CARBON PRINT has a much better chance than The Racing Post would seem to think. He will love the fast ground and ran on well on the flat at Leicester a few weeks ago. TRIBE makes his debut over fences and although he's by Danehill who is not known for producing steeplechasers, he looks made for this game. His jumping has always been great and as long as he does not find the track too sharp, he will go very close.

BLACK ANNIE winning at Market Rasen yesterday after a masterful ride from THE Champion Jockey,

A.P.McCOY.

(photo courtesy of Colin Garner.)

BLACK ANNIE travelled too well throughout this race, as her jockey described afterwards, "the chock was full out", but she still managed to find enough in a battling finish. Her jockey did his usual outstanding job and it was a real thrill to have him ride a winner for us all again.

Many congratulations to her owner,

Shully Liebermann, whose patience and faith in this filly are being justly rewarded.

Sorry for posting this a little late, you'll either curse me or thank me, depending on your opinion! BLACK ANNIE returns after a wind operation at Market Rasen at 5.25pm this afternoon and is 'garnished' again with The Champion Jockey who rode her last time out. She hated the heavy ground that day and 'A.P.' diagnosed her to be rotten of her wind. If the operation has worked and we'd be pretty hopeful of that, this does not look the hottest contest and BLACK ANNIE should have a very good chance.
Later tonight LAISH YA HAJAR is one of the warm-up acts for Spandau Ballet who play after racing at Newmarket tonight. 'LAISH' has been off for a year with a tendon problem and may just need the race as his front-running tactics may expose a tiny lack of fitness. It looks a tricky handicap and i'm sure he'll run well but could find a couple of his opponents a bit sharper than him.

AUSTRALIA DAY (red sleeves) finishing a close two length fourth at Royal Ascot.

(photo courtesy of Julian Herbert).

Today LAGO VERDE tries to redeem himself after a disappointing effort (?) at Bangor. The owner, me, is not travelling to watch him as i don't think i'll be needed for the presentations afterwards!

AUSTRALIA DAY with JERRY WALSH and DANNY HANNIG after finishing a tremendous 4th in The Duke of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot.

You can easily see why they so deservedly won 'The Best Turned-Out Award.' Have you ever seen a smarter, more colour-co-ordinated team in your life? They are 'Simply the smartest and Simply the best!' I assure you the Owners were doing what 'SKIPPY' is doing in the photo only five minutes later!

AUSTRALIA DAY was beaten 2 lengths by the winner after setting a strong gallop and staying on very well and bravely, it was his career-best performance. I have just led him out and now he is out in his paddock, bucking and squealing. He's eaten up everything and so we'll look for another opportunity within the next three weeks.

Variety is the spice of life they say, so how does a runner at Royal Ascot today and a chaser at Hereford tomorrow illustrate the role of the 'dual-purpose trainer'?
AUSTRALIA DAY is a 25/1 chance today but does have many factors in his favour. Fast ground, a right-handed track, a good high draw and Kieran Fallon all bode well for him today. As feared, Epsom was not his track, but at least he had a run and so could not be fitter for this target. He will need a career best and all the luck in the world, but so far the omens are good.
OVERSPIN goes tomorrow at Hereford in a 2m. handicap chase, trying to make up for her very unfortunate fall at Southwell last time. She has schooled well and if she travels as well tomorrow as she was when falling at the fifth last, she also holds an each-way chance.
Off to re-polish the hat!

EDGEOVER, RIDDEN BY DENIS O'REGAN, "FLYING THE LAST" AND WINNING BY 31 LENGTHS AT MARKET RASEN YESTERDAY.

(Photo by courtesy of Equineimagesuk.com)

What a thrill it was to see EDGEOVER really show his full potential at Market Rasen. He settled beautifully and jumped immaculately for Denis O'Regan who gave him a lovely patient ride. This horse has always had talent, but has had to overcome sacro-illiac weaknesses that have interupted his career. He is a wonderful example of the reward that the patience shown by his owners, David and Ann Allen, can bring. He has had plenty of time back at their farm and is now going to show the benefit. EDGEOVER loves good ground and so we would hope to run him again in about a month's time.

I wish i could say that this is a photograph of a horse i have for sale or a picture of EDGEOVER who runs this afternoon at Market Rasen.

No, it is a photo of as good a looking horse that anybody is likely to see and unusually for 'the perfect horse', he is also as good a racehorse as any of us are likely to witness.

Recognised him ? ...........................

SEA THE STARS.

What a complete honour it was to see him at H.H Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud on wednesday. He just looks the complete champion that he looked on the racecourse and let's hope that he proves to be a very special stallion as well.

At Market Rasen, EDGEOVER makes his return to action after having a good winter break to help him avoid soft ground and give him time to strengthen. Denis O'Regan, who is to ride more in the south this season, has schooled him on many occasions, including over six fences at Towcester ten days ago. We think we have him fit enough, although he will improve for the run.

TRAINER, DAUGHTER AND PUPPY PREPARING

TO GO RACING AT WORCESTER TODAY.

(or was it Epsom yesterday?)

What a thrill it was to be at Epsom for the last couple of days even though we did not quite receive the results we were looking for. As feared and documented, AUSTRALIA DAY was never happy on this unique track and spent too much energy leaning right on a sharp left-handed track! All is by no means lost and it will be back to his favoured track Ascot, for either The Wolverton Handicap (won by Ulundi) or more likely The Duke of Edinburgh Handicap over 1 1/2 miles.

We were cheering for Midas Touch in The Derby as he was bred and is part-owned by H.R.H. Prince Faisal Salman to whom I am Racing Manager. Midas Touch ran well to finish fifth but according to his jockey Colm O'Donohue, this horse did not handle the track either! See it can happen to Cropredy Lawn as well as Ballydoyle!!

Today it is less valuable fare at Worcester, but absolutely as important to us as Chantilly will be to others! Not sure if the good folk of Worcester will attend with quite the elegance of the French scene, but you just never know. EDGEVINE has a good each-way chance if we can discount her lacklustre show at Towcester. She was a little stiff in her back after that run but i would not be sure if we found the whole reason for that dull effort. OVERSPIN was travelling well when she slipped on landing at the fifth last at Southwell. This was irritating as she'd done nothing wrong and has not made a mistake at home or during her race. Both these horses need to win and then prove themselves worthy of joining their Owner's broodmare band, as in these days of over-production, we must try to only breed from the better achievers.

What a day to savour. The Oaks and The Coronation but for us, the feature on the card is AUSTRALIA DAY in the valuable handicap. The rain thwarted our Stratford plan, but conditions are perfect for 'Skippy' today, he loves sunshine and fast ground. It is a very competitive race, i think he's absolutely fit and he usually runs very well fresh. The main imponderable is the unique Epsom contours, as we have always felt that Skippy is at his best right-handed, also he's drawn a little wide. One thing that is guaranteed is that this horse will try his heart out and more. After more frustrating seconds with JUST VICTOR and DE SOTO, we don't want any hard luck stories!