To Huntingdon any minute now for a couple of runners in the first two races.
LAISH YA HAJAR has his first run over hurdles for quite a while but has a favourites chance in a weak-looking handicap hurdle. I do not consider him to be well-handicapped off 104 considering that he has been beaten 20ls, 31ls. and 43ls in his three starts over hurdles! Obviously the handicapper thinks he's better than he has shown, so let's hope he's correct. He schooled very well for Denis O'Regan last week and the quick ground should be ideal.
RED BIRR was second last time out at Worcester and was put up 6lbs in the handicap for finishing a length behind a 66/1 winner. I felt this was hardly fair as he is still to win over hurdles or fences? He always runs best after a break, but we cannot wait for months while the training bills mount up so quickly. The track, ground and competition look about right, so let's hope that he'll cope with running back after only 13 days.

AUSTRALIA DAY ran as well as he could at Sandown and was only beaten 4 1/2 lengths in the end. It is tough for him in the top class handicap grade now, so he'll be freshened up for a return to hurdles at Kempton in mid-October.

The highlight of last week was the re-appearance of Dominic Elsworth in the yard. Dominic suffered a very serious head injury at Ffos Las, almost exactly a year ago. He has endured months of very slow recovery but is now making tremendous progress. This photo of him schooling Laish Ya Hajar last autumn, illustrates just some of his enormous talent. Although not leaving the ground over obstacles yet, Dominic rode three lots and looked in excellent form. It was impossible to tell that he has been away all this time, although we've missed him greatly. We all look forward to his racecourse return as soon as he and his doctors are happy.

DANVILLA runs in a competitve Maiden Fillies race at Kempton this afternoon. She has been green and backward but showed some promise last time at Windsor. She was beginning to stay on when she was impeded by a horse 'breaking down' in front of her which hampered her considerably. I fear things will happen a bit quick for her on the All-Weather today, but hope to see her staying on.

DE SOTO........."Didn't have a lovely day, the day we (and he) went to Bangor!! The over-night rain made it too soft for him although it was perfect jumping ground. These Summer horses do prefer the good to firm stuff and any rain onto well-cared-for watered ground, does soon change things. DE SOTO is going to have to put this half-hearted well behind him, or else he'll be trotting off into the sunset and retirement.
The one thing we do know is that AUSTRALIA DAY has always done his best and tried his very hardest. We are asking him to do so again today in a typically competitive and valuable Sandown handicap. It is another tough contest but at least he's dropped 1lb. for his Goodwood run!! I may have asked Martin Dwyer to be too positive too early in that race and maybe we 'bustled' 'SKIPPY' too hard up the initial hill at Goodwood? He stayed on again to be fifth and it is also probable now that he needs abit further than 1 1/4m. However the horse seems so well and there are no alternatives at the moment.
I'm sure one day 'SKIPPY' will disappoint around Sandown, but we have no reason to think it will be today, so if all goes well, he looks a good each-way prospect.

BLACK ANNIE
looking very proud after winning at Stratford last week, but not as proud as Becky who looks after her so beautifully, her owner Shully Liebermann and The Champion, 'A.P.'

To Worcester this evening for two runners, both making re-appearances after long absences.
RED BIRR is at last in the right spot on the right ground and off a mark of 86 should be able to go very close in this ordinary looking contest. The only worry is that he is still a maiden over hurdles and fences and so sometimes until they win, you wonder if they can!
AUTUMN RED returns to the track after 524 days, the day he unseated at Huntingdon when travelling like a winner with a circuit to go. His owner, Richard Dodson deserves so much praise for his stoic patience and i pray he is rewarded with 'DAVE' running well tonight and most importantly, the horse's legs being hard and cold tomorrow morning. This horse is as fit as we can get him and seems more enthusiast than ever in his work, so much so that we have left the visor off today................... just hope the horse hasn't fooled his trainer!

A.P.McCoy again carries Shully Liebermann's colours at Stratford today where he rides BLACK ANNIE in the 5.35pm. These colours so nearly sprang a 66/1 surprise at Windsor on sunday where MEER UND WIND was beaten the shortest of short heads. Indeed we all thought she had got up, Eddie Ahern thought he's won and the jockey on the other horse thought he was beat! Maybe we should have asked the judge to take another look at the print.
BLACK ANNIE won her bumper and then was second on her debut over hurdles at Worcester recently where she lost her confidence, after being interfered with by a wayward opponent! She
has schooled many times since and i think we will ride her closer to the pace today as all she seems to do is stay. It looks a tricky little heat, but i hope she'll improve enough to go close.

Apologies for giving you too much encouragement about JUST VICTOR, who ran well below par at Worcester. We scoped him straight after the race and....... (no) surprise, surprise we found mucus in his wind-pipe and lungs.
The nasty part of the surprise was of course the fact that JUST VICTOR checked out so clean 48 hours before the race and everybody in the yard fancied him on his home work. It just shows that there is no such thing as a 'racing certainty' and why the bookmakers achieve a better, guaranteed and more reliable living than the Owners and Trainers who provide the ammunition for their Betting Shops, both on and off-shore !!
An interesting day's flat-racing awaits us at Windsor this afternoon. There will be unfamiliar colours on every runner today as it's Football Premiership Day. MEER UND WIND and DANVILLA look to have difficult tasks today on their seasonal debuts, but LAISH YA HAJAR must have a good chance in the 4.00pm, where there are also two non-runners. He probably found 1m 3+f. a bit far at Newbury last time, especially on rain-softened ground.