A VERY, VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR OWNERS, HORSES, LADS AND LASSES AND READERS.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A FANTASIC CHRISTMAS TIME AND A WONDERFULLY HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL 2010.

(RIGHT) ONE OF OUR PRE-CHRISTMAS HIGHLIGHTS, TIME FOR RUPERT WINNING AT CHELTENHAM IN DECEMBER.

Just as the horses hit top form, our double at Doncaster being another highlight, Jack Frost and Sidney Snow swept the country plunging the United Kingdom into its usual winter chaos. The local councils and Highways Agencys could probably learn plenty from the Gallopsmen of racing yards all over the country about how to keep things ticking over during inclement weather. In our case, we have not missed a canter, despite -6c and a few inches of snow, due to forward planning and hours of tractor driving by Martin and Balash. Our gallop has been groomed perfectly and I only hope we can capitalise on and reward everybody's extra efforts, by producing winners in the next week. That however will be tough as the competition will be fierce with the backlog of horses due a run and the valuable prizes on offer.

Boxing Day means Kempton and it is always great to have a runner worthy of running on such an exciting day. This has proved a lucky meeting for us in the past with the likes of Land Afar, Frosty Canyon, De Soto and last year the late and so lamented Pressgang. It is DE SOTO we rely on tomorrow to punch our ticket to attend the King George. He runs in a fiendishly competitive handicap hurdle, where to finish in the first six will be admirable. I feel he may find life easier over hurdles now that he's in that tough 130-rated zone, as he does not have endless scope over fences in tough races.

Time for the trainer to feed Christmas Lunch to the horses while my elves seek a little time with their families.......... don't feel sorry for me as I will hopefully be fed later!

Hope you all have a lovely holiday time and look forward to lots of winners together through 2010.

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!