Catching up

I've been very busy lately - a lot to write about but not enough time to write it. I don't seem to be able to update this blog from work due to firewall issues which makes matters worse.

I went to Milan ten days ago - I had lunch at San Siro one day and watched a few trotting races. It was an eye opener - I don't think trotting is for me but I did manage to break my losing run and back a 10/1 winner. The stadium was virtually empty - not that surprising as Tuesday lunchtime trotting has never been a crowd puller (I am told) as it is more for the betting shops than anything else, but horse racing is on the decline in Italy.

I flew back on Thursday and in the evening I went to the sport industry awards, where David Beckham picked up the main prize. He made a very engaging speech. On Friday I bought three horse paintings at auction - I'm trying to get a collection going. I went to Ascot on Saturday where Mon Michel was running. I flew out to Malta on Tuesday, and in the afternoon Thunderbolt Jaxon ran at Folkestone. Both horses came second. Ho hum.

I got back last night, and today I drove down to Paul Nicholls' yard to present the connections of Kauto Star their cheque for winning the Betfair million. I got there an hour early and took the chance of a good look around - it was a glorious day and it's a beautiful stable. I went to see all the stable stars, taking particular interest in Kauto Star and Denman. Clive Smith and Ruby Walsh arrived - we did a photo shoot and headed off to the pub for a long lunch. I've had tougher days.

King's Head probably runs on Saturday at Kempton, switching back to the flat. Master of the Race is declared at Plumpton on Sunday and may run. Major Eazy is declared at Bath on Wednesday and will be my first 2yo runner of this season if he stands his ground.

I've tried and failed to buy a number of horses recently, and three of those have run in the last couple of weeks with two of them winning. It's an interesting extra insight that comes with the buying - if a horse checked out but we were unable to get him it's probably a sign that he is a decent animal and is worth following. My betting luck seems to be changing - I've had a couple of good days recently. Maybe my fortunes as an owner are about to tick up - I certainly hope so.