It has been quite a strange week.  Tom had an accident on his bicycle and ended up having an operation on Tuesday night.  He was able to go back to his new school last night but with stitches in his leg.  It was a shame really as he was due to ride JAZZ at Kempton yesterday afternoon.  I now know how James feels when you have everything perfect for a horse and at the last minute you cant run.  Everything was perfect for JAZZ yesterday, distance, all weather and the fact she looks fantastic and is very fit.  If she had run it would have meant that we didn't have to do a lot with her this coming week as we dont have Tom here to exercise her.  Now we have to worry about how to keep her fit for Ascot on the 25th.

Tuesday was a particularly strange day.  I had to be in London for a 10.30 appointment but was late as there were signalling problems at Potters Bar.  Met up with a friend of mine called Anna Louise Naylor Leyland for lunch in the most beautiful hotel called The Lanesborough her husband is the manager.  We had a good old gossip before I headed back to the station.  I was waiting for the Newmarket train when James rang to say that he was bringing Tom into Addenbrokes as he had had a nasty accident on his bicycle.  I jumped on a bus to the hospital and got there just before them.  Luckily Janet had rung me to prepare me that the injury didn't look at all good.  We think he crashed into a barrow which had been left on our outside ring. He had been racing his friend Rupert George. We think it was the brake handle that punctured his skin all the way down to the bone.  Luckily James ran into one of Toms friends father who just happens to be an anaesthetist who completely took over and had him in surgery at 9.30pm.  We were so grateful to him.  I stayed the night with Tom and he was let out at lunchtime the next day.

Prior to this happening BONDAGE won at Leicester.  I was delighted for him as he is a funny little horse.  He has taken a long time to come to himself.  He was so immature both physically and mentally.  Anna who used to ride him out everyday suggested putting some sort of a hood on him which has calmed him down. He also wears it at the races.  Recently he has thrived and has held on to a bit of condition and doesn't look so much like a filly anymore. He has two lovely owners Caroline Crawshaw and Me!! Fingers crossed that we will have some more fun with him.

Thursday we  had the Georges around for a family supper and cards.  Both Jimmy and James were discussing their trip to Ireland at the weekend.  Jimmy was going as Tattersalls sponsor The Champion Stakes.  He is staying over as he has a runner at Dundalk today trained by Jessie Harrington.  He had Curtain Call a couple of years ago. James was going to saddle up SPACIOUS. As usual it was a fun evening. 

Yesterday we worked up the Limekilns.  Andrew and Julia Turner came out to see INCENDO and SPRING JIM who has had a summer holiday.  JIM  (aged 9) was very fresh and naughty.  Peter Hopper was out to see DEACON BLUES.  CESARE and I led ALSACE LORRAINE who may be off to Ireland next weekend.  CESARE felt in excellent form and I was more than happy with him.  He is a wonderful horse and it will be great if Tom is allowed to ride him out next year.  We walk on to the gallops with a long rein and he doesn't budge until he feels you shortening them.  He goes out with ALSACE and SPACIOUS every day as he is so laid back and they can be quite excitable.

James left at 8.00 as we were all having breakfast.  The rest of the day was spent getting things ready for Tom to take back to school.  We watched SPACIOUS together and Tom was very disappointed that she was second yet again.  She so deserves a Group One win as she has been second six times including a Guineas.  It was a huge shame that the rain came as she loves top of the ground and it was obvious from very early on that she was not appreciating the rain softened ground.  Again she ran her heart out.  Usually she comes back bouncing and she has never looked as well as she does at the moment.  Johnny Murtagh knows her better than most and he would know how to ride to beat her. She should be arriving back here at any time. She is funny as when she is running at Newmarket she will arrive at the racecourse wet with sweat but having travelled to Ireland the only time she got warm was when the traffic was slow around Cambridge.  

PRIMAEVAL ran last night and he didn't run too badly but he hasn't really produced what we had hoped.  He had looked a really nice horse but you would have to say he has been a little disappointing.  James is going to try him over 7f next time.

This is a very quiet Sunday without Tom.  I am wondering what he is up to and is he okay.  The school have asked that we leave them to settle in before getting in touch, but it is very hard.  I know that that they are having hockey trials today but he obviously wont be able to take part.

Another very busy week and by Saturday evening I was shattered.  We had a lot of people away either on holiday or in one case injured.  It makes everyones work that bit harder but everyone has rallied this week.

We love going to Jane and Jimmy Georges for supper which we did on Wednesday as they are always good fun and loads of wine and delicious food.  They had two people there who work for David Hayes in Australia, Gary and Lizzie. They were looking after REBEL SOLDIER who had just been bought out of Jeremy Noseda's yard to go to Australia.  Tom has become very good friends with Rupert George who he is trying to persuade to take up riding and ultimately race riding. I hope he isn't becoming a bore as seems to be turning up at the George house several times a day at the moment. 

After our two runners on Monday we didn't actually have another one until Friday when we were supposed to have three.  Unfortunately SNOW MAGIC arrived at Salisbury and just before the race was found to be lame.  We always check that they are sound before they leave for the races so it was disappointing for everyone not least Nigel and Carolyn Elwes who own her.  She was found to have a poisoned foot by the racecourse vet.  It possibly came to light because of a bad journey down there due to continuously stopping and starting.  She would have been moving from one leg to another for comfort and may have triggered the poison.  Having caught it before the race the recovery should be fairly swift if she had actually raced with it festering it could have taken her a lot longer to get over it. A journey to Salisbury is very expensive so it is not an ideal situation to have to pull out having got there.

To make things even worse JEWELLERY ran very disappointingly. We thought going 1m6f would suit her but it didn't seem to.

Earlier in the day CESARE had run in The Strensall Stakes at York.  He didn't run that well either but Johnny Murtagh said that the ground was too firm for him. My personal thoughts are that he likes a straight course and he doesn't like coming round a bend.  He never seems to travel so well when he is on the turn. Obviously the ground didn't help.  Today I rode him out and suggested to James that I use him as a hack.  That was a mistake.  I turned him in to hack him up the grass and he immediately grabbed hold of the bit and I had to persuade him to lob which was fine until Prescotts came up behind on the Polytrack when he shot off and I also thought he was going to drop his shoulder any second.  It was a relief to get to the top in one piece and still on him!

Saturday we had a HUGE success.  Lizzie Dent, Tom and I set off with JAZZ at seven o'clock for Sandown.  Tom and JAZZ were taking part in the 138cms pony race before racing.  Tom had to be there for 10.15 for a course walk.  We arrived in good time.  luckily JAZZ is a good traveller, she got a little warm but it was a very muggy day and we had to give her a couple of wash downs before the race.  She looked magnificent in the paddock and the two of them had quite a team of supporters.  Norman and Valerie Brunskill and Michael and Anna Louise Naylor Leyland had specially gone along to watch them and The Axom team were all there.   JAZZ looked magnificent in the paddock and I really thought that if she and Tom were going to win that they had as good a chance as they have had so far.  Tom and Megan Nichols fought it out and good old JAZZ kept on pulling out a bit more and won by about half a length and then there was a bit of distance back to third.  To see Toms face was just fantastic and I felt quite emotional he had so wanted the feeling of winning and he now knew what it was like.

After the presentation he did an interview with Emma Spencer on Channel Four but unfortunately it wasn't shown.  He was doing quite well and then Emma asked him if "his Dad was hard on him" and he didn't know what to say and got a bit tongue tied.  I had an awful feeling he was going to say "No but my Mum is"!!  We just want him to enjoy it.  He use to take it all too seriously to begin with and analyze each race for days afterwards.  We may go to Goodwood on Sunday although 6f is a bit short.  She now has to carry an extra 3lbs which is a nightmare as Tom has the best part of three stone in lead already it's the last thing we need.

We had more texts, faxes, messages etc after Tom had his picture and write up in The Racing Post next day than any big winner we have ever had.  If anyone has a child that wants to Pony Race please let them do it, it is great fun and really gets them interested in racing.  They all know the form of all the ponies and it is run so professionally.  If you ask me it is the best way to get young people interested in racing.  Even if they are not riding themselves it is great to see people their own age riding on the racecourse. 

My brother who I hadn't seen for ages was waiting for us when we got back.  He was staying the night before flying off to Oslo the next day.  He is a pilot.  We arrived home just in time to see SPENSLEY run. He has run the last three Saturdays and did not look very happy.  We had hoped he would have finished in the first three.  He seems well today.

No lie-in on Sunday as Elite were coming for their annual Sunday Open Day here.  Tom actually was up early and led JAZZ out while I got her and FRANK mucked out and hayed and watered.  Her legs felt good after we took the Kaolins off.

We have a team of people who are very kind and come and help on these days.  Perilla who use to ride out and is extremely peeved that James wont let her anymore is a great help. Andy, Jean and Eddie take charge of Teas and Coffees. Jenny and Dave King brought some delicious cakes which looked far more yummy than mine and I did notice that everyone went for them first. I would have done the same! Jenny is a wonderful gardener and brings us delicious figs and huge bags of blackberries and cucumbers and  spoils us. We had an excellent team of lads who stayed to talk to about the horses.  Bomber who is still off injured after his fall off SOCIETY ROCK about a month ago came in and stood by him to answer any questions.

During the night we had had awful storms and things did not look good for the day but by nine o'clock the weather had really brightened up and actually we couldn't have had a better morning.  The horses that were paraded looked magnificent.  Tom got a huge round of applause when he paraded JAZZ at the end.  We all enjoy having Elite here and hope they enjoy it as much.

This week may be a little quieter as Tom has been sent off on a Bushcraft Camp in Oxfordshire with his friend Ned Campbell.  He was not happy and said the did not like camping.  They have to make their own huts and cook their food on camp fires which they have started without matches etc.  It is a survival course and James and I thought it would be good for him.  We wont hear anything until I pick him up at 4.00pm on Friday.

CAPTIVATOR coughed several times on exercise this morning which is disappointing as she was due to run tomorrow. She was scoped at breakfast time and was not 100% and so she cant run tomorrow now.  It seems as not a lot is going our way at the moment but am sure it will all change very soon.

We have had a very busy week and weekend.  Friday night at Newmarket was as nasty an evening racing I can remember.  Dennis and Elizabeth Ann Haynes was there to watch there little two year old gelding BEATING HARMONY who actually ran very well for most of the race but just got very tired in the ground.  Tom had a friend from school who had wanted to see WEST LIFE there and James suggested to her parents that we all have some dinner there. That was so lucky because at least we were able to have somewhere inside to keep warm and dry.  It was such a relief to get home at about at eleven. 

It was great to go out on my feet on Saturday to watch CESARE and SPACIOUS work.  Jackie Tervitt rides SPACIOUS every day and I ride CES we were both very happy to see the two of them work so well together.  Both look amazing at the moment. KIERAN was very happy with SPACIOUS but is unable to ride her at Sandown as he is heading for Chicago.  Anyway James and Chris Richardson decided not to enter her for The Atalanta Stakes as rain was predicted all week but having said that we haven't seen a drop yet. 

We were racing at Newmarket again on Saturday afternoon when unfortunately BAGAMOYO and DEACON BLUES were running against each other again.  This time the result was reversed and DEACON BLUES who was getting his ground for the first time finished second and in front of BAGAMOYO who finished sixth.  All the owners were there and we all had a drink together afterwards. 

Michael and Anna Louise Naylor Leyland came for supper. Food could have been better.  I love cooking and eating but the main course of a teriyaki marinaded salmon was a bit sweet and then the pudding was about the most revolting ever.  I picked up a Heston Blumenthal recipe card in Waitrose for a banana Eton Mess it looked like dog sick and not that I know what that tastes like it could have have tasted similar. Michael manages The Lanesborough Hotel in London so luckily is not subjected to this sort of food very often.

Sunday was great fun.  We had some great people for lunch.  Dennis and Elizabeth Ann Haynes (BEATING HARMONY), Simon Gibson (SOCIETY ROCK and GLASS MOUNTAIN), Andrew and Carolyn Crawshaw (BONDAGE) and Penny Butler who use to be a partner with my brother in a bloodstock agency and had a wonderful eye for a horse. James and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Food better than last night although I burnt one of the puddings but most of it was edible!!

WULFRIDA came up against an improving horse from John Gosdens in her race on Monday.  She ran very well but the winner looked as if she had a bit in hand. VIA AURELIA let everyone down again.  She goes so nicely at home and doesn't achieve the same on the racecourse.

Today (Tuesday) I had a meeting for the Greatwood/Animal Health Trust Opera evening which is due to happen on September 25th.  It is getting quite close now and we now just have to get some sponsorship and sell some tickets.  It should be great fun as it is a very light opera and the acoustics are great in Tatts Sales ring.

I have already started baking cakes for Sunday when Elite Racing come to visit.  I will have to get them all done by Thursday as fingers crossed we will be off to York to watch CESARE on Friday and then on Saturday Tom and JAZZ are off again at Sandown.  He is so lucky to have this lovely little pony who looks better and better with every race and she has been racing practically every week lately. 

Oh dear!  I have been trying to update things on the web site and somehow deleted all my diaries.  Never mind it might be a blessing in disguise!  We have a new News Rotator on the Home page which Charlie edits with winners and news.  I was trying to put the latest news first and then had a look and thought there was a lot of stuff that could be archived and now dont know how to get them back.  Anyway it's quite good to have a spring clean now and again.

We were very short of people this morning as we have people on holiday and away racing and one has gone off to do a police rehabiltation course in order to avoid points on his licence. I rode out KNOTGARDEN second lot.  She felt very well. Kieran said she didn't feel right on Friday night but she seemed to be moving well today so we will have to see. I was surprised how on the bridle she was having thought she would just lob round Sidehill but she gives you a nice feel.  First lot we cantered on Longhill grass which the horses loved.

James and Tom left together to head for Salisbury to saddle up ALSACE LORRAINE and then on to Sandown for OLD HUNDRED (George).  It will be a miracle if they arrive home together though!  Tom knows absolutely everything about training horses and riding them and is very keen on dispensing this knowledge. 

Tom and I had an eventful day at Southwell on Monday.  WULFRIDA (Martin Lane) was running in the 4.00pm and JAZZ  (Tom Fanshawe) was running in the 1.45pm.  We went on a little hired box that I drove as James doesn't like ponies mixing with the racehorses. It was the first time we had had a pony race before racing and it was so much better as we weren't having to worry about stressed out ponies standing on a horsebox for four hours.  It was so much smoother.  JAZZ'S old owner Keith Milburn had come down from Malton to see how she was. He said that she looked so well and was so well chilled out which we were thrilled about.

Lizzie Dent who was at the races with WULFRIDA came to help us as it would be virtually impossible for Tom and I to do it together.  The last two races Tom has got his starts spot on as he had been getting left in his first few.  He rode her very well as it was a mile which took some getting as the surface was very deep.  Having jumped well he actually let someone else take it up and he rode a nice race just in touch with the leaders and finished second having taken the shortes route when coming round the bend.  We were all thrilled.  Poor JAZZ is at a disadvantage as she has to carry three stone in lead which is very heavy I can tell you. We were all delighted with this run. Tom adn I were delighted to see James had arrived just in time to see the race.  He had come from Cheshire so had a long day.

Having done the presentations we got back to the horsebox to find that we had a flat tyre.  John who had come with some other horses and Jock who had brought WULFRIDA very kindly changed it for me.  We sadly didn't stay for WULFRIDA who was never going in the deep surface of Southwell, and kicked on home.  Nothing has gone right for her so far as we actually think she is a nice filly.

SPENSLEY ran a much better race at Leicester on Sunday.  He was a little unlucky as there was a loose horse which impeded his run. Kieran could never push him out as he had nowhere to go unfortunately but a relief to see him finish and to secure thirs spot.

LATER:  I have just watched ALSACE LORRAINE win the Upavon Stakes.  It was quite nerve wracking as she looked to be stuck on the rails but Kieran didn't lose his nerve and sat until a gap opened and she got up to win.  It is quite interesting listening to the ATR presenters talking about your horses. They said how straight forward a filly she was.  She has caused James so many headaches in the past and at one stage was virtually untrainable but luckily both Craig Bennet her owner and James were so patient and it has paid dividends.  She still has her moments when we worry about her but they are much less these days.  She is very talented, very genuine and very tough, what more could you ask for.

I still think she is better over a strong run mile. It is quite fun as CESARE, SPACIOUS and ALSACE go together everyday. They are all very different but seem to be good for each other.  CESARE has to do two strides to SPAIOUS'S one.