Well - the deed has been done and I have declared Frog to run in the bumper tomorrow at Hereford - a sleepless night awaits me. No, to be honest, as she is not going over fences I should be OK as there is little chance of her coming to any harm on the flat.
She is going very well at home and needs a run as she is beginning to get rather full of herself. She doesn't want it any softer than it is now but she has a great stride and as long as she doesn't boil over before the race she shouldn't embarrass us.
The horses are working really well at the moment. Leon's poorly foot was short lived and he is back being ridden. We are trying different tactics with him , and instead of putting him up the all weather (which he has probably being doing since he was two) we are trotting/cantering him on the stubble fields and trying to make him overtake the other horses to try and get him enthused. Haunted House is doing everything right - he loves routine and as long as everything is the same he is as happy as a sand boy. Laverty is getting rather bolshie as he is full of food and thinks he is it and a bit - we are trying to balance getting as much food into him as possible with enough work for him to get fitter but not to lose any weight as he is already thin enough. He is very strong, so I dread to think what he will be like when he is fully fit and muscled up!
Doris continues to amaze us, she went around the round gallop three times yesterday at a really good clip and then still jogged all the way home. Today she went up the hill three times and pulled Lucy to the top each time. We would be excited if she was an older horse, but for a three year old she is quite phenomenal. Harry is improving all the time and we will be looking for a race for him in the next couple of weeks, especially now it is getting softer. Dove is still in love with Will and can do no wrong - Granny Dove has been showing the youngsters how it should be done on the gallops and wont let another horse near her. She's a freak. If we could be sure that she was going to behave herself we would enter her under rules, She was unfortunate last season pointing, when she was absolutely spot on to come head to head with a horse called Mad Jack Duncan, she ran a cracker of a race and came second to him having been jumping side by side most of the way around. He then went on to win three races under rules before sadly breaking a leg at Cheltenham. We know she doesn't quite stay three miles so the sensible thing would be to enter her in a 2.5/6 handicap hurdle or chase race. She is definitely not ready to be retired yet.
Last evening we went to supper at Amy's. It was her last day yesterday as she is being a chalet girl in France for the winter. We had a lovely meal, but we are very sorry to see her go as she has been brilliant with the horses and will be very much missed. Hopefully she will be coming back next season.