We had a great day yesterday at Garthorpe. They had done a really good job with the ground, and although it was quick, it was safe. We decided to run Archie even though we knew it would be too quick for him. Last time he ran he was completely clueless and had no idea he was racing - This time the penny had dropped and he set off at a ridiculous pace and Zac had a job to hold him. It was lovely to see him so keen, but in his excitement he completely forgot to breathe and ground to a sudden halt after a circuit and a half.  It was lovely to see him enjoying himself and we will call it a day now for this season. He has been broken for less that a year and was only jumping poles a few months ago, so to see him jumping the big fences at such speed was very exciting.  He will be hunted next season so that he gets used to having horses around him, and it won't be quite such a big deal.  I am looking forward to next season already!

Archie has learnt so much in such a short time

The racing in general was fantastic and the weather was nice enough to enjoy a drink around the lorry (socially distanced of course!) with people we hadn't seen for a long time.