Gowran June 24th
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We head to Gowran tomorrow with 2. The ground should be very quick and should be fine for both. That Is The Spirit bids to repeat his performance of 20 days ago with pretty much everything the same, ground, jockey, trip etc. He seems in great form and I’d be hopeful. My one reservation would be his form fluctuated wildly for the last couple of years and you’d worry that it may do the same with us. Outwardly there’s no reason why it should so fingers crossed. Big thing with this fella is he’s still operating more than a stone below his best so there’s a possibility of more to come. Then we have Khabaray immediately after and it’s another good opportunity for Rory to be getting colours on and gaining experience. This lad isn’t firing on all cylinders but there isn’t a thing in the world wrong with him. He’s eating well, stepping out to his chin in the mornings and should be running a lot better than he has been. For peace of mind he was scoped after his Saturday run just in case he had bled internally and while we were at it we ran routine bloods also. Clean as a whistle. Rory will benefit and someday things should click and he’ll win. He was 77 for a while last year and with Rory’s claim off 65 his turn should come. It’s pure speculation but I wonder if last year left a mark. He raced hard and trained hard for 10 months. It was pretty unrelenting and I wasn’t experienced enough to chill. This is a game where you’re constantly learning but still know very little. Horses defy logic and that has been the most remarkable aspect of this 18 months past. Resisting the temptation to meddle is excruciating but if you leave them, train them and wait, they often come. Some don’t of course and then you’re banjaxed. I love this “keys” narrative that’s perpetuated in the media. It paints a picture of a canny trainer with a finger on either temple waiting for inspiration or the “key” to come to them. They’re perplexing, wonderful animals and whiling away a working life surrounded by them is all I ever wanted, I’ve never found keys.