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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.

A busy weekend for us with 7 intended runners. Tomorrow we have 5 heading to Limerick. Lucky it’s Limerick, 4 is our max but we’re close enough to go back for the last fella. Alans Pride is first. He has a good record at Limerick over this trip. He has finished 2nd and 1st in his 2 runs albeit at a much lower level. He’s in terrific form. I thought his Leopardstown run from stall 15 was a belting effort. He attempted to follow a crazy gallop and only faded late on. Slight caveat with this fella. He had a shoe off and an abscess released this afternoon, from a front foot. He didn’t miss any exercise and he’s poulticed overnight to draw out the infection. They can go from very miserable to very happy, very quickly and if he takes a shoe in the morning and is perfectly sound he will run. If not we’ll wait. Khabaray next and we introduce our secret weapon in this race. Rory King is Connor’s younger brother and he received his apprentice license Tuesday last. A first for both of us, I’m probably not quite as excited as him or Dan, his little brother, but I’m really looking forward to it. Rory is a composed young man, rides well and is quietly burning with ambitions to be the next big thing. He has had 3 or 400 rides pony racing with close to 50 winners. I was giving out yards about Khabaray recently when it dawned on me he can be there for Rory and to help sort through the unraced youngsters. Ultimately he’s a disappointing horse but he’ll prove invaluable this summer. There was a few weeks April end, early May when he was working well and I was really looking forward to his first run this season. He started to disappoint thereafter and ran better than I ( not the market) expected at Leopardstown. If he stepped forward he could run well. He’s slightly awkward in that he jumps slowly and if you set him alight to catch up he can do too much. Rory can concentrate on having a nice smooth passage, weave his way to challenge and if it happens it happens. If not, there’ll be loads more days. Beach Bar returns after April on the easy list. He has plenty done but should need it. He’s older and with his attritive runstyle needs to be hard fit to perform especially off a mark of 94. He blasts through his full routine everyday and is very happy doing it but I can see the burn setting in late on tomorrow. Captain Cat ran inexplicably poorly last Saturday and without a reason for his deplorable effort he can go again. He came back last Saturday very pleased with himself. He’s eating and moving well since and I couldn’t see any reason to cod myself in to thinking I’ll have him better in a few weeks time. If he bombs I won’t have any insights and he’ll have a break and see if that reinvigorates him. I’m not hoping for Roger Charlton form with this fella, his Tony Carroll form would have him competitive here. Azzuri last and Oisin Orr rides. His first run was good in a peculiar race. Fingers crossed he steps forward. He’s a big ol’ unit and an extended 11 furlongs is sharp enough for him. Cork on Sunday is next and we run Indian Eye first. She’s not with me long, she came with a good bit done. She does things a little upside down. She pulls too hard early in her work and doesn’t finish out as well as she could. Her owner and I felt she’d be better getting started and learn that unless she conserves she has no chance. Alcatraz to wrap up the weekend. What a terrific horse he is. I has so much bull about this lad all year. He was going to do this, that and the other. I admitted defeat last Monday after Gowran, encouraged the owners towards an exit strategy and he does that Saturday. Depending on who shows up Sunday, anything could happen. No point in me having an opinion. One man who will enjoy teasing him into contention ( if he’s going) will be Chris Hayes. He seemed to get a good kick out of getting him to win and rightly so. He was terrific on him. It’s lovely to see these guys going well. Chris, Billy, Shane, Wayne, Gary, we’re seriously lucky to have them to call on.

We send 3 to the Curragh tomorrow. The majority have been running well and hopefully they can aswell. Oneoveryou goes in the sprint handicap. She has been terrific, winning and finishing 2nd twice and hopefully she can keep that up. She wears her heart on her sleeve, throwing everything in to her races from flagfall. I can see the Curragh suiting her better than Navan allowing her to concentrate on going as fast as she can for as long as she can. I’d love to see her conserve a little but it’s her way and I would be surprised if she didn’t do her usual. She’s not obviously well handicapped and will be vulnerable to an improver. She had a little gap between her 2nd last and last run and may have come forward a fraction. It would be unusual for a 7 year old to be the improver! Captain Cat and Alcatraz in a race. Together. Who beats who? Anything could happen. The pair of clowns will probably get in to a gigantic duel and go up 12 and 8 pounds respectively. Just to finish me off completely. Joking aside. Captain Cat first. He’s well after his recent good run and all things being equal should be well handicapped. The trip is a question mark but the small field will help and it’ll be interesting to see what he wants to do late on. He’d swamp these if we’re training him right and he feels like it. They’re big ifs and it’ll be interesting. He’ll pop up some day over the summer. Given his laxy daxy approach to his homework his effort the last day was acceptable and he should be better tomorrow. Alcatraz made a balls of Monday’s race, jumping slowly, tanking a fraction and getting jumbled up in his breathing. If things went smoothly you’d never know. He’s heading down the claimer route after tomorrow unless he starts to help himself and us a bit. I’m mad about him but he’s a bit of a drain.

We head to Gowran tomorrow for 3. They had rain there recently and the ground should be beautiful. That Is The Spirit runs in the 100 7f handicap and he needs to run a bit better than he has been  He’s drawn 7 of 9 in a very hot race. He went far too quick the last day but I blame myself for that. I expected Alan and himself to control the pace and hadn’t allowed for a 3rd being involved. If I had allowed Sean leeway to sit in if necessary it would have made for easier viewing. The interesting thing with That Is The Spirit is how well he took the race. He recovered quickly and was back in to his full routine in 2 days. He’s happy, fit and I won’t have too many ideas if he fails to show up and finish. Azzuri and Alcatraz take each other on in the last and I have little insight in to either. Azzuri because I don’t have him long and Alcatraz because I’m not sure what goes on in that head of his. Azzuri came to us in immaculate shape having bolted up on his last start for Dan Skelton. That was over fences and this is a different kettle of fish tomorrow. I’m delighted to have him, it’s a new challenge and we’ll just have to see. Alcatraz will do what he does and Gary will be doing his damndest to get him to win. Best of luck to both!???

We head to Gowran tomorrow with just the one runner. The ground should be nice and quick. We’re getting localised downpours, hopefully they miss Gowran for Captain Cat’s sake. He has some good soft ground form but most of his best form is on a quicker surface. He’s not a great man for hardship these days and anything to make life a bit easier should help. I find this fella entirely impossible to assess. He saunters through his routine at home, casually completing what others find challenging. He feels as if there are about 4 more gears there but he couldn’t be bothered using them and if he tries that tomorrow he’ll disappoint. We have had him away to work and he sauntered through that, it was adequate but a little inconclusive, his work partner bombed. The toughest part for him was missing his lunch. He’s sound, healthy and comparatively happy, fingers crossed he runs well as I won’t have too many ideas if he doesn’t .

These 2nds are a phase that could do with passing. It’s great for them to run well but galling to get so close. Nice too to see her acting on fast ground. There’ll be plenty days in Dianthus but tomorrow is a more pressing concern. Maths Prize runs in a nice handicap and looks a legitimate contender. By race time the last day, the ground had turned heavy and I had written off his chances. He handled it to such effect that now I’m worried about the quicker ground tomorrow! Rightly or wrongly tomorrow’s set of circumstances are what we’ve been looking forward to for this guy and hopefully he can put up a big show. He has been very well since his last run. Just sauntering through the motions at home, his exercise is good and he looks a picture. He is definitely not a dramatically quick horse but a lengthener. Hopefully he’s still ok over the mile on this faster surface. He does a peculiar thing galloping in that he shifts markedly in one direction or the other when changing legs, keep an eye out for it. It’s just a bit disruptive to momentum, hopefully it doesn’t catch him out. Anyway here’s hoping, it would be nice to finish May on a high

Busy day yesterday. 3 new additions from Goresbridge Breeze Up sales. It’s very exciting for us to get these types. Going on their vendor’s recommendations we’ll have a busy summer mopping up most of the stakes races with these 3. ? I headed off to Leopardstown contemplating a great evening. It was grand, at best. Anyway just Dianthus today. JUST Dianthus, I’ve been waiting for this day for a bit. Hopefully she’s well positioned to show what she’s made. She has been working well and while the ground is an obvious unknown, if she’s good enough she’ll be fine. To decide the best you want a strong even gallop on quick ground and that’s what she’ll get here hopefully.

We have 4 for Leopardstown tomorrow and hopefully it’ll be a nice start to an exciting weekend. The powers that be are to be commended for saving the 2 races that were unfortunately lost at the end of Sunday’s Naas card. We run 2 in the rescheduled race and both hopefully will run their race. The draw gods are against us here and we have been “Jeremy Noseda’d” tomorrow! Alan appears the more reliable, he’s like a big red bomb ready to blow since his last run and hopefully it translates into a career best. He’ll need it from that draw and getting 10lbs for his last win. That Is The Spirit continues well. I’d say slightly better than for Sunday if pressed. I really hope he can show plenty. He’ll love the 7 around Leopardstown I think. Khabaray is interesting. I have targeted this race for 4 months and thought we were getting here in great shape up to Sunday last. Dotting i’s and crossing t’s I took him away for a final bit of work. He worked crap. Out of nowhere really, he was in terrific form at home, looking great, eating well and generally just a very happy, fit horse ready to get his career back on track. He had lost his way the 2nd half of last year. Since he worked, he has been bouncing, eating and moving well. I think I just have to draw a line through Sunday and assume he’s fine for tomorrow. He’s drawn in 18 which probably shafts him but he’ll get his preferred ground. Bianca Minola runs in the last and she’s drawn fine in 9. This lady took Saturday last better than me. I was disappointed she got beat. Especially when everything seemed to go perfectly.  We’re taking 7lbs off her tomorrow to see if it helps. Her energy levels are still high despite her busy schedule and fingers crossed she can run her race again. Sunny summer evenings in Leopardstown, not sure it gets much better….

I’ll have to get a trundle wheel to that last furlong at Navan. Seems long! Dust ourselves off and head to Naas tomorrow. That Is The Spirit runs in the 7f handicap where he carries top weight. It appears a lesser race than the one we were aiming for last week. He had sore heels and we bypassed that. They’re a transient thing and behind him now. My difficulty with this lad is I was pleased with him prior to his first run for us where he ran no sort of race and I’m pleased with him now. Where that leaves us… Prior to running him David O’Meara enquired after him. I had found him complacent and lazy originally and felt he was improving for graft. I went back after the event and asked him how to train him. His advice was to keep him at 7/8s and undercook him. Tomorrow will tell us where we’re at. He has a big engine, loads of power and he shows that every day. He will show it at the races just a question of when.