The week did not start well when I managed to scratch the horsebox early on Monday morning and it was the signal that a trying week lay ahead.
We decided to make the running with London Eye at Lingfield to utilise his long stride on Monday afternoon. He got to the front with ease and into a nice rhythm but when a horse applied pressure on his outside, he folded quickly. He would not have blown a candle out afterwards and pulled Shona around the yard, so headgear is likely to be something we try at some stage.
Global Warning had a very easy time after his win as we were keen to get him as fresh as possible, aware that a nine day turnaround is not ideal for a horse like him but forced into running under a penalty by his 11 pound rise in the weights. Nothing much went right as he was slowly out the stalls and then had to use up petrol to make ground from the back, wide around the bend. His run petered out in the last half furlong and whilst he seemed fresh and well, he ran a little flat. He has had an easy week post the run and we will wait atleast a month until we get him out again.
Capla Crusader gave us some heart on Saturday although it was frustrating he missed the break. We gave him some stalls practise before the run as he had developed a bad habit of coming out the stalls slowly. Alas he stood still as the gates opened and missed the break by a few lengths. It was therefore encouraging to see him run his best race for a while when he made ground from the rear and was beaten just over two lengths into 6th. He appeared to enjoy himself and we hope it gave him some confidence. If he does jump on terms, he looks to be well capable of winning off his current mark.
Our next runner will not be until atleast the 20th and then we will likely have three runners up until the end of the month. London Eye and Capla Crusader are likely to be out again and we hope Global Prospector will be out before the end of the month.