ALCEDO....FINALLY!

I don't think I have ever trained a more frustrating horse than ALCEDO. For a horse who is bred to be a group winner and who shows more in training than most of my top horses have ever shown, it is no wonder that he has been a real challenge for me.

As a two and three year old I kept on telling the owners that they had a potential top liner on their hands in Alcedo. Every jockey who ever threw a leg over him agreed with me. I kept telling the connections that once ALCEDO matured, he was headed for the top. Unfortunately,the only thing that was heading upwards was my boiling point and frustration with the lack of results with this horse.

It wasn't until about eight months ago that with the aid of some new technology and a vet who couldn't believe what was happening with the horse, that we finally discovered what ALCEDO'S problems were. The vet recommended a three month spell and to keep our fingers crossed when the horse returned. After two disappointing runs we were all ready to retire the horse and to cut our losses however I felt he was worth one or two more runs.

The horse has now strung two good runs together, winning in good style at Northam on Wednesday suggesting he may be over his problems. I feel that if the horse can regain his confidence in some weaker provincial races, we may just be able to get him to perform somewhere near his best after another few runs. We live in hope!!! As the vet said; keep your fingers crossed.