DOUBLE UP AT ASCOT.

Yesterdays Ascot meeting saw us win our first Saturday double for longer than I care to remember. Although the winners have been a bit slower at coming over recent seasons we still manage to win a lot of the major races on the program however I honestly can't remember what my last Saturday double was. We did win a mid week double about two or three months ago with TERADA and ASCOLI but yesterdays double was particularly sweet.

I have spent a greater part of the past few months either away at sales, out looking at yearlings or down at the farm in later times. That being the case, it was a great kick for DION, SARAH and all the staff who have been running the stable, to register a double with two horses which they have had to put in the extra yards with of late.

REGOL STREET has been beaten in maiden races at Pinjarra of late yet his work suggested he was a Saturday class horse. Dion took it upon himself to get the horse back to nature so as to get his head right. Over the and past few weeks the horse has hardly been the track in the morning with Dion opting to swim him in the Swan river as well as working him up along the river tracks to Garvey Park where the horse has been put over a few jumps in an effort to smarten up his idea's. Yesterdays performance suggests that the efforts have all been worth while. There is nothing like training winners when an extra effort is needed to get the result and taking a horse out into a more natural environment sometimes seems to do the trick.

Our second winner, ESTIARTE has been off the scene for quite a while due to a tendon injury however his two runs back so far this campaign have shown that a win was not far away. When I saw the horse stride out so boldly on his way to the barriers yesterday, I knew that he was ready to rumble. Another brilliant ride by the fish saw the horse jump from a wide barrier but settle just in behind the pace. Jason has won a number of races on ESTIARTE so when I saw him ease to the outside in the straight yesterday,I knew he was going to take some beating.

Both horses have come through their runs in good fashion however I wont do a lot more with REGOL STREET this campaign. He will head off to the farm for a bit of a freshen up after one more run. ESTIARTE however is likely to be kept racing for a while as long as he remains sound and is enjoying his racing.

BUNBURY CUP DAY

The one thing that spending time in the country does for me is it enables me to have an extra hour or so free time early in the morning. This comes about from the body clock still ensuring that I am awake bright and early at 3.30am as usual however with sunrise not occurring until somewhere around 6.20am, there isn't a lot I can do as far as working horses is concerned until then. As I sit here looking out the window it is hard to even make out the white rail fences let alone see any movement out in the paddocks. With my head trying to work out what might happen in the Cup this afternoon I figured it is as good a time as any to put a few words together.

I have said on a number of occasions lately that there is very little separating my two runners GUYNO and ALMOHAD in the race today. One is a proven big race performer who has earned his top weight. The other is an up and coming young horse who is likely to reach greater heights over the next season or two. The reality is that neither is at their very best today.

Both horses have been up for a long time. Both horses were at their peak some months ago when being set for bigger races and both horses are looking for a well deserved spell. All that said, both horses are still capable of winning today's race!!! The race today is likely to develop into a race of tactics with some cat and mouse riding styles coming to the fore. Who will lead? What sort of speed will be on? When will Danny make his move? Is there another wild card chance in the race? Has any runner from the Pinjarra Cup improved enough or gone backwards enough to make a significant difference?

The answer to all these things will become a lot clearer around 5.00pm this afternoon. From my point of view I cant get to worried about most of these things. My horses will be ridden by two of the states best riders and I am confident that they will be given every chance by them.

The Bunbury Cup is a race I really would love to win again, not having won it since back in the early 90's with HARD ACT. I have only had two runners in the race for a first and a second so I am looking forward to improving that record. I will be absolutely over the moon if either of my two runners can do the job today however I will not be too disappointed if today is not their day. Both have done me and the stable proud over the past few months and I know that all good things must come to an end at some stage. I am just hoping that it is not today!

I must get off my backside now and go and say good morning to the boys. I can just make out the fence rails outside and can hear some movement over at the stables. Happy punting today and may the best horse win.

SECOND AND THIRD IN CUP

I have to say that I went to Pinjarra last week fully expecting to win the Pinjarra Cup. Not only win the race but I was fairly confident I could Quinella the race. History will show that this was not the case however we did go very close. Instead of one two we ran second and third.

On face value there does not appear to be any excuses for either horse and we were beaten fair and square on the day. Both horses have come throught the race in good order and both have had a fairly easy time since. I am confident that both horses were fit and well on the day so I could not expect to see any real improvement in either as far as fitness is concerned.

That being the case we will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat if either is to turn the tables on the winner and even further we will need to improve some if the field at Bunbury has more depth to it than the Pinjarra Cup.

The reality is that although we were beaten fair and square and taking nothing away from the winner, there is no doubt that both horses have had long campaigns and will enjoy a break soon. GUYNO has been to Melbourne, Sydney.back to Melbourne, out to Geelong where he bled then back to Perth. ALMOHAD has been up since being set for the Perth Cup. He then had a short break between runs before returning to my stables. I am very proud of the job both horses have done and can not be disappointed in the results.

Both horses are nominated for the Bunbury Cup however a final decision on whether or not they run will be left until the last minute. I will be monitoring their health and condition over the next few days, especially their mental condition before we decide. If I am not happy with them then they will both go straight to the paddock.