Vivre Pour Vivre
There was a light mist early this morning and a very slight frost, it remains cool but the going at Newmarket has been kept at good despite short and sharp showers yesterday. We used the grass canter on Warren Hill and we also did some stalls work with a handful of the horses.
We have the one runner today at Leicester in the ten furlong handicap. Vivre Pour Vivre won his maiden last time at Wolverhampton and steps up to handicap company for the first time. We believe he will handle soft ground but I will wait to see what Ryan has to say about the ground after he has ridden in the first because I would not want to run him on desperate ground. It looks a competitive small field handicap with Skeaping proven on the going and Lido Lady highly tried at two over sprint trips, Jazzy makes a quick reappearance after running very freely on Wednesday night. I hope he can go well as he is a horse we like and he is bred to appreciate the step up in trip.
Aintree is upon us and it was fantastic to see Cue Card win yesterday after his fall in the Gold Cup when he was travelling so well. It will be an exciting race at Punchestown if he takes on Don Cossack as planned and I hope both horses get a safe passage around and we can see which horse is the best of the pair. You would normally call Annie Power a once in a lifetime mare but she has been one of many very talented mares that Rich Ricci has been lucky enough to own, she was once more sensational and will surely make a fantastic broodmare one day. It would be a magnificent achievement if Willie Mullins can be Champion jumps trainer in two countries simultaneously and unless Paul Nicholls can win the Grand National it is looking highly likely it will happen.
The Masters is always one of the highlights of the sporting calendar and I wish all my racehorses had the temperament of Jordan Speith. He does not seem to feel pressure and is a very cool customer indeed, to go out and shoot an opening 66 to lead the field when you are defending your title at the age of 22 is very impressive indeed.