Scott demonstrating the Water Treadmill at the Open Day
The weather remains dry in Newmarket and the ground up at the Rowley Mile remains unseasonably fast although showers are forecast tomorrow and on Friday and there could be rain on Saturday. I am currently in Ireland attending the Goffs Orby sale and the market so far has been extremely strong. We did not declare Trip To Paris for the Prix Du Cadran, he remains a possible for the Long Distance Cup at Ascot in just over two weeks time. Same Jurisdiction has remained in The Foret at the forfeit stage and we will make a decision on her participation later on today.
We have been extremely quiet this week and have not had a runner yet, we will have one tomorrow and then a few on Saturday. There are still some nice two year olds to run and a handful of the older horses will appreciate the softer ground when it arrives. I plan to have a few more runners on the all-weather during the Winter compared to last season, a lot of trainers will have the same plan given the sickness problems that afflicted many stables throughout the summer.
It looks like being a strong renewal of The Arc despite the absence of La Cressonniere and Almanzor. Postponed is the rightful favourite and he does not appear to have many chinks in his armour as he travels very well in his races. The Japanese horse Makahiki has to be respected as he is likely to improve on his Niel win and Found ran very well in defeat in the Irish Champion and thrives at this time of year. Given seventeen horses stood their ground, the draw will play a significant part given the track is tighter than Longchamp. New Bay is interesting stepping back up to twelve furlongs and could run a big race but he would appreciate more juice in the ground. They will be watering overnight to try and achieve good ground and a 3.2 petrometer reading.