newmarket

DaveYoungman with the best trips from HQ

Ihope you are all enjoying the return of racing. Here at Newmarket things have been very different with all the social distancing measures that have been required but I must say how wonderful all the stable staff have been. I must say a big thank you to all the trainers for the help they have given me during lockdown so I can still manage to get my reports out to all my Racing Club Members and do my articles for all the websites I write for.

IT IS so strange seeing racing going on without the general public in attendance and, as my photo shows, the Newmarket grandstands will be empty for a while yet. When this photo was taken of me on the Rowley Mile course all there was to be heard was birdsong and the breeze in the trees, the lovely swallows have been gliding overhead and we have a cuckoo. It has been 5.30am starts for me out on the gallops on important work mornings and I would not miss it for anything.

SAEED Bin Suroor has been getting MILITARY MARCH prepared for the Epsom Derby this month and he will be a leading contender in what looks a very open year.

The Godolphin colt has come out of his run in the Guineas in fine form and his work recently has showed how he has come forward for that race, a step up to a mile and a half can only help him improve and hopefully he will run a nice race under William Buick.

IN THE Epsom Oaks the John Gosden filly FRANKLY DARLING carries our main hopes, the daughter of Frankel ran out a comfortable winner of the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot and the experience of that race will benefit her greatly in this tough contest under Frankie Dettori. Whatever she achieves in this race she is the type to continue to improve with racing experience.

TRAINER William Knight and his team have settled in nicely at Rathmoy stables on the Hamilton Road and look set for some nice winners, William knows the HQ gallops very well from the five years he spent as assistant to Ed Dunlop.

IT HAS been a difficult time for our trainers as it was such a dry spring and the grass gallops have been too firm to work on apart from the watered gallop over racecourse side and the Al Bahathri and Cambridge Road all weather facilities. At the time of writing we are praying for rain so the Limekilns can be back in use, there is nothing to beat grass to work horses on.

WITH the Caronavirus making things difficult this year sadly the Queen has not been here to Newmarket to do her usual visit to see her trainers and the horses she has in training at HQ. As yet unraced Frankel filly LIGHT REFRAIN is showing in her work at the William and Mo Haggas yard that the Queen has a nice prospect in this filly.