Tough assignment

A brilliant hatrick for Lilac Moon.  It shows how much pleasure there is to be had in the lower reaches of the racing game – it doesn’t all have to be about shooting for the stars. 

Lilac’s hatrick can be put down to a whole host of things;  High on the list is her attitude to racing – puts it all in and finds a little extra when challenged.  If only they were all like that.  Elsewhere on the list – Quality and patient training by an underrated trainer, careful race planning, quality strategic riding and a great claim in the first place.  Basically great all-round execution.  She’ll go up a little in the weights now, but there could still be one more win in the tank.  We’ll have a shot at it if we can.

Of course shooting for the stars is good too.  Glen Molly gave Marine Boy‘s form a nice boost, and he takes his chance on Wednesday.  Nine line up in the Gimcrack on soft or heavy ground, and they look a bunch of real top notchers.  It looks like it’s going to be pretty tough for poor old MB.  Still you never know.

I’m going up to Newmarket tonight – I’ll watch work tomorrow and check up on a few of the yearlings and mares.  I’m back tomorrow night for a bit of pre-board poker.  There’s a board meeting at Betfair on Wednesday, which means I’ll miss out on the Gimcrack.  Mick and Tom Goff will pick up the cup attend in my place.