Bert is sunning himself in Sardinia for the next couple of weeks but he is likely to have several runners while away and he asked me to keep blog readers informed.
First up is Pansy Potter who makes her debut in Windsor€™s 7:20 this evening and will be looking to provide The Comic Strip Heroes (Bert, Ed Wray and Ed€™s brother Jeremy) with their first winner of the season. Their two year olds have disappointed so far and hopes of uncovering another as good as Winker Watson look to rest with those, like PP, who have yet to appear. She is a third foal, all by Auction House, and her two full siblings both won at two, though not first time out. Her Group 2 entry at York next month is an indication of the initial impression she made and a she could run well from a decent draw this evening. However, as she€™s one of a dozen seeing the racecourse for the first time, it€™s difficult to assess her chance and I doubt Bert will be lumping on from the beach.
Parisian Gift runs at Yarmouth to-morrow (4:55). Bert only owns a small share of this one (half a leg). I also own a bit of him as do a couple of people from Betfair and a few friends. Since this particular venture was my idea I€™m particularly keen for the horse to do well. All started well with a win at Lingfield last December €“ just a week after we bought him. He was then given a rest with dreams of a 2008 campaign that would see sufficient improvement to warrant a crack at Royal Ascot€™s Britannia Handicap. His first run this season at Doncaster was a big disappointment and he was subsequently unwell. Now, nearly ten weeks on, he seems fine and we are hoping that he can progress. The bullishness the partnership felt over the winter has been tempered by things not running smoothly this year but Tom Dascombe reports that he has been working well and fingers are firmly crossed for a bold show.
More news as the decs unfold.