A quick one today as I’m on the train to Chester.
I had a heavily alcohol fueled weekend and I’m still feeling the effects. It was a stag weekend in Portugal – I can’t blog much as what goes on tour stays on tour, but for an old campaigner like me it was hard to keep up with the pace.
Blue Jack was a weekend highlight, coming third in the Palace House shaded by two group 1 winners. Nice form, and it might have been better – he lost his action and some momentum going into the dip, and without that might have done even better. He’ll probably contest the Temple stakes at Haydock next, and on that flat galloping track he may be hard to beat.
Today Nemo Spirit goes in the Chester Cup, and he’s been on he drift this morning. Tom’s horses haven’t been running as well as we’d like, but it’s really been the 2yos that have been slow to come to hand and Nemo’s spiritual brother, Blue Jack, has certainly run well enough. Nemo has historically needed soft ground to be at his best, and that will be the main issue for most.
It’s not clear that he will deal with the ground today, but he is a different horse now and he might do. He was very weak behind when we bought him, but he isn’t any more – he is probably better balanced and his action may have changed. He has been gelded, and has physically come on for that. We were told that he was lazy at home, but he has been dead keen to get on the gallops in recent times – he really seems to be enjoying his work. I’m hopeful of a strong show.