Dear All,

Spring is upon us and focus now turns to Aintree, where we hope to have several runners this week.  The horses remain in great form and we will have plenty to run in the coming weeks as the 2018/19 campaign draws to a close.

Le Milos had made a very bright start for us when finishing fourth in a competitive maiden hurdle at Exeter and the four year old duly showed improved form to get off the mark on his next outing, in a competitive juvenile handicap hurdle at Sandown Park.

Though he looked in a little trouble at the top of the home straight, he stayed on very strongly under Alan Johns and was well on top at the line.  

A 9lbs rise makes life tougher, but the runner-up from that race has since won a £40,000 handicap at Newbury and I thought Le Milos ran a very creditable race in defeat off a mark of 127 at Ascot yesterday in what was a particularly competitive class 2 handicap.

He looks the type to improve plenty for a summer at grass and I am really looking forward to having him back in training next term.

Copper Gone West is a very likeable mare and she supplemented her Musselburgh success in February with a facile win at Bangor last month for owners Paul and Louise Bowtell.

Runner-up in a very competitive handicap at Newbury on her previous outing, she looked to have a great opportunity to return to winning way at Bangor, but it was still very pleasing to see her do it in such good style, taking up the running some way from home but keeping on strongly under a hands and heels ride.  

She has two options on the all-mares' card at Cheltenham on Thursday 18th April, both over two and a half miles, and we'll most likely enter her in both and make a decision closer to the time.  Looking ahead, she is a terrific prospect to go novice chasing next term.

We are planning to have several runners at Aintree and Debece, who has placed at the last two Grand National meetings, warmed up for the 3m1f Grade 3 handicap chase which precedes the National with a front-running success at Catterick, supplementing a smooth success at Newcastle in January.  

He is now two from three over fences and I feel a mark of 141 is very much within his compass - certainly, the form he showed when a close third in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle two years ago would suggest as much.  He hasn't been the easiest horse to train in the past couple of seasons, but all the ability is there and I am excited to see what he can do on Saturday.

Purchased for just 2,000gns at the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale in October,    Hazm recouped his purchase price on his first start on the racecourse, making a very promising winning debut at Stratford last month under Richard Patrick.

A Hamdan Al Maktoum cast-off, he had fetched 725,000gns as a yearling and this well-bred individual looks to have a bright future on this evidence, as he was a ready winner and I would hope there is a good deal of improvement in him. 

He is entered in the Grade 2 bumper at Aintree on Friday and hopefully he can build on what he did on his racecourse debut.  He should do very well over hurdles next year and is an exciting prospect for his owner Paul Syson.

Adherence was another to be purchased for just £2,000, this time at last August's Goffs Doncaster Sale, and he made a winning start for owners The Bill & Ben Partnership at Taunton in the hands of James Best.

The six year old had shown he could be competitive off this mark for previous connections and so it proved, as he stayed on resolutely to get on top close home.  A 3lbs rise is far from insurmountable and he is one that might just be able to run up a sequence in the coming months, as he is still relatively lightly-raced over hurdles and looks to have plenty more to offer.  Looking ahead, we may switch him to the flat in the summer as there could be some mileage in that sphere off his mark of 58.

Oriental Cross has always worked well for us, but she has taken time to find her feet over hurdles, so it was very pleasing to see her make a winning handicap debut at Newcastle under Alan Johns for owners John Durston and Nigel Harris.

The daughter of Cape Cross was having her first run since a wind op and, though there is still a little room for improvement  in the jumping department, there is certainly nothing wrong with her attitude, as she ran down the long-time leader and eventual runner-up in the dying strides.

A 7lbs rise looks fair, particularly as the second went on to win next time, and I'm hopeful we'll have some fun with her in mares' contests in the months ahead, as she certainly has the scope to improve past her current mark of 106.

It has been a little while between drinks for Glimpse Of Gold, but he made no mistake given an excellent opportunity at Southwell, making the most of the drop to selling company to win as he pleased under Alan Johns, who is now on the 33-winner mark for the season.

Racing off his lowest mark for two years, he travelled through the contest like much the best horse and had the race in safe keeping on the home bend.  

He ran a fine race in defeat at Uttoxeter on Saturday, going down narrowly in a three-way finish, and he is capable of winning again while in this vein of form.

Landsman is a lovely new recruit for owner David Fox, having joined us from the Newmarket sales in the autumn, and he made it second time lucky for us with a wide-margin win at Musselburgh, racing enthusiastically and jumping well en route to a facile success.

Stepped up in class on his handicap debut, he ran a cracking race in defeat and he looks an ideal type for the big handicap hurdles this summer, with the Summer Hurdle at Market Rasen in July a likely target.  We have given him a couple of entries at Aintree and he could well take one of them up - we'll see how those races are looking later in the week.

Brian Ead and Martin Moore's Modern Warfair is a lovely young chaser in the making and I was delighted to see him get off the mark at Doncaster in January, rattling home for what had looked an unlikely success at the top of the straight.

He's a horse we think a fair bit of and you can put a line through his run at Ascot, which just came too quickly.  He will be at home over three miles and soft ground next term and, just a five year old, he has a very bright future.

Briac hasn't been with us very long, but he hit a purple patch of form in January, bolting up over hurdles at Ffos Las and following up over fences at Sedgefield just a week later for owner Olly Harris.  He has run well in defeat since and is capable of further success from his mark.

Trixster is another exciting one for fences next term, but he has made hay over hurdles and his Kelso win in January was his third of the season, helped by a well-judged front-running ride from Charlie Price.

A fine second at Ascot on his next start, he ran another excellent race in defeat in the EBF Final, making much of the running and only giving way after the last.  Out of a half-sister to a Welsh National winner, that race (perhaps the season after next) remains the dream for his connections in the Pant Wilkin Partnership!  

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Charlie Price has done very well since switching to the conditional ranks and he has now ridden four winners from 22 rides since the beginning of December.

Seen to very good effect on Trixster, with wins at Chepstow and Kelso and a close second at Ascot this season, Charlie has also ridden two winners for outside yards and I'm sure he will be in greater demand next term, as he is clearly excellent value for his 7lbs claim and can only improve as he gains further experience.