In what’s always a period of anticipation before racing gets underway on the grass it was great to get Blue Collar Lad’s head in front and give the Blue Collar Partnership a first winner in their colours. That he did so by a three-length margin only added to the satisfaction, and it’s a good reminder that it’s not just the top-level winners that can provide and awful lot of pleasure to connections! The drop to sprinting really seemed to suit the horse, and with that confirmed versatility he’s now likely to be campaigned between six and seven furlongs in the near future.
It was also very pleasing to see Maysong reappear in such good form at Kempton on Wednesday evening. A bit of a yard legend now after a string of big efforts, he’ll head to Doncaster to try and repeat – or better – his excellent effort in last season’s Lincoln consolation race on day one of the turf. The typically well-run nature of that race suited him, and having spent a little too long in front yesterday it will only benefit him to have horses to aim at over the straight mile.
Unfortunately it’s been a difficult few days for our stable jockey Kieran O’Neill after events leading to him being stood down at Southwell on Tuesday evening. The false positives provided have led to the suspension of swab tests that the PJA have made it clear they had concerns about in the recent past, and although Kieran’s reputation in the industry is strong enough to be unaffected by these events, those trying to make their way in the game may not have been as fortunate. Having been given the all-clear at Kempton last night Kieran is free to continue to ride.
