DonaldMcCain

12.50 Kempton - Agent Archie

He's been in grand form at home since his Ludlow win and I thought he did it really well there. We have been waiting for this sort of race for him ever since but there aren't that many opportunities for him at the sort of sharp tracks I think he will need. He jumps very well and I was pleased that A P [McCoy] was so bullish after he won at Ludlow. He was useful on the Flat and I am hopeful that he will be able to go very well in this better race.


13.25 Kempton - Our Mick

It's a very tough race but we were keen to go somewhere where Jason could ride him and we will take our chance. I have a feeling that the horses we have been winning with in the north are badly handicapped when they go down south but we will have to see. He is the most talented of his family so far and he seems to be growing up all the time, but it is a competitive event.


14.35 Kempton - Overturn

I think it's obvious why we are coming here and he has continued to flourish at home despite his busy spell. He seems as well as ever and with the ground in his favour, a valuable prize and a small field, he has to take his chance. I keep worrying that we are going to the well too often but he really is tough and if you saw him at home, you wouldn't believe he had been kept as busy as he has. He was second here last season and hopefully he will go one better this time.


12.20 Towcester - Total Rebellion

He had a bit of form in points but he has been a bit disappointing for us so far. He still has a bit of growing up to do and although the drop in trip might help, he wouldn't look to have an obvious chance.


13.20 Towcester - Overafrica

I wouldn't think he was thrown in but he doesn't look on a bad mark and we will find out a lot more this time. He looked to be getting the hang of things at Bangor on his penultimate start and although he was second last time, he was well beaten. I think he just got lost in the mud at Hexham though - the ground there that day was absolutely brutal - and I am sure he is better than that. I always thought he would want 3m on decent ground and although this is a bit shorter, it is offset by the fact it is at Towcester. It doesn't look the strongest race and I would be hopeful that he would be competitive.


12.35 Ffos Las- Realmont

He had some top-class form in France - he was a close second to Long Run giving him weight as a 4yo - but he has had a catalogue of problems since. Every time we have thought we had him ready to go, something else has cropped up. He will need this run but I am desperate to get him back on the track and he should appreciate these conditions. Hopefully he will show us enough to think that there is still some of that former ability still there.


14.50 Ffos Las - Fabalu

He was progressing really well over fences a couple of seasons back but he suffered a nasty injury and hasn't run for 20 months. I have always thought he would be a National horse one day and this is the first step on the road back. He isn't at peak fitness but he will enjoy the trip, the ground and the track and it is a £16k race with only five runners. Like I say, he will come on for this but it looks a good place to start cracking on with him again.


My best chance

Overturn has been a superstar this season already and he looks to have another good chance in the Christmas Hurdle.


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As the Christmas entries are upon us, I wanted to give you a quick update on the likely targets for two of our stable stars.

First up is Overturn.

I've already said twice this season I was going to put him away until Cheltenham in March - and twice now I'm back-tracking. After all, he hasn't done too badly in beating Binocular by 4 ½ lengths in the Fighting Fifth and he was giving Grandouet 4lb when beaten four lengths in the International last time.

He will be entered for the Christmas Hurdle today for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he has come out of Cheltenham extremely well, and after seeing him on the gallops this morning, he is again sending me all the right signals. Secondly. I don't think the ground will be as bad as I initially feared.

But a word of warning - if it is soft or worse at Kempton, he will not be taking part.

Another one of our Christmas hopefuls is Peddlers Cross. He worked well this morning, and his intended target is the Wayward Lad Novices Chase at Kempton on the 27th, all being well. He is likely to take on Sprinter Sacre, among others, so it could be an exciting race.


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12.50 Haydock
Desert Cry:
I am not sure he is all that well handicapped but he is obviously useful and this should give us a better idea of where we are with him. The Grade 2 he was second in probably wasn't the strongest and this will be a tough task carrying top weight on his handicap debut, but he is fit and well and it will be good to get him back on the racecourse.

13.55 Haydock
Tornado Bob:
This is his chasing debut and the priority is a clear round and to get some confidence into him. He is a very useful horse and I think the track at Haydock as it is now will suit him. He has schooled very well at home and has a future but this isn't the be all and end all and his rivals have all had a fairly recent run. That said, he has plenty of ability and is entitled to be bang there.

15.05 Haydock
Super Duty:
He's obviously got a cracking chance here - he surprised me when he won his bumper but he was impressive on his hurdling debut and these brush hurdles should hold no fears. He has a penalty to overcome and the likelihood is that he will need more of a test than this in time, but he shouldn't be unduly bothered by the ground and should take all the beating.

14.10 Ascot
Cinders And Ashes:
He has been ready to go for a couple of weeks now - he had to miss his scheduled reappearance at Aintree but he is raring to go and has done everything right at home. This is the first step on the ladder and it looks a very competitive race, but he wasn't far off the best bumper horses last year and obviously has a big engine. Hopefully he will go well but it is never easy winning these races at Ascot.

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It was very satisfying to seeing Peddlers Cross get the job done as he did at Bangor in the week and he has come back from the race in good nick.

He was obviously running against inferior horses but it was still hard not to be taken by the manner in which he went about it. It's not often you can say horses are foot perfect, especially on their chasing debut, but I couldn't find fault with him.

He was very relaxed and professional and he seemed to enjoy the experience - hopefully it will stand him in good stead going forward.

Having had a look through the programme book, I think he will go back to Bangor in three weeks time. It would be nice to try and get three runs into him before Christmas and the weather turns, so if all goes well at Bangor, there is a race for him at Haydock another three weeks later.

The more experience he can get before the spring the better but I am very happy with him so far.

He wasn't the only impressive winner we had last week though - albeit he was the highest profile. Both Sydney Paget and Agent Archie ran out ready winners of their respective races and look worth following in the coming months.

I have always thought a bit of Sydney Paget and he was an easy winner of a Carlisle bumper on Monday. That will be it for him in bumpers and I will be looking to get him out over hurdles sooner rather than later. He has schooled very well and does everything right at home, so hopefully he will make up into a smart performer.

I haven't had Agent Archie for that long but I thought he was quite impressive at Ludlow - A P [McCoy] got off him and said that he really liked his attitude which bodes well.

He jumped very well which is always a bonus with Flat recruits - now it is a case of establishing whether he is going to be a horse that needs a sharp track to be seen to best effect. His next run should reveal a bit more but so far so good.

That's the good news for the week out of the way - it hasn't all been so positive though. The whip issue isn't going away and although I don't want to get too bogged down in it, I was alarmed to see that the Stewards were now going to be allowed to use their discretion in marginal cases.

There were times last season where I felt we were being singled out unfairly and our jockeys were picking up bans in the north for rides that were going unpunished in the south.

It wasn't just me - other people had mentioned it to me - and when Jason [Maguire] got banned at Doncaster before the Cheltenham Festival, I let the Stewards know what I thought.

I suppose we are easy targets as we are always trying our best and don't stop horses so they tend to be in the firing line. Whatever the reason, I am genuinely concerned that these discretionary powers will cause problems.

I issued an upbeat bulletin on Jason Maguire last week and it was fingers crossed that he would be passed fit to ride by Dr Turner.

Despite his specialist giving him the all clear, it wasn't sufficient and he has to sit out the full 12-week period that is advised for the injury he had. He is still riding out and schooling, but I think he now has to wait until Hennessy week before he can get back on the track.

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13:40, 2m1f Beginners' Chase
Peddlers Cross
On hurdling form it looks a case of him just having to jump round to win - he has 40lb in hand of his rivals over hurdles - but we saw at Exeter last week that it isn't always that straightforward. He has schooled well but until they jump on the track, you never quite know what to expect. He ought to win but the main thing for the future is that he enjoys the experience.

14:10, 3m Handicap Chase
Cool Mission
He is a prime example of the type of horse who might have to be retired due to the new whip regulations. He is notoriously lazy but if you can get him going, he is very genuine and gives you his all. Some of his form, including that shown at this track, is very solid. He does need plenty of encouragement and although I didn't really want to reach for the blinkers for him, the new rules have forced my hand to some extent.

14:40, 2m1f Maiden Hurdle
Cuban Piece
He ran a nice enough race at Fontwell on his debut in September but he got run into the back of and came home with some cuts and scrapes on his back legs. He is ready to go again now though and although this looks a stronger race than that Fontwell affair, he should be there or thereabouts. I have put blinkers on him - he wore headgear on the Flat - as A P [McCoy] felt he might just have been hanging fire at Fontwell. I'm not so sure - that was his first run for a while - but we should know more after this.

15:40, 2m1f Handicap Hurdle
Sally's Idea
She is what she is and that is probably a plater, but she is well bred and it would be nice to try and get a win into her. This is her first run for a while and she might need it but it is only just down the road and it is an opportunity for Callum Whillans to ride her. I suspect she might need a bit further and a few more pounds off her back but it doesn't look that warm a race and it's worth noting she does try.

16:10, 2m1f Bumper
It's Oscar/Smart Act
I run two in the bumper and both of them are very nice horses owned by big owners. Both are by the same sire in Oscar and they have shown plenty of promise at home - they have definitely both got ability.

I haven't done as much with them as some of the newcomers that we have run and it is possible that they will need this, but by the same token, it wouldn't surprise me at all if either of them were to go ahead and win. I wouldn't want to split them going into the race and hopefully their first experience of the racecourse will bring them to life.


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What a difference seven days makes - after the disappointment of the previous week, last weekend was one to remember with Weird Al's win in the Charlie Hall a thrill for all at the stable.

I was delighted with the way he did it and I thought Timmy [Murphy] gave him a great ride - he really only knew he was in a race from three out.

He seems to have come out of the race very well, which was obviously a slight concern given the problems he has had over the years. He hasn't had much continuity through his career for a number of reasons but, fingers crossed, everything looks fine at the moment.

The plan for him now is to head for Haydock for the Betfair Chase on November 19 - he is owned by some local lads and we have taken the view that the best time to take on Long Run and Kauto Star could be when they are having their reappearance.

It's certainly an exciting time - it sounds a bit cocky but he really didn't seem to have much of a race at Wetherby and there were still signs through the race that he was a bit green. There is definitely a big engine there though and I couldn't be more pleased with him.

Wednesday is going to be a big day for the stable with Peddlers Cross due to make his chasing debut at Bangor - he is in at Exeter as well, but that is just in case the Bangor ground were to come up very fast.

I am looking forward to it as much as you can look forward to a horse making its chasing debut - particularly one of his ability - and he is in grand form at home, has schooled well and is just the consummate professional.

We know he is top class and hopefully he will get the job done and we can then start worrying about what comes next.

You may have seen that Overturn was entered in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton but he is going to bypass that and head for the Ascot Hurdle on November 19.

Ascot has been the plan for him for a while now and although the Wincanton race has cut up, I just felt he wasn't quite ready for it.

Finally, I have some positive news regarding Jason Maguire, who has been out of action since that horrible fall in August.

He says he feels great in himself and has been at the yard riding out and schooling. He received the all-clear from his specialist earlier in the week and now it is just a case of when Dr Turner gives him the green light - hopefully we won't have too long to wait.

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15.20 Wetherby - Weird Al

This looks a good race to start him off in and although he is wrong with a few of them at the weights, it is probably better for him to come here rather than the big-field handicap at Ascot which was the other option. He has been in good form since he joined us - his work has been solid and he looks very well. We know that he has plenty of ability from his novice days and although things haven't been straightforward since, he has shown me no signs of any of the problems he has had. I like to learn as I go along with new horses to the stable and this should give me a better idea of where we are with him - if he is back to his best, he wouldn't be out of this and it is worth remembering that he hasn't had that many runs - there could be more to come.


16.00 Wetherby - Lucky Landing

He has been a bit of a headscratcher as he looked a good prospect when he won a bumper at Uttoxeter on his debut but has run dismally in two starts over hurdles. Hopefully he will show his true colours this winter but a few of ours have needed their reappearance and I think he will come on for this.


15.00 Ascot - Drill Sergeant

I have gone on record as saying he has one of these valuable handicaps in him and I think he will go well here. We know what he is - he has shown his quirks on a few occasions - but he has plenty of ability and isn't impossibly handicapped. It makes a pleasant change for him not to be carrying top-weight and I actually thought he ran a bit better than the result at Market Rasen last time. The fact that he has been kept on the go might be in his favour here too as some of the more fancied runners are making their seasonal reappearance and he may have a fitness advantage.


My Best Chances

I would think that Koup De Kanon would take all the beating at Carlisle on Sunday (13:10) - he looks well handicapped and Henry Brooke's claim is an added bonus. Super Duty , who also goes at Carlisle on Sunday (14:10), has plenty of ability and as long as he settles, he would be best of the rest.


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The column got off to an inauspicious start last week with the two runners that I thought had the best chance both missing their respective races!

Hollow Tree's scope came back mucky and he was forced to bypass what looked a very good opportunity, while I had a phone call from my head lad in the build up to Cinders And Ashes' race telling me he had colic in the racecourse stables.

Fortunately it was only a mild colic - he was fine the next day - and although it was very frustrating, I suppose it's part and parcel of the job.

At least things can only get better from here......

It has been a busy few days for me down at Newmarket where the Horses In Training sales have been taking place at Tattersalls. I ended up coming back with nine new additions to the yard and some of them are particularly exciting with a view to going hurdling.

Gottany O'S was the most expensive of the nine at 130,000gns - he was a progressive middle-distance horse for Mick Channon (Timeform rated 95) and I liked the way he beat a horse [Quails Hollow] that I have a lot of time for at Chester last month.

Along with Sud Pacifique (Timeform rated 110) and Rain Mac (Timeform rated 99), Gottany O'S is for a new owner to the yard and it is a real boost to be sent horses of this quality.

Sud Pacifique and Rain Mac have a forthcoming appointment with the vet and will be castrated shortly - a warm welcome to Bankhouse to them both!

As they are all fit from the Flat, it will be a case of letting them get over their operations and then get them schooling as soon as we can. It is too early to know when they will be in action, but watch this space.....

Some of you may have seen that Wymott was entered at Carlisle on Sunday but the decision was made not to run him there. Mr Hemmings' horses are usually the last to arrive back after the summer and it was always going to be a tight squeeze to get him ready in time.

As it has panned out, he is probably a couple of weeks short of being ready to run so instead of forcing things, we will take our time. I have nothing specific in mind for him for his return - we will just get him ready and take it from there.

He does hold an entry in the Hennessy - as does Weird Al - and that would be a possibility, albeit no more than that at this stage.

Wherever he goes, he is a cracking prospect and we will be concentrating on getting him primed for the big meetings in the spring.


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I am training three horses for the Timeform Betfair Racing Club this year, two of which are new recruits:

Bourne was a winner of three handicaps on the Flat for Luca Cumani and fourth in a listed race in Italy on his final start recently .We will campaign him as a novice hurdler for this winter, but he also remains with potential as a dual-purpose horse. He will be well schooled over the coming weeks and is certainly fit enough to start soon.

Koup De Kanon showed promise in a maiden and novice hurdles for Emma Lavelle last season. He was ready to run last weekend but just wasn't quite right the night before the run, so we pulled him out. He has been working well since and seems to be on a fair mark still. He will be going down the novice handicap hurdle route.

Red Merlin is another one that really came together during the latter part of last season, culminating in three victories. He had a slight setback but seems to be fine now and we will try to miss the winter weather and bring him back with a spring campaign in mind. There could be a decent two-mile handicap hurdle in him yet.

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I am delighted to be joining Betfair and am looking forward to providing you with an insight from the yard, giving you the lowdown on my runners and hopefully pointing you in the direction of a few winners during the coming months.

Last season was a terrific one for the yard. We finished third in the trainers' championship with a seasonal best tally of 100 winners, the highlight obviously being Ballabriggs winning the Grand National in April. We also had a number of other high points during the season, including Peddlers Cross winning the rearranged Fighting Fifth at Newbury and doing us all extremely proud when finishing runner-up in the Champion Hurdle.

It was also nice to pinch another nice prize on the Flat during the summer, with Overturn winning the Chester Cup. However, we are always looking to improve and the current campaign has started well, with 44 winners on the board so far.

Over the summer we have put in a new two-furlong round gallop made out of wax and sand. The surface is designed to stand up to different climates, so hopefully that will keep us going through the winter when the weather freezes. We had a lot of help from Michael Owen and Tom Dascombe during the cold snap last winter, and I couldn't stand another winter like that!

Hopefully though, with this new gallop in place, we won't have to resort to relying on other people this time round. We have also been able to school on the gallop and it is being used to get the horses started and everything is coming along nicely at present.

We have some fine young horses that have joined us for the coming season and a number of those will be horses to follow, but they are the future and horses like Ballabriggs and Peddlers Cross are the present.

Ballabriggs has been coming along nicely, but we are in no great hurry to get him started and his whole season is being geared around one day; defending his Grand National crown at Aintree. We have no set timescale with him at the moment and his owner, Mr Hemmings has given us a free hand, but I don't imagine we will be running him over hurdles this season. We were able to exploit the fact that he was still a novice over hurdles last season and it was a nice way to get him started, but if we ran him in handicaps over hurdles this term, he would probably end up running off his chase mark, so there is no real benefit to be gained. If things go well I would imagine we would end up using the race at Kelso again in March as his final prep before Aintree, but where he goes before then I'm not quite sure at present.

I see that Peddlers Cross features prominently in lists for both the Arkle and RSA Chase, but I would be amazed if he ended up in the RSA this season; I would be very surprised if I ran him over that trip! The Arkle or the new 2½ miler at the Festival look more likely, but obviously Cheltenham is some way off. He has had a couple of schools and everything has gone well. He is very exciting - the most exciting horse you can train. I am hoping to have him ready for the next Bangor meeting, on November 9. The beginners' chase there is always a decent race, and I believe if we go there we may be taking on Paul Nicholls' Al Ferof. If that is the case then so be it; Bangor is our local course, Peddlers Cross has won there before and I see no reason not to start there.

Another couple of horses we have high hopes for this season are Overturn and Wymott.

It was nice to see Overturn get his head in front again over hurdles at Perth during the summer, and he has had a quiet few weeks since. We have always wanted to step him up in trip so we are going to give that a try, ground permitting in the Ascot hurdle over 2m 3f in November, and that will give us a bit more of an idea of where to go with him. His Flat form suggests that he would get that trip and in the back of my mind, I think he may even get three miles. I did school him over fences and he was brilliant, but I had a good long talk with owner Tim Leslie and we have decided to stick to hurdles for time being.

Wymott is in good form, he had a school last week and we are happy with him at the moment. Obviously it was a bit of a disaster at Cheltenham, but we found what was wrong - it was a small fracture high up on his off-fore leg - I'm hoping that explains the run. He looks great at the moment and there is an intermediate chase at Carlisle in a couple of weeks that I've got my eye on, but that might come too soon for him and we will have to play it by ear. After that I don't really know, I just want to get him back on the racecourse. I panicked by putting cheekpieces on at Cheltenham as I thought he might possibly be inclined to just pull himself up in front, and was perhaps lacking a little in concentration, but he's 12 months older and there is not an issue with that now. He is a useful tool, we just have to manage him properly.

They are just four of the horses who will provide plenty to look forward to over the coming months, and the jumps season is just starting to click into gear now. The horses are running well at present, we had two seconds at Carlisle last Thursday, but a number of ours are just needing the run which is fine; we are just looking for a nice bit of ground at present to get them started. You never know what can happen in this game. There could be a jockey strike and then snow and frost could set in and we would be going nowhere!

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