Saturday 14th January 2017

Bishop Of Bling ran as we expected at Hereford on Wednesday. The horse hadn’t worked for 2 week prior due to suffering from growing pains, in this case sore shins. We kept him quite in the build-up to the race and tried to give his shins some rest bite but it didn’t work out. Bling was very sore the next day and not long after the race. We’ll send him on his holidays now and let the horse strengthen and grow.

How Bishop Of Bling was backed from 5-1 into 9-4 I’ll never know, it certainly wasn’t our money nor the trainer whose been in Australia since the New Year and isn’t back for another few weeks yet.

Ok racing today but nothing special, the ground will be very sticky and hard work. Stamina should come out on top this afternoon.

I’ve had two small bets both in the same race.

The 3:35 at Warwick is The Betfred Classic, the racecourses big race of the year. 20 runners line up with just shy of £35,000 to the winner.

Looking through the race many of the more fancied horses haven’t gone beyond 3miles before. Race distance is 3 miles 5 furlongs ran on soft going. This will take some getting and I prefer to be with a horse that’s proven over the trip.

Anything trained by Venetia Williams at this time of the year must be respected. Houblon Des Obeaux ran a cracker when 3^rd in the Welsh National last time out. That run was his first of the season so he might have tightened up for that outing.

Houblan Des Obeaux will keep galloping and rolling away, he wouldn’t be the quickest horse but you don’t necessarily need to be in these types of races. The price of 14-1 look ok.

One For Arthur falls into the same bracket, stays and jumps well, 12-1 EW looks fine,