Rowdown approaches the start of 2017 with a degree of optimism; although in numerical terms we have not had as many winners as we might have liked we have been patient with some of the youngsters and given them time to mature which should pay dividends in 2017; several of these guys showed real ability last Summer. We have some both progressive and established older horses, encapsulated by the presentation of the Bibury Cup to a Rowdown Partnership, to look forward to and the yearlings we have added to the team this Autumn have some decent quality about them.

So we feel optimistic going into 2017 at Rowdown. It is a big team effort and all of us are grateful for all of our Owners generous support which is the bedrock of the operation. I wish everyone involved a very Happy New Year.

We do run Spice Fair tomorrow at Cheltenham. The track and trip are pretty much unknown and it is not particularly easy to know whether or not they will suit him; probably the right way to look at tomorrow’s race is that it is an evolution towards a £18k Class Two Veterans Handicap Hurdle over 19 furlongs at Taunton on the 21^st January, a race where the track, distance and race conditions will fit him really well. He has been a superb servant to his Owners, to Saxon House and to Rowdown.