Barbury team enjoying a great August so far

The Barbury equine soldiers continue to do us proud on the track, and from 10 runners in August so far we have had two winners, Paradias and Insanity, plus four seconds, including Brioni at Glorious Goodwood and Outgun, who was arguably unlucky not to make it a third stable celebration when narrowly beaten at Kempton yesterday.

Add to that only two of our runners this month failed to make the frame, one being Tritonic, who ran right up to his best when finishing a creditable sixth in the always competitive Goodwood Stakes.

Loughville, a pleasing third when starting favourite at Ascot last month, is on the same mark when she reappears in another fillies only handicap at Salisbury today, while Whispering Royal, who won his only race on the all-weather at Dundalk when trained in Ireland, reverts to an artificial surface at Wolverhampton tomorrow.

Disappointing at Sandown last time – he ran too free there – Whispering Royal will have the services of Hollie Doyle  for the first time at Dunstall Park.

We have just the two runners on Saturday, One Cool Dreamer at Newmarket and Royal Pretender at Market Rasen. A slight in the weights and also in grade did the trick for One Cool Dreamer, who broke his maiden at Windsor three weeks ago. He is 5lb higher now but ought to still be competitive.

Royal Pretender takes a similar rise up the handicap when he heads off to Lincolnshire in an attempt to supplement his first win for almost three years at Stratford last month. That will have done his confidence the world of good.

It’s York’s Ebor meeting next week, and doubtless Alan will be making regular weather checks  to see if there is sufficient ease in the ground on the Knavesmire for Trueshan to finally run in the G2 Lonsdale Stakes next Friday, Twice before Trueshan has been entered for this race, but both times fast ground has meant he has had to be pulled out.