Quiet time at Barbury as coughing and dirty noses sees Alan take a pull

February 13

As feared, a bout of coughing has spread through the yard this week, with those affected including Edwardstone, who blew very hard after his disappointing run in last week’s Grade 1 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

Consequently, Alan will have precious few entries for the second half of February and, while frustrated in seeing Barbury grinding to a virtual halt, he stresses that he has been down this road before and accepts that he can do nothing but grin and bear it.

We have gone three weeks without a winner, but several horses have run well and Alan, who has never been one to press the panic button, is not unduly concerned that for once he does not have a single runner on Saturday.

He said:”It’s obvious the way most of the horses have been running that they are not right, but we’ve had a fair few dirty noses since we had them vaccinated over Christmas and the New Year, and it soon spread all around the yard.

“The horses are not desperately ill, but they aren’t 100 per cent and the weather, which has been horribly damp and cold, has not helped the situation, So we have taken our foot off the pedal and restricted the horses to a canter for a week or so, by which time I hope the bug will shift.

“We are putting a line through Edwardstone’s run, and if he bounces back we might have a look at the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival, or alternatively we could try him over two and a half miles at Aintree.

“It’s annoying being so quiet this week, but it is never one of our busier months and it was not all doom and gloom last week as I was delighted with both Favour And Fortune and Baron Noir at Newbury.”

Favour And Fortune ran creditably under his big weight to finish fourth in the big two-mile handicap hurdle, and being as this was only his second run of the season, he ought to come on for the race. If Favour And Fortune goes to Cheltenham it will be for the County Hurdle, but Alan has not ruled out the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso on March 1 and he is also keen to head back across the border in April to defend his Scottish Champion Hurdle crown at Ayr.

Alan has ruled out both Cheltenham and Aintree for Baron Noir, who finished an encouraging third in the Listed bumper at Newbury. Instead, he will cross the channel for the winners-of-one-bumper at Puncherstown.