December 5 Helnwein is high up in the pecking order of what looks a strong team of Alan’s novices this season, and everyone at Barbury will doubtless be glued into Haydock on Wednesday to [...]
December 1 Predicted overnight temperatures of minus five degrees are a big concern, but the weathermen can be as erratic with their forecasts as us racing tipsters, so Alan has fingers and toes [...]
Paradias, a smart handicapper on the Flat, did everything the Barbury team had hoped for when making a winning debut over hurdles at Lingfield today. Going off 2-1 favourite, Paradias never gave [...]
November 28 Alan has already had a fistful of jumping winners from the younger brigade this autumn, and I am looking forward to the classy Paradias making his debut over hurdles at Lingfield on [...]
November 23 With his 12th birthday only 37 days away, one might assume that this will be Sceau Royal‘s last season on the track, but Barbury’s ‘golden oldie’, who runs his [...]
November 21 Alan has always loved seeing how one of his better hurdlers copes with the switch to fences, and on Thursday he launches both Tritonic and Hall Lane over the larger obstacles. [...]
November 20 Taking a leaf out of the well-worn motto of parents when their young children start sports participation at school, Alan’s philosophy en route to Cheltenham on Sunday was [...]
November 17 Alan gained plenty of encouragement from the runs of both his two-year-old runners at Kempton on Wednesday, Brioni, who was only beaten a neck in what looked a good mile novice, and [...]
November 14 Alan has enjoyed another great season on the Flat, and, though he has not got too many more to run on the all-weather before the end of the year, he has already clocked up 28 winners [...]
November 10 With the rain lashing down all night at Newbury, I am delighted to be able to convey some more cheerful news to Barbury fans this morning – last night’s crowning of our [...]