Well its with a heavy heart and pen (virtual…well you know what I mean), that after two and a half years of doing the Donkey Diary, my time has come to move aside and allow someone else the chance to build that daily rapport with Donkeyites.

I have had a blast writing the Diary, I have enjoyed your feedback, well the positive stuff at least and have developed a close affinity with some readers, with whom I have enjoyed sharing the highs and lows of our laying lives.

There have been some awful moments and I would dread penning a journal when we had put up a 33/1 rag only to see it sluice in. However, there have been some classic moments when we put up some “shorties”, to see them toil later in the day.

I thought we were going to sign off with a perfect day, only for Autumn Blades to return to winning ways, by collecting the last at Lingfield and foil our plans.

I leave the Diary in excellent hands and it will be returning in the New Year with a different body behind the pen as such.

Thanks for the opportunity to communicate my rarely “water weak”, views and much continued success in your laying exploits.

All the best,

Don

Devon Handler, Nick Williams, has had the most remarkable few days,  two Grade 1’s in quick succession, courtesy of Me Voici and Reve de Sivola to break his top-flight duck and then his form continues with the success of Ere Alfie at Taunton, enough to make Donkeyite’s eyes water at 100/30 and bigger on the machine.

A quirky character, one that seems to have heaps of humility, Williams has obvious talent and patience in abundance, two obvious and vital character advantages in a National Hunt trainer. His star will continue in the ascendancy.

Ere Alfie, performing back to back victories was winning off a career high mark, having been upped eleven pounds for winning a very ordinary looking handicap chase last time out. There were those in this novice handicap field that looked to have been leniently treated by the handicapper, while the winner looked to have been dealt the short straw.

Not a bit of it, the Williams juggernaut has continued in a rich vein, with this win and in so doing, condemned Donkeyites to the most ignominous of results over the Festive period.

Tomorrow will be my last Diary entry, I will revert to more pressing tasks on the selection side and trust that matters willl improve there.

Don

In attempting to employ a more conservative approach today, given the strength in depth of some of the favourites in some of the more headline races, we possibly erred too much on the side of caution and as such lost a possibly winning day.

Solwhit and Big Bucks were mightily impressive in the hurdle races and What A Friend confirmed the truly fantastic winning performance of Denman in winning the Hennessy from the Lexus winner today. Denman would on the strength of what I have seen today, would be my Gold Cup favourite and while it appears a tad offside to be rubbishing the claims of the imperious Kauto Star, after his demolition of rivals in the King George, that is my honestly held belief.

Moving on to more mundane events, Thundering Home, was a sore winner for Donkeyites away from the headline writers at Southwell. He upped his game significantly on his first two runs, finding the Nottinghamshire surface more to his liking as a son of Storming Home might suggest and while only a length winner, a length is as good as a mile in our world.

Once again, this was a tremendous ride, from the ever impressive Hayley Turner, there can be few better pilots operating today and perhaps as a woman, she does not get the plaudits she deserves. I would have no issue in putting her up on one of mine.

Hope springs for tomorrow,

Don

Humble pie is probably not the most traditional fare served around Christmas, but we were asked to indulge in a significant portion after Noel Meade’s Go Native won the Christmas Hurdle on St, Stephen’s Day at Kempton. Our Diary words were backed with cash, so at least the Christmas pressies had been bought. This was a serious reverse speaking personally.

I felt that an on form Binocular would pick  up and carry the young Irish pretender, but the reality was that the form pick, isn’t the horse that won a Bula at Ascot last season, he simply has not managed a performance of that quality subsequently. His lofty position in the betting for the Champion does now seem to be inappropriate and he seems a horse that may just be shy of the very top class.

Starluck did his ultimate best t0 save 0ur behinds but it was not to be, this was a taking performance from the winner, who travelled supremely well in the race and always looked the most likely winner. Given he is a course and distance winner at  Cheltenham,the are very few flaws in his make-up, I still reckon there are others with more potential, Solwhitt and Hurricane Fly to name two. But he is the form horse.

Don

The idea of going native, is something that as an accusation, should be rarely if ever, well received, that being the case we should look to take on the Irish pretender in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

This race has cut up pretty badly, leaving only the selection and Binocular as genuine contenders. Go Native, the Supreme Novice Hurdle winner of last season, has such a short price in this market, by dint of his surprising win in the Fighting Fifth some weeks ago.

The sectional anoraks will tell you, that as a genuine two mile hurdle, this was somewhat of a joke, as the field dawdled for the opening twelve furlongs before resolving to sprint for the line. The presence of previous winner, Straw Bear, we can assume is as pacemaker for Binocular, so there should be no dawdling on Saturday.

Go Native is eight pounds wrong, at level weights based on his official rating and that speaks volumes, yet he trades at 2/1 or so, that’s a really skinny price. Binocular was undercooked at Newcastle and obviously the race was not run to suit. He also pulled to hard early, tomorrow with a race under his belt, he is likely to be an entirely different proposition and is a very confident selection to overturn Go Native.

Happy Christmas

Don

3/1 second favourite, Dart sent us into the pre-Cristmas hiatus with a more glum look than a six year old without a DS in his stocking this Christmas. It was a decent performance to put two and a half lenghts between himself and the favourite Merrion Tiger, but genuinely this was awful stuff at Southwell and we probably shouldn’t dwell.

So the next race is not for another two days, but what treats lay in store on that wonderful day. The King George and Christmas Hurdle will of course take centre stage, but the two mile novice chase at Leopardstown will be something to behold.

The race brings together, Osana, Captain Cee Bee and Sizing Europe, all Grade 1 performers over hurdles, in a clash that has racing journalists reaching for the hyperbole. All three remain unbeaten over the larger obstacles and two of those horses will be losing that tag on Saturday. Sizing Europe was the highest rated of these over hurdles, two pounds higher at 168 than Osana and a further seven back to Captain Cee Bee.

I really like the way that Sizing Europe has been campaigned as a novice, he was given a sighter at the back end of last season and has then come out to win a Grade 2 and Grade 3 this  season with the minimum of fuss. He really looks the real deal and I, among many, thought he was a certainty going to the second last in Katchit’s Champion Hurdle, maybe he can make up for that in the Arkle.

Osana was a high class hurdler, but lacks the experience of  Sizing Europe and when the taps are really turned on, that could really come home to roost. This will be only his second outing (like Captain Cee Bee), over the larger obstacles and that won’t be good enough, unless he is exceptional or there is a jumping mishap from the favourite,

Osana from me at about 3.7.

Happy Christmas Donkeyites, we will speak tomorrow though.

Don

The day was a bit of a joke frankly, few selections and two winners, is there one eye on the better fare over the weekend, possibly, but as one wise sage once pointed out to me, a grand lost in a seller is the same as a grand lost in the Derby.

Capone was a relatively easier winner at Kempton, defying a two pound raise for a placed effort last time, he travelled beautifully in the race in the hands of Hayley Turner and was really only pushed hands and heel to score in an emphatic fashion.

The race was run to suit with a strong pace setting things up for the winner who quickened impressively to win.

The  possibility of having the King George run at Cheltenham has arisen as a contingency in case Kempton is abandoned on St. Stephen’s Day, its a pragmatic and encouraging act by racing’s organisers and hopefully our Festive fare is not limited by the conditions. The Christmas Hurdle and the King George itself would be entirely different events if shifted to the Cotswolds. Kauto Star would be a firmer favourite without question as Imperial Commander wouldn’t have the stamina around Cheltenham over 3 miles I would warrant.

Talk tomorrow.

Don

The day’s other events were all deemed largely irrelevant as Mildoura’s victory at Lingfield cast a long shadow over the profitability of the day.

The relatively inexperienced filly appears to have had a “penny dropping” moment, as she has left her previous form miles behind in winning her last two starts and having been incapable of winning off a mark off 82, three starts ago, she will be looking at a mark in the early 90’s, after this seven length victory.

Mongan rode his rivals to sleep, before sprinting three out, for an emphatic victory, at around eights this was a dramatic reverse, the winner having been upped in class and weight on this occassion, not even the freeness with which she raced in the opening furlongs could have an influence on this painful outcome.

I have a word of caution for those considering putting Go Native in lay calculations for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, the connections are extremely bullish and reckon that the second season hurdler, could well have improved dramatically again since his Fighting Fifth.

Tread softly would be the advice, he has a lot to find with the likes of Punjabi if he turns up on the day as I believe is the plan.

Talk tomorrow,

Don

The wintry blanket that arrived yesterday afternoon and evening has already taken its first racing victim with Ascot being claimed early this morning. This has deprived us of an excellent card and the even better fare for tomorrow must be under serious doubt if the forecasters are to be believed.

With that in mind I am going to take a look for the first time at the market for the King George. The obvious starting point is the reigning and four timer seeking Kauto Star. Is he opposable, most definitely. He comes to this race after a heroic battle with Imperial Commander in the Betfair and that is infinitely better form when he flopped in the year previous’ renewal, before routing the opposition in the King George of ‘08.

Currently trading at 1.7 or so, Kauto had a really hard race at Haydock and those sorts of exertions really take their toll. One might suggest equally so on Imperial Commander, who let’s not forget ran a stinker in this last year. Madison du Berlais is the horse that could run really well at a price. Who could forget how he led his rivals, including Denman, a merry dance over course and distance in the re-routed Aon of last season.

Unless I have missed something Voy Por Ustedes is also a ridiculous price if connections are planning a return journey. So there we have it take on Kauto and back Madison would be the idea currently.

All the best,

Don

The least said about Billy Jean in Southwell’s opener today the better. This animal had been beaten a distance , thirteen lengths and six lengths in her three visits to the racecourse and frankly no display had given rise to any degree of encouragement,if you will excuse the parlance she looked a well bred “dog”.

There was evidently plenty of improvement for her debut on the Fibresand today and she looked thrown in off 55 at the line, in what was a complete turnaround on previous form. This result was a real pain as she was a serious drifter, out to about 10.0 on the machine, that hurt especially as it more or less wiped out the profitability from yesterday.

On to the weekend, we are honour and duty bound to take on Big Buck’s in the Long Walk at Ascot on Saturday, the highest rated staying hurdler in the land and current World Hurdle Champion…have I gone mad. Well at 8/13 and likely shorter on the day, no. The horse has never won right handed and is a bit of a quirky fella, albeit with bags of class.

Diamond Harry could be anything and Karabak is no back number, lets give it a sporting spin and see how we fair.

Don