I am sure the start of the 2012 flat season will long be remembered for the incredible amount of rainfall throughout the UK and it has certainly led to a few race plans changing here and there!  However, we have had six winners this month, including a notable success in the mud at Epsom!

Goldoni was a game winner of a nursery at Glorious Goodwood last year and went on to finish 4^th in Listed company, but he has clearly improved over the winter and after a narrow defeat in handicap company on his reappearance, he again showed a tenacious attitude on his first start in heavy ground to win the Investec Derby Trial at Epsom under David Probert.  Though he has been gelded and is therefore ineligible for the Derby itself, I feel he is a high-class horse in the making and the Lingfield Derby Trial and the King Edward VII at the Royal Meeting are both possible targets for him now.

It has been a good start to the season for Goldoni’s owners Mick and Janice Mariscotti, who have also seen Topanga Canyon carry their colours to victory this month, winning over 1m1f on his seasonal reappearance.  He is the type to progress further in the coming months.

Minimise Risk is another who could go for a Derby Trial next after winning what looked a hot Newbury maiden on his seasonal reappearance.  He had finished a good second on his only previous run last year at Doncaster in a race that worked out very well and though he was ultimately pushed all the way to the line by the runner-up at Newbury, he had travelled particularly well and was entitled to get a little tired in the soft ground.  A half-brother to the dual Group 2 winning-stayer Darasim, he is a very exciting prospect.

Another impressive maiden winner was Natasha Rostova, who defied greenness to make a winning debut in a four-runner event at Wolverhampton.  A half-sister to My Aunt Fanny and Kingsholm, I am hopeful that she can develop into a useful filly this season.

Black Cadillac was a 5f winner at Bath on his second start last season and was an impressive winner at Kempton on his third start this time around, travelling and quickening well.  He went down by just a nose on his only subsequent start and remains on a mark off which he can be very competitive.

Expense Claim had improved with each of three starts in maidens last season and he showed he has maintained that progress over the winter by winning easily on his reappearance, upped in trip to 1m3f at Kempton Park.  He has been allotted a fair handicap mark and he is a potentially high-class handicapper in the making.

BONFIRE WINS THE DANTE… HOPING NOW TO HEAD TO EPSOM FOR THE INVESTEC DERBY ON JUNE 2nd

Tappanappa and Billy Buttons provided a nice boost just a week before the traditional curtain-raiser at Doncaster when winning at Kempton on successive days, Tappanappa putting in a career-best performance to win in handicap company and Billy Buttons justifying short-priced favouritism to win his maiden on what was his seasonal reappearance.

I was very pleased with a couple of ours at Doncaster’s Lincoln meeting, with the beautifully-bred Minimise Risk shaping very promisingly when finishing 2^nd on his racecourse debut, while Goldoni made a very pleasing reappearance on his first start beyond a mile, finishing runner-up in what looked a good handicap.  He may go for the Derby Trial at Epsom later in April.

Side Glance needed a run to bring him on last season and I am sure he will strip fitter again this time around, having finished 5^th in the Doncaster Mile.  He has several options but we may take him back to Ascot (where his form figures read 132137) for the Listed Paradise Stakes, a race he won impressively last year.

We are hopefully set for a strong team for the Craven and Greenham meetings at Newmarket and Newbury respectively, with the French Group 1-placed Bonfire and Newmarket maiden winners Dandy and Spiritual Star all likely to take their places in one of the trials.

Tappanappa has been our sole winner of the year so far, winning a 1m4f maiden at Lingfield Park in January.  Though he has had problems that have limited him to just six starts to date, he has plenty of natural ability and was a close 6^th in the Listed Winter Derby Trial on his latest start.  He could well have a nice race in him this year.

Tartan Trip has been in good form so far this season, running well in defeat on three occasions.  His next start will be in a £16,000, 1m2f handicap at Kempton Park on 7^th March.

Perfect Mission won his maiden in December and has been a little unlucky not to get his head in front since, leading into the final furlong on his last two starts only to get narrowly beaten on both occasions.  He looks capable of winning again soon.

I have been excited by several of the two year olds to have run in recent weeks, among them Cherry Street, who got off the mark at the third time of asking in great style at Pontefract in October and looks a stayer of some potential for next season.

Intransigent is another recent juvenile winner who looks set for an exciting future, showing excellent speed to win readily over 5f on the AW at Lingfield Park on just his second start.  A half-brother to Border Music, he clearly shares his illustrious sibling’s liking for the AW, but hopefully will develop into a very exciting sprinter on turf next season, with the £100,000 3yo handicap over 6f at York in early June the long-term target for him.

Fortrose Academy suffered a stress fracture of a hind leg on his debut in May but he returned in great form from his enforced break, winning a 6f maiden on the AW at Kempton Park in good style.  He looks to have plenty of speed and should do well in handicap company next season.

It had been a long time coming, but Hidden Valley’s success in a 2m1f handicap at Bath was worth the wait and it appears we have finally found her trip.  She has always worked like a good horse at home and now that we have found the key to her I am hopeful she can go on to further success next season.

Megan’s Motivator has required plenty of time and when he was purchased as a yearling it was not the intention to ‘go down the bumper route’!  However, he made quite an impressive winning debut and looks capable both of winning again in that sphere, and of developing winning races on the flat in the coming months.

One notable performance in defeat was that of Bonfire in the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.  An impressive winner on his debut at Salisbury in September, he looked very unlucky not to win in France, suffering all sorts of trouble in running but finishing powerfully once in the clear to finish third.  However, I am delighted to have such an exciting middle-distance prospect for next season and hopefully he can make amends at the highest level in 2012!

Lay Time provided the yard with another Pattern race win by taking the Listed Fortune Stakes at Sandown Park.  A daughter of Galileo and half-sister to three black-type performers, she has improved with every run and if she is kept in training next season she could be a very useful performer.

Decent Fella has always shown plenty of ability and is fulfilling his potential on the racecourse this season, adding to his Newmarket success in May with victory in a decent handicap at Goodwood.  He can progress further.

Two ‘Stars’ provided us with a double on the Friday of the Cambridgeshire meeting at Newmarket, with Arabian Star taking the Silver Cambridgeshire and Spiritual Star winning a maiden in emphatic style.

Arabian Star was having just his first start for the yard but he looks a progressive young handicapper and having made all the running, he showed a very willing attitude to repel the runner-up in a tight finish.

Spiritual Star had finished a very promising third on his first start at Newbury in June and fulfilled that debut promise with a brilliant performance, never really coming off the bridle and winning by six lengths from what had looked a good field of maidens.  He looks potentially very useful and he could go for the Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury later this month.

We have seen several impressive performances from juveniles this month, with Bonfire, Dandy, and Open Water all successful and looking capable of going on to better things.

Bonfire is a son of first-season sire Manduro and he provided him with a first UK success with a ready win on his racecourse debut in a mile maiden at Salisbury.  He has always shown us plenty at home and looks the type to improve further with experience, so he is a very exciting prospect.

Open Water is out of a winning half-sister to a Prix Vermeille and Park Hill winner and he showed a good turn of foot to win on his debut in what looked a good maiden at Sandown Park.  He looks sure to make up into a decent horse next year.

Dandy is a son of Nayef out of a high-class miler in Germany, and he showed he had reaped considerable benefit from his debut run at Sandown with a gutsy win in a mile maiden at Newmarket.  He is another who is very much a horse to look forward to next year.

Dressed In Lace has been very consistent this season and the daughter of Dark Angel got her rewards with a game win in a 6f nursery at Chepstow.  She has since run well off a 4lbs higher mark in a decent nursery at Newbury and looks capable of winning again off her mark.

A notable performance in defeat this month came from Side Glance, who ran a really good race to finish a close 4^th in the Group 1 Woodbine Mile.  Despite a poor draw and racing a little keenly in the early stages, he came there with a big challenge in the final two furlongs only to be outpointed close home.  It was a fantastic effort on his first start at the highest level and hopefully he can make his mark in that grade in the coming months.

Side Glance has been a relentless improver throughout his career. He was successful on just his second start in Group company with victory in the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury.  Though he is probably not ideally suited to the track there, he beat what looked a very competitive field quite cosily and will now step up to Group 1 company in Canada later this month.

Opera Gal has been another to show much-improved form this season and she followed a good second in Listed company at Salisbury earlier in August with an impressive all-the-way win at Windsor in the Listed August Stakes.  She may now step up to Group 3 level with the Select Stakes at Goodwood a possibility.

Dungannon has long looked a sprinter of some potential and he coped very well with the drop back to the minimum trip for the first time since winning his maiden at Bath a year ago when winning the ‘Dash’ at Ascot’s Shergar Cup meeting, travelling well and keeping on in really good style when challenged.  That victory supplemented a win at Doncaster over 6f in May and he looks capable of progressing further, with Doncaster’s Portland handicap his next assignment. Another sprinter on the up is Desert Law, who followed his second in the 6f Shergar Cup Sprint with an impressive win in a conditions event at Bath that suggests he could be capable of taking the step up to Pattern company in his stride in the near future.

Theladyinquestion is a filly with plenty of potential but she had been off the course since her 2yo days so her comeback at Newmarket came after nearly two years on the sidelines.  However, she made light of the absence, storming home and winning with greater ease than the winning margin suggests.  She has since run below-par at Salisbury but is much better than that and I am confident she can bounce back to winning ways.

Pittodrie Star was our first winner of the month, getting up close home to win over 1m6f at Haydock, his first win on turf having recorded his previous two victories on the AW at Kempton.   He has since run creditably off higher marks and hopefully can get his head in front again soon.

We have a strong team of two year olds this year, many of whom have yet to make their debuts, but there were two good winners this month who look capable of going on to better things.

Top Cop had looked to be undone by inexperience having travelled very well through the race on his debut at Salisbury and he showed he had learnt plenty from the experience when making all and holding on gamely to shed his maiden tag at the second time of asking in a novice event at Bath.  He looks sure to improve further with time and may go for the valuable Weatherbys race at Doncaster, won by his owner Jeff Smith’s Dream Eater in 2007.

Big Note returned to winning ways at Windsor, winning a 6f novice event despite again running very freely in the early stages.  He is a colt with plenty of natural ability and if he can learn to settle in his races he could have a big future.  He is likely to step up in class next time with the Mill Reef at Newbury a possibility.

There have been some notable performances in defeat, with the admirable Set The Trend going very close indeed in the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood, and Whiplash Willie just finding one too good in the Melrose at York having travelled very well up the straight.  Unfortunately he has picked up a little niggle that has ruled him out of the St Leger so he will be given the rest of the season off, but looks a stayer on considerable potential for next year.

Charles The Great has done nothing but improve this season and gave us a memorable win in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury under a really strong ride from Jimmy Fortune. He has since finished 3^rd upped to Group company at Glorious Goodwood and if he can continue his upward curve then he could be challenging for top honours this season.

We had a busy week at Glorious Goodwood with a strong team over the five days and we were very pleased to come away with two winners in Whiplash Willie and Goldoni.

Whiplash Willie had been given an entry in the St Leger a couple of days before the 1m4f contest at Goodwood so it was very pleasing to see him win under a really good ride from David Probert, which he had to do to merit the entry! He may now go for the Melrose at York and is a fast-improving young stayer.

Goldoni is another juvenile on the up and he followed an unlucky run when finishing 2^nd at Epsom with a very game success in the 7f nursery at Goodwood. He looks the type to keep improving.

Chef narrowly missed out on providing us with a third winner of the meeting when posting a career-best effort in finishing second in the Listed Thoroughbred Stakes.

Hollow Tree won twice in really good style at Sandown Park this month but has now been sold for a hurdling career, but Lay Time is an exciting prospect who looks worth following, with her Newmarket maiden win followed by a 2nd at the same course, where she led home her group of 13.

Abergeldie won very well at Chepstow in the style of an improving filly, while Stage Attraction and Cross Culture both look capable of recording further successes this season having both won handicaps in July, the former supplementing his win in a decent Chepstow maiden in June.

Gold Mine was always likely to improve for a step up in trip as he hails from a good staying family and both he and jockey Liam Keniry deserve great credit for a very game performance on his first try over 1m4f at Lingfield Park (AW).  He should prove capable of defying his new mark.

Balducci rounded the month off in great style with a win in a conditions event at Newmarket.  He looks to have improved this year and hopefully he can make his mark in Listed company in the coming months.

A couple of notable performances in defeat this month include Set The Trend recording a career-best effort with a 3^rd in Group 2 company in Germany, while Side Glance was undone by the slow pace but still ran a very good race to finish 3^rd in the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot.

Night Carnation became our first Group winner of the year with a comfortable win in the Group 3 Sprint Stakes.  She has improved rapidly this season, winning three from four starts, and is likely to be aimed at the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye.

Highland Knight has long suggested himself capable of taking a big handicap, and his second to Dance And Dance at Epsom on his previous start was franked when that one went on to finish runner-up in the Hunt Cup.  Always prominent under David Probert, he was sent on 2f out and held on in very good style.  He is sure to face a hike in the weights but is very progressive and genuine and can hold his own at a higher level.

Chiberta King completed the treble with a career-best effort in winning the Listed Esher Stakes, getting up in the very final stride of the 2m trip under a strong ride from Jimmy Fortune.  A winner in handicap company earlier in the month, he is another to have improved plenty this season and given the quality of opposition (it looked a good contest for the grade) he can hopefully win again in Pattern company this season.

Dungannon is another older horse on the up, and he won  at Doncaster in June in very good style, potentially setting him up for a tilt at the Stewards Cup at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July.

King Ferdinand had been a little disappointing on his handicap debut at Pontefract after winning his maiden in good style at Chester, but he showed that run to be wrong when winning easily in a 6f handicap on the AW at Kempton, suggesting he is capable of holding his own at a higher level.

Whiplash Willie was a very impressive winner of the historic Bunbury Cup at Salisbury, bolting up on the rain-softened ground to provide a second winner in three days for his sire Phoenix Reach, as Rawaki had followed in the footsteps of his half-brother Side Glance (runs in the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot on Saturday) by winning on his debut in the black and gold cross colours of the Kingsclere Racing Club.

There have been several good winning performances in maiden company, including Sea Soldier, who won over 7f at Warwick in what looked a competitive maiden, and Stage Attraction, who won a good maiden on soft ground at Chepstow.  Both are open to plenty of progress and look capable of making up into nice handicappers this season.

We also had a second two year old winner of the season in Big Note, who defied inexperience and the worst of the draw by winning on his debut at Chester, finishing with a late rattle having missed the break and been held up in the early stages.  He has been given an entry in the Group 2 Gimcrack at York in August and hopefully he will prove capable in a higher grade next time.  The two year olds look a particularly nice group and we are looking forward to introducing plenty more of them in the coming weeks.

Side Glance has progressed enormously once again this year and following on from his six-length defeat of St Moritz (since won a Listed handicap and finished a close second in Group 3 company) at Ascot in April, he gave subsequent Group 3 winner The Cheka 4lbs and a 1/14l beating in the Listed Royal Windsor Stakes at Windsor in May.

He has been given a short break since as there were a lack of options for him in June, but he will return for the Summer Mile at Ascot in July.   His sire Passing Glance was a similarly big improver with age, and there is surely still more to come from Side Glance.

Set The Trend won the Shergar Cup mile at Ascot last season, and his reappearance 4th in the Doncaster Mile suggested he could take the step up to Listed company in his stride.   Sent to Goodwood’s Listed On The House Stakes for his next start, he was given a clever front-running ride from Jimmy Fortune and never saw another rival, winning by 11/4l.   He still looks to be improving and hopefully can register further successes at Listed level this season.

Night Carnation had made an impressive seasonal reappearance in a good handicap at Sandown Park in April and was a warm order to make it two from two this season in a 5f conditions event at York’s Dante meeting.  Though she perhaps wasn’t as visually impressive as at Sandown, she won comfortably despite the race not being run quite to suit.  She will now step up to Listed company, with the Scurry Stakes at Sandown Park under consideration.

Beaumont’s Party looks a particularly exciting prospect for the season ahead after two very impressive wins at Chester and Chepstow in May, followed by a 4th in a hot handicap at Epsom on Oaks day, where he was perhaps a little unfortunate not to finish slightly closer.  Now 16lbs higher than for his first win of the season, he is still relatively lightly-raced and open to further improvement.

King Ferdinand was another winner for us at Chester’s May meeting, getting up close home in the 6f maiden despite encountering a slightly tricky passage through the race.  The third has since won easily off 72, so he looks fairly handicapped off his current mark and I am confident there are further races to be won with him this season.

Decent Fella looks set for a good season, as he was a ready winner on his seasonal reappearance at Newmarket in what looked a strong handicap, before finishing a close 4th under a penalty at Haydock.  He remains on that mark and I hope he can remain competitive in valuable handicaps throughout the season.

Chef was one of our most promising juveniles last season, winning at Salisbury on his only start.  He finished a good 6th in the Tattersalls Millions 3yo Trophy on his reappearance, and despite the handicapper raising him from a mark of 78 to 96 for his handicap debut next time out, he was able to register a second success from three career starts.   He may go back to Newmarket in June for the Millions 3yo Cup over 1m2f.

Two maiden-winning fillies doubled their winning tally and provided the yard and jockey David Probert with a double on the day at Chepstow in May, with Tweedledrum and Guided Missile both impressing with their manner of victory.   The latter is a sister to former Kingsclere star Dark Missile, who improved significantly with age, winning the Wokingham at four and getting within a short-head of Group 2 success in Diadem back at Ascot the same year.

Another double was registered at Kempton in June, with Constant Contact showing the benefit of his reappearance at Goodwood to grind out victory in typically game fashion, and Grand Piano getting off the mark at the sixth attempt in the 7f handicap.

Black Cadillac got off the mark, winning a 5f maiden at Bath in good style.  He has since finished a fair 4^th on his handicap debut and is capable of progressing further as a sprinter this year.

Our first juvenile winner of the year came courtesy of Charles The Great, who showed plenty of improvement on his debut run at Ascot when beating no less than four last-time-out winners in a novice race at Windsor, recording a fast time in the process.  Though there is plenty of stamina on the dam’s side, his sire Holy Roman Emperor has produced plenty of speedy types in his first two crops.

12 to Follow Update

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Highland Knight was our first runner of 2011 on the turf, and he ran well for a long way in the Lincoln at Doncaster. He has since run well in defeat in the Group 2 Sandown Mile (as pacemaker for Dream Eater) and on the AW at Kempton, where he finished a good 3rd in what looked a decent handicap. He fared by some way best of those that raced with the pace in that contest and looks more than capable of scoring off his current mark in the coming weeks.

Discoteca got us off the mark on turf with an impressive performance in what looked a good maiden over 1m2f at Windsor. He has since finished a fair 4th in Listed company and this fine, big sort is sure to improve further with experience.

Side Glance was particularly progressive last year, with wins in valuable handicaps at Ascot and Chester, and an excellent second in the £150,000 Challenge Cup on his final start of the season. Like many of ours, he looked sure to improve on what he showed on his seasonal reappearance (3rd in a 7f Listed at Leicester), especially given a step up in trip, but his performance in the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot over a mile was a huge step up. He was particularly impressive in winning by six lengths from a good yardstick who had won the Doncaster Mile on his previous start, and he could go a long way this season.

Night Carnation improved with every start last season, winning a maiden at Epsom on her third start before finishing a close 2nd in a Listed race at Doncaster, both over 6f. She reappeared over 5f at Sandown, having been showing plenty of speed in her work, and she produced an outstanding performance to win by a very comfortable two lengths. The form looks strong, as the 2nd was impressive when winning a good race at Chester. The handicapper has raised her 9lbs to 108, so she will need to move up to Pattern company next time.

Gold Mine became our second maiden winner of 2011 on turf when taking a 1m2f maiden at Chepstow. Unplaced on his only start last season, he did well over the winter and showed a good attitude to beat what looked fair field. A homebred of Sir Gordon Brunton’s from the family of his Ascot Gold Cup winner Indian Queen, he is the sort to continue to improve throughout the season.

Set The Trend showed plenty of good form last season, including a 2nd at Epsom on Oaks day and a win in the Shergar Cup Mile at Ascot. His length 4th in the Doncaster Mile on his recent reappearance suggests he can make the transition to Listed level this season. Another who looks sure to make the grade in Pattern company is Kakatosi, who had a brilliant 2010 and strongly hinted at better things to come when 2nd in Listed company at Haydock.

Dream Eater has yet to really show what he is capable of on the racecourse this season, but things haven’t quite panned out for him in two starts to date, including when missing the break at Chester last time, and hopefully he can rediscover his best form on his next outing.