Although our only runner at Newton Abbot on Wednesday finished out of the money, I’m delighted to say we left with a cheque for £5,000 given by the racecourse to the stable which won the most Best Turned Out awards there during the summer season.
The money is a richly deserved reward for our travelling head lass Kirstie Mayes and our team, who work so hard to ensure our horses look at their very best when they arrive in the paddock.
It is greatly to their credit that we managed to win the award despite having relatively few runners at Newton Abbot, where our strike rate has been excellent.
Kirstie and I were both presented with a bottle of champagne, while the money will be shared between Kirstie and all those in the yard who made it possible.
As the trainer, it is always nice when you are saddling up at the races to see our horses looking so well and turned out beautifully.
Once we knew we were in with a chance of winning the award, it’s fair to say Kirstie and her team were keen to make sure the prize didn’t slip from their grasp!
A big thank you to everyone at Newton Abbot Racecourse for putting up such a generous prize and recognising the hard work that goes into turning horses out to such a high standard.
