The two winners that were sent out by Anna provided a tasty 44/1 double for her followers and the victory of her Portrait Royale was especially satisfying for the Jevington trainer.

Anna explained “She had a foot injury which has kept her off of the track for three months. Sally who rides her out regularly at home has been telling me she was really coming to herself. The conditions were ideal today, she loves the soft ground, and that was her second win in her last three starts.”

The race itself was full of incident with the joint favourite Newbay Bob falling at the third last. Pass Me A Dime and Its A Classic were duelling for the lead from the home bend with no quarter asked or given and Portrait Royale sitting a couple of lengths off of them in third.

At the second last Pass Me A Dime jumped slightly to his right and fell heavily bringing down his rival in the process.

Portrait Royale avoided the carnage and sauntered up the hill to record an ultimately easy success.

I asked Anna if she felt the mare would have won anyway.

“Harry (the jockey) said he was holding on to something and felt the other two were coming back to him. From his confidence it seems to me she would have won anyway.”

Another mare Pomander provided the second leg of the double as she belied her 14/1 odds to take the final race in effortless fashion.

It would appear on this performance that Pomander is progressing and she will attract a deal of attention on her next start.

It will be interesting to see how the handicapper reacts.

Gary Moore fired in a short price double with Action Impact in the opening novice hurdle and Lord Singer in the two mile handicap hurdle.

Both are progressive novices.

Gary commented “I was pleased with both. Lord Singer is very headstrong and will be much better when he learns to settle. He really wants a fence.”

Also Marc Goldstein, the son of former iron man of the saddle Ray Goldstein, gave course specialist Sumdancer a text book ride when recording a facile success in the two mile chase to give a Sussex connection to a fifth of the six winners on the day.

He had given the eight year old a similarly accomplished ride on their last outing but the extra half a mile that day found out the geldings stamina and the drop back in trip here suited him ideally.

Marc explained “The last time I wasn’t holding on to much just hoping The Hardy Boy would come back to me. The drop back in trip made the difference today.

He likes to bowl along, got in a nice rhythm and jumped well.”

The Cheltenham Festival is less than two weeks away and Marc is looking forward to a great ride there on Sheena West’s Tobago Bay in the conditional jockeys’ race.

Marc said “It’s worked out well with his handicap mark. Two mile five looks ideal and he is in great form. I can’t wait.”

The opening maiden hurdle over the minimum trip has a couple of entries from the Cisswood stables of Gary Moore.

Action Impact is an Argentinian bred who has experience on the flat and in his two runs over hurdles this winter has shown ability particularly at Newbury when making the places behind Nicky Henderson’s Cheltenham prospect Quantitativeeasing.

That form would appear to suggest he would be a major player should he stand his ground.

The alternative for the Moore team is Beau Fighter.

His run last time when pulled up at Lingfield should be forgotten as it looks to have come too quickly after a very encouraging third here at Plumpton behind another Cheltenham bound prospect, Salden Licht, who hails from the powerful Alan King yard.

So Moore has a strong entry and either will be toward the front of the market.

It is not often that you see a hurdler from the Paul Cole yard but he has General Elliott entered for the race.

He has been contesting Group and Listed events on the flat so this is quite a surprising entry and it will be interesting to see how he takes to this discipline on his debut if he turns up.

The market will be an a good guide to expectations.

Others worth noting in the race are the Venetia Williams trained Mega watt and Charlie Egertons Very Edgy.

Both trainers have excellent records at the track.

The 2m handicap hurdle has attracted a good entry with Lewes trainer Jim Best saddling Calzaghe who has won four of his five starts this term.

Jim has changed the horse’s training routine to freshen him up and it did the trick with the gelding winning on his last start after a break.

He will be the yardstick that his opponents will have to exceed and Gary Moore will be hoping his promising novice will rise to that challenge.

He was very free last time at Fontwell but overcame that youthful exuberance to record his first win.

Other entries of note are Viva Colonia, Whimper and Jordans Light but it is highly likely that if either of the Moore or Best trained runners turn up they will take the beating.

In the amateur riders staying handicap chase Anna Newton Smith is hoping to get Portrait Royale back to the track.

Though the run will sharpen up the mare there is no doubt in the trainers mind that she is capable of winning again off of her current rating.

With this in mind her performance should be noted for a later date.

Though the race is not overscribed in terms of numbers it has a very competitive look to it.

Noble Bily was very well supported on his most recent outing and Pass Me A Dime representing the Tizzard yard are a couple who should feature prominently.

The novice handicap chase has a couple of entries from the stables of Henrietta Knight who is an infrequent visitor to the track.

Both Ballymara and Bertenbar have the ratings of modest horses but that is not something you immediately associate with their team and they should be respected for that reason.

Paddock inspection on the day may be quite revealing.

There have been a few punts on the Jamie Poulton trained Wheres Johnny here in the past but he has failed to deliver and maybe the Telscombe trainer can this time coax something extra out of a horse who must show more at home than he does on the track.

David Pipe has an entry in the lightly raced Cloud Nine who showed much improved for m on his last start at Leicester and the drop back to two and a half miles should suit him ideally.

Rileyev has been very disappointing this term after early encouragement but is from the Venetia Williams yard who always merit great respect here at Plumpton.

The other one to note is Grand Bay who is looking to break his maiden in the jumping sphere after eighteen previous attempts.

Despite that poor record he has gone off favourite in his last two starts and the Jonjo O’Neill team are in good form.

The concluding mares handicap hurdle is very tough to figure out looking at the five day entries but Tara Taylor could play a leading role.

Potential betting opportunities would be Gary Moore’s representative in the opening maiden hurdle, Lord Singer in the two mile handicap hurdle and Cloud Nine for David Pipe in the novice chase.

I am sometimes asked what we do between racemeetings – which I always take positively as the organisation of the day must look effortless, rather than the result of a lot of hard work and planning which it is.  I have worked in a number of companies and I can definitively say that working at a racecourse is the longest hours and hardest work I have ever done. It is also the best job I have ever had.

In addition to this, as anyone who follows the racing press will be aware, there is a lot of ongoing discussion within racing at the moment about funding, fixtures and change. The future structure of the fixture list and funding of racing through the levy is all under review, and I need to ensure that Plumpton is getting it’s voice heard and the impact of any changes on small winter jump courses is understood by the decision makers.  It looks as though battle lines have been drawn by racing -  hopefully we should begin to get a clearer idea of what may happen with funding in 2011 which will enable us to plan more effectively ahead.

Gary Moore and Phillip Hide combined as trainer and jockey to complete a short priced double on the card with the juvenile hurdler Orzare and the mare Megasue.

Both were easy winners of their respective events and there were little or no concerns for their supporters from well before two hurdles out as the pair proved far too strong for their opponents.

Orzare did have an entry for the Triumph Hurdle but the trainer suggested that was never really his target and that the Fred Winter was always a more realistic prospect and all being well that is where he will now go.

Megasue was a close second at the last meeting and ended a run of placed finishes to win the mares contest with a great deal of authority.

The last in the series of novice chases which entitles its individual winners to a £50000 bonus should they then go onto win at this year’s Cheltenham Festival produced a good finish and a fine ride from Aidan Coleman aboard the winner Mobaasher.

The horse does not appear to like being in front for too long and having stalked the pace setting Giles Cross for the majority of the 3m 2f contest he produced him after the last before cheekily nipping up the inside of his rival to win quite readily.

Mobaasher has produced some good performances in Graded class over hurdles and attained a rating of 153 in that discipline.

If he could reproduce that level of ability over fences he is potentially an attractively handicapped horse and the William Hill Trophy at the Festival might very well be a consideration for his trainer Venetia Williams.

The handicap hurdle over 2m 5f looked a decent contest for its grade and there was good money about in the morning and on course markets for two or three of the runners.

Three of the less exposed hurdlers came clear of the field rounding the turn for home and at the second last flight it was tough to choose the winner.

Between the last two the Nick Gifford trained Ballybach gained a narrow advantage from Preuty Boy with Samurai Way dropping a length or so off the pace but still battling hard for his rider.

Preuty Boy, who had been the first horse off the bridle, regained a slender lead despite being bumped by his rival nearing the last and then jumped it well which is something Ballybach unfortunately did not do as he crashed to the ground giving his rider Liam Treadwell a heavy fall.

Preuty Boy showed a very likeable attitude to gain his win for trainer Alan Fleming who expects him to be a better horse over fences.

He will give him time to mature and progress.

Sussex trainer Nick Gifford had better luck in the concluding bumper with the promising Dusky Bob.

He went off favourite here as he did at Fontwell on his debut but was given a much more positive ride on this occasion and stayed on well to gain a decisive victory.

The Nicky Henderson trained Tanks For That was a narrow favourite in the 2m 1f beginners chase and was effectively left to come home in his own time after Shoreacres fell at the third last fence. He had made all the running to that point and had seen off the weakening Bormo but not Shoreacres who was travelling well under Wilson Renwick.

Things are not going well for Brendan Powells charge over fences but it could result in him being a well handicapped horse in the future.

He is not a bad jumper, he just landed a bit steeply here.

AP McCoy rode Tanks For That and as a result followed up his win in this race last year when he scored his 3000^th winner as a jockey.

The Paul Nicholls pair Inchidaly Rock and Forest Pennant are included amongst the entries and both would undoubtedly be strong contenders with the preference for the former who is also the ante post favourite for the four mile contest at the Festival.

However both have been declared for events on Saturday and it would appear we are likely to see either only if one of Saturday’s meetings fall victim to the weather.

The same scenario also applies to the Alan King trained Bensalem but we did have the pleasure of seeing him win an earlier race in this series back in November.

In their absence Charlie Mann and Venetia Williams, who both have such a good record at the track, are likely to dominate the market with their respective entries Sullomo and Mobaasher.

There looks little to separate the two and it will probably come down to which of them jumps most fluently.

The opening juvenile hurdler’s has entries from the powerful of stables of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson and will all be potentially making their hurdling debuts.

The Nicholls representative is Sunwise who was lightly raced for the John Oxx stable in Ireland and who was fitted with blinkers on his final start and he broke his maiden as a result.

He contested middle distance affairs, gained a rating of 95 and that would have meant he would be contesting top class handicaps on the flat and had the potential to develop into a listed class performer. What he is doing jumping a hurdle now is a matter of conjecture. It could be they paid a fortune for him or he is nothing like as good as his rating suggests. Or both of course.  

Henderson has two entries and both Monetary Fund and Onemix cut a similar profile.

Both were progressively stepped up in trip to middle distances on the flat, both won just the one race and both ended up with similar ratings that suggested they were fair performers at a reasonable level.

The market will give us a clue as to their worth.

Others to consider are Group Leader who made an encouraging hurdles debut at Doncaster in what looked a fairly decent race. Evening Sunset won on his hurdles debut here and Nicky Nutjob will have to carry a big penalty and likes good decent ground but has been tried in high grade early season events.

All are only fair performers at best and if one of the newcomers are above average they will be difficult to beat.

The 2m 5f handicap hurdle looks as though it will be very competitive and the locally owned Gee Dee Nen tops the weights. He has been quietly progressive over the course of this season and this represents a slight drop in grade and he looks certain to be involved in the finish.

Mous Of Men is the only five day entry from David Pipe and if he makes the long journey has to be taken seriously as will either of Nicky Henderson’s pair Bonikos and Prince De Beury. Alan King and Nick Gifford also have entries but one I am quite interested in is Preuty Boy from the Alan Fleming yard. It looks certain that this trip in slowish ground will show him to best advantage and this novice could be well handicapped.

The beginners chase over the minimum trip is likely to feature the return to the track of Shoreacres who some would argue was a bit unlucky not to win that day.

If the Brendan Powell trained gelding fulfils his engagement he will be tough to beat and his principal rivals will be Bormo (A King), Gibbonsgrove (JJ O’Neill) and Tanks For That (N Henderson).

Whoever turns up the winner looks certain to come from one of this quartet.

The mares hurdle and the bumper which concludes the card are both well subscribed and at this stage we look to have the prospect of a competitive card with some decent quality performers on show. Megasue for local trainer Gary Moore is worth noting in the mares event.

At Monday’s meeting we have organised a free Turf Tour at 12.30pm, starting from the Winners Enclosure. This is a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of our racecourse and understand more about how a raceday is run. We are very keen to help answer any questions from our customers, and feedback from those who attend would be most welcome.

The forecast conditions for Plumpton for the coming days leading up to the meeting on Monday, 15th February, is mainly dry with overnight frosts. We are deploying covers over the entire course on Thursday afternoon having already covered our more vulnerable landing and take off areas on Wednesday.

Sunday night is not predicted to have a severe frost at this stage, and Monday is likely to see temperatures rise as rain is forecast for later in the day.

The best race on the card in terms of quality was the staying novice chase.

Youngstown was the warm favourite to follow up his previous wins and looking to make all the running he jumped with alacrity throughout.

By the time the field were half way down the back straight for the final time it was clear that he had seen off all his rivals bar the well supported Kawagino.

In the testing conditions I had the abiding feeling throughout the contest that Jason Maguire was just going half a stride too quick on the favourite.

He has only had three rides at the track in the last three seasons and stalking him was the leading rider at Plumpton Phillip Hide.

Turning for home Youngstown came under strong pressure from Maguire whilst Hide appeared to be holding on to something extra. Hide waited until approaching the second last before allowing his mount to go upside his rival and then kicking for home as they landed.

It soon became apparent that Kawagino did not have as much in the tank as it appeared and for just a moment the race looked in the balance.

Ultimately the energy that Hide had conserved proved decisive and Youngstown folded jumping the last and Kawagino was driven right out to register a second course win this season.

Jason Maguire is a very classy jockey but it appeared here that the guile and course experience of Phillip Hide was the difference between two brave horses.

In the last race on the card, Hide received another enthusiastic round of applause from the assembled crowd when he somehow managed to stay aboard his partner Maximix after a terrible blunder at the fence running away from the stands having at one point appearing to be nearer the ground than the saddle.

Indeed,it was quite an eventful race with the keen going joint favourite Prince Louis crashing out at the seventh fence when in front.

Peter Toole had been booked to ride The Hardy Boy for the Jevington trainer Anna Newton- Smith but jumped off him to ride Prince Louis and he must have felt more than a twinge of regret when he saw that horse add to his wonderful track record with a battling success.

The win was a great boost for Anna and her team after they saddled two seconds at the previous meeting and proves she has her string in good heart.

When conditions are as testing as they have been throughout January it is difficult to get too carried away with the form on the track but if you were to take a horse from yesterday’s meeting my suggestion would be to consider the easy winner of the opening juvenile hurdle Stars Du Granits.

Once they turned out of the back straight the horse never looked in any danger on his UK debut and while what he beat is open to question there can be no crabbing the manner of the victory. The time was the best on the card and although Venetia Williams is probably not best known for her juvenile hurdlers he will be worth watching in the long term.

Sure Josie Sure confirmed form with Megasue to justify short priced favouritism in the mares hurdle and was the first leg of a double for the in form stable of David Pipe.

That was completed by another novice Grand Crus who registered his first win in the UK when he ground out victory with his stamina coming into play as his rivals wilted.

The Charlie Mann trained King Brex won the novice chase in similarly grinding fashion off of top weight seeing off Cockatoo who certainly has questions to be resolved regarding his jumping.

Since then the weather went from bad to worse.  National Hunt Racing being brought to a standstill, the Racing Post becoming somewhat lighter and it was proving very difficult to get the horses out for exercise and to keep the team spirit high.  It was a great spectacle to see the horses out on the gallops in the snow, have a peek in the news section www.nickgiffordracing.co.uk.  

When finally we said goodbye to the white stuff some of the horses had lost a bit of fitness and just needed to get on the track.  However they are now all on great form, proven by a fantastic double at Lingfield on the 25th January.   After  the snow holding everything up, it is brilliant for the yard to be fully back on form with One Corneto’ ridden by our stable jockey ‘Liam Treadwell’  romping home ten lengths clear in the  ‘Lingfield Park Sporting Membership Handicap Chase over 2 miles.  Only his second race in over 900 days off the track.   Then in the next race Liam Treadwell did the business again on ‘General Kutozov’ in the Marriot Play & Stay Maiden Hurdle.   Long may it continue, no doubt a few celebrations will be had by the winning owners ‘Mrs Carrie Zetter-Wells and Barkfold Manor Stud as well as the lads of course.  The trainer may have had a little G&T!