I AM looking forward to jumps racing resuming on Saturday with meetings at Market Rasen and Perth - neither local for us. There is then nothing until the Wednesday of next week where they race at Worcester which is likely to be our first starting point back!

The team at home are looking after things nicely and all the horses that have come in from summer holidays are doing plenty of steady cantering now as we look to build them up in the coming weeks to some faster work. They have all settled nicely back into their daily routines and I can now relax a little more with them all not quite so fresh and excitable!

This week we will begin to look at the horses we are going to have in training this season, plenty of familiar faces with some exciting new recruits as well.

ACTIVIST - A four-time winner over hurdles from 2m to 2m3f, but failed to add to his tally last season with his best effort being a second at Plumpton. He handles all types of ground and has won on the flat in France, so we may give him a try on the level as well.

AFFECTION - The winner of four of her ten races on the flat in France; we acquired her from a French claimer earlier in the year. She finished third at Salisbury on the flat on stable debut and followed that with a debut second over hurdles at Newton Abbot. Small but mighty, she prefers the quicker ground and has a great attitude.

AMERICAN SNIPER - He ran well in several races last season without managing to get his head in front as he was basically in the grip of the handicapper. When he dropped to a winnable rating he duly obliged at Newton Abbot in the new season. He has five wins to his name over hurdles and this season we may look to go chasing.

ASIAN MASTER - A high class recruit from the sales this summer, he has enjoyed a holiday and settled in well at Pond House. He has three Irish point to point wins to his name and two hurdles races but that does not tell the full story. He is lightly raced for his age and has some good placings over fences.

ASIAN SPICE - A four time winning hurdler for Jimmy Frost, she is a new recruit to Pond House. She has plenty of size and scope and while she may prefer better ground she seems to go on any. She is looking for an owner and is very reasonably priced at £8,000 + VAT – get in touch! She is also GB Bonus qualified which means she gets extra prize money when winning and so there is plenty of fun to be had with her in the coming months.

BELFRINA - Had a terrific juvenile campaign but unfortunately missed last season through injury. She has strengthened and matured during her time off and we look forward to getting her back for a dual purpose campaign over hurdles and on the flat. She probably doesn’t want the ground too soft but has a good level of ability and an attitude to match and could be a name to follow this season.

Dave Pipe was talking to racing correspondent Richard Walsh.