WE ADDED to our season’s winner’s tally last week - thanks to Mancero winning for the second time this season over hurdles at Worcester.

Our four-year-old has been in good form since the spring, running consistently bar one blip at Market Rasen where there were excuses for the below par effort. He drew clear from the last hurdle to win a shade cosily and it is great he is finally delivering on the racecourse what he has always shown us at home. His form figures at Worcester read 121 so I am sure we will be looking to go back there again!

We have also had four seconds in the last week as well so, while a little frustrating, it is good to have horses in good form and we have had a good summer. Ocean Heights ran his best race over hurdles with a second at Uttoxeter on Friday.

It was a trio of seconds for the team at Uttoxeter on Sunday. Grand Clermont produced a career best to be second in the valuable staying chase off a mark of 130. He has a big heart and is very consistent.

Ras Kassar improved on his British debut to be second behind a well handicapped stable debutant of Dan Skelton’s in the 2m4f handicap chase. With the hood back on, he travelled strongly from the front and rallied once challenged.

October Hill raced a little behind the bridle in her race at Uttoxeter but Rian Corcoran gave her a nice ride to keep her in the race and she galloped all the way to the line to finish second.

Jump racing takes a break now with no National Hunt action until it resumes on the 15th August at Market Rasen. I think jumps racing does need to have a break; I would favour it to be when the season finishes in April but it is what is it is and you just have to get on with things. The plan is for many of our horses who have been running in recent weeks to have a short holiday in the field while we step things up a gear with the ‘winter horses’ who have just started back cantering so there is plenty going on back at the yard.

We do have some flat entries at Nottingham on Thursday as well. Affection and Best Night are likely to take their chances in the 1m2f and 1m6f races respectively. Affection has just had the one start on the flat and one over hurdles for us since arriving from France. She was third on debut at Salisbury and then second over hurdles at Newton Abbot. She is probably a little high in the weights on the flat at present but she is a four-time winner with a good attitude and Nottingham will suit.

Best Night has not run on the flat for us but she has form in France on the level and has won a couple of hurdle races for us. She was second on her last start in France over the 1m6f trip and she will like the track and ground.

Things are then pretty quiet for the rest of the week but we could have further entries on the flat before racing resumes, so keep checking the website for all the latest updates.

Dave Pipe was talking to Richard Walsh.