HAS anyone else had quite enough rain now? Wimbleball Lake filled its final 10% to capacity within 48 hours, and we haven’t seen a properly dry day since the beginning of January. It certainly feels as though the tap has been left on.

We’ve still managed to get a few runners out over the past month, although plans for our Exeter specialist have repeatedly been scuppered by abandonments.

Phoenix Risen, usually happiest on good ground, handled conditions admirably to win well at Taunton under Chad Bament for his owners, Mike and Maggie Horton. He’s been a wonderfully fun horse over the past few seasons and it’s great to see their patience rewarded.

We made the long journey to Doncaster in search of better ground for Another Fine Mess, only for the rain (and sleet!) to arrive and turn conditions soft. Undeterred, he made a winning chasing debut under Bryan Carver, doing remarkably well to narrowly avoid two fallers in front of him.

At the weekend, Champagne Chic booked his ticket to Cheltenham with a determined victory in the Pertemps Qualifier at Haydock. Harry Skelton stepped in admirably after Lorcan Williams’ earlier fall; a champion jockey is not a bad replacement.

While we often grumble about the weather, we must remember how low the lake dropped during the dry summer. The rain has been needed — but we’re certainly looking forward to things drying up a little so our better ground horses can get their chance.

Jeremy and Camilla bought a couple of store horses at the sales in Ireland and we have a few up and ready to run this season, so please get in touch if you are interested in having a look at anything in particular.

To find out more email [email protected] or call 01398 371414 or 07709 279483.

Jeremy Scott was talking to Richard Walsh.