AFTER a hectic couple of weeks, the rain finally arrived and the horses have been back in action! Despite heavy rain at times, the horses still need their exercise, and the fantastic team at Holworthy have been braving the weather.

The horses have mostly been running well, just narrowly missing out, with Miss Tiara, Came From Nowhere, and Border Gem all placing in novice hurdles. Came From Nowhere will now move into handicaps.

Celtic Art and Phoenix Risen both put in strong performances at Newbury and Exeter under Chad Bament.

Joe Cotton’s consistency saw him finish second at Newton Abbot, earning a 6lb rise from the handicapper. Fair Dinkum was denied his hat-trick, finishing second at Kempton, and missed follow-up opportunities with the Wincanton Charity race delayed due to dry conditions and Nottingham abandoned because of waterlogging. King Of The Lake impressed with a third-place finish on his seasonal return at Newton Abbot.

We have a host of entries coming up at meetings to keep us on our toes!

We’re delighted to finally be working on the grass, giving our youngsters valuable education and schooling the novice hurdlers for the season ahead. Our trip to Wetherby with Golden Ace proved frustrating, as she was clearly not herself. A post-race scope revealed some mucus, so we’re giving her a thorough check-up to ensure nothing has been overlooked. Once we’re confident she’s back to full health, we can look forward to her next race with optimism!

Champions Full Gallop Series 2 offers an exhilarating behind-the-scenes look into the world of horse racing, episode 4 shining a spotlight on the Champion Hurdle. This instalment invites viewers into the yard, witness the daily dedication, and meet the talented team working tirelessly behind the remarkable Golden Ace. You can catch up on ITV X.

Carly Rumsey secured a place in the postponed Keagan Kirkby Stable Staff Charity Race at Wincanton on Thursday 20th November in aid of Horatio’s Garden.

Carly has worked for us for the past 12 months and has become a vital member of our team. This is her first job in racing and she has just taken on Native Moon to retrain. We wish her the very best of luck in the race. She is hoping to ride Fair Dinkum, our recent Bath and Salisbury winner!

Keagan Kirkby was a member of Team Scott between 2016 and 2019 before heading onto work for Will Biddick and Paul Nicholls. He tragically died point to pointing in February 2024 and this race is run in his memory.

Meanwhile Nicky Martin, who also trains high up on Exmoor at Withypool, has extended her winning start to the 2025-26 season to five winners on the trot.

On November 7th the Withypool handler notched up her fourth successive winner when Sean Houlihan rode Apples Moon to victory at Exeter going off at 8-1.

A week later on the opening day of Cheltenham’s big November meeting Nicky kept the run going when James Bowen won the final race on the card, a handicaap hurdle over two miles and half a furlong on French Emperor going off at 5-1.

Jeremy Scott was speaking to this paper’s racing correspondent Richard Walsh who will be continuing his reports throughout the winter.