Unfortunately the rain came at the wrong time for Hey Day Baby at Southwell last time.

The going went very heavy, and in hindsight and if we’d known just how testing it would get, I wouldn’t have declared her with the headgear that we put on her to wake her up a little bit. It certainly had the desired effect, but of course in that ground she was never going to last home having set off at the pace she did. 

Jonjo looked after her, and pulled her up, and she was absolutely fine the next day, so we’ll chalk it down to experience and move on. She’s been cantering away at home since, she’s nicely fit so we don’t have to do too much with her, just keep her ticking over while we wait for better ground, and we’ll also drop her back in trip, rather than try three miles again.

The handicapper has dropped her a couple of pounds to 74, and we’re looking at Fakenham on Friday 15th or Fontwell on Monday 18th for her next run. Both races are handicap hurdles over two and a half miles or thereabouts, so let’s hope for a drier spell and a chance for her to show her truer form.

Jonjo O'Neill, Coral Racing Club Trainer