Sweet Katerina is doing really well at home and we're edging closer to her debut start!

We have given her a little bit of an easy week due to that hot spell but she has been in the stalls now, which is fantastic and we'll get her in there a couple more times before she goes out just to get her really comfortable. She was an absolute sweetheart as always and really does have just the most wonderful temperament, which is very, very good for us!  

I do have her pencilled in to run Ascot on the 11th. It's a valuable maiden, which is restricted to horses in bands A, B, C and D, and she's a B to do to do with her sire (Sergei Prokofiev). This should be a good race for her to start in and I think the only thing that might make me duck out is if the ground goes too fast, because I do think she will enjoy slightly more cut the ground. Good ground would be the ideal, good to firm or good in places and we would probably still give her a run, however if it stays good to firm I think I might just wait.

I'm going to give her a nice strong gallop on Friday and I think, ideally, due to the way her confirmation is, an uphill track rather than these downhill, kind of roller coaster tracks will suit her far better, which is probably why we've ended up at Ascot. So whilst it might end up being one of these more competitive first races, at least it gives her an opportunity to get out and finish strong.

Chris Grassick, Coral Racing Club Trainer