It has been an eventful 8 weeks since my last report. You may have read about a letter sent to the BHA Chairman Annamarie Phelps, that was leaked to the Sunday Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/25/trainers-call-horse-racing-chief-quit-restart-delay/).

Mark Johnston and I took plenty of stick over it, particularly from the Racing Post (https://www.racingpost.com/news/an-ill-judged-and-ill-timed-intervention-that-will-not-hasten-racings-return/432478). Two things will stay with me; the number of people who jumped to conclusions or failed to understand the point we were making, either because they hadn’t bothered to read the Telegraph article properly, or because they didn’t watch the subsequent interview I did with Nick Luck. That said, I completely understood those who disagreed with us; these are emotive times.

Secondly the number of people who actually supported our view, and made contact to say so, including some who had written to the Racing Post but never had their letters published (See below).

Mel Roberts Letter

Peter Savill Letter

The consequence of it all is that I have chosen not to communicate with the Racing Post since. This will save their journalists ringing me for pre-race quotes. 

Our season has started really well. On the 7^th June Manuela De Vega made all in the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes under a well-executed Rob Hornby ride, at Haydock.

Antonia De Vega has just won the Listed Pontefract Castle today, and in between we have had another 10 winners. Hence we are going into Royal Ascot in great form, let’s hope we still are this time next week.