Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

10th December saw Shilpa's return to the racecourse since she had some time off after her disappointing and worrying performance at Ffos Las back in August.  During this time we have worked on some health issues and Simon has changed her work and schooling regime.  Simon reported that she was pretty sparky at home and although she is a good ground horse bearing in mind the weather, and the fact that we were ready to go with her this time last year then UK racing shot down due to frost and snow, we thought we had better seize the day just in case it happened again.

She duly made the trip to Fakenham, taken by Simon on his own and both enjoyed the delights of an overnight stay, I think Shilpa possibly in more comfortable surroundings than Simon who was suffering with a heavy cold.  Shilpa travelled up well and the following morning with the permission of the Clerk Of Course Simon took her out for a leg stretch around the course and reported back that the ground was very wet, but not sticky.

Suffice to say we didn't have great expectations due to the going but the girl and Gerard did us proud, Gerard getting her positioned nicely and on the last circuit gradually picking them off one by one.  The race was commented by Derek Thompson and he hadn't mentioned her at all until he said 'and here comes Shilpa'  as she was making her move, she made a great jump at the last and finished strongly winning by 3/4 length.

We are all absolutely delighted with the win, Shilpa has had her problems and some people around us have commented that we should send her to a different trainer who would be harder on her, or retire her as she wasn't up to it any more, but we always believed that if we could get her right health wise she would do well for us.  

She came out of the race well and has been showing a lot of joie de vie in her work since, we visited on Saturday and she certainly looked in good spirits giving Sam quite a challenge when she was supposed to be doing some trot work and a steady canter, I think Shilpa had other ideas.  Plan now (weather permitting) is to look for something for her in the New Year, hopefully the handicapper won't put her up too much in the meantime.