It was great to get Champion Court back to the track at Ascot and I couldn't have been happier with him.
He'd missed a bit of work, which had caused him to miss the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but was fit enough to do himself justice.
We chose a handicap chase over two mile and one furlong because although it was under his optimum distance, the ground was heavy and I knew it would ride as more of a test and horses needing further would run well.
He didn't seem to mind the heavy ground and jumped for fun under Alain Cawley.
The only thing we hadn't planned for was to be beaten into second by a very well-handicapped horse who Champ didn't manage to concede 20lb to.
It was a tremendous run, though, and the rest were a mile behind.
The plan not to 'bottom' him first time out worked too as he returned to the winner's enclosure reasonably bright and has seemed well since too.
He will now head straight for the King George on Boxing Day at Kempton Park which is exciting and I think he deserves a crack at it.
His form from last season has worked out really well, especially with Silviniano Conti, who beat him into second at Aintree, winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock last weekend in great style.
We may have a couple of runners on Sunday at Leicester – The Fox's Decree and Oyster Hill – and both need to improve on their previous few runs.
If Foxy doesn't run well he may be destined for the point-to-point field where he would make someone a lovely schoolmaster as he jumps for fun and is a lovely horse to look after, whereas Oyster Hill is still a big baby and may need more time.
Hopefully they'll redeem themselves at the weekend!
It is always good to read about racehorses enjoying life after racing because they often have many years left in them to do another job after they come to the end of their racing days.
Some horses are easier to re-home than others.
We always go to great lengths to ensure that each horse finds the right home, often using re-homing centres to do the legwork for us as it usually takes more time than we have available to us to guarantee a successful new partnership.
Being thoroughbreds they are used to living in fantastic five-star conditions, so to just let them go to unknowledgeable new owners where they are left out in a field in all weathers just wouldn't and shouldn't be an option.
Three of Paul Nicholls' horses have been in the news lately with 2012 Grand National winner Neptune Collonges winning his first dressage competition, Kauto Star also apparently heading for a new career as a dressage horse and Denman thoroughly enjoying life in the hunting field.
These superstars have built up quite a following during their racing days and the general public love to read all about their new adventures.
The weather is making life such hard work and the team are doing a fabulous job managing to ride out three or four lots, getting soaked again and again, and still somehow managing to keep smiling.
As well as our all-weather gallops, we are lucky enough to have different grass gallops we can use, but they are fairly wet and we are having to be selective about where we go on them and when we use them. Plenty of race-meetings have been abandoned which is always frustrating but luckily it hasn't affected us too badly as those we've planned to go to have generally been on.
We could do with it stopping for a while now, though, and I wouldn't be particularly happy with any white stuff. Some forecasters are mentioning snow for next week and that would be a nightmare.
I've had my delivery of plenty of bags of salt in case it freezes so at least we can ensure all around the yard is safe for the horses and the team.
He'd missed a bit of work, which had caused him to miss the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but was fit enough to do himself justice.
We chose a handicap chase over two mile and one furlong because although it was under his optimum distance, the ground was heavy and I knew it would ride as more of a test and horses needing further would run well.
He didn't seem to mind the heavy ground and jumped for fun under Alain Cawley.
The only thing we hadn't planned for was to be beaten into second by a very well-handicapped horse who Champ didn't manage to concede 20lb to.
It was a tremendous run, though, and the rest were a mile behind.
The plan not to 'bottom' him first time out worked too as he returned to the winner's enclosure reasonably bright and has seemed well since too.
He will now head straight for the King George on Boxing Day at Kempton Park which is exciting and I think he deserves a crack at it.
His form from last season has worked out really well, especially with Silviniano Conti, who beat him into second at Aintree, winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock last weekend in great style.
We may have a couple of runners on Sunday at Leicester – The Fox's Decree and Oyster Hill – and both need to improve on their previous few runs.
If Foxy doesn't run well he may be destined for the point-to-point field where he would make someone a lovely schoolmaster as he jumps for fun and is a lovely horse to look after, whereas Oyster Hill is still a big baby and may need more time.
Hopefully they'll redeem themselves at the weekend!
It is always good to read about racehorses enjoying life after racing because they often have many years left in them to do another job after they come to the end of their racing days.
Some horses are easier to re-home than others.
We always go to great lengths to ensure that each horse finds the right home, often using re-homing centres to do the legwork for us as it usually takes more time than we have available to us to guarantee a successful new partnership.
Being thoroughbreds they are used to living in fantastic five-star conditions, so to just let them go to unknowledgeable new owners where they are left out in a field in all weathers just wouldn't and shouldn't be an option.
Three of Paul Nicholls' horses have been in the news lately with 2012 Grand National winner Neptune Collonges winning his first dressage competition, Kauto Star also apparently heading for a new career as a dressage horse and Denman thoroughly enjoying life in the hunting field.
These superstars have built up quite a following during their racing days and the general public love to read all about their new adventures.
The weather is making life such hard work and the team are doing a fabulous job managing to ride out three or four lots, getting soaked again and again, and still somehow managing to keep smiling.
As well as our all-weather gallops, we are lucky enough to have different grass gallops we can use, but they are fairly wet and we are having to be selective about where we go on them and when we use them. Plenty of race-meetings have been abandoned which is always frustrating but luckily it hasn't affected us too badly as those we've planned to go to have generally been on.
We could do with it stopping for a while now, though, and I wouldn't be particularly happy with any white stuff. Some forecasters are mentioning snow for next week and that would be a nightmare.
I've had my delivery of plenty of bags of salt in case it freezes so at least we can ensure all around the yard is safe for the horses and the team.
