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I am delighted to be back writing my weekly blog for the Betway Insider and am very much looking forward to the season ahead.

When I wrote my last blog in November, nobody could have ever guessed that we’d be in the position we are in now with the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, we’ve got a fantastic stable for the season ahead and are delighted with every department.

We’ve got a nice set of older horses, a brilliant team of four-year-olds, an exciting bunch of three-year-olds and some nice-looking two-year-olds on top. That being said, you never quite know what you’ve got in that department at this stage of the season, but it’s always very exciting.

Here at Park House Stables, we’re lucky in many senses.

We’ve got plenty of land and wide-open spaces, so can operate without infringing on the social distancing guidelines.

We’re also fortunate that the majority of our staff live on site, so we’re able to closely monitor everyone and, as it stands, we’ve had no issues.

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With these thoroughbreds, you can’t just lock the door and shut up shop. You can’t just muck them out and feed them as it would pose serious welfare issues.

These horses need specific nutritional value feeds and an ongoing exercise regime that they stick to.

It’s imperative for their wellbeing, their fitness and, for the young horses we have here, it’s important for their bone development, too.

I must say, the sunshine that we’ve had this week has been very welcome.

With each day that passes in the spring, you can see the horses slowly coming into their coats.

We’re still unsure about when we’ll be back racing again, which is what poses the biggest task at the moment. Without knowing when it’s going to return, it’s difficult to gauge when to step up the intensity of the work.

I’m sure we’ll find out more details in the coming weeks about when we may be able to continue racing, albeit behind closed doors to start with.

Everyone here at Kingsclere would like to wish all the Betway Insider readers well and hope that you stay safe in these times of uncertainty.

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