I doubt that anybody will have landed fortunes due to Art Scholar winning for us yesterday, but it's certainly a start and now I finally have a base to work from in order to repay everyone for my personal failings over the past couple of months. Also, for a change, a race panned out as was hoped and our selection moved through like a dream, before getting the better of the gallant runner-up in a cracking finish. Plenty of these situations have seen us finish off second best during the flat season but maybe this is an indication of our luck returning, and hopefully that is indeed the case. It's a welcomed winner, possibly the most important one that I've ever had and now we can move on with a bit of confidence for a change. Some more please!

+9.00pts on the day. Form of last 10 selections; 2-5-0-0-3-7-0-8-9-1 (1 winner & 2 places).

Some decent races in the offing today, mostly at Ascot, but only one of them has a runner that I'm willing to chance and hopefully it'll run a big race. He really should if the pace is strong enough, as looks possible.

3:20 Ascot - Spice Fair - 1pt @ 6/1 (General)

I am convinced that Spice Fair will be regaining the winning thread the next time that he gets a race run to suit and with plenty of pacesetters lining up for this 2-mile contest, it could well be now. Mark Usher's got plenty of improvement out of this 5-year-old over the past couple of years, improving him by about 2 stone, and he shapes as if being a stayer who the handicapper has not got to grips with as of yet. He ran a rare nothing race on his penultimate outing on fast ground at Newmarket, but each of his outings either side of that were ultra-encouraging and he seems to be right at the top of his game. Stepping him back to this trip will suit, as he didn't get a proper pace to run after when lining up here for the Ascot Stakes (2m 4f) at the Royal meeting last month. He still performed really well, running on strongly to finish 6th, just a couple of lengths behind the runner-up and if it wasn't for his reliance on being dramatically held up in rear, then he would have surely got a lot closer to the easy winner. This track doesn't really suit him, with the short run for home being the opposite to what he wants, but at least there should be a generous pace on for 2-mile standards and that will certainly help his chances. Richard Hughes has a fine record on him too and the ground poses no issues, so a big run looks to be on the cards if he is not set too much to do, as is quite possible given his style of running. Overall, the price makes him worth a bet and here's hoping for a win.

Result - Nowhere @ 9/2; Got his pace, then hung violently in the straight.