All systems go as season rolls on

It seems like the end of the longest week ever and with racing just rolling one day into the next it feels like we are forever on the move. Last week we kicked-off at Roscommon on Monday and Tuesday and then I headed to Newmarket on Wednesday for the start of the famous July meeting where I expected to run Dohasa in the big six-furlong heritage handicap and Fiery Lad on the Thursday card in the listed Bahrain Stakes.Now, at the best of times, I am a very contrary traveller as I hate airports and large crowds and nine times out of 10 I like to stay at home as I feel that is where the work is done. Also, I have some great people working for me who can handle the foreign trips without me. However, for some reason I felt I wanted to travel on Wednesday to see Dohasa and so off I trotted at six in the morning for the 8.10 flight to Stansted.As usual, on a flight like this you will see some people you know and the trip passes quickly as you spend it chatting and catching up. On this occasion my travel companion turned out to be Noel Meade. Little did either of us know at the time, but this initial short trip would turn into a marathon journey that would have a few twists!! More about that later.I had never been to the July course before and I must say that on reflection I would have to say it is one of the nicer tracks I have visited and I will definitely be back, subject to having the right horse to run there.The course had a car at the airport to collect me and drop me at the track where I had lunch with my old mate Richard Fahey who is doing great over in Britain and is always a very entertaining companion, to say the least!I walked the track about two hours before the first race with Pat Downes, the Irish racing manager for the Aga Khan, who had hoped to run Darjina in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes. As it was raining from the moment we landed we werepleasantly surprised with the state of the going and both of us agreed that if it stopped raining at that moment, then the ground would have been on the quick side.However, the rain continued and by the time the first race was run (Arab race) the ground had changed to good to soft. This was not ideal for Dohasa as he likes it firm, but I had decided that he needed the experience and was going to run. These are the decisions that trainers have to make every day, which makes the job all that more difficult.I then bumped into Jim Bolger as he had just landed in Michael Ryan"s helicopter and we exchanged views on the ground. Jim felt that as my favoured fast ground was gone I had a ready-made excuse for the impending bad run of Dohasa! As you know at this satge, I have my views on the state of the Irish ground and so does Jim. To say that we are on different sides of the fence would be a polite way of putting it! As I had just been informed that my jockey, Johnny Murtagh, was not travelling due to flight problems, I really was not in the humour for a full-blooded debate with the righteous master of Coolcullen, especially as I had hoped to borrow his stable stalwart, Kevin Manning. (But if I did then... ah! that"s for another day!!)Dohasa ran a blinder to finish fourth and both Kevin Manning and I were delighted with him and we both agreed that in time he will grow into at least a Group 3 horse which is important for the future. Kevin felt the ground rode soft on him and that was all the information that Pat Downes needed to withdraw the favourite, Darjina from the feature event as she hates any juice in the ground.The positive I took out of our run was, that as Dohasa gets older, he should handle most summer ground conditions which are very important as I doubt that he will get his favoured fast ground in Ireland very often and he is crying out for seven furlongs which gives us a lot more options.Anyway, my adventure was just beginning as I headed back to Stansted for my return flight! On checking in there was my initial travelling companion, Noel Meade and we headed for a coffee. After a while we were informed over the phone that as, Ryanair boss Michael O"Leary had put it 'Ireland was shut!' and our flight was cancelled. We were potentially stranded!Noel would never be considered one of the slowest guys in the class and he had formed a plan almost instantly and that was that we were to rush out through security to the departure lounge and try and get on the flight to Belfast!This we did and en route we picked up Pat Downes and his partner, Jackie. The four of us decided it would be better than going back to Newmarket or, as some were doing, heading off to the ferry!Eventually we boarded and landed in Belfast and Pat had arranged a taxi as we all had our cars in Dublin Airport. The trip was full of very entertaining gossip and I must say you could have a worsetravelling companion than the 'Big fellow '!Opinionated, but definitely entertaining is how I would describe him and the time certainly flies while in his company! I reminded Noel of the time I decided to take a rest and take the train down to Cork only to find as I turned up at the station for the return trip that the trains were not running due to a strike! So maybe this was more than a coincidence! Will the real Jonah please stand up!!The weekend highlight was the Darley Irish Oaks and six of the 14 declared were trained by Aidan O"Brien. The Johnny Murtagh-ridden Moonstone just got the better of a Ballydoyle duel with Colm O"Donoghue and Ice Queen. Victory would have been the icing on the cake for Colm after a magnificent treble at Dundalk on Saturday. However, a fantastic season continues for both Aidan and Johnny winning their 13th and 11th Group 1 races of the year respectively with the trainer on course to win all five Irish classics.Racing this week headed south to Killarney and for some reason I am very negative about the Kerry tracks - it probably has a lot to do with my lack of success there. I tend not to run too many there and so this week we will be quiet with runners at Leopardstown on Wednesday and Fairyhouse on Thursday.On Wednesday, I would hope that dropping Vincenzio Galilei back in trip to nine furlongs won"t hinder him too much as I think his optimum trip is 10 furlongs and I think he could take all the beating in the premier handicap at the Foxrock venue.Fairyhouse on Thursday and then again on Sunday when the listed Belgrave Stakes will be the feature event over six furlongs. I would hope to run a couple in this - depending on the ground.