I had no runners last weekend, or so far this month for that matter.

VERY little will change for us on Christmas Day given the chaotic week that is ahead. All the horses will be exercised as normal with racing coming up in Leopardstown, Down Royal and Limerick.

YOU can say you’re into the national hunt season proper when you get to October, although it looks like Down Royal at the beginning of November will be when Bostons Angel, Oscars Well and Saludos will make their seasonal reappearances.

THE horses continue to run well, which is very pleasing ahead of another big week for us and for Irish racing.

PEOPLE might think that I should be used to the build-up for all these marquee races now but while some trainers can be very relaxed, I don’t think it’s something I could ever get used to.

The yard is a hive of activity right now as we make the transition from a summer yard to a winter one.

NOEL MEADE, languishing in ninth place behind Gordon Elliott in the trainers’ championship, can edge up the list a little with Dilshaan’s Prize in the Rover Maiden Hurdle at Listowel today.

It was a quiet week on the track with just five runners before yesterday but we had a good winner out of that and it will be anything but quiet for the next seven days, starting with Pathfork’s appearance in the boylesports.com Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at The Curragh today.

I wasn’t hiding the fact that there was a bit of pressure on last weekend and needless to say it was a great relief not to mention a lot of satisfaction when Pathfork made it two wins from two in the Galileo EBF Futurity Group 2 Stakes at The Curragh.

The Derby festival is one of those racing weekends that you really look forward to and it’s no different this year.

JOHN OXX clearly wasn’t happy with what he felt was the disdainful attitude of the chief executive of Paddy Power Bookmakers towards Irish racing at the Oireachtas meeting on funding for racing on Wednesday. Proof of that was the open letter John subsequently sent to the racing press.