Return of Ciaran

The position of stable conditional jockey at Brancepeth has passed through any number of hands over the years, with at least seven different people having held the post since the yard went public thirty months ago alone; Declan McGann, Richard Spate, Paul Griffiths, James Halliday, James "Bruce" Moorman (twice), Darren Harold and Jim Clare. There may be one or two more - I can't remember exactly off the top of my head.

When Bruce Moorman reappeared on GABLA's back at Stratford the other day claiming eight, I presumed he had wrested the mantle back from Jim Clare, who had had just one ride claiming eight - albeit a winning one on HE'S HOT RIGHT NOW - at Sedgefield earlier in the Summer. However, a glance at the Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Worcester tonight indicates that Bruce, who originally appeared against PRINCE ADJAL, has now been jocked off in favour of CIARAN EDDERY, thereby representing a return to Brancepeth after a gap of two and three-quarter years. I had reckoned that was that for Eddery Guest-wise when he was released from this very position in the aftermath of taking the wrong course on RED RAMPAGE in a CJ Handicap Chase at Hexham in November 2002 (I think it was due to some verbals afterwards, rather than the incident itself, which led to the release), and he has since ridden primarily for the Alan Moore / Dave Thompson franchise, Harriet Graham, Bob Johnson, Alan Swinbank and - incongruously given the location of the others - Bob Buckler. Reconciliation of some description appears to have occurred, then (remember that he had spent three or four years at Brancepeth before the Hexham incident), and he has a booked ride today and tomorrow.

In addition to PRINCE ADJAL, Richard Guest has PEQUENITA in the 2m 7.5f Handicap Chase. The ground may be a bit fast for the mare to be entirely happy, but the field has cut up to five and there should be some prizemoney to be got from this run granted a clear round. DURBA, meanwhile, is one of 14 to line up for the concluding Maiden Hurdle, and on the basis of his three runs to date, there aren't any particular grounds for optimism. He is crying out for low-grade handicaps to get competitive. At least his owner, Billy Maguire, got some prizemoney yesterday when his other horse, ROYAL PARDON, came home third on her first run for Guest in a 6f Handicap at Hamilton, beaten half a length and a neck staying on best of all under Billy Cahill. She remains a maiden after eight runs, but did enough here to suggest a small race could come her way.

A third place for TIPSY MOUSE was the best any of Richard Guest's runners managed at Southwell on Sunday, this out-and-out stayer finding even 3m 2f too sharp on this track. He'll be better for this first run for a while, although I'm a little mystified as to what connections are trying to gain by starting his campaign a good couple of months before any of the serious stamina tests he likes appear in the calendar (short of getting him dropped a few more pounds). There is, admittedly, a Sunday meeting at Hexham in September, but I'm pretty sure there's no 3m 1f Handicap Chase in it, unless the executive there has changed the programme of that meeting.

REEDSMAN and YORK RITE finished sixth in their respective races, both performances having to rank as rather disappointing against moderate opposition. ASTRONAUT was once again pulled out before racing. Where non-appearances are concerned, he is rapidly becoming the yard's new NORTHERN FRIEND!