Warm sunshine and the horses enjoyed being washed off after exercise
Horses also used the all-weather gallops when the ground was too firm
And Mark popped a few over hurdles in preparation for a jumps campaign
Our interview of the month was with our Office Manager. Well-known to some long-standing Flint Cottage regulars, Clive Barker was warmly welcomed back in his new capacity of running racing operations here. As well as his invaluable business acumen and love of the game, it is his big smile and fresh outlook that have livened up the office. Combined with the Guv'nor's positive outlook, the future looks bright.
"Clive has been a friend of mine for a great many years," added Mark. "As many people have commented to me lately, he is like a young Phil! But he very much has his own character and will be a tremendous asset to every part of the business."
Your favourite virtue: Sense of humour – life is too short to spend it "sucking a lemon"
Your favourite qualities in a man: Loyalty – Must play golf
Your favourite qualities in a woman: Femininity – the "Russian weightlifter" does not appeal
Your biggest flaw: Rabbitting on about rubbish
Your chief characteristic: Happy go lucky
Your idea of happiness: A morning's golf in good company followed by an afternoon barbecue with the wife and kids
Your idea of misery: Being in the Big Brother house - with the people who have been in it
If not yourself, who would you be: My dad – I liked him and he enjoyed life
Your hero: Bruce Springsteen – the most important songwriter of the last 30 years
Your favourite motto: Every cloud has a silver lining
Name four people (past or present) to join you for dinner: Apart from family and my hero
Tiger Woods – A modern sportsman deserving to be called great
Jack Nicholson – A legend with one or two stories
Patrick Moore – The most interesting auto-biography I have ever read
Tommy Cooper – Makes me laugh just thinking of him
Your favourite horse: Nijinsky – has there been one better?
Your favourite race: The Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham – Always been a race that I think would be a great achievement to win and is a super start to the week
Your favourite racecourse: Fakenham – Just fun to go to
Your best day’s racing: 1971 2000 Guineas – My first 'live' classic as a young boy – to see wonderful horses Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and My Swallow – has stayed a great memory.
Also of course seeing Bobs Return win the Leger on TV having spent the previous couple of weeks sitting in the yard all night, every night playing at Security Guard.