Well, well. I've had a terrible Cheltenham. Sixteen races and not a single winner, just one draw from a placed horse. All my ante post bets so far in shreds. And then...

When Major Miller raced at Towcester, he beat a Jonjo O'Neil/JP McManus horse, Butlers Cabin. That horse went on to finish 4th in this year's Paddy Power. And he was running in today's National Hunt Chase. So naturally I had a punt. At 49/1. And, of course, he won. So not only has the Major's form received yet another boost (Nicky Henderson says he just can't wait to have him back in training, which should be this summer) but my wallet is considerably heavier than it was.

Tomorrow was always going to be the crunch day, however. When I backed State Of Play ante post for the Hennessy and cleaned up, I also backed him for a hefty sum for the Gold Cup - each way at 50/1. He's already down to 9/1 and I think he'll start at less than that. I'm pretty sure he will get placed. It all depends on Kauto Star. If he stands up, he'll win. If not...

But there's another monster bet to be had, too. Nicky advised us all to go to town backing Sir Jimmy Shand in tomorrow's Brit Insurance Novices Hurdle. So I have. You can still get 10/1.

As the headline over Alastair Down's wonderful piece in the Racing Post puts it:

Don't be sad
Celebrate

By the way, the Paddy Power Chase on Saturday was hugely encouraging for Major Miller. A horse trained by Jonjo O'Neill, Butler's Cabin, finished fourth. Major Miller ran against the same horse in a novice hurdle on Boxing Day last year and beat him by 3 lengths. Major Miller finished second (he should have won quite cosily but the jockey messed up big time) and Butler's Cabin third.

Major Miller is out until this time next year, but the level of his form in the four novice races he has run - in which he finished 5th, 1st, 2nd, 4th - has turned out to be top class. He'll still only be 6 when he comes back, and has grown into a tremendous chaser's physique, so it may be a year's wait, but it'll be one laced with great anticipation.

Some of you have emailed to ask what's happened to Major Miller. I'm afraid it's bad news. He had a tendon operation in February which appeared to go well, and he was due to return to Nicky Henderson's yard any day, with the aim of running in January/February.

Unfortunately, a tendon scan earlier this week was not as good as we expected and, on the vet's advice, he was fired, which means he will now be out of training for another year.

That's racing. On a more upbeat note, firing him will deal with the tendon lesion for good, and age is on his side - he's still only five. So it's another year of frustration ahead, but at least when he does come back I have a hugely promising horse to look forward to.

In the meanwhile, I may soon have news of another horse...

Unfortunately the Major has a minor foot injury, and won't be running tomorrow. It shouldn't hold him up for long, and he should be running again very soon.

Much more excitingly, the best 4 days of the year are about to start - the Cheltenham Festival. I can hardly contain myself. Posts may be even more sporadic this coming week...

Plans have changed slightly for Major Miller. He took a bit longer than we anticipated to get over his last run, so he is running next on Monday in the 2.00 at Plumpton, a race which we are very hopeful he will win. The ground is forecast soft, which will suit him perfectly.

If he comes out of that ok, he will go for the Hands and Heels Final at Newbury on 24th March.

Major Miller ran well at Folkestone yesterday. He was up against an odds on Paul Nicholls-Tony McCoy hotshot, but led over the last and looked all over the winner. But not having run since Boxing Day, and having deliberately not been worked too hard at Seven Barrows, he blew up and finished fourth.

All being well, he'll run again in a fortnight - probably at Haydock - and then got for the big Sandown target.

Because of the firm ground, Major Miller has been redirected from Newbury tomorrow (which is almost certain to be abandoned anyway) to Folkestone on Tuesday,

Major Miller has had a little rest since the fiasco at Towcester on Boxing Day.

His aim this season is a valuable race at Sandown on 11 March, but to be handicapped he needs to get a couple of runs in before then. To that end, he will run next on Saturday at Newbury and then, fingers crossed, a week or so later.

It'll be quite a hot race on Saturday, so a bet is not advised. We don't expect to win, and would be thrilled even to be placed. The main purpose is to get a handicap rating.

The Major finished second. Very galling as he should have won easily, but the jockey rode a stinker. Instead of allowing him to bowl along in front and make use of his stamina - and so running the others ragged - he held him up in the pack which meant that not only was he unsighted at his hurdles, and forced to jump very novicey, but he was reduced to sprinting into the lead at the end and was beaten a short head. If Andrew Tinkler had ridden him more positively, he would not only have jumped better, and had a more enjoyable time, he would have won.

A real shame as he ought now to have won two in a row. The upshot is that he is qualified for his target this season, the EBF handicap at Sandown on 11th March, and he will hopefully start at a decent price next time, when everyone should lump on him. He will be ridden a lot more positively then.

Disappointing.

Still, at least Spurs won.

Major Miller has been declared to run in the 1pm at Towcester on Boxing Day. Back him!

1:00 16 run European Breeders Fund "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle (Qualifier) (Class D) (4-6yo) Winner £5,604.91 2m

1 22-4 Butler´s Cabin 12 Jonjo O´Neill 5 10-12 Mr A J Berry(7)

2 10- Creinch 317 O Sherwood 4 10-12 L Aspell

3 00/8 Gullivers Travels 20 N J Gifford 6 10-12

4 -996 Kayceecee 25 H D Daly 4 10-12 J P Byrne

5 17-0 Little Saltee 12 J A B Old 5 10-12 V Slattery

6 5-1 Major Miller 42 N J Henderson 4 10-12 A Tinkler

7 -8P4 Pearly Star 17 A King 4 10-12 W Hutchinson

8 23 River Ripples 36 T R George 6 10-12 Mr R McCarthy(7)

9 16/5 Scaramouche 28 B De Haan 5 10-12 D Crosse

10 6 Shaka´s Pearl 28 N J Gifford 5 10-12 James Davies

11 1/ Something Gold 646 M Bradstock 5 10-12 M Batchelor

12 9-0P Star Galaxy 23 Andrew Turnell 5 10-12

13 2P Thyne Spirit 62 S T Lewis 6 10-12 M Nicolls(5)

14 36-6 Ballybawn House 31 J C Fox 4 10-5 S Curran

15 10-U Grenfell 31 R T Phillips 6 10-5 W Marston

16 -P70 Kokopelli Mana 29 J M Jefferson 5 10-5 Mr O Williams(7)

Major Miller (seen above in the winners' enclosure after his win at Folkestone last time out) has been entered to make his hurdling debut next week. His most likely race will be at Towcester on 26th, but he has a back-up entry at Newbury on 28th.

We're very excited about this next race. Obviously we don't yet know who he'll be up against, but Nicky Henderson thinks backing him might well pay for Christmas, so take the hint. No guarantees, of course!

Thrillingly, Major Miller won yesterday - only his second ever race. I hope everyone was on, at an amazing 9/2 SP (he started at over 6/1 on the Tote), He was very, very impressive - battling on for a full 3 furlongs against a good horse, and it bodes very well for the future.

Here's what today's Racing Post says:

MAJOR MILLER had run with encouragement on his previous start back in April, and although he didn't look like a typical Henderson bumper horse, there was a lot to like about him. Ridden up with thepace, he was switched over to the stands' side heading into the home straight and battled well. Runner-up Bradley Boy had looked the part before the race. His trainer's string are running well and they are able to do the business in this sort of race. He looks a surefire winner next time, finishing well clear of the third Kobai, who again put in a sound performance to lead the rest home. The market springer Ilringuback ran well for a long time. He clearly knew his job on his debut but emptied out after trying to cut out all the running.

Major Miller is a definite runner tomorrow at Folkestone, in the 3.40. The card is here.

I'm thrilled to report that, assuming the going remains no harder than good, Major Miller will make his seasonal debut in the final race on Monday at Folkestone.

Nicky Henderson reports that he's been working superbly, so it's looking good. He'll run in the bumper race before switching to hurdles, just to make sure that he's fully wound up for next time.

Fingers crossed for Monday.

At last, the National Hunt season is moving up a gear and we can get on with some proper racing. The news on Major Miller is that he has been impressing Nicky Henderson, his trainer, with his jumping and he's decided to send him novice hurdling straight away rather than running him in bumper races. And he should be ready to run in the last week of October/early November. As soon as I know where and when, I'll put it on here.

Meanwhile, I am told by the stable that Bonchester Bridge will win the 5.40 at Bangor today (as should the horse who beat him last time out, Jeremy Cuddle Duck, in the 4.35).

UPDATE: I hope you all backed them, and doubled them up. They both won. Easily.

A terrific first run by Major Miller. Nicky Henderson had said before the race that he'd be delighted if Major Miller finished in the first six. As it was, he looked at one point as if he was going to win, and finished fifth. Given that the jockey did the opposite to his instructions - instead of coming late, he took him to the front a long way from home - it was all the more encouraging.

He should run again in a few weeks, assuming he came out of the race OK.

PERTH (22 Apr 2005) Good To Soft 5:15 Evening Express Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (Class H) (4-6yo) [off 5:20] £3,472.00, £992.00, £496.00 (2m110y) 2m½f 1 Powerlove (FR) Mrs S C Bradburne 4 10-3 K J Mercer(3) 12/1 2 hd Kirkside Pleasure (IRE) Mrs S C Bradburne 4 10-13 M Bradburne 20/1 3 4 Reap The Reward (IRE) L Lungo 5 11-1 G Berridge(3) 10/1 4 3 Scotmail (IRE) J Howard Johnson 4 10-13 G Lee 14/1 5 nk Major Miller N J Henderson 4 10-13 A Tinkler 7/1 6 4 Royal Coburg (IRE) N A Twiston-Davies 5 11-4 C Llewellyn 2/1F ANALYSIS: Probably not the strongest of bumpers, but the pace was decent so the form should prove reliable. POWERLOVE, who ran a fair race when sixth in the mares' bumper at Aintree, ran on well to beat her stable companion Kirkside Pleasure, who is a stoutly-bred sort who had shaped quite well on his debut at Ayr. Reap The Reward came out best of the newcomers despite running green, and Scotmail probably ran up to the form he'd showed on his two previous starts. Major Miller came through to have every chance turning for home, but couldn't quicken. This was a fair first run by him.

Today's the big day. Major Miller makes his racecourse debut in the 5.15 at Perth.

We don't expect him to win. The race is a 'bumper' (a National Hunt Flat Race) and he has been bought to be a chaser in two or three years. So anything he does now is a bonus. We just want him to show some aptitude and enthusiasm.

For those who are interested, this is his entry in the form book so far:

MAJOR MILLER 4-y-o (22 May 2001) b g Opera Ghost - Millers Action (Fearless Action (USA)(8.0f)) 31,000gns 3yo; third foal; half-brother to smart bumper performer Millers Bay; dam once-raced half-sister to smart Flat stayer/useful 2m hurdler Bold Gait, the family of Royal Gait.

At last...

All being well, Major Miller (the horse I bought with the proceeds from the sale of Spring Dawn) is due to make his racecourse debut on 22nd April at the Perth Festival. Nicky Henderson has been waiting all season for his debut, which has been much later than we imagined because he has been growing a lot - he's developing into a horse who should one day make a strapping chaser.

Fingers crossed for 22nd.

I've not posted any news about Major Miller for almost a year because, frankly, there hasn't been any. There's been nothing wrong with him but Nicky Henderson, his trainer, wanted to give him time to grow and strengthen and, at last, he now thinks his frame has developed such that he is ready to run.

It's been a bit frustrating - not to say expensive - having a horse for a year doing nothing on the racecourse but the whole point of buying him as a three year old was to have a horse for the long term so I can't really complain. And since he's trained by a master - in my view the best around - then I am perfectly happy to sit back and let him as he sees fit.

So...fingers crossed he will run a week or two after the greatest week of the year - next week's Cheltenham Festival.

More soon.

...and here he is with his uncle, Captain Miller (Major Miller is on the left, with his stable lad, Corky Browne).

(1)

Here's my new horse, Major Miller.

You can read his breeding details here. As you can see, he's Nijinsky's grandson! It's a pretty stunning pedigree. Let's just hope that's reflected on the track.

(2)

I wouldn't want to disappoint those of you who logged on for updates on Spring Dawn. I am excited to let you know that I've now bought a new horse. He's Major Miller, a three year old chestnut colt.

Like Spring Dawn, he's with Nicky Henderson, but unlike Spring Dawn he's an unknown quantity with, potentially, well...lots of potential. Nicky saw him one morning at this year's Cheltenham Festival and decided to buy him on the spot. I managed to get the last share in him (Nicky himself is one of the shareholders).

Nicky says that he was "a bugger to break in" which is, of course, a good sign - it means, hopefully, that he's got some spunk.

The initial target is the big bumper race at Newbuty this autumn and he'll then, probably, go over hurdles straight away and be aimed at one of the novice races at Cheltenham this year. But anything he does over the next two or three years is a bonus: chasing is his game.

I'll post a picture as soon as I can.

(1)