Wexford Fri, 1st Sep, 2023  Joyeux Machin He disappointed us in Galway, he just ran a little bit flat. Ground is not an issue with him, although we were blaming it before. I thought he had a bit more bottle over a fence and maybe he will learn and get a bit more confidence with time. I'd say it wasn't an inconvenience that the last two were omitted. It was a decent race and it was run at a good pace. He was rated high enough over hurdles to run well in it and he was getting a 3lb allowance for not having won a race, so technically he was well enough in. The last day he ran here he missed the last in what was a decent beginners chase. Hubrisko has won since and Ballyadam was placed in Galway. There is no reason he can't go back over hurdles and we might mix it with him. I don't think he is as ground dependent as we thought. He finished out the race well and I like the way he hit the line. We might look for a winners-of-one for him now, we will see what's coming up in the next month.

Galway Thu, 3rd Aug, 2023  Hercule Du Seuil I thought it was a great performance because it's not long since he raced down at Killarney and he loves racing on flat tracks. I thought coming here, and coming up the hill twice, might be a step too far and it was a tough assignment. Mark even thought before the race that he was dead in himself and thinks the horse is settling and learning to relax. That will help him see out longer trips and have more at the end of his races. We'll run him in any two (miles) to 2m2f races we can find.

Killarney Fri, 21st Jul, 2023  Hercule Du Seuil She was very professional. She has lots of speed but no one wanted to make the running, so I said we’d keep it simple on the best horse in the race. She could go jumping or back on the Flat. She loved that good ground and I think she’s a mare with a lot of ability.

Wexford Wed, 31st May, 2023  Joyeux Machin On the basis of his bumper and maiden hurdle wins, we thought he was a graded horse. He had been very, very disappointing and on the days he ran bad he was nearly bet after two hurdles. There was no real explanation for it. We were so wrong with Jungle Prose in the weights today, with Danny Gilligan claiming 7lb as well. He travelled and jumped well. Hopefully that trip will just have him more in his comfort zone. We will keep him going now and touch wood he stays right. He will probably go for a beginners chase on his next run and we will see where we go from there. He fell in his point-to-point after jumping brilliant all the way. He looked very good jumping there but just tipped over on landing.