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OWNERS "FIVE TO FOLLOW" UPDATE

The Owners' "Five To Follow" sees George Blackwell continue to blaze a trail at the top, followed by Bally and the consistent "BA Boys" Darren and Andy.

The "Hampshire Mafia" Messrs Taplin and Trant have become more prominent in recent weeks and are no doubt discussing tactics at this stage of the competition.

Colin Baker will no doubt be looking forward to the spring arriving down under - his prospects are also looking considerably brighter.

Halicarnassus was an astute selection!

The Top Ten

I haven't the heart to single out individuals in the basement places, so I'll let the table speak for itself.

The Bottom Lot

It's not the winning that's important etc. etc..........

STAFF "FIVE TO FOLLOW" HELP FROM HAYDOCK HERO HALI

Halicarnassus's Heriocs in the Group Three Rose of Lancaster Stakes on Saturday have had a profound effect on the top ten rankings. The "Five to Follow" competition had seen Gill "The Till" Hedley take a significant lead last week but she's not laughing now as the 10 points farmed by "Hali's" followers has seen a huge turnaround.

Brazilian Peter now leads the way with Dawn Carey, Stanley, Tom O'Brien and Joe Tuite just in behind.

Lord Ilsley has dropped back five places, but with Silver Touch and Alfredtheordinary all running this week, he's guaranteed  13 points and will no doubt put himself above Jack Channon who is surely in a false position.

The Top Ten

Ha ha ha ha! It just gets better! Hapless Sue Harding continues to trail ecstatic amphibian "Patrick The Turtle" who has amassed three points to his landlady's still fruitless ZERO.

It would appear that spending your days in a small bowl next to a television set leads to better equine judgement than someone who's spent their entire career in racing. Tragic.

Sarah Watkins can hardly laugh at others either - two entries in the competition and a combined tally of nine points. Shameful.

The Bottom Ten

The Boss languishes in 33rd, a solid stab at mid-table mediocrity. Southampton FC would probably settle for that as their season is shaping up to reflect that of Sue Harding's.

RAIN JUST THE TONIC FOR TOUCH

SILVER TOUCH will return to her otimum distance of seven furlongs to contest the Group 2 CGA Hungerford Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

The precipitation of  today, with more expected tomorrow, is just what this filly wants in her quest to put another Pattern race on the West Ilsley sideboard.

Mick says: "She had her ground for the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket and considering conditions had dried up ran a blinder in the Maurice de Gheest at Deauville to finish third. For me she's a better filly in the autumn and given any luck at all she should be in the thick of things on Saturday."

BETTER HAND goes for the old Washington Singer Stakes which has Listed status and this colt looks another with a live chance following his all-the-way success at Sandown.

The boss continues: "Better Hand will act in the soft and has done well since Sandown. He's a very competetive colt who has a great disposition, and we're looking forward to the race."

With York on the close horizon Mick is marshalling a small but select team.

Runners are set to include ROYAL POWER (City Of York Stakes), JOHAR JAMAL (Sales Race), NAHOUDH (Lowther Stakes) and possibly BADDAM (Lonsdale Stakes).

HUGH GOES OUT ON TOP OF THE WORLD

HUGH Bowman set the seal on what he described as a "hugely satisfying" visit to Britain as he captained the Rest Of The World team to victory in the Shergar Cup at Ascot.

Our number one jockey produced a winning ride on Richard Fahey's Benandonner in the Shergar Cup Mile which put the ROW team in front of Ireland on the wire and secured him the title of top rider at the meeting for which he received the silver saddle.

It was an appropriate place for the 27-year-old from Dunedoo, New South Wales, to signal his 'adieu' to West Ilsley from where he has ridden with such aplomb over the last few months.

Hugh said: "I started the Shergar Cup off quietly but then went through the gears with a fourth, a third, a second and finally a winner. It was a great experience to captain the Rest Of The World team and Ascot was a fitting place for it to happen. I had my first big winner there on Wise dennis in the Victoria Cup and I rate it the best racecourse in the world. I've ridden in Australia, Hong Kong and Ireland and have seen the American and South African tracks on TV and it's unquestionably the best of all."

Hugh leaves Britain on Tuesday and added: "I shall gear myself up for the Sydney and Melbourne carnivals and am looking forward to returning to England next year. It's been a great experience riding for Mick but I believe I can build on it."

BEST WISHES GO OUT TO SIDELINED EDDIE

OUR best wishes go out to Eddie Creighton following his fall at Brighton last week which resulted in a broken leg.

Eddie, who as well as riding as one of our apprentices plays an invaluable part riding work, suffered the injury to his left leg when the Tim McCarthy-trained Ma Ridge lugged into the rails when leading in the maiden handicap.

Eddie was taken to Sussex County Hospital where he was operated on to have the leg pinned.

On the positive side it was a clean break and, although recovery from this type of injury can take up to ten weeks, Eddie is supremely fit. This factor can help accelerate the recovery period.

DUBAI ON HORIZON FOR HALICARNASSUS

HALICARNASSUS proved our trump card over a hectic weekend as he came from last to first to land Haydock's Group 3 Rose Of Lancaster Stakes in the hands of Tadgh O'Shea.

In the colours of Tim Corby's Box 41, the Cape Cross colt proved his poor run at Glorious Goodwood to be all wrong and has set himself up for a place in Mick's team for the Dubai Carnival next March.

Bookmaker quotes for the St Leger are wide of the mark as Halicarnassus doesn't get a yard over a mile and three furlongs, as he showed when running out of puff at the end of Newmarket's Bahrain Trophy last month.

Mick observes: "There will be no Leger as it would be a complete waste of time. We found that out at the July meeting where he looked like winning and then faded. A mile and a quarter is his optimum trip, while he'll get eleven furlongs at a pinch.

"People forgot he was the only Group winner in the field at Haydock and it was therefore no major shock. And although he'd won at Goodwood, that was in a three-runner race. When he went there for the big meeting it was a big field and he just didn't act on the course. Any horse can be forgiven that as Goodwood is a law unto itself. Furthermore the ground was a massive factor. He's always been a decent horse."

There are no hard and fast plans for 'Hali' and the boss continued: "There's nothing that immediately springs to mind but I do think Dubai would suit him. There are some very nice turf races there and you always get fast ground."

SHERGAR CUP TEAM IN GOOD ORDER

HUGH Bowman is captain of the Rest Of The World team in tomorrow's Shergar Cup but unfortunately has not been drawn to partner any of Mick's four runners at the Ascot fixture.

The most significant occurance is Frakie Dettori's partnering of course and distance winner WOVOKA in the Shergar Cup Mile. In the same race, SOUTH CAPE will be ridden by Kevin Manning.

The boss commented: "I'm hopeful for all our runners but Frankie riding one of mine is a rarity and i'm looking forward to seeing that.

"We run DAN TUCKET in the Shergar Cup Juvenile Nursery and although Coasting looks thrown in our fellow will love the ground. Kevin Darley rides. HEYWOOD is a big price for the Shergar Cup Sprint Handicap and new ground is broken here with Yutaka Take the first Japanese jockey to ride for me."

SILCA CHIAVE IS RETIRED

WE are sad to report the retirement to stud of SILCA CHIAVE, one of the top two-year-old fillies of the 2006 campaign who is nursing a minor leg injury.

Silca Chiave had much to live up to coming from the family of Golden Silca and Silca's Sister but she didn't let the side down. She went from strength to strength, running Miss Beatrix to a short head in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh and finishing only a length and a half behind Indian Ink when third in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Mick paid tribute to the filly and said: "Silca Chiave has a chip in a hock and we have decided not to operate. She will go straight to her owner's stud.

"She wasn't far short of being the best juvenile filly around last year and we thought she'd be a Guineas filly. In fact she took a long time to come to hand and although running respectably in the Fred Darling, disappointed in the Jersey Stakes at Royal  Ascot after which the problem came to light."

A POIGNANT EVENING AT BATH

The West Ilsley Apprentice Title Race continues at a frantic pace between our two seven pound claimers, Tom O'Brien and Matthew "Maggot" Davies, after an action packed night meeting at Bath.

"Maggot" closed his defecit to three winners after scoring on Love Brothers in the opener - a mile and a half Apprentice Handicap, only to be dumbfounded when Tom regained his four race lead when winning aboard Llab Nala in the Seller only an hour later.

It was a poignant evening for all of the West Ilsley team. Love Brothers represented one of the yards most valued and loyal owners, the Late Graeme Love, who passed away in May.

Llab Nala (read it backwards) represented the memory of another great friend to everyone in the yard. Alan Ball passed away in April and his anagrammed namesake won in a style he'd have been proud of.

Congratulations to both Tom and Matthew on their latest winners but more importantly, well done to the families and friends of both Graeme and "Bally"

Both are much missed but never forgotten.

TOUCH MAY STICK TO SIX

SILVER TOUCH showed how much better she is in the second part of the season by following her Criterion Stakes triumph with an excellent fourth in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

The ground had dried out considerably as compared to the previous weekend at the seaside course but Jaber Abdullah's charge coped with it well, staying-on stoutly under Tadgh O'Shea after travelling well throughout.

The boss says: "She could well go for the Haydock Sprint Cup and we'd obviously be more keen to do that if there looked like being some cut in the ground. She's come out of Deauville well and the alternative is the Foret which has been moved forward this year."