"Nancy's breakfast" is quite famous among Sun Hill's owners, as an owner here, if you time it right on many a Saturday you will be in for a "proper treat". When long term owners "Ian and Nancy Farrington" arrive, we all get excited, George and I are always thrilled because we are going to get really well fed, without the usual aroma of burnt sausages, cremated bacon, black toast or the sight of rubberised eggs. The dogs get super excited because Nancy's pockets are full of treats and whoever else happens to be here, (today John and Jess Dance helped devour it) are lucky indeed.
The weather has been very kind to us all week, helping the wet fields to dry up nicely, according to the weather forecast it is set to remain dry all next week. Hopefully Good Friday will see us enjoying a bright dry day for our Open day. We are opening from 10am till 2pm, but this year will be very different because, after about eighteen years of allowing the public access to all the yards in and around Middleham, this year they are remaining closed due to the early arrival of Easter (it has been assumed that this will mean bitterely cold, foul weather making it hard for trainers to have their yards looking very smart) and now that we have racing in the North, it is difficult to staff both open days and runners. Ironically it was recently announced that the Northern meeting at Musselburgh has been abandoned.
It can be difficult to get the yards spick and span and certainly this year we have not been able to get the paint brushes out. To add to the difficulties, we have no idea how many people may show up, lots will know the day has been cancelled and will have made other plans. Originally and for many years we used to open only in the afternoons to ensure we never took visitors away from the trainers in Middleham in the mornings when those yards were open but, as they shut at lunchtime, we opened. For the last three years we were asked to open early, which we did, but this year it is an unknown quantity and all we can do is open up, welcome any visitors to the yard, and hope for the best.