HARRY WHITTINGTON BLOG: Grade 1-winning trainer and ambassador for market-leading betting exchange BETDAQ, looks back on the previous seven days and previews his upcoming runners.

I was really happy with SIMPLY THE BETTS at Hexham on Saturday considering we had to do a lot of the donkey work up front.

There were a lot of inexperienced horses in the race and we thought riding him that way was best, but we think he’s a better horse coming from off the pace.

It was actually good for him that he got a bit of a race, and Gavin [Sheehan] just felt that he was idling a bit in front but was always doing enough.

I think connections think a fair amount of the second horse so it was a fair performance giving so much weight away.

The race will serve as a really nice pipe opener for the rest of the season and we’re excited to go handicapping with him now.

ROUGE VIF needed the run at Newton Abbot on Friday and he’ll come on massively for it.

He’s quite a highly strung horse who does most of his work on his own at home and I just underestimated how much he’d need the run.

I won’t leave it too long to run him again and I’d be pretty confident he’ll be a different horse next time.

Entries this week

The weather isn’t making things easy with getting our horses out, but we do have a few entered over the coming days.

YOUNG BULL will make his debut for us at Ffos Las on Saturday (5.30pm). He’s improved hugely since we bought him and he’ll make a cracking chaser in time.

He’s a big chasing type so anything he does this season will be a bonus. The track and ground should suit him and hopefully he’ll run a nice race.

BOYCHICK is another who should come on plenty when he runs at Plumpton on Monday (3.20pm).

He had win surgery before his run at Worcester, so I’m expecting him to come on again here.

Harry Reed is booked and will take 5lbs off him and he really needs to be winning this race to stay over jumps.

Hopefully he can go and prove it on Monday!

Saint Calvados Update

SAINT CALVADOS is in great form ahead of his run in three weeks in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter.

He did a really nice piece of work with Bigmartre on Tuesday and he’s coming to the boil nicely ahead of his seasonal reappearance.

Providing we get a bit of rain, he shout be spot on for Exeter and we’re really looking forward to getting his season underway – he’s a very exciting horse to have in the yard.

HARRY