We won’t know until tomorrow about the full extent of Yolo’s injury from the Derby on Saturday. The track vet at Wimbledon thought it might be a wrist problem but I had a look at the service station on the way home and it didn’t appear to be in that area.

His shoulder seemed quite free and there was no obvious bruising or problems to his metatarsals. The problem seems to be in his radius which may be cracked. He is not in any real pain but is still propping a bit when he walks.

I tried to get him x-rayed today but it seems to be the week that all the vets go on holiday. Thankfully, Diane at Belle Vue has managed to fit us in.

It might be a cliché but you just need a bit of luck and it deserted us on Saturday. Going into the first bend on Saturday I was convinced Yolo was going to win and I don’t think that is wishful thinking. Charlie’s dog (Boyneside Fun) was behind us at the time and he ran the winner to a length and a quarter.

The real frustration is that Yolo was in the form of his life. He had just cast his coat and he did his best ever sectional in that race. No one ever doubted Yolo’s ability but a lot of people thought he was inconsistent at the boxes. He clearly showed he had overcome that and in my opinion, Farloe Blitz was the only railer on the night would could have been on his inside going into the first bend.

But it is no good whingeing on. Unlike the connections of poor Sidarian Blaze or Droopys Ward, we can hopefully have another go in the future.

If my guesswork proves correct, he will need to be off somewhere between six and twelve weeks, but we won’t rush him back.

We are going to miss out on all our big objectives, the Select Stakes and Irish Derby, so he might as well have an extra few weeks. If we are lucky, we may get him back for the All England Cup and Eclipse.

 

Swift Hoffman was also a Wimbledon casualty though it might be his confidence as much as anything else.

He was beaten at Monmore today but looked as though that hefty whack at Wimbledon was playing on his mind.

I’ll speak to his owner, but I guess we might give him a couple of trials and then, fingers crossed, get an invite for the Select Stakes.

Apart from anything else though, I am not convinced that he is suited to a ‘sharp 480’, like Monmore, any more.

I would have considered Hove and the Sussex Cup, but it clashes with the Select Stakes.

Looking further ahead, Hoffman has become stronger as he has grown older and we may be looking at six bends later in the year.