I RECENTLY wrote about the type of starting stalls used on our courses and have also heard other trainers complaining about a lack of stalls handlers.

I must agree with them that there is a lack of handlers, especially with 20 runners or more.

Most stalls teams only consist of nine men, with one being a supervisor, so eight men trying to load 20 odd horses is ridiculous.

I don't think that any horse should be required to stand in the stalls for more than two or three minutes, therefore more staff are required. Sometimes with 20 or more runners if there's a few awkward horses it can take up to eight minutes to load. No wonder horses break out.

THE ground is really drying up now on our courses and I think that trainers should stop complaining about over-watering.

True, sometimes tracks get it wrong by over-watering, then rain falling, but at least the horses aren't jarred up so are sound to run another day.

I've found that each Clerk of the Course's opinion about the ground varies. What one calls good another may call good to firm, or what one calls soft another may call heavy. So why not employ a handful of going experts to travel around our racecourses and give accurate and professional readings? At least trainers could rely on their readings.

I've many a time travelled to Ayr having been told the ground was good only to find it firm. Ayr, I must say, never appears to give an accurate reading.

As I've already explained, I think that watering should go ahead to maintain the ground at no faster than good to firm, and if rain falls so be it.

There's enough jump racing without summer jump racing. I do think that if horses are being asked to run on very jarring ground, they will only last so long. Possibly this needs a rethink. That said, Northern Echo is ready to run again and whilst he doesn't want soft ground, I won't run him on very firm. Other plans are up in the air at the moment because of the ground. We'll just have to wait and see.

IT'S extremely long hours at the moment, as I'm also very busy with harvesting on the farm, so I'm either racing or combining. I'm not complaining though, but we need rain for the horses and sun for the harvest.

WHAT a fantastic performance by Galileo to beat Fantastic Light in the King George last week. That certainly makes him one of the greats and I don't think it'll make the slightest difference in a re-match - Galileo will win again.

The plan is to ultimately take him to America to run on dirt in the Breeders Cup. Great horse that he is, that's a different ball game and it's impossible to say what would happen. What is for certain is that we are privileged to have a horse as good as him so we should make the most of him while he's around.