Narrow Sandown second Major Pusey has the ability to go all the way into Listed company if we can get everything right for him.

In the last 100 yards of Wednesday’s XL Catlin Handicap I thought we had it in the bag, until he was cut back late on by the fancied 6/4 favourite Seve.

He’s a good horse, having contested a class three race at Chester before this outing and I’m pleased ours is progressing well also.

We know he has a wind problem which makes him struggle a wee bit when he comes off the bridle. It is getting better as he gets fitter but he will have it operated on at some stage.

We try and keep the race as simple as we can for him and as he jumped so well from the stalls at Sandown, one of the stiffest five furlongs in the country, we didn’t mess about.

It took until the last 75 yards for him to be headed and he kept battling for us. Martin (Lane, jockey) always thought the other horse would come and nab us but we can’t ask anything more of Major, he’s honest and does what you ask him to do.

He’ll be even better as a four-year-old.

I would be surprised if he didn’t have a handicap mark in the 90s and the running in Listed races.

If he was competing at a mile and a half he would need his wind operation done now but he is managing it.

We had an overground scope done on him where he galloped and a camera showed what is happening when he breathes. The left side of his larynx just falls in on itself a little bit when he comes under pressure.

You would be hard pressed to do anything with it while he is running so well but once it is sorted he will be a proper horse like his mum Pusey Street Lady.

A trip to Glorious Goodwood awaits for another handicap over the minimum trip.

Our other runner this week, Ada Lovelace, showed us why we will avoid running her again at Bath.

Something about the place she doesn’t like and I can’t put my finger on it.

She loves Brighton so she should be fine at Bath, however her run in the Islington Motor Group Handicap was her third dismal one there.

Going into the race I thought we were the one to beat. I can’t blame her handicap mark, she has struggled when she’s gone up to 70 in the past but there were horses she had run against and finished in front of before.

Martin (Lane, jockey) said she stopped after two and a half furlongs. Perhaps she doesn’t like running pretty much uphill all the way. But I don’t really know.

Back to Brighton we will go for a race on Ladies Day next month to try and maintain her 100% record there.

This afternoon I’m off to Newbury where Lungarno Palace takes in the TKP Surfacing Handicap at 4.45pm.

As regular readers know he’s a bit of a character and our apprentice Michael Murphy came down to get to know him yesterday morning.

This is a horse where everything has to be on his terms. We know what he’s like at home but as for racing we are not sure whether he’s not as good as we thought he was or whether he’s being a monkey.

This is probably the weakest race he has run in a while now however the handicapper is reluctant to release his grip on him.

He went up 7lb for his Epsom win and has just been eased 2lb. He will carry 10st today, minus Michael’s 3lb claim and the actual weight won’t bother him. This race isn’t beyond him if he brings his A-game to the table.

We will see how he gets on and may try him over a hurdle at home. I’ve mentioned it to his owners that we could see if he’ll pop over one in the loose school first. It will be an interesting exercise if we decide to embark on that route.

On Monday, one half of our double from the earlier this month, Iseemist, is in at Windsor off a 3lb higher mark.

She’s up to 84 now but is more than capable of winning off that. Of course at that track the draw will dictate her chances to a certain degree but I’m looking forward to seeing how she gets on.

Alpha Delta Whisky won on the same day as her, July 2, and that double will live long in the memory.

One of the syndicate members Paul Drinkwater, who owns the Mill House Hotel at Kingham had only just joined up. He went to the track to represent them and it was his first taste of a winner.

He was so excited about it he could hardly speak on the phone- I was at Epsom with Iseemist and he told me he’d had the best day ever.

That’s what it’s all about- happy owners and horses.

You have to enjoy the good times as the game can be a leveller at times- just look what happened to jockey Ryan Moore.

One minute he is taking all before him at Royal Ascot, the next he is potentially out until the autumn through injury.

One thing’s for sure it opens up the Jockeys’ Championship and I have a sneaky feeling it might be James Doyle who may be able to seize the initiative.