It is 6.45pm and I have just finished writing the first blog. Please don’t worry: there aren’t two for you to read. No..the first one just evaporated into fresh air and is nowhere to be seen. I tried to upload and it all disappeared. I am giving myself 20 minutes to write this blog because, if I didn’t need a drink before, I sure do now!

I could try and repeat the blog, but I have opted, instead, to believe in karma; that the blog was so bad, it wasn’t meant for widespread consumption. Yes, loyal readers, I have saved you from an incredibly long boring blog. Instead, you can look forward to an equally boring blog but a lot shorter. You can thank me in 18 minutes time!

First of all, I am not going to let my detailed research go to waste. I found the following cleaners in Listowel:

Moloney Laundrette

GNL Dry Cleaners

Clieveragh Laundry

The joke (not good enough for the blog gods apparently) was that, with forecast prices for Freedom to Dream of between 10/1 and 16/1, these where the places I was going to take the bookies.

The 2nd joke (which was really only in there in case the first one sailed over people’s heads) was that the only person being taken to the cleaners is likely to be me based on the heavy going in the paddock and my entirely inappropriate Florida footwear.

I then went on to explain that if you ignored his last four runs then he has a real chance tomorrow. Expecting widespread derision at this remark, I then launched a laborious and entirely unconvincing explanation why each of these runs could be ignored. The best line was in discussing his race at Christmas at Leopardstown when he almost came down and banged his nose on the ground: “I don’t know if horses get tears in their eyes but I certainly did”

I include this to, once again, remind you that you didn’t miss much in blog 1.

Blog 1 did do one thing that this Blog 2 has singularly failed to do : start by explaining that Freedom to Dream is running in the Beginner’s chase at Listowel tomorrow. Context can be overrated but very rarely in a supposedly informative blog! My belated apologies.

With only 10 minutes to go and my two-fingered typing showing signs of exhaustion, please let me resort to a bullet pointed list of things:

1. Freedom to Dream has had significant ulcer issues.

a. He hasn’t been the same horse since Cheltenham (3/22) when he lost a lot of weight

b. After his Limerick run (when he jumped well) he actually had serious bleeding ulcers (literally)

c. He has been on a stronger Gastrogard regimen, has spent all of his time at grass and now his coat, per Peter, is “the best it has ever been”

2. He has gained the weight back and, if anything, looks like he could do with a bit of a diet; that is when he runs his best (if memory serves us well)

3. On his best hurdles form, he should be in the mix. The likely soft ground will not bother him and he is carrying No1; the number Bay of Freedom wore when he won the same race in 2016

4. Surprise Package continues to make great progress. His Day 28 x-ray looks great; even to my untrained eye. The vet is extremely happy, the cast is off, he will have increasingly thinner bandages for the next couple of months while on box rest. We will then gradually get him walking, step up his work and, in a perfect world, have him back on the track by April. Truly remarkable – good job we operated eh?

5. Let’s hope Freedom to Dream enjoys himself tomorrow and feels no pain; then Peter, Ber and I can do the same thing when we go out on Thursday night!

Only 15 seconds left so, if I’m really quick, let me tell you what I really think of the Racing Blogger….. (to be continued)

Postscript:
Freedom to Dream ran very disappointingly and was Pulled Up. We have had him thoroughly checked since and think we have identified the issue (in an entirely different place to where we had suspected). He has received treatment and may be ready to go as soon as late October/early November. Get ready for another blog!