SHARK Hanlon’s open day generated a lovely atmosphere, with all the horses very relaxed as they did a steady hack canter on the trainer’s circular sand gallop before making the short trip to Doninga gallops to complete their daily exercise.

The trainer left a good impression on his 100-strong audience, which consisted of a mix of current and former owners, people who used to be involved in syndicates, a scatter of children, and genuine racing enthusiasts keen to find out just what goes on behind the scenes in a training establishment.