LAST weekend sadly offered the two sides to racing and vastly different emotions for two trainers and their staff.

Lucinda Russell wrote on a blog of her Newbury winner Ahoy Senior.

“It is emotional to watch a horse such as Ahoy Senor win in such a decisive style, and it is what makes our sport so great; the wonderment of a powerful horse so genuine in his love of galloping and jumping and knowing the work and time that has gone in to producing him to be fit and able to perform.”

Paul Nolan wrote in the Racing Post of the loss of Latest Exhibition at Fairyhouse

“It was just awful to go out to the yard on Monday morning, see that he wasn’t in his stable and that his name was missing from the board. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

We were having our 10 o’clock tea on Monday morning and nobody said a word. You wouldn’t believe how hard it has hit everyone in the yard. Everyone is so despondent over it all. It was a very testing day.

It’s nearly embarrassing to say it, but all I want people to know is how much this horse was loved and that he will never be forgotten by any of us here at Toberona.”

I’ve seen a lot of comments recently where people, generally on social media, often scoff at ‘horsey’ or racing people when it’s said that horses are a way of life and one that fewer people are engaging with.

But there simply would be no sport without the long hours that horse care entails and all the hours of attention, hopes and fears that go with these horses. The pain of loss is not easily dismised.

Paul Jacobs@pjacobstipster

Its hard to believe Bryony would put herself through all this unless there was at least a modicum of truth to it. Her fellow female jockeys missing a beat by running scared

Tattersalls@Tattersalls1766

“We’ve brought just shy of £2million from three fillies that cost 20,000 each. It’s the thing dreams are made of.” @NickBradley_1 having sold Dandalla, Fev Rover and Mystery Angel at the #TattsDecember Mares Sale.

Martin D’Evelin@MartinDEvelin

Watching the December mare sales and it breaks my heart to see mares go for around the 1,000 mark. Often they are in foal and to sell them so cheaply is beyond my understanding - for me, there should be a minimum bid of around three thousand - the mares deserve to be respected.

Glen Price@GlenPricey

Absolutely devastated @nolan_racing. He was a really special horse, we bet him when he won at the DRF 2020. Gutted for your loss and chin up, hopefully another quality horse like LE will come your way. My thoughts are with you and the team.