Mark was busy sending out runners
and preparing them with faster work on Racecourse Side
The last group of two-year-olds went through the stalls before making their debuts
While, at Dullingham Park Stud, the mares and foals tried to stay out of the rain
And, we were delighted to have an interview with Bonny Millar of Rossdales' Equine Hospital at Exning (CVT (USA), RVN, REVN, Vice President of The British Veterinary Nursing Association and soon to be President).
Mrs T explained: "If ever we have been unlucky enough to send a horse down to the equine hospital at Rossdales, we know that the vets are second to none but we also know that the nursing care is meticulous under senior nurse Bonny. She is totally unflappable and her attention to detail is brilliant. She also absolutely loves horses and is incredibly kind to them all. We are so fortunate to benefit from her exceptional skills. I would also like to add how helpful she is over any queries concerning equipment and advice. She never appears too busy to give help if it is needed. Thank you Bonny!"
Your favourite time of the day: That is a difficult one, because I like when the sun comes up over the heath and Newmarket wakes up on a frosty clear morning…also when the day is done and I feel I have made a good contribution to the cause.
Your favourite time of year: Autumn, as I like the Indian summer days and walks in the evening just as the sun goes down and the landscape is bathed in subdued sunlight.
Your favourite place: North Wales, in my little old Welsh mountain small holding that I am renovating with my husband Robin. See http://www.welcomeinthehillside.com/
Your favourite book / author: I read lots of different topics and do not have a favourite author. I read biographies of extraordinary people who have done things that have changed the course of history…Wilberforce, Churchill, Wesley, Lincoln…. I like reading and researching my welsh ancestry/culture and grew up in a Philadelphia suburb that still has a very strong Welsh influence.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up: An architect and a Veterinary Nurse and that never changed…In my 20's I had planned to relocate from Pennsylvania to Montana to buy a ranch and keep a few Quarter Horses and my beloved show jumpers. Little did I know I would be moving 3000 miles in the other direction to the UK! Boy, this caused a stir in my family!
Your best sporting memory: Still waiting for that to happen I guess? The closest I have gotten to a sporting moment is when I was a Drum Major for my High School Drum Corp and we won the National Field Championships in 198? (If I told you the year that would be telling my age!), making us the top Drum Corp in the whole of the USA. Performing like this on football fields was my life for many years and I still miss the thrill and excitement of brilliant Corp music, huge cheering crowds and precision marching.
Now, I dream of training and handling a Springer Spaniel Field Trial Champion.
Your favourite racehorse and why: In the US, 'Laughs' a Standardbred colt who raced very successfully in 1987 until he promptly came down with Potomac fever, Diarrhoea, Salmonellosis, laminitis, needed colic surgery, etc…and 10 months of constant nursing care in isolation. He was incredibly nasty and I loved him! Even with all his hoof walls removed he would double barrel anyone coming through his stable door. I would have to climb through his window to safely get to him and this worked as I was the only person who he would let near him. My happiest day working at New Bolton Center was that July in '87 when I sent him home to Canada to start a career at stud.
In the UK… 'Gabr', (Green Desert colt) trained in the mid 90's by Robert Armstrong, his story still brings a lump to my throat. He shattered a pastern in far too many pieces to fix, we tried different casting techniques and I worked weeks at keeping him comfortable and happy. He was stabled right below my flat at Rossdales and I nursed him 24/7…he was a real genuine horse, a gentleman, and a beautiful colt who exuded real class. He seemed to appreciate all the care I gave him. Sadly, but probably to his relief, we had to put him down.
Your favourite racecourse and why: Newmarket because of its history and it is a fantastic place to live near and look at when I exercise and train my gundog on Devil's Dyke. I think too many people complain about the town, including its racing heritage, and everything else in general and do not realise how unique and fantastic a place it is.
Your best day's racing: I haven't gone racing in a couple years as I am usually working, so I tend to watch on telly… I get a bigger kick out of making sure my patients get back on the racecourse and those broodmares stay healthy so that they can produce our future winners.
Your main goal in life: At the moment, I want to get through my presidential year with the British Veterinary Nursing Association successfully and feel that I have adequately represented and supported the thousands of nurses in this country who sometimes feel that they are not valued or have a voice.
If you had one wish what would it be: I am quite content and can't think of a wish for me… But I wish that horses did not get colic or laminitis.