Our 2010 Ready To Run draft have settled in at the sales ground in Johannesburg. They travelled well from Mooi River and are relishing their daily routine of walking in the morning, being shown during the day and then walking again in the afternoon. It's very hot in Joburg and if you're coming to visit us to view our horses, you can be assured of a cool drink, good company and quality bloodstock! (Photography by Leigh Willson)

One thing that’s grown as quickly as anything though, is the popularity of the gallops panel. You might have expected it, given it’s composition, but it’s not only the preferences of these men, it’s the banter that goes with it. Collectively, they bring almost 250 years of bloodstock and racing experience to the table, and given their CV’s and where they stand in the pantheon of our sport, you’d expect them to put their fingers on a few jewels, particularly when you weigh up what we spend on their entertainment the night before! You might even expect them to treat the gallops with a measure of frivolity, but seeing them at work, tells us why they’re all at the top of their respective professions.

The eve of the Ready To Run Gallops presented us with a window to showcase the Al Maktoum School Of Management Excellence to a gathering of racing’s luminaries. We had with us some of the game’s top names, including our gallops judges, and while there’s a way to go before the facility is complete and fully equipped, we won’t see a get-together of these proportions again until next year’s official opening, likely to be Summerhill Stallion Day. It was also an occasion to recognise the judges and a few other players for their contributions to an event which has cemented itself into the constellation of racing’s starriest events.

A first glimpse of the Summerhill draft for the 2010 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale. Photography by Leigh Willson.