Even so, some showed the stress of severe heat and drying wind.
While we were talking a message arrived from Brigade: "There is a nice drying wind.
In October, a series of violent thunderstorms, followed by a strong drying wind, signals the beginning of the dry season.
A storm at 9am added to the immense amount of water which fell on the outfield yesterday, but there is a drying wind.
The wooden decks, the drying wind and the obsessive, repeated coats of paint feed enormous fires, still the main reason for their demise.
This is why when transplanting any plant, it is important to do the job quickly, or at lease cover the roots from the drying wind and sun because these tiny feeder roots dry out quickly.
Plants are raised from seed in a greenhouse near the house for easy watering, and then sent off down the lane to a rabbit-proofed corner of a field in polytunnels to protect them from the drying wind.
"This time everything has got to be right, and with bright sunshine and a drying wind up here in the north at present I wouldn't risk him - a horse of his potential," explained Murphy, who is based in Leyburn, north Yorkshire.
1. The weather since last Tuesday has been hot and close no rain has fallen, but it has not been drying weather, consequently the harvest work has not proceeded so well as it would have done with a fine drying wind.
The Scottish links, already firm from the recent warm spell, was playing even faster in the hot sun and drying wind of Thursday's first round.
"There are a couple of areas not far off the square that have taken a beating from the rain, so play was never really likely even with the sun and a drying wind".
