Monday Morning

There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with the action all coming on the level at Ayr, Brighton, Pontefract and Windsor.  Brighton offer only a miserly £31,000 across the seven race card...they will certainly try to get away with it if they can!  Unsurprisingly there are no runners from the Pond House team today.

It was a good day for the Brits yesterday when they won the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil with l'Ami Serge, although it was local trainer Guillaume Macaire who was the man to follow though, with no fewer than six winners on the card.  The British raiders have now won the race five times in the last seven years, while their record in the Prix la Barka is even better with them winning the last six renewals (David won both in 2015 with Un Temps Pour Tout and Ballynagour respectively).

I reckon jockey James Doyle could be right when he said, "I think I might get a rollicking for that".  He was referring to his 8 length success in the two mile handicap at Goodwood.  You never win by such large distances...I bet the handicapper is rubbing his hands together at the prospect of assessing that one.

It would seem that all of the betting boys are wanting to get on American trainer Wesley Ward's runners at the Royal meeting.  McErin is the one that they all want to be on in the Norfolk as he has been impressing in his work.

*****

Can you believe it?  England have won the World Cup...no, I have not been dreaming our under-20's landed the title by beating Venezuela 1-0 in the final.  It was 1966 the last time England won the World Cup (or should I say West Ham with the likes of Moore, Hurst and Peters!).  Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for England and most of these players can go on and progress at senior level.  Talking of England, I can see why Manchester City do not want Joe Hart back - he was terrible in England's draw with Scotland, although the only really bad news is that Slaven Billic is talking to him.

Lewis Hamilton was an easy winner of the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal yesterday.  It does help that he clearly had the fastest car, despite Mercedes' claim to the contrary.  He is now 12 points behind Sebastian Vettel who finished fourth having been knocked to the back at the start of the race.

What an amazing performance from Rafa Nadal to win a 10th French Open at Roland Garros.  The French gave him a special replica of the Coupe des Mousquetaires.  I always thought that if you win any cup three times you get to keep it...obviously not!

*****

Mrs Barnes just phoned me and said, "I've got water in the carburettor".  "Where's the car?" I asked.  "In the river" she replied.  Have a nice day...

Tweet