Last Day Of Summer Break

It's the last day of the summer break today with flat action from Thirsk, Ffos Las, Chelmsford City and Nottingham.  I can't wait for the jump racing to return tomorrow at Newton Abbot and Bangor, especially as David is likely to have runners at both meetings.

I see the BHA are going to introduce a rule to stop no-hopers from running in the top flat and jumps races.  A minimum rating of 130 to run in the non-novice Grade One hurdles and chases and 120 for Grade One novices' chases.  I think it is to stop the likes of 1000/1 shot Diore Lia who was declared to run in the Derby at Epsom.  It does mean that the pacemakers need to be rated highly to get in.

I was watching the flat action from Ayr yesterday and I noticed that two of the winning jockeys had been successful in the Scottish National - they are Graham Lee and P J McDonald.  I reckon they would be able to publish a book on weight loss and how to keep your weight down!

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Liverpool are away to Hoffenheim tonight in the Champion's League play-off first leg.  You can get 7/5 about Liverpool and it looks as though the reds are going to put out a decent team.  Coverage is on BT Sport 2 at 7.45pm.  Meanwhile Birmingam are 4/5 to beat Bolton, while Middlesbro are the bet of the night to beat Burton, although they are 1/2 chances...I think I will have a cheeky little treble.

I see that Christiano Ronaldo has received a five match ban after shoving a referee during Real Madrid's defeat of Barcelona.  It was more like a nudge than a push, so if he gets a five day ban for that, then Jonjo Shelvey should get at least 12 games for standing on Dele Alli in front of the referee...if it is less than five games then there is clearly something wrong somewhere.

In tennis, Rafa Nadal is due to return to the top of the world rankings without even playing.  The withdrawal of Wimbledon champion Roger Federer from the Cincinnati Master means that Nadal is world number one for the first time in three years.

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Thought for the day...if ignorance is bliss, why are there not more happy people?!

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