All-Weather Marathon!

Today there are three meetings taking place, two over the sticks at Lingfield and Musselburgh as well as an all-weather flat meeting at Wolverhampton.  It is a really good day if you like your all-weather racing as the Midlands track plays host to no fewer than FIFTEEN races!  They are really spoiling us with action over all distances from five to fourteen furlongs - it is quite a long day with the action starting at midday and going right through until 7.30pm with only a break between the races at 3.00pm and 4.00pm.  Good value if you like that sort of thing!

Talking of the all-weather, I was watching the racing from Lingfield yesterday and saw a monster gamble on the Mark Johnston trained John Lightbody go astray.  His charge was having his first start for 476 days, but despite that he was well backed from an early price of 7/2 into even money favourite.  He finished stone last and it makes me wonder how they can get it so wrong?  Somebody with a bit of knowledge must have tipped this one up to a few punters to go off at that sort of prohibitive price.

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I will be asking my wife who is going to win Celebrity Big Brother as she is an expert when it comes to backing the winners of these reality TV shows (she has only just backed the winner of Strictly Come Dancing at fancy odds!).  I'm not normally a fan of this sort of thing but it has been made infinitely more interesting for racing enthusiasts by the appearance of Frankie Dettori (I don't suppose he has anything better to do for a while).  Personally I think the Italian is making a big mistake taking part in the show as he really doesn't need that sort of exposure.  I think he should just sit out his suspension and come back and do the thing that he does the best - ride plenty of winners, do some flying dismounts off of the Group horses and smile a lot...would anyone really want to follow in the footsteps of John McCririck?!

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Tomorrow is Welsh National day with the main event taking place at 3.20pm and the ground is going to be really heavy.  Chepstow reported yesterday that the track was raceable for the first time since 22nd December.  A 3m5 1/2f marathon, on that type of going - I can't see there being too many finishers and a horse with a light weight that is proven on the ground could be the answer.

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It is the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow and the pick of the action is definitely my beloved West Ham as they take on Premiership leaders Manchester United at 5.15pm.  I won't spoil things by predicting a winner, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were plenty of goals.  C'mon you Hammers!