Sandown, Warwick Runners

There is some good news to start the day as both jumps meetings at Sandown and Warwick have passed their early morning inspections and racing goes ahead.  The stable has runners at both meetings - at Sandown, bumper winner Doctor Harper (pictured above) takes in a very competitive looking bumper so the result should be informative, while at Warwick unbeaten Broadway Buffalo makes his second start over hurdles - he looks very promising.  Meanwhile there are also two all-weather cards taking place at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.

Sir Frank ran a cracker to be narrowly beaten at Huntingdon in the 2m41/2f handicap chase yesterday under young Kieron Edgar.  This was only his third start over fences and judged on this performance it is surely only a matter of time before he is back in the winners enclosure.  Unfortunately The Tracey Shuffle was disappointing up at Ayr yesterday.  He had been running over fences most recently and jumped few of these smaller obstacles a bit big.  He is certainly better than the form that he showed yesterday.

I have just seen a replay of A P McCoy winning aboard Umadachar at Sedgefield.  If you backed the favourite you will certainly owe the champ a big drink...he was absolutely brilliant and I don't think that anyone else would have won aboard the mare.

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I have some further pictures and a video to share with you from our Press Day on Tuesday.  There is a photograph and video of Grands Crus' full brother Gevrey "Geoffrey" Chambertin during the parade as well as a picture of Close House.

  
Above left: Gevrey Chambertin, and right: Close House at the Pond House Press Day on Tuesday

Gevrey Chambertin Press Day 2013

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With just eighteen days to go until the start of the Cheltenham Festival, the trainers will be putting the finishing touches to the preparations of their intended runners.  It used to be the case that they would have needed a prep run to get them hard fit but that is not so anymore.  With trainers having access to all-weather gallops and swimming pools and the like, lack of a recent run is no longer a barrier to Festival glory.  I will be interested to see which horse overcomes the longest break this year.

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Now the snow has gone in Arizona, play can continue in the World Matchplay Golf tournament and what about Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being out?  I did have to smile when Tiger said 'Hockey is a game for white men, basketball is a sport for black men and golf is a sport for white me dressed like black pimps!'

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Can you believe that some of the bookmakers are betting on who will be the next Pope?  Freddy Gray is the expert - he is a columnist for the Catholic Herald.  It looks like a two Pope race with Peter Turkson at 5/2 and Angelo Scola at 7/2.  Personally I think we are in need of some guidance from above!