Weekend Jottings!

This afternoon there are just two meetings taking place over the sticks at Fontwell and Towcester and the stable has runners at both meetings.  The admirably consistent Shoegazer (pictured above winning a Listed contest earlier in the season at Newton Abbot) takes his chance in the novices' chase for the Josh Gifford Cup at Fontwell at 2.40pm and while there are only five runners, it looks like a competitive little race for the £20,000 prize money on offer.  Josh was a great trainer with a love of cricket and I will always remember how he used to take a cricket team over to the Isle of Wight each year and stay at the Atherfield Bay holiday camp.  I used to play table tennis exhibitions at Atherfield Bay, but to give you some idea of how long ago I am talking, the site is no longer there.  The managing director now runs Potters in Norfolk - they hold the Indoor British Bowls Championships at the holiday village...it is well worth a visit.

Anyway, I digress...there is only just over two weeks left until the start of the Cheltenham Festival and despite all of the rain and the flooding that we have had over the past several months, clerk of the course Simon Claisse has refused to rule out the possibility of watering the course!  It doesn't make sense to me, and besides what is wrong with good/firm ground (not that we are going to get it)?  I am not criticising Cheltenham as they do a wonderful job of producing beautiful ground, but there are horses out there that appreciate a faster surface whose chances are hindered by artificial watering.  To my mind the winner should be the horse that handles the conditions best on the day.

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My weekend will be spent on the sofa watching sport (for a change!).  There is a great football match between Manchester City and Chelsea to look forward to...to my reckoning both teams could do with a win just to keep their managers in a job.  Having said that, Mancini is tied into a four year contract at City - just imagine how much that would cost them to buy him out of that!  I wish I had chosen a career as a football manager!

There is an important match at the other end of the league as Newcastle take on Southampton.  Both teams have 27 points so are just above the relegation places.

Meanwhile Wembley stages the Capital One Final betweem Swansea and Bradford...if you are into buying money, then you should be looking at backing Swansea at 2/5.

I hope you all have a great weekend...