The Festival:Day 1..We Hope!

               Broadway Buffalo

Cheltenham are having an Inspection at 10.30am, due the the fact some parts of the course are frozen despite being under cover, fingers crossed it is on!  Today there are three meetigs on, but only one that counts, Cheltenham!  The stable has four runners today, His Excellency, The Package, Poole Master and Swing Bowler.  It is very hard to tell you what the buzz is like at the Festival when the tape goes for the first race it is electric.  I have been to Wembley Cup finals but nothing compares to Cheltenham.  You have the the Guiness tent with Irish Folk bands and you even have Brazilian girl dancers without too many clothes on!  I am not sure what they are advertising but whatever it is I would buy it!  

If you ever go to the Festival you must have a base to settle down between races.  This is why we have our marquee and it is so popular.  It is sold out everyday.  The jockeys come in and talk and try to mark the guests cards and when we have a winner the roof comes off!  Lets hope it is not snowing and the temperatures rise!  Just think of all the work that the ground staff have to take all the frost covers off.  Quickly looking through today's cards it looks like favourites could be the ones to be on.  I think the Henderson team will have plenty of winners and he could well be top trainer.

                    Qalinas

The stable goes there in good form.  Broadway Buffalo and Qalinas won yesterday at Plumpton and Taunton.  Broadway Buffalo remains unbeaten after five starts and he scored comfortably yesterday under Tom Scu.  He is a lovely young horse for the future and he may go to Aintree or Punchestown next.  Qalinas is quite a character, having had fourteen runs without winning he has now won his last two starts under amateur Michael Heard.  Maybe the penny has dropped at last!  We also had two seconds yesterday with Sona Sasts finishing runner up in the veterans chase at Taunton and Bamboleo finishing a head second at Plumpton.  Quinte Du Chatelet was are only other runner of the day and he was pulled up after making a bad mistake with just over a circuit to go.  I am pleased to report that all the horses are well this morning.

I see Reading manager Brian McDermott got the sack from Reading.  I thought he had been doing a good job.  He will get another job, they always do.  Why don't they ever sack the person that employed him?!  Have a nice day.