Frankie's Back!

It was good to see Frankie Dettori back in the winners' enclosure having won aboard Asian Trader at Sandown for Willie Haggas.  The Italian celebrated with his trademark flying dismount and announced that he was targetting 100 winners for the season.  Frankie has been a very silly boy but racing needs it's stars and they don't come much higher profile than Frankie.

Today there are no fewer than six meetings taking place, with five on the flat at Newmarket, Bath, Lingfield, Haydock and Pontefract as well as a jumps fixture at Stratford.  The meeting at Stratford is a mixed Hunter Chase meeting and there are plenty of old favourites on show including thirteen year old That's Rhythm who has won his last two starts and is favourite for the Open Ladies Point to Point Championships.  If you are planning on going to Stratford this evening, do make sure that you are dressed in the correct attire...you know what these point-to-point people can be like!

Kilrye was disappointing at Ffos Las yesterday.  There was plenty of money around for our six year old, who was sent off the 7/2 favourite.  He didn't hurdle all that fluently and must be capable of better than he was able to show here.  Oddjob ran creditably when finishing fourth in the handicap chase, staying on strongly in the closing stages.  He shapes as though he will get further and hopefully David will be able to pick up something similar with him before too long.

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I was extremely saddened to see that one of our old assistants, Philip Scholfield died yesterday in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.  Philip worked in the yard back when I was here with MCP and helped Martin to some of his championships.  He was a good jockey and won the 1989 Point-to-Point Championship and was also father of jockey Nick Scholfield.  He was only 55.  Our thoughts go to his family.

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Ireland play the Faroe Islands in the World Cup Qualifier tonight and it should be a much needed win for the Irish.  I can never take Faroe Island Football seriously - it's hard to believe that they can get eleven players from these islands and I see that some bookies have priced up Irish stiker Robbie Keane at only 11/10 to score more goals on his own than the entire Faroe Islands team...that really tells you all you need to know!

It is hard to imagine that Arsenal will sign Wayne Rooney...who is going to translate his accent so that Arsene Wenger can understand him?!

A thought for the day...nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute!  Have a nice day.