Wincanton Double!

With all of the inclement weather it is hardly surprising that Leicester, Bangor and Redcar have all abandoned their meetings for this afternoon leaving us with a blank day.  We had strong winds overnight and 34mm of rain during the course of the weekend although it didn't seem as bad as the forecasters were suggesting it could be.  The sea was coming up over the breakwater in Brixham, although I have seen it much worse in the past.  There was tree down, but it was only a branch road!  Fortunately the racing went ahead yesterday as we had a couple of nice winners in the staying handicap chases at Wincanton.  Standing Ovation landed his third consecutive success within the space of seventeen days in the Desert Orchid Chase - he battled bravely, staying on well in the closing stages to win with a bit in hand.

The time of the race was faster than standard by 1.20 seconds so the ground couldn't have been as soft as first feared.  I understand that he could turn out again under a penalty or perhaps even go to the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham next month - he certainly seems to be on the upgrade.  Franklin Roosevelt was also able to win with a bit in hand and is another that could turn out again in the near future.

It wasn't a great day for A P McCoy yesterday - he only rode two winners - he is now very close to reaching the amazing landmark of 4,000 career winners.

I see that major flat owner Michael Tabor is 72 today.  When he lived in the East end he played a bit of table tennis, mind you it was some time ago...I wonder if he still plays?

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How can ladies tennis player Serena Williams still be winning tennis tournaments at the age of 32?  Is she that much better than the other ladies on the tour or is the standard of their sport comparitively poor at present?  Personally I think that the standard of opposition is getting worse...that will upset the ladies out there!

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There was a good win for Chelsea last night as they claimed victory over Manchester City.  It doesn't look like Joe Hart and Matija Nastasic speak the same language to me - they managed to get completely mixed up with Hart coming out to collect a long ball only for Nastasic to head the ball straight over his goalies head.  Torres managed to nip in to claim the second of the match and it seems that he has recaptured some of his old form again.

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Jimmy White managed to win a snooker match in Chengdu - mind you his opponent was only 13 years old.  Jimmy had 38 years in hand so you would expect him to win, although Steve Davis managed to lose to a 16 year old.  The thing is that some of these players are so precocious these days that they are well capable making frame winning breaks in one visit, although you have to question whether it is time for some of the veterans to call it a day?

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I see that Sebastian Vettel sealed his fourth consecutive Formula One world championship yesterday with races to spare.  Considering he is only 26 years of age, you would have to think that if Red Bull can keep producing a competitive car, he would have every chance of eclipsing Michael Schumacher's record of seven championships.  What was it I was saying about precocious talent in sport?...