One Runner At Warwick

Today we have four meetings to look forward to, two over the jumps at Warwick and Fakenham and two all-weather flat meetings at Southwell and Kempton.  The stable has one runner at Warwick, Franklin Roosevelt who participates in the 3m2f handicap chase at 1.50pm.  The trip will take some getting in the prevailing conditions and our eight year old has to shoulder the burden of 11-12 - fortunately he seems to possess plenty of stamina.  He has won on good/soft ground so hopefully he will be able to cope with this softer surface - it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

I thought that yesterday's runner Shotavodka ran a most encouraging first race over fences at Catterick yesterday.  In what looked like a decent contest for the yard, he finished a close second to Cheltenham Festival winning hurdler Holywell, who was officially rated 13lbs superior to our charge over hurdles.  A slow jump at the second last didn't help our cause, but he has probably run right up to his hurdle rating in bustling up the winner and coming clear of the third.  He looks sure to be winning his share of races over fences on this evidence.

*****

The papers are full of reports about Barney Curley's alleged four winners yesterday.  The results cost the bookmakers in the region of £2 million, mind you it should have been a lot more...last nights winners were backed in from 7/1 to 9/4 and 4/7.  I thought that one of the quotes of the day came from trainer John Butler who was Barney's former assistant - he said, "I don't know about betting."  Now I find that very difficult to believe!  As far as I am concerned the sport of racing needs characters like Barney Curley to keep it interesting.  I once saw Barney in the shire horse centre in Cornwall but that is another story I will tell you about another time!

It was good to see Frankie Dettori back from injury with a couple of winners.  He is another great character for the sport and despite some of his silly off the track escapades, he is still a great draw for racegoers and still looks pretty effective in the saddle too!  He soaked everyone anywhere near the winners enclosure at Lingfield with a bottle of champagne.

*****

I'm afraid it is another bad day for head lad Eddie Buckley and my old mate Tony after Manchester United managed to get beaten in a penalty shoot out last night by Sunderland in the second lef of their Capital One Cup match.  It's a season when United are not going to win anything, furthermore I am not sure that Juan Mata can save them.  The £37 million signing looks like a panic buy to me.