Across The Card Treble!

Saturday was a good day for the yard when we enjoyed three winners - one each at Ascot, Haydock and Wincanton.  I thought that expensive ex-French purchase Un Temps Pour Tout (pictured above) was very impressive at Ascot, landing the novices' hurdle as he pleased by sixteen lengths from a useful prospect - I would think that David has him working harder on the gallops at home!  I know it was only a four runner race and he won as he should have done according to official figures but the step up in trip looked to be exactly what was needed and he looks as though he will get further still.  All roads should certainly lead to Cheltenham from here.

Top Wood caused something of a surprise when winning the Pertemps handicap hurdle at Haydock on his first start for 388 days at odds of 25/1under an enterprising ride from Conor O'Farrell and he is now eligible for the final of the series at the Festival next month, while Knight Of Noir produced a taking victory at Wincanton under Nick Scholfield winning stable (and race) sponsor Wayne Clifford some of his own money.  Of our other runners, I thought that Heath Hunter produced a decent performance in the handicap hurdle at Ascot, weakening only in the closing stages to finish fourth having travelled like the best horse in the race for much of the way.  Our Father finished fifth in the National Trial at Haydock and he ran a fair race - ridiculous as it may sound, I don't think 4 1/2 miles around Aintree will take as much getting as 3 1/2 miles around Haydock on a day like Saturday.

It is a quiet day on the jump racing front with just two meetings on the all-weather - a bumper card at Southwell as well as an all-weather flat card at Wolverhampton.  It is another chance for the National Hunt trainers to get a run into their horses without subjecting them to gruelling, bottomless ground.  The stable has no runners this afternoon.  It was a bright, sunny day yesterday and as such perhaps there will be more jump meetings on this week than we have had for a while.

Looking through the trainers title in Ireland I see that Willie Mullins is 100 winners in front of his nearest pursuer and almost £2million ahead in terms of prize money.  It is a bit like Celtic in the Scottish Premier League...in fact, Celtic would probably get a better game from a Mullins XI!

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What a result for Arsenal as they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup yesterday.  Liverpool had destroyed Arsenal 5-1 in their last encounter but like the great Jimmy Greaves used to say 'It's a funny old game!'

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I see that our England Under 19 cricket XI are following in the footsteps of the senior team.  They lost by a wicket to Sri Lanka - I suppose at least you could say that is an improvement!