Scottish National Day

It is a great weekend for sports fans and there is some great racing action to look forward to.  There are five meetings taking place this afternoon - two over the sticks at Ayr and Bangor, while there are flat fixtures at Newbury, Thirsk and Wolverhampton.  It is Scottish National day at Ayr and the stable is represented by three runners: Swing Bowler, His Excellency and Edmund Kean (pictured above) who goes in the big one.  Swing Bowler takes in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and with top weight My Tent Or Yours in the line-up, several of the field are out of the handicap, including our mare.  Mikey Ennis offsets that with his 7lbs claim and while it will be difficult to beat the Champion Hurdle runner-up, she does get plenty of weight and should run well.

The Scottish National is a thirty runner affair and looks to be wide open.  Tom Scu is aboard the stables' runner Edmund Kean and with only 10-0 to carry, he could run a big race.  Novices' have a good record in this contest and provided he gets this longer trip (and he shapes as if he will) he is well worth his place in the line-up.  Incidentally, if you ever go up to Ayr, I would suggest taking the train - the journey is absolutely stunning, all along the coast and you will never have seen so many golf courses either!  Last time I was up there I went into a local pub and found one of our stable lasses line dancing!  It was never one of my best dances personally.

There is another good flat card from Newbury with three Group 3 races on the trot - John Porter Stakes, The Fred Darling Stakes and Greenham Stakes.  The big yards already seem to be firing in the winners with the Hannon and Gosden teams looking particularly worth following at present.

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The big game at the bottom of the Premier League is Fulham versus Norwich.  Norwich have just sacked their manager (which seems a little late in the season) and sometimes you do see a brief turnaround under a caretaker manager.  There is only a point between them, while Sunderland have a couple of games in hand - even so, they looked doomed to me.

I hear that Manchester United will have beds installed at their training ground so the dads' can get some kip.  Sports science experts believe that players like Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand are being kept awake by their nippers and could be to blame for their sleepy performance.  They probably wake up having nightmares!
Anyway, my little treble for the weekend...Hull at 8/11, Arsenal at 4/9 and Southampton at 1/2. 

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