Back To Back Gold Cups!

Let's start by talking about the big race over the weekend...no not the Derby, the Perth Gold Cup!  David won it for the second successive year yesterday, this time with the lightly raced chaser Guess Again (pictured above).  It was a long way to go with just one runner but with over £16,000 in prize money to the winner, it proved to be well worthwhile on this occasion.  According to the Racing Post not only was he ridden by Tom Scudamore but he was trained by him as well - he's a talented lad our Tom!  I seem to remember David giving this one a positive mention in his weekly blog after winning at Wincanton last time, so it seems like he has been proven right.  Just for a change it was a good day for A P McCoy at the meeting too, riding two winners and two seconds for Irish trainer Gordon Elliott.

There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with three on the level at Pontefract, Ayr and Windsor as well as a jumps card from Newton Abbot.  Although David doesn't have any runners Tom Scudamore has picked up some nice outside rides, including a couple of forecast favourites Nomadic Storm and Applause - both look to have good chances, so let's hope he can continue his fantastic start to the season.

It wasn't a bad weekend for Aidan O'Brien either as he became the first trainer to land three consecutive Epsom Derby's, this time courtesy of Australia.  I had been backing him for weeks ante-post, but had managed to get a worse price than he returned on the day!  Having said that, a winner is a winner!  I do not pay much credence to stories of these horses going badly at home or being beaten by stable companions on the gallops as they are normally just a load of hot air.

Channel 4 have to be disappointed with their viewing figures.  1.5 million people tuned in to watch but that is the smallest audience this century.  Something clearly needs to be done, otherwise there may not even be a Derby in 15 years time.  I think their coverage is partially to blame as it has failed to appeal to a new audience while alienating some of it's old viewers.  Things have become far too involved and technical now and that is a bit of a turn-off to casual viewers, while there is not the chemistry or charisma between presenters to keep the audience engaged.

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What a great win for Rafa Nadal in the French Open tennis at the weekend as he beat Novak Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros.  It was Nadal's fifth win in a row and he would certainly appear to be the best player of all time (on this surface at least).  He has now won 14 Grand Slam tournaments and is currently only three behind Roger Federer.

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How is it that our national football side can only achieve a goaless draw with a semi-professional outfit like Honduras?  Twenty years ago it would have been a cricket score and we would have declared!  These smaller countries are much more organised now, but it can be described as nothing less than a massive disappointment that England were not able to score a comfortable victory.  They don't look like World Cup winners waiting to happen to me!

Why on earth would QPR be interested in paying 35 year old defender Rio Ferdinand £80,000 per week in wages?  Surely that is a massive backward step, especially as they found themselves in trouble before by handing out big money contracts to past their prime players.

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