Dynaste Returns

           Dynaste Returns to Action

Today we have some top class jumping action at Haydock, Ascot and Huntingdon and there are two flat cards at Lingfield and Wolverhampton.  David has just one runner at Ascot, Pleasant Company in the first race and Jamie Moore rides.  He is one of the only people that sounds more cockney than me!  Pleasant Company is having is first run of the season in a competitive looking novice hurdle.  He is a winner of a bumper at the track and also ran well in a maiden hurdle there last season.  It will be interesting to see how he gets on.  David has five runners at Haydock.  Heath Hunter, Vieux Lion Rouge, Katkeau, Dynaste and Shotavodka all run with Tom Scu on board all of them except Vieux Lion Rouge who is ridden by Conor O'Farrell.  The big race is the Betfair chase at 3.00pm, worth £112,540 to the winner.  Dynaste returns to action, a race he finished second in 12 months ago.  As you would expect it looks a very tight race with Cue Card and Silviniaco Conti looking the main dangers and Dynaste is about 4/1.

Vieux Lion Rouge and Katkeau run in the valuable Fixed Brush hurdle, a race which David has won three times in the last four years.  They both look to have fairly good chances in a competitive race.  Katkeau put up a great performance to win at Cheltenham last weekend, coming back from a long lay off and seemed to come out of it very well so David decided to let him take his chance again this afternoon.  Heath Hunter and Shotavodka also run in as equally competitive races this afternoon but fingers crossed they can all run well.

Courtlands Prince was the only runner for the yard yesterday and he ran okay to finish third in the Bumper at Ffos Las.  The ground looked bottomless and the times confirmed this with all of the races being slow by over a minute!  Courtlands Prince has ability and will win races in the future.

Young Sam Twiston-Davies says hurry back AP we miss him in the weighing room - he does not say we miss him on the track!  We will never see the likes of AP again when he eventually retires in the future, probably in 2025!  AP was on ATR last night with Luke Harvey and Jason Weaver and that was an entertaining watch.  It is great to hear AP will be back in action next week.

It is Stuart Barnes' 52nd birthday today and owner Gaie Scouller's birthday as well.  I am not sure if Stuart ever tipped me a rugby team that won but he has always been a better player than tipster!  I would like to wish them both a very happy birthday.

I see that our top flat jockey's Dettori, Fallon, Spencer, Sanders, Fortune and Queally are all in Barbados.  I wonder if AP will be joining them for a game of golf?  It is not a bad life, I would rather be on the Pond House gallops on a cold, wet and windy morning, do you believe me?!

Arsenal play Man Utd at 5.30pm this evening in what looks the match of the day.  Both teams have dodgy defences so it should be a good watch.

My football bets for today are Newcastle 10/11, Stoke 5/4 and Portsmouth at evens.  Have a nice day.