Wetherby, Kempton Runners

There are two jumps meetings from Wetherby and Fontwell to look forward to this afternoon as well as all-weather flat cards from Lingfield and Kempton.  We make the long trek up north to Wetherby with two runners; Too Generous who goes in the 2m6f claimer and Smiles For Miles (pictured above) who will be bidding to follow-up his recent Chepstow chase success.  Michael Heard takes the mount aboard the former and his 8lbs claim reduces our mares weight to 10-3 - with such a low weight you would expect her to win, while Smiles For Miles is odds-on to supplement his latest win under Tom Scudamore.  We also have a runner on the all-weather this afternoon at Kempton - Dalgig was a winner at the course last time out and bids to follow-up in the 4.45pm race under former National Hunt jockey Graham Lee.

The stable's one runner yesterday Sinndar's Man did not appear to relish the extremely testing going at Lingfield yesterday.  Watching the racing, the ground really did look bottomless with most races turning into more of a war of attrition.  He had previously looked a most progressive juvenile and I am sure he will be seen in a better light when tackling a sounder surface once again.

What a complete balls up at Sedgefield yesterday with the racecourse officials waving the wrong colour flags to divert jockeys around a fence.  All seven jockeys who were involved in the race were banned for ten days for ignoring the 'incorrect' flag, even though the error was rectified on the second circuit.  Talk about amateur hour and yet, once again it is the owner who loses out.  I think I would be considering legal action to recoup any prize money won from the track.  I wonder if the flag man will get his wages? After all it was his error in the first place!

Jockey Jim Crowley can certainly spin a good yarn!  He was saying it wouldn't matter what he had done as he was beaten yesterday aboard Whispering Star by a short head after trading at 1/25 in the last half furlong.  The filly is obviously a bit of a monkey as she has now finished runner-up on her last five starts...mind you, it did look bad to observers.

The good news for racing fans is that perennial champion jockey A P McCoy is back in the saddle this afternoon at Fontwell - he takes the mount aboard the Neil Mulholland trained Southfield Royale, his only ride of the day.  I am not sure that his return is such good news for his weighing room colleagues!

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Sergio Aguero rather than Manchester City beat Bayern Munich 3-2 last night.  He looked magnificent as he scored a hat-trick to sink the German team who admittedly had to play most of the match with only ten men.  It gives Sergio a good chance of getting into the next round!

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I was listening to boxer Chris Eubank Jnr yesterday and it struck me that he seemed a bit arrogant...I wonder where he gets that from?  Of course, I woudn't be brave enough to say that to his face!

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Apparently a French scientist has devised a herbal pill that is supposed to make breaking wind smell like chocolate.  I think I will order a bar of them!  On that note I will leave you before we reach rock bottom...