Poole Masters Rivals!

Poole Master was a ready winner of the closing bumper at Uttoxeter yesterday afternoon when making all of the running to score by 4 1/2 lengths under Chris Honour.  He certainly seemed to handle the soft ground (heavy in places) well enough, and our five year old looks a nice type who should certainly make up into a decent hurdler.

*****

The Australians finished the day's play on 220-5, leaving them just 40 short of England's first innings total with five wickets left remaining.  It wasn't a bad effort from the English, but we really can't afford for the home side to build up too much of a lead.

*****

The snow has really hit parts of the country and unsurprisingly Newcastle has lost it's Fighting Fifth meeting tomorrow due to seven inches of snow standing on the track.  I see that Nicky Henderson wants the race moved to Newbury's Hennessy meeting tomorrow.  I wonder if he would be so keen to have the race rearranged if he didn't have a stong contender in Champion Hurdle winner Binocular engaged?!

Talking of the Hennessy, did you know that there are only eight jockeys that ever won the race on two occasions, and two of them rode for MCP.  Peter Scudamore won the big race on Strands Of Gold and Chatam, while Timmy Murphy was successful on Ever Blessed and Celestial Gold.  The winning-most jockey was William Robinson who was successful three times on Mandarin, Mill House and Man Of The West.