Ffos Las, Newbury Runners

There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps action from Newbury and Ffos Las and all-weather flat fixtures from Chelmsford and Wolverhampton.  We have one runner at each of the National Hunt cards - Sadlers Gold at Newbury and Rathlin Rose at Ffos Las.  Rathlin Rose (pictured above) looks as though he will appreciate the return to a softer surface (both wins having come on soft) and he will certainly get it this afternoon after 15mm of rain overnight, the ground is likely to be extremely testing at the Welsh track.  Jockey Mr D Noonan reduces his weight to 11-5 and he has every chance of being in the shake-up.

Drumlee Lad made a respectable debut for the stable in a decent looking novices' hurdle at Newton Abbot yesterday, finishing third behind the two market leaders.  The form should prove solid and with normal progression he looks sure to pick up races.  Meanwhile, it was a good day to be a layer with the first four odds-on favourites all turned over - one of them was beaten at the incredible price of 1/20!

Can you believe it?  Newton Abbot only have four fixtures during the months of July and August!  I am not sure the race planners are aware that Newton Abbot is near to Torquay which is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the west of England - they should have a meeting every week during those months.

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I hope a few of you heeded my advice yesterday and backed Scotland to beat Northern Ireland last night.  Having said that, there were a few tense moments (85 of them in fact!) as the Scots waited until the 85th minute to score the winner.  They were slight odds-on favourites, but at least they were winning odds-on shots!

As far as I am concerned England football manager Roy Hodgson needs to prove himself before being offered a lucrative new contract.  The mess he made in Brazil would have had most domestic managers sacked - I think that we need some young blood with fresh ideas to liven the national squad up.

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I can see why Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was holding out for a new contract with Mercedes.  The poor love was only offered £100 million for a three year deal - that is only £64,000 per week!  He's right, most of us wouldn't drive our cars for that sort of money.  I sometimes wonder if these sports people live in the real world?  Who is the best sportsman, Lewis Hamilton or A P McCoy?...I rest my case.

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I see that a rare 1915 Cyclone motorcycle once owned by Hollywood legend Steve McQueen sold for £520,000 in Las Vegas...you could say that it was a £1/2 million Big Mac!

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