Four Meetings Today

Today we have four meetings taking place with jumps cards at Newcastle and Wetherby (so I'm afraid if you are a jumps fan who lives in the south of England you are out of luck), while there are flat fixtures from Lingfield and Wolverhampton.  There is only £28,000 on offer across Wetherby's six race card - poor when you consider some of the high class action they do host at the track.  Can you believe they have a two runner mares' hunter chase (with a 1/25 favourite)?  I guess at least they have had the decency to put it on last so everybody can go home!  The stable has no runners this afternoon although Tom Scudamore makes the long trip north for a couple of outside rides - let's hope that he can keep his good run of form going.  I know that he has his sights firmly set on riding 150 winners this season and with him currently on the 139 mark with a month of the season left, he looks to have every chance of doing so.

I thought that Sadlers Gold ran a promising race at Newbury yesterday to finish behind a potentially decent type.  He travelled well until turning into the straight and he looks as though he would appreciate a drop in trip under less demanding conditions.  Tom Scu didn't leave the track empty handed as he was on the mark when steering 20/1 chance Phone Home to victory for Nick Mitchell.

Rathlin Rose also ran with credit to finish third in the competitive 2m6f handicap hurdle at Ffos Las.  After 15mm of rain at the Welsh track overnight, conditions were extremely testing and he didn't look as though he quite got home on the heavy ground.  There look to be more races to be won with him.

I see that trainer Oliver Sherwood is to get the number one parking space at Newbury with an engraved bronze number plate in commemoration of his Hennessy victory with Many Clouds earlier in the season.  He's lucky...I don't even have the number one parking space at my house!  Come to think of it, it is a good job our cat doesn't drive because I would surely be pushed even further down the pecking order!

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There should be an interesting football match tonight between England and Lithuania.  The bookies make England 1/7 favourites and it shows just how competitive it is likely to be.  A few facts about Lithuania...basketball is their national sport, they are ranked 94 in the football world rankings, mind you they do have the world's stongest man Zydrunas Savickas - I had better spell his name correctly as I wouldn't want to make him cross!  Anyway, let's hope that Harry Kane gets some play otherwise my bet on him to score is going to look a bit stupid...did those greedy bookies know that Hodgson wasn't going to play him?

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Did you know that apparently former heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison has retired?  I thought that he had retired years ago...if not, he should have done!  Remember in his title fight against David Haye, he only landed one punch?!

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Experts are testing sea slugs minds to compare them to human brains (I know, I have no idea why either!) at Manchester University.  I suppose they will be slugging it out!  Have a nice day...

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