Punchestown Festival

There are four meetings taking place on the level this afternoon with action from Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Brighton and Chelmsford City.  Brighton can hang their heads today as they join the twenties club with only £29,000 in prize money offered across their seven race card.  There is also the small matter of the Punchestown Festival starting today and David will be having a few runners over in the Emerald Isle, the first of which participate tomorrow.  It would appear that Willie Mullins is going to clean up at the meeting - he has nine runners today and four of them are favourite...it will be just like the Cheltenham Festival all over again.

Bookmakers Betfred are offering just 3/1 that Mullins lands all three Grade One races this afternoon - the odds for his runners are 2/7 Douvan, 2/5 Don Poli and 2/1 Champagne Fever.  For all that Champagne Fever is quite long in the betting (comparatively speaking!), Mullins also has 6/1 chance Twinlight and 8/1 shot Felix Younger in that race.  I have certainly seen worse bets.

It will be the turn of the green welly brigade at Cheltenham tomorrow evening as they host a card of seven hunter chases.  It is worth a visit if only to witness the unusual dress code of some of the spectators!  Where on earth do they get those tweeds from?!  I am sure I have probably just upset a good few people, although it is only said in jest.

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There was a good result for Bournemouth last night as they beat Bolton 3-0 and they look certainties to go up into the Premier League.  Surely manager Eddie Howe must be Manager of the Year or even the century!  I would imagine that the hardest job for Bournemouth now will be to hold on to him.  Can you imagine the top clubs such as Chelsea or Manchester United going down to Bournemouth to play?  It is a town where most people go to retire!

Hull need to get a result tonight against Liverpool - they currently have 31 points and only six points divides the bottom six teams.  Liverpool don't look like they can get into the top four so they have very little to play for other than pride.  With that in mind, it might be worth having a little interest on Hull at 10/3.

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I see that former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen managed to get on the wrong train and finished up eight miles from his home in Wraysbury.  Has he managed to upset British Rail and been caught out?!

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Finally, a couple of useless facts to send you on your way...Do you know how you can distinguish a Dogwood tree?  By it's bark!

During the course of your lifetime you will eat an average of 70 insects and 10 spiders while sleeping?!  I found this information on the web!

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