2 Punchestown Runners

It is a bumper day of action today with six meetings taking place including jumps cards from Uttoxeter and Hexham and flat fixtures from Thirsk, Newmarket, Goodwood and Doncaster, not to mention the final day of the Punchestown Festival in Ireland.  The stable has two runners this afternoon at Punchestown; Stars Over The Sea and Monetaire.  Stars Over The Sea finished a close fourth at Aintree and if he settles he could run a big race.  Monetaire was very unlucky last time when competing over the Grand National fences in the Topham Chase at Aintree, being badly hampered before being brought down by a faller in front of him.  Previously he was a narrow runner-up at the Cheltenham Festival and he has the form to run a big race - Tom Scudamore rides them both, while he has also picked up a couple of outside rides.

Dell' Arca was our only runner yesterday and he faced an uphill task against the Champion Hurdle 1-2 Faugheen and Arctic Fire.  Even so, I thought he ran respectably to finish third and in the process picked up almost £14,000 in prize money.  At the moment Faugheen looks as though he will continue to be the hurdler to beat in the two mile division for the foreseeable future.

Willie Mullins only had three winners at the meeting yesterday(!) and the star of his string this afternoon is Annie Power in the Grade One race at 3.50pm.  She was unlucky at the Festival last time with the mares' race at her mercy when she took a fall at the last hurdle.  Providing she is none the worse, she is very much the one to beat once again.

Jockey Timmy Murphy who won the 2008 Grand Naitonal aboard our Comply Or Die is to take out his flat licence when he returns to the saddle.  He follows the example of former National Hunt jockeys Graham Lee and Jim Crowley who have made a successful switch between codes.  He says that the flat offers plenty of opportunities and should help to prolong his career - we wish him every success.

It is the first of the Classics this afternoon as Newmarket hosts the 2,000 Guineas.  It looks to be a wide open renewal with no one horse standing apart as exceptional from the remainder...yet!  One of our owners, Professor Caroline Tisdall is a part owner of a runner in the race, Celestial Path.  He was last seen when finishing third in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.  We will all be cheering him on!

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England's cricketers made 240-7 with captain Alistair Cook making an excellent 107 - form is temporary but class is permanent and he made the remainder of his team mates look very ordinary.  All the experts said that he should be dropped and I must admit that I had my doubts.  Perhaps it is the experts who need to be dropped?!  Trott continues to struggle as he was out for a duck and he looks to be really struggling for form.  We really do need to get to 300.

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It is the big fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather tonight and I reckon we could be in for a late finish.  This one could go the distance and the bookies make it 4/7 Mayweather and 7/4 Pacquiao.

What about the boxing fan who tried to take a selfie with a boxer and ended up getting into a scuffle and had to be pulled away?  The boxer was Mike Tyson - I can certainly think of better people to get into a scuffle with!

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My football bets this weekend are: Leicester at 21/20, Swansea at 11/8 and West Ham at 5/4.

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Did you know that Thomas Edison was scared of the dark?  Apparently he decided he had to invent a light bulb quickly as he was running out of matches!

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