Golden Eclipse?

Unfortunately if you are a fan of the jumping game you are out of luck again as there are six meetings taking place this afternoon and they are all on the flat!  The action comes from Sandown, Haydock, Leicester, Beverley, Carlisle and Nottingham - don't panic though, jumping returns tomorrow with a card from Market Rasen.  The big race of the day is undoubtedly the Coral Eclipse at Sandown which is worth £255,195 and features the reappearance of impressive Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn - there are only five runners and he will take the world of beating.  Tullius is the outsider of the field at 100/1 and while still a good racehorse in his own right, he should be outclassed on all known form - even so he is guaranteed £12,105 even if he finishes last - not a bad couple of minutes work I am sure you will agree!

What a ride Richard Johnson gave Easily Pleased to beat Red Skipper by a nose  at Newton Abbot yesterday.  The nine year old tried every trick in the book to get beat but Johnson was having none of it and in so doing, brought up his fastest ever 50 in a season - a fantastic achievement.  Still to give you some perspective, the very much missed A P McCoy's fastest 50 came in 2014 when he reached the half century on 3rd June (over three weeks faster than Johnson) - yet another glaringly obvious reason why we will never see the like of A P again.

If there are so many people out of work, how come there are so many advertisements for jobs in today's Racing Post?  Trainers are recruiting stable staff, work riders, conditional jockeys, amateur jockeys, head lads and racing secretaries - where is everyone?  If only I were five years younger!

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I nearly had to eat my words yesterday when British ladies' number one Heather Watson was just two points away from beating the mighty Serena Williams in the third round at Wimbledon.  I must say, it was a great match but it is frustrating that Heather cannot play like this more often...she would surely be winning tournaments if she could produce this level of play on a more regular basis.  Her exit leaves just Andy Murray and James Ward representing the Brits in the tournament - they play their third round matches today.

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It's that car racing thingy at Silverstone this weekend - oh yes, that's right the British Grand Prix!  As you can probably tell, it is not one of my favourite sports...the same few drivers and cars seem to win every race and the fastest car seems to win every time.  Put them all in Reliant Robins and it would be down to the most skillful driver - even Del Boy would have a chance!  If you are planning on camping at Silverstone I would advise that you leave early as 28,000 people are going to be pitching a tent this weekend!

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Did you know that in 1867 the Russian Czar Alexander II sold Alaska to the USA for $7.2million to pay off his gambling debts?  I wonder whose tips he was following...and no, they weren't mine! 

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