Lovely Lady At Worcester!

The stable enjoyed a nice winner at Worcester yesterday when Lady Of Longstone ran out a decisive winner of the 2m7f mares' handicap hurdle under conditional jockey Micheal Heard.  She saw out this longer trip really well and could yet be open to further improvement.  She has her limitations but she always seems to do her very best and a record of three wins, four seconds a third and a fourth from only 17 starts reads extremely well.  Meanwhile, also at the meeting Dusk Till Dawn finished runner-up in the stayers' maiden hurdle and will no doubt benefit from the experience.

There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with flat cards from Brighton and Chelmsford as well as two National Hunt fixtures from Uttoxeter and Carlisle.  The stable runs Skylander at Uttoxeter and our six year old has won his last two starts, including when making an impressive chasing debut at Hexham last time.  He is 7lbs higher in the weights although in-form conditional jockey Michael Heard offsets all of that rise with his claim.  It looks to be a more competitive race but he should go well once again.  Meanwhile over at Carlisle David saddles Still Together in the bumper.  Our former Irish point-to-point winner finished a creditable third in a Worcester bumper on his rules debut last month and looks as though he should go well once again in the hands of Brian Toomey.

I love Jamie Spencer's comments about weighing room colleague Frankie Dettori, "he comes back every year and his hair is darker and his teeth are longer.  He's got to be dying it and I always tell him to look out for the colour running when it rains!"

I must say happy birthday to Reg Lomas MBE who is 84 today.  Reg is the former head groundsman at Cheltenham and he played a major part in the career of Peter Scudamore as Reg would always tell Scu where the best ground was.  I thought for years that Scu would walk the track but he would get his information from Reg...lazy git!  Anyway, many happy returns Reg.

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I commented yesterday about the lack of spectators at the Pakistan versus England Test match yesterday and I am told that it is because the match is at Abu Dhabi.  They have to do something about the pitches or all of the matches will just finish in boring draws.  England are 56-0 chasing a Pakistan total of 523 - we are already into day three and the bookies are going 8/11 about the draw.  It looks a good bet to me, although you are going to have to wait another couple of days to collect.

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Can you believe it?!  New Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce thought that Joey Barton was a liability!  Joey is one of those people who could have an argument in a phone box!

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What should you do if lightning strikes your lavatory?  Don't panic...it is probably just a flash in the pan!  Mrs Barnes does not approve of my toilet humour!  Keep smiling...

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