Going Getting Softer

This afternoon there are four meetings taking place with three jumps fixtures from Musselburgh, Fontwell and Hexham supported by an all-weather flat card from Chelmsford City.  Richard Johnson travels all the way up to Musselburgh for five rides today as he bids to further extend his lead at the top of the jockeys' standings.  Three of them are forecast favourites and the best of them look to be Brise Vendeenne and Village Vic.  Course officials are still giving the official going as good up in Scotland - they have obviously avoided all of the rain we have had in the west country over the last few days.  I reckon you will see the horses walking home at Hexham today.  It is a stiff course at the best of times, but when it gets soft the uphill finish invariably finds out it's share of the field.

Talking of Richard Johnson I see that he is operating at a strike rate that previously only A P McCoy could have dreamt of.  Of his last 61 rides, 20 of them have been successful - that is a strike rate of 33% - no wonder he is currently heading the standings with 127 winners.

I see that the organisers of Ascot's Shergar Cup meeting have moved quickly to sign up Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne for next year's event.  I guess she will be riding for the girls' team?  She certainly sounds like a bit of a character...I just hope she doesn't read this otherwise she is likely to tell me to get stuffed!

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England somehow managed to get beaten in the Test match cricket against Pakistan.  They lost yesterday by 127 runs and in so doing lost the series 2-0.  It has become increasingly obvious of late that our only world class batsman in captain Alastair Cook - he was top batsman with 450 runs.  Other than Cook it looks as if the remainder of the top six batting order are among the worst ever to play for England and they desperately need to try some new players out.  Yesterday it looked as though they had never seen a spin bowler in their lives.

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What is happening to Scottish football?  A few years ago Celtic would have been good enough to play in our Premier League but nowadays they would struggle in the Championship.  They lost at home yesterday to Molde...apparently it is a place in Norway and dare I say it, Celtic certainly looked Moldey!  There's a joke there somewhere (unless you are a Celtic fan)!

Another day another double on the football yesterday - I hope a few of you followed me in.  If you have been backing all of my selections in all likelihood you have probably decided to give up working...keep those cheques rolling in!

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There was traffic chaos yesterday after a lorry shed 24 tons of lard on an M11 approach road to the M25.  I wonder if it was a slip road?

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