5 At Cheltenham Today

There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps action from Cheltenham and Hexham and all-weather flat meetings from Lingfield and Wolverhampton.   Cheltenham is the undisputed home of National Hunt racing and there is no better place to have a winner - David has plenty of chances today with his five runners.  In the first he runs La Vaticane and our mare had some very good form in France before finishing a creditable second on her British debut last season.  All of her wins have come on soft or heavy ground so she handle underfoot conditions and David looks to have found a valuable race that she can win.

Dell' Arca (pictured above) has to give 5lbs away to his six rivals and this looks to be a tough race with former World Hurdle winner More Of That among his six opponents.  He won at Uttoxeter last time and should still run his usual game race.  Champers On Ice has won his last couple of starts in an Irish Point-to-Point and a Punchestown bumper and he has been in good form at home, but although there are only four runners, they have won ten races between them.  Penglai Pavillon looks to be the one to beat after his course victory last month - he was rated 97 on the level and was fifth in Treve's 2013 Arc - he is already rated 146 over hurdles.

Baraka de Thaix carries top weight in the novices' handicap hurdle - this is an ultra-competitive race with 20 runners in the line-up, while Alternatif contests the amateur riders' chase and he is partnered by this season's leading amateur jockey David Noonan.

Much as it may be controversial and will probably upset those equal opportunists, I have to say that I agree with A P McCoy when it comes to lady jockeys.  The champ says that the ladies should receive a weight allowance, much as a filly or mare does competing against the colts and geldings.  Without wishing to upset anybody, it is a simple biological fact that a man is usually going to be stronger than a woman.  There are plenty of sports where men and women do not compete against each other at all.  Coming to the last at Cheltenham who would you want to have your money on, A P McCoy or a lady jockey?  I think a small allowance is an excellent idea although it will probably be too controversial to ever implement.

There is an interesting article in the Sun today about the late, great Pat Eddery.  I have to say that the accompanying picture looks very much like his brother Paul!

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I see that Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton came straight from a party and then hit three parked cars in his £1.5million supercar, apparently he said "we drunk a lot and I was really feeling it".  Don't they have police in Monaco?  Other reports suggest that the driver is suffering from a fever and tiredness which led to the fender bender...

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There should be an interesting football match this evening as England take on Spain in an International friendly at 7.45pm on ITV.  I see there is no Wayne Rooney in the line-up - it seems a strange decision to rest the captain.  Spain look to be a good side on paper.

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What do you call a man who is always dipping his biscuits in his tea?  Duncan!  The old ones are the best...