Weekend Jottings!

There are two meetings taking place this afternoon with action from Carlisle and Leicester.  David has one runner at Leicester as recent Wincanton winner Houston Dynimo takes in the 2m6f veterans' chase at 2.00pm.  Our spritely ten year old remains in good form and hardly ever runs a bad race.  This season's leading amateur jockey David Noonan takes the ride and he claims a very handy 5lbs off his back.

I see that the Listed chase at Carlisle has attracted the attention of Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins and he ventures across with Gitane du Berlais with Daryl Jacob in the saddle.  Ruby Walsh has decided to stay at home and has six rides at Fairyhouse, of which I could see three of them winning.

Trainer Julie Booke and jockey John Kington incurred the wrath of the stewards for schooling their horse in public at Doncaster on Friday.  The trainer received a £3,000 fine, the jockey was banned for 14 days and the horse suspended for 40 days.  Surely with all of the top class gallops, facilities and racecourses allowing trainers to use them for exercise, why school in public, I really don't understand?

*****

The greedy bookmakers are trying to get punters to back top of the table Leicester striker Jamie Vardy to score 30 goals at odds of 25/1.  He needs another seventeen to hit the target and I don't think I would be in any great hurry to get on even at that price - strikers often go through a bit of a lean spell.

It is a sporting Sunday for me with golf in the morning and then in front of the box to watch Spurs versus Chelsea and my beloved Hammers against West Brom...does it get any better than that?!  With my son cutting the grass for me in the week I shouldn't be getting it in the ear from Mrs Barnes either, heaven!

*****

The final Grand Prix of the season takes place in Abu Dhabi today and I can't say I will be sorry to see the back of it...it has all been rather one-sided and dull!  World champion Lewis Hamilton is a best priced 10/11 to win his eleventh race of the season.  The UAE celebrates it's 44th anniversay on Wednesday and Hamilton drives car number 44 so those people who like a coincidence bet look like they are in with a good chance of collecting.  What is more, Hamilton has won the race twice before...James in our office will be impressed by my knowledge of F1!

*****

What did the vet squeeze out of the cuttlefish's boil?  Octo pus!  Oh dear...

Tweet