Doncaster, Lingfield Runners

There are five meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps cards from Cheltenham, Doncaster and Lingfield as well as a couple of all-weather flat fixtures from Southwell and Wolverhampton.  David has runners at both Doncaster and Lingfield but not at Cheltenham which is unusual.  Drumlee Lad and Weather Babe go at Doncaster and Conor O'Farrell takes the mount aboard the latter.  Weather Babe (pictured above) has been extremely consistent and our seven year old recorded a personal best last time in a decent novices' chase at Cheltenham - this represents another step up in class although she is still expected to go well.

Over at Lingfield the stable has just one runner; Gevrey Chambertin who has to give away at least 9lbs to all of his rivals.  He would have a chance on the best of his form although he would need to improve on recent starts to figure.  Tom Scudamore is in the saddle.

Looking through the Cheltenham card it is a great shame that there are only three runners in the Raymond Mould Memorial novices' chase.  Do the trainers not want these types of races?  A race such as this at our premier jumping track on a Saturday afternoon does nothing to advertise our sport to the casual viewer.

Of yesterday's runners it was a shame that Vieux Lion Rouge unseated Tom Scudamore at the third last.  I am not sure he would have been able to reel in runaway leader Aachen, although he was disputing third at the time of his departure and all he does is keep going.  Speaking of Aachen it was an excellent ride from 5lbs claimer Charlie Deutsche as he had the race in safe keeping from a long way out under his light weight.  Meanwhile Nina Carberry excelled once again in the cross country race aboard Josie's Orders...in future I think I will just put Nina's name on the betting slip when punting in these contests - she seems to win them all!  I wonder what Enda Bolger's gallops are like?  They must have all manner of hedges and banks in the way!

I had to laugh yesterday when the television was showing a replay of the 1982 Foxhunters' Chase from the Cheltenham Festival.  It was won by Brod Munro-Wilson aboard The Drunken Duck - such was Brod's "style" it was hard to tell which one was drunk!  He had been compared to someone trying to put up a deck chair in a gale and was the last of what I call the real amateurs.  Brod is a lovely chap and often comes into our Cheltenham Festival marquee.

*****

In Hounslow this evening a mad dog bit an income tax inspector.  After being given injections and treatment for shock the dog has been allowed to go home!  Have a nice weekend...

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