Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2011!  I wonder how many people have already broken their New Year's Resolutions?  My first one was to stop backing West Ham just because they are my team - I will probably break that one later on today when they take on Wolves at home.  The biggest price available is 21/20, although Wolves did look good against a very poor Liverpool team last time.

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I see that Aussie commentator Jim McGrath has gone back to his homeland to watch the final Test Match of the Ashes series in Sydney.  England have already retained the Ashes regardless of the result here and all I will say is that Jim must be some glutton for punishment!  You would think he would be like the remainder of the Australian public and give the match a swerve, nevermind travel thousands of miles to watch it...

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What a great way to start the New Year with a fantastic card from Cheltenham.  I am sure there will be a bumper turnout to see the action, especially with plenty of once a year racegoers in attendance.  My advice is to go early as it may not be the easiest place to get in and out of today.

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I thought that Peter Toole gave Mr Big a cracking ride at Warwick yesterday - he was very cool and beat A P McCoy by a head in a driving finish.  That's the second time that has happened in three days (think back to Tom Scu aboard Lucy's Perfect at Taunton on Thursday) - what is going on there?!  I am sure A P will want to put that behind him and start the New Year off with a winner...by the way I notice that he is booked to ride Sway this afternoon at Cheltenham and the mare has only 10-2.  A P's lowest riding weight in the last 12 months is 10-3 - I don't suppose he would have had much of a New Year's celebration - I wonder if that is an indication of whether the mare is well fancied?

If you phoned the Pipeline yesterday you would have been put onto a couple of nice winners at the rewarding odds of 7/2 and 11/2, so let's hope that the lucky pin keeps working throughout 2011!  To benefit from this great information call 0900 3900 900 from 8am (Calls charged a t 60p per min at all times, Helpline 01884 840715).

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year