3 Runners At Exeter

There are three meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps action from Newcastle and Exeter as well as a flat card from Southwell.  David has three runners at Exeter; Bladoun, Still Together and Epic Warrior.  Bladoun and Still Together contest the 2.00pm race which is a 2m1f conditional jockeys handicap hurdle and Still Together takes a big drop in trip having seemingly failed to get home last time.  David Noonan is on board today and with the soft ground likely to make this a thorough test at the trip you will need to stay well and our six year old should certainly do that.  Meanwhile Bladoun (pictured above) is still 7lbs higher than his last winning mark and he is partnered by Michael Heard.  Epic Warrior runs in the 2.35pm race and Tom Scudamore takes the ride - on the best of his form he would have a squeak from a mark of 117.

What a surprise! Victoria Pendleton is going to ride in the Foxhunters at the Cheltenham Festival.  She could earn £250,000 which I am sure had no bearing on the decision to let her ride.  Coral make her a 6/4 chance to complete - I hope she doesn't read all the odds quoted about her!

Talking of the Cheltenham Festival, any of you who like an ante-post wager should be taking the 10/1 currently on offer about Cause Of Causes for the Kim Muir Chase.  I can only see his price going one way between now and then.  For those of you who are interested, I have already backed Yanworth for the Neptune, Thistlecrack, Johns Spirit, Cause Of Causes, Ivanovich Gorbatov, Superb Story and Don Cossack.

22 is certainly a young age to be retiring but that is what has happened to Joseph O'Brien who has finished his riding career to concentrate on training.  During his spell in the saddle he rode 30 Group One winnners and was champion jockey.   Weight would appear to be the obvious issue as he is a tall lad for a rider.  He already has 70 horses in his care including Triumph Hurdle favourite Ivanovich Gorbatov - I wish him the best of luck.

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What about lady tennis player Maria Sharapova failing a drugs test?  She is the highest paid female sports star in the world and I find it hard to believe with her massive entourage including coaching staff and dietitians, physios etc that someone did not think to tell her that she shouldn't be taking this medication.  I am sure by now you know that I am all for a zero tolerance stance on drugs, but Meldonium is designed to treat heart failure, angina and control diabetes - I know as I take them too...it hasn't improved my tennis any though!

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In future, instead of getting married again I am just going to find a woman that I don't like and give her a house!

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