Two Runners At Carlisle

This afternoon there are three meetings taking place with action from Carlisle over the sticks and a couple of all-weather flat fixtures from Southwell and Chelmsford City.  Unfortunately Wincanton were forced to abandon their meeting yesterday afternoon due to waterlogging.  The stable makes the long journey up to Carlisle with Baraka de Thaix and Gevrey Chambertin.  Baraka de Thaix runs in the 2.00pm race which is a handicap hurdle over 2m31/2f and that drop back in trip could help him after he seemingly failed to get home at Exeter last time.  Conditional jockey David Noonan takes the ride and reduces his weight to 11-4.  Meanwhile Tom Scu has re-routed and now takes the mount aboard Gevrey Chambertin - on his best form he would win, but you just don't know which side of his stable he got out of this morning!

At least it has stopped raining down here in the West Country...it was horrible yesterday and we had gale force winds to boot.  It blew my dustbin over no less than three times (or at least that is what Mrs Barnes tells me!).  I wonder what the ground is going to be like for Cheltenham?  Looking at the weather forecast for this way, it doesn't look like there is going to be any more rain between now and the Festival - indeed, we could even be in shorts on Wednesday and Friday!  Can all the bankers come good?  Limini, Yanworth, Douvan, Vroum Vroum Mag, Un de Sceaux, Thistlecrack, Min...I hate it when it looks this easy!

If you missed it yesterday, below is another chance to catch the thoughts of stable jockey Tom Scudamore.  To hear what he had to say about his hopes from the Pond House team as well as his World Hurdle favourite Thistlecrack, simply click on the following photograph or link below...

Tom Scudamore 2016 Cheltenham Festival Interview

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Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Paris Saint Germain last night and are therefore out of the Champions League - that will upset David!  I am not sure how he is a Chelsea fan, our local teams are Exeter and Torquay...come to think of it, now I can see why he's a Chelsea fan!

Liverpool take on Manchester United tonight at 8.05pm and it is covered by BT Sport Europe.  If both teams turn out their best eleven players then Liverpool at 23/10 look worth a bet but the big question is what teams will they put out?  The Scousers beat Manchester City 3-0 and if you can trust them to reproduce that form, then they would win.

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I was amused to read Jackie Mason's take on doctors..."Doctors are crooks.  There is no such thing as an honest doctor, why do you think when a doctor operates he wears a mask?  Why do you think they wear gloves?  Sanitary reasons?  Fingerprints!"  

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