Put Your Hands Up!

While I was watching the racing on television yesterday I saw a jockey give a well-supported 5/4 favourite a terrible ride, but instead of making all sorts of excuses why do they not just put their hands up and say they didn't give that one a very good ride?  Obviously I was not alone in thinking this as a number of viewers phoned up complaining about the ride, the thing is that if the jockey's just owned up, the public would be an awful lot more likely to be forgiving of their mistakes.  I remember a champion jockey once saying to me "I was not at my best on that one" - I had done my money, so I had to agree with him!

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There was a great Twenty20 cricket match in Australia yesterday as England won on the last ball.  It was one of the most exciting cricket matches I have ever seen, and by winning England recorded an amazing eighth consecutive success.  I watched the match with MCP and with the match finely poised throughout, neither one of us could make our minds up about the odds.

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I was pleased to hear that Danny Cook has picked up the ride on Madison du Berlais in Saturday's King George.  Remember Danny won on Great Endeavour at last season's Cheltenham Festival and also tasted big race success aboard Our Vic in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock.  It is good that David and his sporting owner's have given one of the lads in the yard a chance on the big stage when many of the other leading jockey's are without a ride in the race.  One thing is for sure, if last year's runner-up is good enough, Danny will not let us down.

It was another good day for followers of the Pipeline yesterday with two winners at the rewarding odds of 9/2 and 10/3 (0900 3900 900 available from 8am, calls cost 60p per min at all times), while on the Update Line we had two more successes at odds of 7/2 and 5/4 (09060 400 901 available from 10am, calls cost £1.50 per min at all times, helpline 01884 840715).