First Runner Of The Season

There are five meetings taking place this afternoon with flat cards from Chepstow, Lingfield and Musselburgh as well as jumps fixtures from Bangor and Fontwell.  Meanwhile, over in Ireland it is day four of the Punchestown Festival.  David has his first runner of the new season on these shores tonight when Heath Hunter competes in the 7.00pm race at Fontwell - it is a 2m1 1/2f handicap hurdle and it looks to be a trappy little contest.  Heath Hunter (pictured above) has won five times and is a very consistent sort, although all of his wins have been gained with plenty of give underfoot.  Conditional jockey David Noonan is in the saddle.

The wooden spoon today goes to Lingfield who somehow manage to get away with just £30,000 in prize money for their entire seven race card.  The trouble is that as long as there are owners and trainers willing to compete for that sort of prize money, the tracks will continue to try their luck.

There is another excellent card from Punchestown tonight including their Champion Hurdle between My Tent Or Yours and Vroum Vroum Mag at 5.30pm.  If My Tent Or Yours can get anywhere near his Cheltenham or Aintree form he will be very much the one to beat (with a clear round).

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Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Villareal last night and they were beaten by an injury time goal.  Liverpool looked to be completely in control for the vast majority of the match and I think they will win the return leg back at Anfield on Thursday.

It is hard to believe that Jose Mourinho has been assured that he will get the Manchester United job.  Just think...the current manager Van Gaal could win the FA Cup and finish in the top four of the Premier League and still get the boot.  It is certainly a tough old game and I see that United have also signed Renato Sances from Benfica for £39 million.  I wonder which manager wanted him?!

Meanwhile I see that Slaven Bilic agrees with what I have been saying for ages about video technology being the only way to sort out the current refereeing crisis.  I know West Ham have been involved in several officiating howlers.  It would only take a few seconds to say if the referees decision is right or wrong.  One thing is for sure, if they had picked up every error the table would look very different to how it does now.

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I was walking through town the other day and I saw a chap playing Dancing Queen on the didgeridoo...I thought "that's Aboriginal!"  Keep smiling...

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