Two Uttoxeter Runners

There are three fixtures this afternoon with flat meetings from Carlisle and Pontefract as well as a jumps card Uttoxeter.  At least if you are a fan of the jumps there is a bit of action today, however if you live in the south of the country you face a bit of a trek...I sound like a grumpy old man again!  David has two runners today at Uttoxeter; Twentytwo's Taken and Purple 'N Gold.  Twentytwo's Taken (pictured above) took a nasty fall last time out at Worcester but has schooled well subsequently - a repeat of her previous start when successful at Exeter would give her every chance despite top weight in this competitive contest.  Meanwhile, Purple 'N Gold always runs his race and finished fourth over a seemingly inadequate 2 miles at Stratford last time.  This trip should suit better and he should run well again, although with £20,000 up for grabs it is a tricky contest.  Tom Scudamore rides them both.

Uttoxeter have put up some good money and I am pleased to see that it has attracted some decent quality horses.  I have always enjoyed my visits to Uttoxeter - the racing and hospitality are both unfailingly good and I would recommend a visit to anyone.

I did smile when I read legendary owner Bill Gredley's comments about Big Orange.  "He was like a giraffe as a baby.  He was turned out in a paddock and forgotten about".  I have known Bill for many years as he had horses with MCP back in the day and is a real character.  Of Big Orange being like a giraffe, he would certainly be a good horse to have on your side in a photo-finish!

*****

I can quite understand Steve Bruce's decision to pack in his job as manager at Hull.  They received £163 million for winning the Championship play-off, yet Bruce has only been able to add Wimbledon keeper Will Mannion and former Peterborough striker Jonathan Edwards to his squad.  If that is all they are going to invest then they have no chance of staying up and clearly Bruce didn't fancy another season struggling at the bottom of the league.

England cricket captain Alistair Cook only needs one more Test ton to take the record of most captain's hundreds.  He is currently level with Graham Gooch on eleven - both men played for Essex, my county of origin.

*****

I phoned my mate the other day and asked "what are you doing?".  He said, "Probably failing my driving test"!  Have a nice weekend...

Tweet