Chepstow Goes Ahead

   Eamon An Cnoic runs at Chepstow today
There are four meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps cards from Catterick and Chepstow and all-weather flat fixtures from Lingfield and Newcastle.  Chepstow has passed it's 7.30am inspection and racing goes ahead.  The ground is heavy at both turf meetings and sure to be extremely testing.  David has one runner today; Eamon An Cnoic who runs over hurdles at Chepstow.

He contests the 2m3½f handicap hurdle at 3.50pm.  A multiple winner over fences, including at this track he has also won from higher marks over timber.  He won’t mind the testing ground and whilst he needs to improve on his most recent efforts, he could outrun his odds with Fergus Gillard taking a useful 5lbs off his back.

We drew a blank yesterday at Ffos Las and Wincanton with Sexy Lot faring best of our runners when finishing a close runner-up in the 2m handicap hurdle at the Welsh track.  She may well have got there in a few more strides but this was another solid effort from a career high mark.  She clearly handles conditions well and is an improving young mare who should continue to be competitive.

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There are no Premiership matches taking place tonight, with one solitary Championship game on the menu.  That does however give me an opportunity to tell you how excited I am about the Superbowl taking place this weekend.  “Hooray”, I hear you all saying!

“The Greatest Show on Turf” takes place on Sunday evening and whilst my beloved Minnesota Vikings were relegated to irrelevance weeks ago, this weekend’s match looks like one for the ages.  Defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.  To give you some perspective, the Vikings have been to the Superbowl four times and lost every one of them – this will be Tom Brady’s 10^th Superbowl appearance and he has already won six!  In a sport that is excellent at creating competitive teams through their draft programme and cap space scheme, such dominance is unprecedented and confirms Brady one of the greatest sportsmen of all time (even if you may not have heard of him!).

Brady left the New England Patriots last season after playing for them for his entire career.  The fact that he is able to take the promising Buccaneers to the Superbowl in his first season is just incredible.  Furthermore, the Bucs will be at home – the first team to ever play a Superbowl in their home stadium.

The Chiefs probably have the edge in overall talent, but you can never count Brady and his will to win out.  If you don’t have satellite television, worry not – it will be covered by the BBC.  The American’s really know how to put on a show.  Don’t miss it (just make sure you have plenty of coffee)!

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I gave my wife a world map, a dart and said, “Throw this and wherever it lands I’m taking you for a holiday when this pandemic is over”.  Turns out we are spending two weeks behind the fridge!