Mag 4th At Worcester

There are six meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps action from Stratford, flat cards from Goodwood, Haydock, Newmarket and York, whilst there is an all-weather flat fixture from Lingfield.  There is plenty of good racing on, although the pick of the action on these shores comes from Haydock where they have a couple of Group 2 contests on their menu.  However, the biggest meeting of the day comes from the other side of the Irish Sea, where The Curragh hosts a Group 1, two Group 2's and a Group 3 contest, with the Irish 2,000 Guineas the headliner.  English Guineas winner Poetic Flare is on a quick turnaround having finished sixth in the French equivalent last weekend.  I prefer the claims of Wembley, who was well beaten at Newmarket, but had previously run extremely well to finish runner-up to French Guineas winner St Mark's Basilica in the Dewhurst last season.  This ground will be much more suitable and he appeals as the likeliest winner to me, whilst Godolphin's La Barrosa looks overpriced and a reasonable each-way alternative.

I thought Meep Meep Mag ran a respectable fourth in the 2m7f novices' hurdle at Worcester last night.  She was headed between the last two flights and stayed on at one pace in the closing stages behind some useful types.  This represented a step-up in trip and there had been plenty of rain throughout the day at Worcester with the runners certainly going into the ground a fair way and she may just prefer a sounder surface.  She is a likeable mare and will be winning more races sooner rather than later.

I read Sir Mark Prescott's comments about the Derby with interest as he suggested that there were too many horses 'from one kennel'.  He even went as far as to suggest that the number of horses in any one stable could be capped as in Japan.  It is an interesting idea and would certainly level the playing field somewhat.  It is possible to punch above your weight, although those with the 'open chequebook' approach are making it increasingly difficult to do so.

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Qualifying for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix gets underway this afternoon and it is vitally important for the drivers to get onto the front row of the grid as passing on this narrow street track is virtually impossible.  It doesn't make for the most exciting racing, but for sheer atmosphere you cannot beat it.  I will be hoping that the Red Bull's and Ferrari's can serve it up to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.  They have looked good in practice, although it is often a very different story come qualifying.  Anyway, I will be glued to that this weekend and once again, my wife will be delighted!

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My wife left me because of my obsession with horoscopes.  It Taurus apart.