Golfing Heaven!

The Racing Post have gone big on the Open at Sandwich this year - they have a 23 page pull-out!  There seems to be evey golf fact and figure ever recorded to help you find the winner.  No doubt all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy - he is a best priced 5/2 to finish the week as the top Great Britain and Ireland player.  He does hit the ball a long way and is clearly at the top of his game, but he would be a far from original choice.  I think that I will be backing Luke Donald to be the top British player at odds of around 7/2 - he won the Scottish Open last week by four shots - he hits the ball very straight and he has a great short game.  I will also be having a little bit of 11/1 about him winning the championship, 2/1 about a top 6 finish and 10/11 about a top 10 finish - it sounds like I could do a few quid!

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I see that flat jockey Silvestre De Sousa is riding out of his skin at present and is now as short as 9/4 to land his first jockey's championship following an amazing five-timer yesterday.  He rode a treble at Beverley before going on to record a double at the evening meeting at Southwell.  He is now only four winners behind defending champion Paul Hanagan, and with Ryan Moore also in the mix it promises to be a thrilling fight.  Personally I think Hanagan will prevail owing to the greater firepower at his disposal.

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I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the CCTV footage of the betting shop robber in today's Racing Post - I'm sure it was Elvis Presley.  He is suspected of carrying out a couple of robberies - I just hope he says "thank you very much" when he takes the cash.  Seriously though, it is not a laughing matter and I am sure the police will finally catch up with him - the thing that puzzles me though, is why do these criminal "masterminds" think that betting shops carry large amounts of cash?  There were three robberies mentioned in the paper and the robbers never got away with more than £500...it sounds like a terrible risk to take for that kind of money.  There have been times when I have struggled to get my legitimately earned cash over the counter - why do they think they will be any different?

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We have had a lovely few days so we sent our intrepid trainer down the gallops with the camera and he was able to come up with the following images of Reset City, Raslan and Moonchrome.  All three of them hold entries at present, with Reset City in at Leicester on the flat on Thursday, Raslan on the level at Newbury on Saturday, while Moonchrome is entered at Newton Abbot on Monday.

  
Above left: Reset City and right: (l-r) Raslan and Moonchrome on the gallops yesterday