Dolorosa On Cartmel Detail

There are five meetings taking place this afternoon with a jumps card from Cartmel and flat fixtures from Lingfield, Redcar, Ayr and Windsor.  David has one runner today as Via Dolorosa contests the 3m5½f veteran's handicap chase at 3.15pm.  He has been in good form of late, finishing second on his last couple of starts from this mark.  He handles good ground well and whilst his stamina for this longer trip is not assured, the sharp nature of the track gives him every chance of getting it.  Philip Armson takes 5lbs off his back.

The stable drew a blank over the weekend with Romain de Senam and Nibras Gold faring the best of our runners, finishing runner-up at Cartmel and Ffos Las respectively.  Romain de Senam kept battling all the way to the line in the staying handicap chase and in going down narrowly whilst trying to concede 20lbs to a horse on a five-timer, he performed with tremendous credit once again.

Over at Ffos Las, Nibras Gold ran a nice race on his hurdling debut.  A dual-winner at staying trips on the flat, he looked the likeliest winner approaching the last, only to get collared on the run-in by the favourite.  This was a promising first effort and he looks sure to be winning races over timber.

What a terrible shame about Lester Piggott, the legendary jockey who passed away yesterday at the age of 86.  I won't bore you by cataloguing his incredible achievements, there are plenty more qualified people who have already done that.  "The Long Fellow" had been poorly for a little while, although newspaper reports suggested that he was preparing to leave hospital, so his passing still came as something of a shock. For many, the best ever, Piggott transcended the sport, with almost everyone knowing his name, regardless of whether they were racing enthusiasts or not.

*****

Red Bull's Sergio Perez won a rain affected Monaco Grand Prix yesterday afternoon, beating Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen.  Pole-sitter, Charles Leclerc finished fourth in his Ferrari and will be kicking himself after the team blew the race with their poor strategy calls.  They appear to have a car in which Leclerc can challenge for the championship, but need to cut out these silly errors.

Rafa Nadal prevailed in a five set thriller yesterday to set up a fascinating quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic.  Djokovic is looking in fine form so will provide a mountainous task for Nadal, who has won the title a scarcely believable 13 times.

*****

Why is it so cheap to throw a party at a haunted house?  Because the ghosts bring all the boos.