Last One For The Season!

Tonight we have our final runner of the season at Chepstow and it comes courtesy of Castle Daragh running in the hunter chase at 7.40pm.  He is partnered this evening by Conal Kavanagh and this will be his first ride under rules.  Conal is just 16 years of age and this will be just his third ever ride have ridden in two point to points to date.  He finished runner up in a hunt race at Cothelstone on Castle Daragh before winning on his second ride at Cotley aboard Moodofthemoment.

Castle Daragh is making his rules debut.  Our seven year old is an Irish point to point winner but then picked up a leg injury so was off the track for a bit before returning to point to point action this year.  David gave the two young lads, Conal and Lukke the opportunity to get him ready to race to give them both some rides and experience.  He did pull up on his first two starts but that was probably due to fitness and experience of both the horse and jockey!  He improved to be second to a short priced favourite and then improved to be second again last time in a better race.  The aim is for horse and jockey to complete this evening and enjoy it!  The horse is a good jumper and has ability and should have a career under rules down the line, but this looks quite a competitive race and I shall watch with interest!

There are two jumps meetings today at Perth and Chepstow, while on the flat they race at Sandown, Doncaster and Newcastle.  In Ireland they have jumping at Downpatrick and race on the flat at Cork.

Before racing started on Thursday Harry Cobden was seven winners ahead of Sean Bowen in the jockeys title race and while Sean vowed to continue to fight he looks very up against it now.  It has been tit for tat all week and we should commend both on their riding ability and commitment to trying to win their first title.  On Wednesday Sean rode a double at Ayr to close the gap before Harry rode a double at Taunton that evening.  On Thursday I watched Sean ride a winner at Perth and Harry rode one again in the very next race at Warwick!  They are two very good jockeys and it will be interesting to see what happens next year, without Sean’s enforced injury break this season I am sure he would be champion but I think it will be Harry stepping up on the podium tomorrow.

In the jumps trainers championship it is going to take something extraordinary for either Dan Skelton or Paul Nicholls to overhaul Willie Mullins at the summit now but both won’t give up the fight.  Willie Mullins has a big team declared for Sandown on Saturday headed  by El Fabiolo and is 1-66 to be declared Champion trainer. 

Last night in the football Manchester City 4-0 Brighton. Manchester City have moved smoothly to within one point of Premier League leaders Arsenal, with a game in hand after a routine victory over Brighton. There are no Premership matches this evening.

Somerset are back in Division One County Championship cricket action today away to Worcester starting at 11am. 

In 3026 years, life will be either really good or really bad.

It’s 5050!!

Happy Friday!