Pointing Action

The 2023-34 National Hunt Season has come to a close and jumps racing in Britain takes a little break for a week.  There are three flat meetings today at Southwell, Wetherby and Bath, while the Punchestown Festival gets underway on Tuesday.  There is also the more local point to point at Stafford Cross and we are running Moodofthemoment with Lukke Morris riding.  We have him entered in two races, the Intermediate and the Novice riders race so will decide which race when we get there and see what else is being declared.  He carries a penalty in both races after winning at Cotley last time out.  Fingers crossed he can run well again.

There is a new rule chance coming on the flat from 1^st May where BHA stewards will be given the power to declare a horse a non-runner in any race involving starting stalls if they believe a horse has been denied a fair start.  Currently, a horse can only be declared a non-runner if they were prevented from starting due to a fault with the stalls or they have unseated their rider before the off.  The new rule will now cover situations in which a horse has been prevented from starting on equal terms when their chance have been materially affected.  An example of this is when stall malfunction and cause some stalls to open before others.  It is a rule that probably won’t be needed very often but could be seen used at some point during the summer!

There are three Premier League football matches today and two of the games include teams fighting for the league title.  Bournemouth play Brighton at 2pm but most eyes will be on the London match which kicks off at the same time, Spurs play Arsenal which promises to be a cracker.  Man City will know the Gunners result when they kick off their game away to Nottingham Forest at 4.30pm.  City are one point behind Arsenal with a game in hand and while you expect them to probably beat Forest things will be tougher for Arsenal so it promises to be a tense afternoon and Spurs will like nothing more than to get one over of their London rivals. 

Exeter Chiefs are in Gallagher English Premiership action away to Gloucester this afternoon, 3pm kick off.  Chiefs will be looking to bounce back from a defeat at home to Bath last weekend. 

To all those people who always said I’d never amount to anything because of my procrastination: Just you wait.

Have a lovely Sunday!