Three Meetings!

It seems a little strange to me but we are on day four of the new jump season, supposedly a quieter time of year and there are actually four jumps meetings today, more than most of the time during the winter! We have runners at three different meetings today and our lorry set off early travelling to Fakenham, Southwell, and Hereford. 

Man Again is our first runner of the day and he runs in the opening race on the Fakenham card, a selling handicap hurdle over 2 miles at 2:15 pm. We have secured the services of champion jockey Harry Cobden and he will wear blinkers for the first time today. He is a four time winner in France, but having returned from injury earlier this year has not shown anything in three runs over fences to date. I do think he will appreciate returning to hurdles today but whether whether the sharp 2 miles of this track will be to his liking. We shall soon find out! he is likable sort at home, but is hard to recommend on what he has done in Britain to date. Hopefully at this level, he can show us a bit more today but it will be a watching brief for me.

Our next runner is then nothing until this evening and that is Pub Crawl, who goes in the 6:30 pm maiden hurdle at Hereford and Jack Tudor rides. He is making his hurdling debut and I think he can outrun his odds of 16/1. He has shown ability on the flat before joining us, but didn’t run that well on the all weather in blinkers for us last time. He wears no headgear today and is well at home. He is a character, but has ability and hopefully the hurdles can bring out the best this evening.

Chemical Warfare makes his stable debut just 10 minutes later over at Southwell in the 6:42 pm in the handicap hurdle over 2 miles and Conor O'farrell rides. He won over fences last summer for a yard but then lost his way a little. He has yet to win over hurdles but I think he will enjoy the brushed hurdles tonight. He shows ability at home and has had wind surgery since joining us. He is about 7/2 second Best in the betting and I hope he won’t be far away.

As well as the jump meetings I have mentioned, there is also jumps action at Ffos Las but we do not have any runners here. There is no flat racing in Britain today but in Ireland they have a meeting under each code, on the flat at Navan over jumps at Ballinrobe.

Yesterday at Kempton I thought Neon Moon ran well to finish third. He jumped very well, but as the runners turned for home he got a little caught and was a little flat footed as the front two went on, he stayed galloping all the way to the line and it was not a bad effort off a 6lb higher mark than his previous Newbury win. I am not sure whether he may have another run or whether he will go on his summer holidays. Kepagge was a little disappointing returned to hurdling. He travelled well for a long way, but when push come to shove towards the end of the race, he did not find a lot for pressure. He has never won over this far, so maybe he didn’t see out the 3 miles but even so I was hoping for a bit more.

Last night in the football Manchester United 0-4 Crystal Palace. Tonight we have Champions League football action with the second leg of the semi-final. PSG are at home to Dortmund and trail 1-0 after the first leg. Kick-off is at 8 pm.

I was arguing with a guy in the pub who said he was a big in the 80s.

I didn’t believe him, but, he was adamant!!

Have a good day!