Friday Feeling!

Today we have no runners for the stable but there is jumps racing at Market Rasen and Sedgefield and flat action at Chester, Ascot Nottingham and Ripon. In Ireland, there is a meeting under both codes today; Cork has flat action while Downpatrick has a jumps card.

The Chester May festival ends on a high with the fiercely competitive £170,000 Chester Cup. Last year’s winner Metier returns for more, but will have to contest a full field. Looking at the history the race has not always gone the way of the favourites for the last 12 times.

There was drama at Huntingdon yesterday in the fourth race on the card. Jack Hogan was riding Stormin Crossgales for Tom George and was a clear leader going over the last fence, but travelling up the run in the saddle slipped and he was forced to ride the finish with no irons. Young Jack had to cling on to maintain his partnership and swung his right leg back over on the horse! It was a remarkable recovery and even better that the horse kept on to win, it was the horses first win since November 2022 and I think Jack would be in contention for ride of the month after that performance!

Shark Hanlon has said that he is aiming to give the French Champion Hurdle another crack with his stable star Hewick. He went for it last year and he finished fourth in it and they have said that the horse has come out of the Punchestown Gold Cup absolutely bouncing after finishing 3rd in that 9 days ago. 

In the football last night in the Europa League. Atalanta 3-0 Olympique Marseille. Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Roma. But Bayer Leverkusen went back ahead as they had a 4-2 aggregate victory. There is no Europa League action to watch tonight. 

In the Wells Fargo Championship Rory McIlroy is three shots behind the leader Xander Schauffele after an encouraging first round. The second men's major of the year, the US PGA Championship, takes place next week in Valhalla.

What do you get when you cross a Fish and an Elephant? 

Swimming trunks!

Happy Friday!