Four Runners Today

We have four runners this afternoon, including two that are bidding to supplement their successes from last week's Cheltenham Open Meeting.  Dashing grey Swing Bill will now be partnered by Conor O'Farrell as he replaces Tom Bellamy, while he is also reunited with Decoy who escapes a penalty for winning the conditional jockeys' race last week. Conor is also aboard our other Ascot runner Piraya, while Tom Scudamore makes the journey up to Haydock for the mount on Sure Josie Sure.

We have four runners this afternoon, including two that are bidding to supplement their successes from last week's Cheltenham Open Meeting.  Dashing grey Swing Bill (pictured right) will now be partnered by Conor O'Farrell as he replaces Tom Bellamy, while he is also reunited with Decoy who escapes a penalty for winning the conditional jockeys' race last week. Conor is also aboard our other Ascot runner Piraya, while Tom Scudamore makes the journey up to Haydock for the mount on Sure Josie Sure.

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You would think that in this day and age there would be a spare section of hurdles at each flight on the racecourse.  Of course this is not the case - only yesterday there was a broken hurdle down the back straight that couldn't be fixed in time before the runners came around again so they grounds people left a gap instead.  I wonder how much a spare section of hurdle would cost?  Surely it would be sensible to be able to replace any broken obstacles with new ones there and then (giving you the opportunity to repair the damaged hurdle properly) or am I missing something (a bit like Wincanton)?

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I see that Graeme McPherson's appeal against his £3,000 fine and ban for his horse Traditional Bob was successful yesterday afternoon - it seems that he is the man to have on your side if you get into a scrape - the trainer is also a QC and often present disciplinary cases on the BHA's behalf.

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There is obviously still a bit of money around despite the current global economic climate- just look at the results from Tattersalls yesterday where two of the first crop from Sea The Stars to be offered at auction both fetched over €800,000.  It is hard enough to imagine anybody spending that sort of money on a youngster - I agree, the pedigree looks exceptional on paper, but that is no guarantee that they are going to be any good once they see a racecourse.  I will be keeping an eye out with interest to see how their careers develop.

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Over the years FIFA President Sepp Blatter has come out with some fairly outlandish statements and I will never know how he keeps his job.  This is the most important job in sport and he will not hear of the possibility that he has made a mistake...I have some mates who are just like him - mind you, they don't run football!  Hills are offering 9/4 that he resigns by the end of the year, while they also go 11/10 that he stays on until the next presidential election in 2015 - he must go before then!