Gold Cup & Fakenham

In the blink of an eye we have reached Gold Cup day!  I think it has been a great week for racing at Cheltenham with some super competitive racing and it has been very difficult to find the winners, for me anyway!  I enjoyed another day out at Prestbury Park yesterday and while the weather wasn't great there was a nice atmosphere in our marquee and everyone was in good spirits.  The drive home was not so nice last night with high winds and lots of rain - if only this rain had come before racing yesterday!  The ground was not soft enough for Kingston Queen but she travelled and jumped very well throughout and I was getting very excited as they came down the hill towards two out.  Unfortunately for us, some rivals just quickened up past her and she was unable to go with them.  She loves a battle but she is not the quickest and would have preferred 2 1/2 miles on that ground.  It was a good run and she is still a very good mare.  Well done to jockey Tom Bellamy who rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner in that race.  He started working here as a 16 year old and has established himself as one of the top jumps jockeys but this meant a lot to him, as it does every jumps jockey and it was lovely to see.

I thought Gericault Roque ran well for a long way and had a good positions for the first circuit but after a good jump four out, he got surrounded by horses and found himself with nowhere to go and the race seemed to then be over for him in the blink of an eye.  Both horses are fine this morning which is the main thing and we can look forward to other days with them.

There are three jumps meetings today at Cheltenham, Doncaster and Fakenham and we head to the latter with one runner, Cinammon Coco.  He is making his stable debut in the 4.15pm Silver Cup handicap hurdle and Rian Corcoran rides.  There are seven runners and it looks fairly competitive but I hope we have a good chance.  He has settled in well since arriving with use and we like what we see at home.  We were hoping to sneak into the Fred Winter at Cheltenham on Tuesday but were balloted out and so we have come here instead.  He is a winner on the flat and over hurdles with a rating of 124.  Rian's seven pound claim will help and I think he should run a big race.

There are two all-weather flat meetings today at Southwell and Wolverhampton and in Ireland they have a flat card at Dundalk.

Back to Cheltenham and I think it will be difficult to pick the winners today!  The Triumph is dominated by Willie Mullins and I have gone for Minella Academy just because Danny Mullins is riding at 16/1!  Similar comments apply for the County at 2pm where I am going for Absurde ridden by Patrick Mullins.  Patrick usually has a winner at Cheltenham and he hasn't had one yet!  The horse won this race two years ago and finished third last time.  Those efforts were from a lower handicap marks but he is a classy horse and is an each way price.  The mares chase looks set to be a battle between the first two in the market, Dinoblue and Panic Attack.  The latter has had a terrific season and just gets the nod from me in this race.  It could be another good day for Willie Mullins today and Doctor Steinberg is favourite for the Albert Bartlett and will take all the beating while I am with Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup.  The Foxhunters seems to be dominated by the Irish for which I have gone for Panda Boy while the lucky last, the MCP race has been won by some very good horses in the past and for me the favourite, Kel Hostoire has been laid out for this in the green and gold silks of J P McManus.  

Last night in the European football action there was a win for Aston Villa, Nottingham Forrest lost and Crystal Palace drew.  Tonight there is an all-Welsh Championship games between Wrexham and Swansea which promises to be a cracker.  Rory McIlroy is seven shots off the lead after the first round of the Players Championship at Sawgrass with a round of 2 over but there is not much separating the whole field and I am looking forward to watching a bit of it later on.

My father said, "as one door closes, another opens".  

Beautiful man, terrible cabinet maker!

Have a great Friday and enjoy all the action from Cheltenham.