Wetherby Runner

There are two jumps meetings today at Fontwell and Wetherby and we have a runner at the latter, Bras D'or.  He runs in the 3.20pm Albert Bartlett Triple Crown series handicap hurdle over 2m5f and Jack Tudor rides.  This is his first run in a handicap and he runs from a mark of 113 which looks fair.  His novice hurdle form is solid and the step up in distance will suit but he is not the strongest finisher in a race.  He wears a first time tongue strap today which will hopefully help him with this, he tends to travel very strongly and has not found as much off the bridle as we had hoped in the past, fingers crossed this will be different today.  I see he is just favourite in a race that looks quite wide open to me and I am hopeful rather than confident but he is a very nice horse who will be seen to better effect over the large obstacles in the future.  This race is a qualifier for a valuable final at Punchestown next month and you have to finish in the first five to do this.  That will be our first aim and I think he should run well.

There are plenty of runners at Wetherby but smaller fields at Fontwell this afternoon.  There are two all-weather flat cards at Newcastle and Lingfield and in Ireland they also race on the flat at Dundalk.

Jack Tudor rode a nice winner at Warwick yesterday for Christian Williams but I picked the wrong horse!  I wrote about Kap De Triomphe who actually finished fourth on his chasing debut but I did not mention Fever Dream who won!  Typical!

Rising flat star jockey Billiy Loughnane fell foul of the stewards yesterday at Southwell and has been handed a 21 day ban.  On reading what happened it does seem very harsh to me.  Seemingly, one of his mount's yesterday was kicked at the start by another horse and his horse was then made a non-runner by the vet at the start.  Billy then proceeded to ride the horse back to be unsaddled which was against the instructions of the vet and he was charged with in-proper riding.  The trainer of the horse, David Loughnane cannot believe the sequence of events and is going to help Billy to try and overcome this ban.  He says his horse was backed into rather than kicked and he has not been lame at any point, when he returned to the racecourse stables nor when he got home last night.  While of course everyone has to obey the rules and the advice of the experts, I am sure Billy would not have rode the horse back had he in anyway thought that would be detrimental to the horses welfare.  To me, it seems a bit of of an over-reaction to something and it will be interesting to see the fall out from the situation in the coming days.  The punishment should at least fit the crime and on this occasion is seems rather unfair.  

Last night there was heart-break in the International World Cup Play off matches for North Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales who all lost.  Northern Ireland lost 2-0 away in Italy while other two games were decided by penalties after the matches finished in draws.  Both the Republic of Ireland and Wales lost out on penalties and will not be going to the World Cup.  England play in a friendly match against Uruguay this evening, kick-off 7.45pm.

Exeter Chiefs are in Premiership rugby action this evening and are away at Newcastle.

I always keep my guitar in my car now...  

It's good for traffic jams.

Happy Friday!