First Runners

    Jack Pipe & Little Chiefy Racing Today

We have our first runners of the new season today as it gets underway at Uttoxeter this afternoon after a week's break from the last season!  We have two runners, the first of these is Saccary who runs in the opening handicap hurdle over two miles at 12.45pm and Jack Tudor rides.  There are plenty of runners in the race, 16 and plenty on the card throughout at seems like they will have genuinely good ground.  Saccary has finished second on his last two starts, firstly over 2m4f at Huntingdon and then dropped back to two miles at this track last time.  I think we might have bumped into a well handicapped rival that day and together we pulled clear of the third.  Our seven year old has taken time to find his feet over hurdles but a repeat of his last two runs should give him a good chance in this.  Jack knows him well and is back on board after an outside jockey was in the saddle last time.  There are a few with chances but we are about 5/1 second best in the betting and hopefully we can get the new season underway with a bang!

Grand Clermont makes his British and stable debut in the final race of the day at Uttoxeter, a 2m4f handicap chase and Rian Corcoran rides.  Our ten year old is an eight time winner in France and has a healthy 20% strike rate of wins to runs ratio so he knows how to win! The track and ground should be fine and he has done everything right at home since arriving from France.  Sometimes these French horses take a little while to acclimatize to the British style of racing but hopefully our chap has enough experience to put up a good show today.  It is quite an open race again and we are about 5/1 third best in the betting.  He shows a good attitude at home and in his French races so fingers crossed he can make a winning debut in this country.

Our third runner of the day is actually Jack Pipe on his pony Little Chiefy.  He is in action at Flete Park once again where he finished second a couple of weeks ago and if they handle the bend a little better than they did that day then hopefully he can go one places better as well!  His race is at 1pm before the point to point action gets underway.

In Ireland we have the final day of the Punchestown Festival which includes the Champion mares hurdle and the Champion four year old hurdle.  The mares race only has four runners but it should be a cracking contest with the first and second placed horses from the Cheltenham Festival taking each other on once again.  Wodhooh came out on top for Gordon Elliott last time from Jade De Grugy and she is a mare I really like and I think they will finish the same way round again this afternoon.  The four year old race looks a cracking contest with the Triumph hurdle winner taking on the horse that was favourite that day and disappointed (but has won again since) and also the winner of the Fred Winter at Cheltenham, Saratoga.  Harry Cobden rides Proactif (second favourite) and could this be his first big winner in the green and gold hoops of JP McManus?

It is Guineas day at Newmarket with their feature race at 3.35pm.  Gstaad for the Ballydoyle team is just favourite but it looks a super Group 1 race and I shall be watching with interest.  The other flat racing of the day comes from Goodwood, Thirsk and Doncaster while there is also a second jumps meeting up at Hexham.

Last night in the football Leeds beat Burnley 3-1 at home increasing the pressure on the teams around them at the bottom of the table.  Today,  there are four Premier League matches, no early kick off but West Ham have a very important match away at Brentford at 3pm and the tea time kick off is Arsenal at home to Fulham at 5.30pm.  

Exeter Chiefs are in European rugby action away at Ulster while Somerset are in a County match at home to Yorkshire.  They made a good start to the match yesterday and got the visiting side all out for 162 runs.

Did you hear about the big Lego sale?

People were lined up for blocks.

Have a good day!