Shoegazer Does It Again

We only had a couple of runners last night at Hexham, but the long journey was made worthwhile when Shoegazer bolted up in the 2m7f novices' chase.  Despite giving 7lbs to all of his rivals he wasn't hard pressd to win by 29 lengths - he has taken well to fences and looks like a very useful horse to have running at this time of year.

There is plenty of action on this afternoon with three flat meetings at Ayr, Folkestone and Beverley and two jumps meetings taking place at Sedgefield and Newton Abbot.  The stable will be busy with a couple of runners at each National Hunt fixture - Battle Group (Tom Scudamore) and Woodlark Island (Kieron Edgar) run at Newton Abbot, while Conor O'Farrell comes in for the rides aboard Dukes Art and Party Girls at Sedgefield.

Battle Group is a class act over hurdles and fences - he has twice been placed at the Cheltenham Festival and has won at Aintree's Grand National meeting, as well as finishing a close second there last month.  He can have his own ideas about the game, but there can be no doubting his ability and Tom Scudamore knows him very well - let's just hope that he gets back from Hexham (where he was riding last night)!

Our other runners Woodlark Island, Dukes Art and Party Girls all appear to hold decent claims.  There is plenty of pressure surrounding the last named however, who is owned and bred by MCP...it was his birthday yesterday, so let's hope that she can give him a birthday winner!

Some things never change - A P McCoy cannot stop riding winners.  the champion jockey rode another treble at Huntingdon last night, but the highlight was definitely his success aboard O'Callaghan Strand.  The pair won by a neck, but the horse was giving A P absolutely no help whatsoever - this was another vintage ride from the champ.

*****

I must say, I was amused to read trainer David Flood's comments after his Moment In The Sun won the seller at Lingfield yesterday, "I'd rather have the ex-wife back than train any of those who finished behind mine!".  It was certainly a bold statement - either the winner isn't up to much, or it is some sort of elaborate ploy to prevent people bidding at the subsequent auction!

*****

I think that if I was the manager of Swansea or Wigna I would stay put.  If you keep these teams in the Premiership you have had a good season.  Liverpool however is a different proposition - you have to get into the top four to qualify for the European championships and you are having to do so with some players that are past their sell-by date.  They need four or five new players (at a conservative guess), which sounds like about £50million to me - sounds like you are on a hiding to nothing to me.  Brendan Rodger is a 6/1 chance for the job.