Lots of Friday winners - well done. Some pick in particular by El Gran Senor who went EW on a 50/1 chance Ask The Bookie: finished 2nd. Well done everyone.
There's a horse running in the Brocklesby tomorrow called Knowwhatimeanharry. OK. I accept that it has passed into the language from Frank Bruno's catchphrase, but I think it's too soon to allow this, albeit slightly differently spelled from Harry Fry's redoubtable stayer Unowhatimeanharry, whose exploits are still so fresh in the memory. It just seems a bit - hmm, what's the word, impertinent?
@Harrytheactor Thanks. Was 20s last night. I was hoping the good ground, would work the oracle. Did his winning in Ireland in those conditions. One of his victims. My Immortal, is now rated 135.
The Go North Series is a great innovation for northern racing and the finals have been well supported by trainers from all over the country. I like the way some wonderful northern-trained horses are being commemorated in the race names: Sea Pigeon, Lady Buttons, Brindisi Breeze and The Grey Bomber. The last two were great talents who lost their lives in freak accidents at home and were unable to fulfil their immense potential. I have particularly fond memories of The Grey Bomber who was one of the horses whose excellence and consistency stood out for me in the early eighties. Trained by that astute dual-purpose trainer Denys Smith, the Bomber was unbeaten in five juvenile hurdle races in 1982, including the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham, ridden by Chris Grant. He was electrocuted on the way to the gallops when he stepped in a pool of water through which passed a live electric cable that had been brought down in a gale. Strange to think now that with Denys Smith and Arthur Stephenson both training there, Bishop Auckland, in the heart of the Durham coalfield, was one of the true powerhouses of racing in the country back then.
I have said in many times on the pages of Talking Horses, and Dilton alluded to it when he got the grinder out on Rust.
Racing is run in this country for the bookies and their profiteering. I will add, as I have also said before, in Ireland and France horse racing is an industry aligned to the Ministry of Agriculture. Here we are run by self regulated, amateur clubs.
And don’t get me started on the hand wringing so called Gambling Review!
@Loose Buttons The trouble is that the BHA can do (almost) nothing, in almost any direction without the votes of these constituent parts, which are the ROA for owners, the RCA for tracks, the TBA looking after breeders (I'm told this is a particularly powerful arm).
Theres one very good reason why things are where they are in racing today . Nick Rust . His tenure at the BHA was a complete waste of money and time. There were countless representations from senior trainers and major owners warning of what was happening within the game. Yet he did bugger all except look after his former employers interests by increasing the number of meetings made up of low grade racing. So here we are .
He just stood by and watched ,made a series of serious blunders and stupid announcements and then landed us with the invisible woman whose now been outed having proved as hapless and unknowledgeable about the game as he was .
Charlie Mann summed up the BHA perfectly when he jacked in , a bunch of idiots .
Mussleborough has a good card today - all 3 meetings have something going for them - but winners look tricky. I'll nap at Hereford Flying Nun 2.45 - must be a Julie Andrews influence there somewhere....
David, I think you're getting your fictional nuns mixed up. Sally Field was the Flying Nun.
However, having lived in the US for over 30 years, whenever people comment I've haven't lost my accent i usually say Julie Andrews hasn't lost hers, and if it's good enough for her, then it's certainly good enough for me.
Jonathan i'm thinking more of a Sound of Music / Mary Poppins crossover. Its clearly the same character in both movies under different names, even if Maria is the more magical of the pair..
I'm 25 miles from Newton Abbot, and the weather has been lovely this week (we've even had two BBQs!), so I expect the ground has probably dried out to around Good to Soft (given Soft), but beware the distances today as there have been significant rail movements, from Sporting Life:
Newton Abbot was given as soft, good to soft in places ahead of Friday’s meeting, but the meeting was almost abandoned due to waterlogging, and the going stick reading on Wednesday was a stark 3.3, and the hurdle rail has been dolled out by as much as 30 yards in places, which means that appreciably longer distances will be covered in the races over timber, with the 3¼m hurdle will be closer to 3m5f on sticky, cloying ground.
Some good winning selections yesterday plus a great ew nap, well done all.
I sometimes worry about the state of this sport for all sorts of reasons and then realise I have concerns about almost every aspect of society! Rather than risk getting overwhelmed by it all I’ve realised it’s healthier to try and focus on what I can influence and enjoy. I then start trying to identify a nap of the day and I’m back to square one!
I fancy Venetia’s horse to win the penultimate race at Newton Abbot but that’s not going to be much of a price so (for reasons I can’t quite fathom) my nap is Set In Stone (each way) in the 14.20 at Musselburgh; currently showing at around 40/1.
Are we not privileged to be able to do this? For our survival, I think we must if possible, stay positive, while giving due attention to the terrible events elsewhere which we cannot affect.
At this time of year, Nature offers so many pleasures to enjoy, even in the humblest of flowers and blossoms (though some we term weeds).
Those of use who remember "sixpence each way" can, with an effort of the imagination, recapture the excitement that often used to accompany such bets in our youth.
I think you speak for many, Pebbles. I've cut back drastically on social media and stopped doing something I have enjoyed since I was a kid - listening to the radio, especially talk radio. I can no longer control my anger, dismay and - to an increasing extent anxiety - when I hear about the world's news. It was a big decision personally, and one I feel is something of a cop out. When is Ukraine to get relief if folk like me just turn a 'don't want to know' blind eye? Anyway, I am back listening just to music again through a 'safe' app that doesn't do news.
@tangovictorindia No need to be hard on yourself Joe. I think your approach is likely to be mirrored by millions of people and it’s not because they don’t care, it’s because they care a lot but have to try and control their anxiety in order that they may continue to properly function. I’m pretty sure there’s a link between the advent of 24 hour rolling news and increased stress and anxiety levels. Most people don’t need to watch or listen to the news in order to understand the terrible things which will inevitably happen during a war. Much better for individuals, if so minded and able, to do something positive, eg, make a donation, volunteer to home a refugee, etc., and very many have done so. This reinforces my view that, despite what some may say, the vast majority of people are kind and decent. And many of them listen to music!
Anyway, back to business and my nap blew out which has put me in a bad mood (for a couple of minutes)!
Aggagio won 4/11
There's a horse running in the Brocklesby tomorrow called Knowwhatimeanharry. OK. I accept that it has passed into the language from Frank Bruno's catchphrase, but I think it's too soon to allow this, albeit slightly differently spelled from Harry Fry's redoubtable stayer Unowhatimeanharry, whose exploits are still so fresh in the memory. It just seems a bit - hmm, what's the word, impertinent?
Cowboy Soldier 8.15
Gris Majeur romps home at 10/1.
The Go North Series is a great innovation for northern racing and the finals have been well supported by trainers from all over the country. I like the way some wonderful northern-trained horses are being commemorated in the race names: Sea Pigeon, Lady Buttons, Brindisi Breeze and The Grey Bomber. The last two were great talents who lost their lives in freak accidents at home and were unable to fulfil their immense potential. I have particularly fond memories of The Grey Bomber who was one of the horses whose excellence and consistency stood out for me in the early eighties. Trained by that astute dual-purpose trainer Denys Smith, the Bomber was unbeaten in five juvenile hurdle races in 1982, including the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham, ridden by Chris Grant. He was electrocuted on the way to the gallops when he stepped in a pool of water through which passed a live electric cable that had been brought down in a gale. Strange to think now that with Denys Smith and Arthur Stephenson both training there, Bishop Auckland, in the heart of the Durham coalfield, was one of the true powerhouses of racing in the country back then.
I have said in many times on the pages of Talking Horses, and Dilton alluded to it when he got the grinder out on Rust.
Racing is run in this country for the bookies and their profiteering. I will add, as I have also said before, in Ireland and France horse racing is an industry aligned to the Ministry of Agriculture. Here we are run by self regulated, amateur clubs.
And don’t get me started on the hand wringing so called Gambling Review!
National Lottery scratch-card anyone!
Bolintea 3.0
Cuban Cigar Musselburgh 13.45
I'll go for Collingham - 13.45 Musselburgh
Theres one very good reason why things are where they are in racing today . Nick Rust . His tenure at the BHA was a complete waste of money and time. There were countless representations from senior trainers and major owners warning of what was happening within the game. Yet he did bugger all except look after his former employers interests by increasing the number of meetings made up of low grade racing. So here we are .
He just stood by and watched ,made a series of serious blunders and stupid announcements and then landed us with the invisible woman whose now been outed having proved as hapless and unknowledgeable about the game as he was .
Charlie Mann summed up the BHA perfectly when he jacked in , a bunch of idiots .
Tommaso in the 13:45 at Musselburgh
Mussleborough has a good card today - all 3 meetings have something going for them - but winners look tricky. I'll nap at Hereford Flying Nun 2.45 - must be a Julie Andrews influence there somewhere....
I'll try Collingham in 1.45M
I'm 25 miles from Newton Abbot, and the weather has been lovely this week (we've even had two BBQs!), so I expect the ground has probably dried out to around Good to Soft (given Soft), but beware the distances today as there have been significant rail movements, from Sporting Life:
Newton Abbot was given as soft, good to soft in places ahead of Friday’s meeting, but the meeting was almost abandoned due to waterlogging, and the going stick reading on Wednesday was a stark 3.3, and the hurdle rail has been dolled out by as much as 30 yards in places, which means that appreciably longer distances will be covered in the races over timber, with the 3¼m hurdle will be closer to 3m5f on sticky, cloying ground.
Some good winning selections yesterday plus a great ew nap, well done all.
I sometimes worry about the state of this sport for all sorts of reasons and then realise I have concerns about almost every aspect of society! Rather than risk getting overwhelmed by it all I’ve realised it’s healthier to try and focus on what I can influence and enjoy. I then start trying to identify a nap of the day and I’m back to square one!
I fancy Venetia’s horse to win the penultimate race at Newton Abbot but that’s not going to be much of a price so (for reasons I can’t quite fathom) my nap is Set In Stone (each way) in the 14.20 at Musselburgh; currently showing at around 40/1.
Gris Majeur Hereford 1.00.
Sarryshagann (14:20)
Adherence 1.55 Newton Abbot is the nap,well done to yesterdays winners.
As Genuflex has been napped.....going for Milton's other runner Checkitsme New'A 13:55 is the nap.
Collective Power. 17.00. Dundalk. Win only.