Busy Time

I’m very busy at work at the moment and I’m struggling to find time to look after my blog. Betfair radio launched on Monday – I did a guest slot and I’m doing another tomorrow. I like the team and it’s entertaining. Being internet radio it has quite a time delay which is not ideal – we will try to …

Embarrassment

Saturday was a disappointing day. Mon Michel was running at Kempton, and having given the matter some thought I concluded that at 14-1 he was an outstanding bet. I don€™t normally proactively tip my horses, but I decided to share the good news. I rang my mother, my uncle and my sister and told them to have a good bet …

Commerce rules

I was disappointed to read today that Wimbledon have decided to award equal prize money to men and women, bowing to political pressure and bringing them in line with the other grand slams. It’s a case of politics ahead of commercials, it’s not a decision that can ever be reversed and it sets a dangerous precedent for other sports. This …

More frustration

Damn and blast. With Lingfield called off we lost a lot more than a day at the races – we lose the opportunity to give Mon Michel a prep race, but more significantly we can’t go for the Fred Winter now as we won’t have the required three races for a handicap mark in the bag by Saturday. We’ll almost …

Exorcism required

I went to the €œSharp Edge Entrepreneurial Awards€ last night. It€™s a great honour to be nominated for awards but I have a real phobia about public speaking, and when I realised that all the winners were making short rousing speeches I started drinking hard and praying that we wouldn€™t win. We won the main prize, and I shuffled up …

Another for the string

I got back from a weeks holiday on Dartmoor on Thursday night and didn’t go into the office on Friday. It gave me a chance to catch up with the horses and hatch a few plans. Straw Bear was down to run in the Kingwell hurdle, and he had the look of a banker about him. He’s a real pro …

A long and fruitless day

I travelled up to Newmarket after work and checked into a hotel. I had an early start this morning at Pete Chapple-Hyam’s where I was hoping to see a few of our horses work, but the weather got in the way. I spent a while there and had a good chat with Pete. It’s early days but I’m really excited …

Cheltenham fancies

All quiet on the western front at the moment so time to run through a few of my early Cheltenham fancies. David Pipe will go into Cheltenham with a lot of ammunition, and for now I’m looking at three of his. Buena Vista runs in the Arkle, and although he only just held on last time he is progressive and …

Follow the Bear

BETTER TOGETHER ran well down the field at Chepstow – apparently he jumped ok and he looks to have come back alright. His day will come but it is probably a long way off. Nick runs his “superstar” in the Agfa hurdle at Sandown tomorrow. There is no horse I have enjoyed watching on the gallops more than STRAW BEAR …

Triumph Market

I’ve been looking a little further into the Triumph and the market looks seriously lopsided to me. The majority of the principals in the Triumph are horses who want or need it soft, and Cheltenham is invariably good or better. Since 1990 Cheltenham (on Gold Cup day) has been soft once (1995) and G/S once (1999) – it’s nearly always …