An exciting day yesterday as my three fillies arrived at Watership Down from Japan. They flew from Japan to Amsterdam and were boxed the remainder. There’s a lot of risk in this type of journey and they seem to be injury free which is a relief. I’ll give them a few days to settle in before I go down to see them.
I’m glad I did it this year – I won’t do it again any time soon as sterling has died a death against the yen and I doubt it will be an intelligent economic option next year.
I’ve finished my various heart tests, and it’s been an interesting experience. My heart is fine but it is irregular – not a problem in itself it seems but there are side effects. When they hooked me up to the cardiogram, the doctor asked me if I suffered from migraines. He smiled and nodded when I said “yes – big time”. It’s not just my brain though – my whole body seems to work on a boom and bust cycle which may be tied in to my irregular heart.
It’s thought provoking. I remember reading about the chess player, Nigel Short, who leading up to a big match would get up at the same time each day, put on the same clothes and would later eat the same food at the same time, always sitting in the same chair in the same restaurant. He wanted his life as regular as possible to help him focus on the job at hand. Whatever Nigel Short was, I figure I am the opposite.
I’m going on to beta blockers as an experiment to regulate my heart. It may get rid of my headaches and in turn put my whole body on a nice regular path. I’m a bit concerned that I’ll turn into a very regular guy though – whatever creativity I have might stem from my irregular nature. I think I’d better think it out again…
Swindon won last week, which was good news. They went three nil up and nearly gave it away, holding on to win three two. I’m told that some of the new signings looked good. Oldham away today looks tough, but we have been the sort of side that beats the top teams in the division but loses to the bottom ones. As a director of the club I’m not allowed to have a bet but I would if I could – I think we’ve got chances.
I’ve had a look through the today’s card and I’ve been on the phone to Nick Gifford and Gary Moore this morning. Killaghy Castle is a horse I think a lot of, and as a course/distance/ground winner I think he’s worth following today – I give him the nap vote. In the 2:05 Osana takes on Celestial Halo in what looks like a match. I give Osana the vote in an interesting contest. At Doncaster I’ll support Martha’s Kinsman despite ground concerns.
I have two runners at Fontwell tomorrow – Theophrastus and Latin America make their racecourse debuts. I doubt we’ll see the winner’s enclosure this time around but both are fair prospects.