Happy Mother's Day!

It is very much the calm before the storm with just two jumps cards taking place today at Warwick and Market Rasen and it must be a very nervous time for the jockeys.  The Festival is just a couple of days away now and the last thing they will want to do is pick up an injury.  I bet a lot of them (or their agents) look at the form figures and if they see a lot of F's next to the horses name they would have sleepless nights!  I think I would be inclined to just give it a miss if I were a jockey...I can't see A P McCoy jocked up at either of today's meetings.  Maybe the champ is getting sensible in his old age?!

We host a hospitality marquee every day of the Festival for friends and owners and we are once again booked out for the duration (and we have been for weeks!).  There is always a great atmosphere in the marquee especially if the yard gets a winner on the board!  We normally get the jockeys in to go through the racecard with us each day and try to point everyone in the direction of a winner or two - there are often some high points as well!

I see the Sun have recruited Clare Sweeney and Claire King as their tipping experts for the Cheltenham Festival...I wonder if their tips will be appearing on page 3?  I did say tips!

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Don't forget it is Mother's Day today - if you do, you could be in the dog house!  Flowers, chocolates and a nice meal always seem to do the trick - I reckon I will be getting time off for good behaviour!

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I will be looking forward to the big match today between Manchester United and Chelsea at 4.30pm.  Liverpool also take on Spurs at the same time...did I say it was Mother's Day?!