It's Martin's Birthday!

Today we have five meetings, three on the level at Sandown, Haydock and Bath as well as jumping action from Worcester and Wetherby.  The eight race card at Bath offers prize money of just £28,000 - how can they run races on the turf for less than £2,000?  Just think, there is a thirteen runner race on the card and if you finish fourth, you pick up a paltry £144.30.  I know that if I was paying to keep a horse in training I would instruct my trainer to avoid these sort of tracks.  The stable has three runners this afternoon up at Wetherby; Western Diva, Broadway Buffalo and Barton Stacey (pictured above).  We have two forecast favourites and a second favourite so hopefully it will be a productive day for the yard.

Broadway Buffalo was a good winner of the Long Distance hurdle at Haydock on his last start on soft ground and makes his chasing debut this afternoon.  He has always looked like a chaser in the making and now he gets the opportunity to prove it - he was the best of these over hurdles with an official rating of 141, so a clear round should be good enough.  Barton Stacey bids to follow-up his last time out success, while Western Diva ran creditably at the Punchestown Festival last time.  Tom Scudamore is aboard all three of our runners.

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It's Martin's 69th birthday today.  I always have a joke with him, saying 'I'm never going to be as old as you!"  We will be having a party on Saturday...happy birthday old man!

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I see that bookmakers Coral have had an advert banned for linking betting to seduction.  It sounds like something that would happen to Paddy Power!  You would think that the advertising watchdogs could find something better to do with their time.  We should have a campaign to keep this advert on...I thought the woman was very attractive!

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Why doesn't someone just buy Yaya Toure a birthday cake and shut him up!  It looks like he's trying to get a contract with Paris St Germain...I can't imagine that signing him will be a piece of cake!
David played a blinder when he took to Twitter to wish stable jockey Tom Scudamore a happy birthday last week - at least Scu shouldn't be looking for a transfer to another yard any time soon!

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Tennis player and former squeeze of Rory McIlroy, Caroline Wozniacki has said at a press conference that she felt a little bit rusty.  She went on to say, "I tried, but I guess I am getting a bit old."  Wozniacki is only 23...wait until she get's to MCP's age! 

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