Delta Beats The Freeze!

Just when I thought that the snow and ice had done it's worst to affect the racing calendar, yesterday Mother Nature threw freezing fog into the mix to call a halt to Southwell's all-weather meeting.  Fortunately they managed to run the first three races which meant that one of my selections,  Love Delta was able to score at the rewarding odds of 4/1.  It was good to see the Mark Johnston runner bounding out of the fog to score by five lengths, although you could clearly see (or not!) that it was too dangerous to carry on racing.

Over at Lingfield Hawaafez looked to be an interesting prospect as he won over a mile - he certainly looks to be one to follow.  The runner-up Baisse, trained by Henry Cecil also looks to be a sure-fire future winner - he was the mount of Kelly Harrison, who was having her first ride for the yard.  She looked neat and tidy and I am sure that Henry will put her on a winner in the future.

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There is a troubling double page spread in today's Racing Post headlined "Racing For Peanuts".  As you may have already worked out, it is all about the prize money levels in this country which are currently terrible, and getting worse.  Whilst it is not a new topic or amazing revelation, it does echo the sentiments and observations that David made in his blog a few weeks ago.  Just have a look at the Kia Venga handicap at Kempton this afternoon for instance, last year the prize money to the winner was £2047...this year it is only £1365.  Prize money levels cannot continue to drop like this without consequences...I wouldn't be surprised if some owners started to boycott British racing in search of more lucrative opportunities overseas.  Most owners are not involved in horse racing to make money, but even they have limits...something needs to change, and fast!

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Finally, I though you might like to see a couple of wintry images from around the yard.  It was really cold yesterday with temperatures staying at around -5°c all day, and while it certainly isn't as cold today, the temperature is yet to creep above freezing.