What No Jumps?!

Today is a flat day with five meetings taking place, all on the level.  The action comes from Pontefract, Salisbury, Windsor, Musselburgh and Kempton.  There were two jumps cards yesterday...am I the only one who thinks that the lack of balance is ridiculous?  Owing to work commitments most people can only go racing over the weekend, yet there were only two meetings yesterday under the same code.  Surely we need to be trying to appeal to as broad a range of people as possible?

I see that flat jockey Jimmy Fortune has decided to call a day on his riding career.  He has been a fantastic jockey down the years and was one of the strongest in a finish.  Frankie Dettori said that if you were involved in a close finish, the one man who you did not want to look over you shoulder and see was Fortune - that is all you need to know.

It is a good job that all of the horses are microchipped these days.  Truckers Lodge was due to run at Uttoxeter over the weekend but was ruled out and hour before the race when it emerged that the horse sent up from Tom George's yard was not Truckers Lodge at all.  It seems to me that a lot of horses have been mixed up recently - something that I never recall happening at Pond House...I really shouldn't tempt fate!

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England beat Lithuania 1-0 with a Harry Kane penalty in another boring match.  This team is never going to win anything and their best chance of success in the big matches is to send the opposition to sleep!  I don't think there is a world class player in the squad despite manager Gareth Southgate's claim that Kane is the best England strike for 20 years.  Personally, I prefer to judge them when they are faced with sides in the world's top ten.  We will see - I hope I am wrong.  Meanwhile, Scotland drew 2-2 with Solvenia and are out of all competitions.

Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday to extend his lead in the world championship.  With Sebastian Vettel failing to finish yet again, Hamilton is now 59 points ahead with four races remaining.  He should be our country's favourite sportsman but I get the feeling that he is not.  He seems to have an uncanny knack of upsetting people.

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It was so cold this morning, I actually saw a politician with his hands in his own pockets!  Have a nice day...

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