Tempo Goes To Ludlow

There are five meetings taking place this afternoon with jumps cards outnumbered by the all-weather flat fixtures!  The action comes from Southwell, Chelmsford City and Kempton on the all-weather, while there are a couple of jumps meetings from Taunton and Ludlow.  David has one runner today as Great Tempo competes in the 2m5f amateur riders' handicap hurdle at Ludlow at 4.00pm.  Our five year old has won on heavy ground and put up some decent efforts over fences earlier in the season - he resumes over timber from a slightly lower mark and young Fergus Gillard takes 7lbs off his back.  There are no runners from Pond House at Taunton but both Tom Scudamore and David Noonan have picked up outside rides at the meeting.

I thought that Mrs Miggins ran creditably at Exeter yesterday afternoon, finishing third in the mares' novices' hurdle.  She stayed on well in the closing stages and looks as though she will benefit from a step-up in trip at some point.

It is David's turn to feature in the Racing Post's stable tour today and it is an interesting read.  It features a look at some of the horses in training at Pond House, while I was interested by the name of the conditional jockey in the stable profile...he is called 'vacancy'!  If I was just a couple of years younger and a half a stone lighter!  In all seriousness though, the conditional jockey's vacancy would be a fantastic opportunity for someone...Pond House has boasted champion conditionals such as Jonothan Lower, Martin Foster and Jamie Moore, while more recently the likes of Hadden Frost and Conor O'Farrell have enjoyed success on the big stage with victories at the Cheltenham Festival for David.

Bangor's silent auction was expected to make close to £35,000 for Maggie's Merseyside which offers free cancer support, so very well done to them.

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There is a big football match on tonight as England play the USA at 8pm.  Mrs Barnes is thrilled to hear that it is on television!  The Rooney saga continues but seriously, what difference does it make if he plays or not?  His kids are going to be mascots...why don't they just go the whole hog and put his wife in goal?  Pantomime season is here again!

Sri Lanka reached 139-4 at lunch in the latest cricket test between them and England.  England did well to reach 285 which included a great knock by Sam Curran who hit 6 sixes in his 64.  It was really entertaining.  I always thought that country's such as Sri Lanka would have great support but when you looked around the ground yesterday, there was hardly anyone there.

I wonder if Claudio Ranieri will be able to keep Fulham up?  I bet he doesn't win the league with them...Leicester City was one of those once in a lifetime fairytales.

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I'm not a fan of innuendos...but I do try to slip one in occasionally!

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