Back-To-Back Doubles!

Above: Mr Clarkson (D Noonan) returns to winning ways with a gutsy victory at Worcester

 It was another great day for the yard yesterday with another double courtesy of the successes of Mr Clarkson (above) at Worcester and Percy Street at Wincanton.  David has the horses in really good form as back-to-back doubles would suggest.  Mr Clarkson was given a great ride by David Noonan who gets on very well with our seven year old.  Following an absence, he showed a bit more sparkle on his last run and displayed great determination under 11-13.  His owners, the Pipe's Prospectors syndicate will be thrilled by this success and hopefully he will be able to build on this now.  Over at Wincanton Percy Street (pictured below) hung on to claim the 2m4f handicap hurdle by a short head.  He was probably in front soon enough but had just enough in hand to hang on for victory - this was Tom Scu at his strongest.  Picture Painter and Dream Free also ran respectably at Worcester with the pair of them finishing fourth, so it was another productive day for the Pond House team.

Above: Percy Street is successful at Wincanton under Tom Scudamore

There are six meetings taking place this afternoon with flat cards from Chester, Ripon, Ascot, Nottingham and Wolverhampton as well as a jumps card from Market Rasen.  David has two runners at Market Rasen today; Van Gogh du Granit and Ourmullion.  Van Gogh du Granit contests the 3m handicap chase at 2.10pm.  He ran a great race when narrow runner-up in a veterans' chase at Ascot behind stablemate Rathlin Rose on his penultimate start before finding the marathon trip beyond him in the Scottish National last time.  This is an easier grade of race than that and he should go well under David Noonan.

Our other runner is Ourmullion who runs in the conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle at 2.45pm.  He was a decent flat performer and took a step forward over hurdles when a close fourth at Taunton last time.  He is another with a decent chance under Kieron Edgar.

I was saddened to hear that comedy legend and our Grand National winning owner Freddie Starr has passed away at the age of 76 at his Spanish home.  A carer found him on the floor of his flat in the Cost del Sol.  Obviously Freddie was a tremendous character and I have a picture of him with my son Lester and 1994 Grand National winner Miinnehoma on my wall at home.  I will always treasure those memories of him and he will be sadly missed.

*****

Arsenal won 4-2 at Valencia last night to win 7-3 on aggregate, whilst Chelsea drew with Frankfurt, winning 4-3 on penalties meaning that both sides progress to the final of the Europa Cup.  That means an all English final for the Europa Cup and Champions League...I don't recall that ever happening before.

If you are up at the British Masters at the Hillside Club you had better get on the Tommy Fleetwood bus.  The local council have plastered his name all over one of their buses.  Mind you, the star on the golf course was fellow Merseysider Matt Jordan who shot a nine under par course record of 63.

*****

Cleavage is like the sun...you can look but it's dangerous to share!  Keep smiling...

Tweet