Ffos Las Flooded

Following the abandonment of Ffos Las today due to waterlogging, we are left with only three meetings to look forward to.  There are jumps fixtures from Ayr and Plumpton as well as an all-weather flat card from Kempton.  The ground at the Welsh track can get extremely testing but it is a shame the fixture has had to be cancelled as Little Red Lion and Bumpy Johnson were intended runners at the meeting.  It means that there are no runners from the Pond House team this afternoon and none until Wednesday at the earliest where we have entries at Newbury and Lingfield - declarations for those are made this morning at 10am.

As mentioned yesterday, I thought that Adagio (pictured above) produced a thoroughly professional performance to score as an odds-on shot should at in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon.  He jumped really nicely and has certainly improved in that regard and travelled powerfully throughout, producing a great leap to take it up at the last before powering away up the run-in under Tom Scudamore.  He had beaten the runner-up further when second at the last meeting but the result was never in doubt and he can do no more than beat what is put in front of him.  He is certainly one of the best juveniles seen over here thus far and has proven an excellent purchase from a claimer in France on the flat.

Do Ya Feel Lucky finished fifth on her debut for the stable at Southwell yesterday afternoon in the conditional jockeys' handicap hurdle.  The ground had become very testing by the final race of the card and despite handling a bit of cut, it was very tiring.  Even so, she was beaten only ten lengths and is entitled to improve for her first outing on this side of the Irish Sea.

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Max Verstappen was an impressive winner of the final Grand Prix of the season at Abu Dhabi yesterday afternoon in his Red Bull.  The Dutchman was rarely trouble by the Mercedes duo of Bottas and Hamilton in second and third in a race that was won on merit.  It is no wonder that Mercedes won't supply engines to the team if this is what they can do with an inferior power unit.  Verstappen remains a world champion in waiting which is good news for the sport as there are several youngsters on the grid to which that label applies; Leclerc and George Russell included.

Mark Selby easily beat Ronnie O'Sulivan in the final of the Scottish Open snooker 9-3 yesterday.  It was a strange match with both men accusing the other of gamesmanship, something that is becoming a regular feature of O'Sullivan's matches.  Strange that he has to resort to those sort of tactics given the amount of talent that he has.  In one frame, he tried to continue when he needed snookers with only the black left on the table!

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What is Santa's primary language?  North Polish!

What do you call an obnoxious reindeer?  Rude-olph!

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