Weekend Jottings

There are just three meetings taking place this afternoon with a flat card from York and jumps fixtures from Perth and Fontwell.  David has two runners at Fontwell today; Oneonechop and Iron Heart (pictured above).  Oneonechop contests the juvenile hurdle at 1.00pm.  The winner of six races at up to 1m on the flat in France, he has finished in the frame on each of his four starts to date over timber.  He performed creditably again on his handicap debut when second at Newton Abbot last time and this looks less competitive.  The ground should suit and he looks to have a decent chance under Tom Scudamore.

Our other runner is Iron Heart who contests the 2m1½f handicap hurdle at 2.00pm.  A dual-winner on the level, he won over hurdles at Newbury last season and performed creditably from higher marks since, including in a valuable race at Ascot.  He will love the prevailing top of the ground and should be thereabouts again with jockey Fergus Gillard taking 3lbs off his back.

I know I keep on about it, but you have to feel sorry for these racecourses that put on good prizemoney, yet they only seem to attract small fields.  It is the same story again today at York where they have a 6f Listed contest which has just four runners despite the first prize being worth just shy of £30,000.  The good/firm ground may have something to do with it, but what more do the courses have to do?  Perhaps it just goes to show that there are not enough good horses for these races?  Prize money can't be the issue, so if they can't get the runners, maybe it should be reduced in these pattern races and redistributed elsewhere?

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England are in World Cup qualifying action as they host Andorra today.  England put in a good performance to defeat Hungary 4-0 midweek and should have far too much for the visitors who are currently 152 places beneath them in the current FIFA rankings.

I am looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix this afternoon at Zandvoort, although I don't anticipate a great deal of overtaking.  The gap between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is only three points after the farcical Belgian Grand Prix last weekend and a victory for the Dutchman would see the title lead change hands again.

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What do you call a woman who burns all her bills?  Bernadette