Traditional Festival Eve

  Jack Pipe Winner at Charlton Horethorne

For as long as I can remember we have the traditional Cheltenham Festival eve of racing today with three jumps meetings at Taunton, Stratford and Plumpton.  We have four runners at out most local track, Taunton and we look forward to them and Cheltenham for the rest of the week.  Way of Stars and Mancero will be partnered by Jack Tudor this afternoon while Rian Corcoran is on board Follow the Plan and Final Entry.  Way of Stars and Follow the Plan both run in the maiden hurdle at 2.40pm and despite it looking a very competitive race on paper, I hope Way of Stars has a very good chance, Follow the Plan will need further in time when handicapping most likely and is best watched today.  Way of Stars has just had the two starts over hurdles and ran well in both but settled much better in the first time hood at Taunton last time when just getting nabbed on the line to be second.  He will appreciate the drying ground and he has a great attitude.  The horse that finished just behind him last time reopposes so it is not going to be easy and the current favourite is a horse all Gnomon who was rated two pound inferior to us on the flat and is rated higher over hurdles than us currently but he does have to give us weight.  I wouldn't swap our fell and he is out best chance of a winner today.

Mancero runs in the 4.20pm handicap hurdle over 2m7f.  It is fair to say he has been disappointing since coming over from France but we have been waiting for some better ground and he didn't run too badly at the track last time in first time blinkers.  They are retained today and a repeat of that run would see him thereabouts in this.  The handicapper has given him some help and while 2m7f may stretch his stamina he looks well worth a go at this trip on this track.  Final Entry is our final runner on the card in the lucky last, a 2m3f handicap hurdle for conditional and amateur jockeys.  Final Entry ran well enough without ever looking like winning on the flat recently, his first run for a long time after an injury enforced absence.  That should have put him spot on for this.  He is a character and he may be on and off the bridle but he does have talent and fingers crossed he will enjoy his return to jumping action today and run well.

There is no racing today in Ireland and there is one all-weather flat card at Wolverhampton this evening.

It was a brilliant day for the Pipe family at Charlton Horethorne point to point yesterday with Jack riding his first winner and everyone was there to see it...or not as it was very foggy!  This was Jack's second ride on the pony and having missed the start last time there was no mistake this time around!  He rode the pony very well and got up near the line after a prolonged battle with the joint favourite for the race.  It was a day we will all never forget and hopefully the first of many winners for young Jack.

The FA Cup football action continues this evening with West Ham at home to Brentford at 7.30pm.  A special mention to Wrexham who served up a thrilling match to Chelsea on Saturday evening.  It went to extra time and unfortunately they lost 4-2 but it is what the FA Cup is all about.

What kind of medical condition causes wrinkled clothes?

An Iron deficiency.

Happy Monday!