Cheltenham & Huntingdon

    Matt Chapman & David doing the Tips

I hope everyone enjoyed the action from the first day of the Festival yesterday, I did and I even managed to find a couple of winners which is always a good thing!  I was at Cheltenham yesterday helping in a marquee and there was some great racing and a fabulous atmosphere in or marquee and on the course in general I thought.  They seemed to have made a few changes for the better and to me it appeared to work well.  I believe there was a slightly bigger crowd than there was last year and everything was positive.  The horses are always the stars of the show and Lossiemouth winning the champion hurdle was very special.  Matt Chapman and David did the tips in our marquee before racing and would you believe they actually did quite well with winners between them!  It was also nice to see Ramses De Teillee parading before racing in the ROR parade.

We mover onto day two's action with lots to look forward to again and we have two runners at Huntingdon as well.  Unfortunately for us, No Walkover missed getting the in the Champion bumper by one so Jack Tudor goes to Huntingdon to ride both Saccary and Best Night.  Saccary runs in the opening novices limited handicap hurdle at 1.38pm.  He is yet to show much in his hurdle runs but does have ability and is a winner on the flat.  He should enjoy the track, ground and step up in trip to 2m4f today.  Best Night runs in the 3.38pm handicap hurdle over two miles.  She is a very honest and genuine filly and reports from the yard suggest she is feeling very well in herself at the moment.  She has been running well on ground softer than ideal of late so we have waited for things to dry a little and I think she will run well today at a good each way price.  

The Cheltenham card gets underway at 1.20pm with the Turners novices hurdle for which No Drama this end is favourite but I am going for Nicky Henderson to start the day well again and win it with Act of Innocence.  The Brown Advisory novices chase follows at 2pm with Romeo Coolio Favourite ahead of Final Demand but I am going for the third favourite,  Kaid d'Authie to get another win for the green and gold of JP McManus.  What was formerly the Coral Cup comes next which is fiercely competitive and my selection is Putyourhandstogether for Joseph O/Brien.  This horse won last season's Fred Winter and I like horses that run well at the meeting before.  He is 11/1 so a good each way chance.  That is the same reason I am going for Stumptown in the cross country race though he may find it hard to give weigh to the favourite, Favori De Champdou.  Majborough is a short priced favourite to win the Queen Mother Champion chase, and I think he will win while I am also going for a past winner in the Grand Annual at 4pm in the shape of Jazzy Matty.  He is eight pounds higher than when winning this race last year but as I say, I do like horses that keep returning to the Festival.  The concluding Champion Bumper looks wide open but I think the Gordon Elliott team can win this race with second favourite, Keep Him Company,

There are two flat all-weather cards at Newcastle and Southwell. 

There were not good results for the Premiership teams in the Champions League last night with Liverpool and Spurs losing but Newcastle did draw 1-1 at home to Barcelona.  Tonight it is the run of Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal so fingers crossed they may fare better.

I saw someone rob the Apple store yesterday.

Now I'm being called as an iWitness!

Enjoy all the action of day two!