Clever Taunton Winner

Has Tom Scudamore really moved up north?!  His whistlestop tour of the north of the country see him taking three rides for the stable at Doncaster this afternoon.  He will be aboard Presenting Ace, Faasel and Decoy, while over at Ludlow we run Swing Bowler and Beattie Green who will be partnered by Timmy Murphy.  Faasel has been a wonderful servant down the years and has twice finished runner-up at the Cheltenham Festival since joining us as well as finishing second in the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown - he participates in a veteran's chase this afternoon and they really are great opportunities for these old campaigners to win another nice prize.

It is good to see Swing Bowler (pictured right) following in her mother's footsteps.  David Johnson's dual bumper winner is a daughter of his great racemare Lady Cricket and she certainly seems to have inherited a good deal of her ability.  I always take exception to these people who say "if she turns out half as good as her mother we will be very pleased" - if Swing Bowler turns out to be half as good as her mother, then she will be rated in the 80's and I would have hoped that she might be a bit better than that!

We enjoyed another good winner yesterday afternoon at Taunton when Clever Dick got up to beat Genstone Trail by a neck under a strong ride from Paddy Brennan to land the handicap hurdle.  Unex Degas, Alderluck and Effervesce also performed with credit to reach the frame at Taunton, Wetherby and Southwell respectively.

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I see that the whip regulations are due for another major overhaul and it's about time!  Even so, my betting shop mates ask me why the jockeys don't just toss their whips away after they have jumped the last fence...this is what I am up against in my local betting shop!

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As I eluded to yesterday, it seems to me that Chelsea are an ageing football team and they were put in their place by Napoli last night.  I can't see Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas getting much older at Stamford Bridge!

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There is plenty to look forward to for golfing fans as they have the Matchplay Championships to look forward to.  The first round bet for me appears to be T Bjorn to beat F Molinari at 11/10.