Weekend update

First of all, my apologies for the fact that I didn't post any selections for Saturday. Look on the bright side, I've saved you your stake money.

It's been a bit of a hectic weekend. Earlier today, I attended the City Of Coventry Youth Orchestra's 'Music From The Movies' performance at the Arts Centre, University of Warwick. Mrs Tips has been trying to widen my rather narrow horizons. Iain Lauchlan provided witty interludes to the music and singing; at half-time (I should say 'the interval') Mrs T. struck up a conversation with the lady in the next seat who turned out Mr Lauchlan's wife. Fortunately, at that point, I hadn't made any indiscreet comments about the compere...

In a similar vein, I couldn't help but smile at one of Michael Owen's comments when the Channel 4 cameras visited his training facility at Malpas in Cheshire. To paraphrase, Michael said that taking abuse came with the territory for footballers but, in stark contrast, people in racing were far more polite. Obviously I don't move the right circles. I guess Ms. Zara Phillips does, but her first runner as a trainer, Manor Down, was pulled up at Cheltenham's hunter chasing meeting last Wednesday.

The Lingfield Derby trial lost much of its interest with the withdrawal of Luca Cumani's Curtain Call on account of fast ground. In the Oaks trial Look Here didn't handle the course. In the coming week the big York meeting will take centre stage from Wednesday onwards.

A number of readers have told me they preferred FirstTimeRacgoer's recent post to the drivel I routinely pump out. I don't care, I'm going to carry on regardless...