Tight at the top of the Blue Square Premiership...

Rank may be suffering from a bout of the Blue Square blues as it tries to ditch the loss-making bookmaker but, just as it was last year, it's extremely tight at the top of the Premiership - the Blue Square Premiership.

On March 4th betting to win the Conference outright was as follows:

Grimsby 9/4f
Wrexham 11/4
Mansfield 4/1
Kidderminster 5/1
Newport 8/1

Two weeks later the prices are:

Mansfield 5/4f
Wrexham 100/30 (bet365)
Kidderminster 7/2 (Coral)
Newport 8/1 (Bet Victor)
Grimsby 20/1 (Bet Victor)

On Sunday Grimsby play Wrexham at Wembley in the final of the FA Trophy. Whilst both clubs insist the league is priority, both appear to have been distracted by this engagement, particularly The Mariners who have lost their last four games - both Forest Green and Macclesfield are now chasing Grimsby's promotion play-off place.

A feature of Wrexham's season has been the dropping of points at home against clubs they might have expected to beat.

Draws against Gateshead, Tamworth, Southport and Alfreton are starting to look expensive. The Welsh club has the most difficult run-in, scheduled to play Mansfield twice and Kidderminster at home. In addition the sharing of the Racecourse Ground with a rugby league team through the majority of the season has not been ideal and played its part in the postponement of the Mansfield fixture on Tuesday.

The Stags are on a phenomenal run. Following their 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on 6th January, they have lost just two games - at home to Kidderminster and away to Newport - have won their last nine in a row and on current form look like champions elect.

A fortnight ago Newport County (8/1) were a value play for the title but a home defeat by Kidderminster in the interim has hurt prospects.

Of those teams challenging for the title, Newport's fixture congestion is the most severe - the club's call for the season to be extended, reiterated by Ebbsfleet boss Liam Daish, is likely to fall on deaf ears as the Champions League final is scheduled to be played at Wembley on May 25th.

Kidderminster currently sit top of the league on goal difference having played more games than all their rivals. Two away games, at Luton and Wrexham, will be keenly contested.

This evening Mansfield are in pole position and the layers have priced the market accordingly but we should expect a few twists and turns before the end of the season; the two games against Wrexham will be key.

Those wanting to take a view may wish to await the outcome of Sunday's FA Trophy final before risking long-time league leaders Wrexham at around the 100/30 mark.

Tight at the top of the Premiership

It's getting tight at the top of the Premiership - the Blue Square Premiership.

Fleetwood Town have amassed 92 points from 39 games whilst closest rivals Wrexham have 86 points from 37 games. Should the Welsh club win their two games in hand, the goal difference is likely to be pretty tight too - Fleetwood's current goal difference is 52, Wrexham's 49. To add to the spice, Fleetwood are set to entertain Wrexham on Tuesday April 10th and it has just been announced that the  Mansfield v. Wrexham fixture will be televised live by Premier Sports Television (Channel 433) on Friday 20th April.

Having said all that, there are likely to be a few twists and turns along the way - tomorrow's fixtures for both leading clubs look no cakewalk. Third-placed Mansfield visit the league leaders on the back of seven wins from their last eight games, having bagged 26 goals along the way - the one draw in that sequence was against Fleetwood eleven days ago.

Meanwhile Wrexham will feel they have a score to settle with Forest Green Rovers who beat them 1-0 in January, knocking the Welsh side off the top of the league in the process; to add insult to injury, Wrexham's Dean Keates had his injury-time penalty saved by former Wrexham keeper Sam Russell. Forest Green Rovers beat fourth-placed Luton Town 3-0 on Tuesday evening.

Those prepared to take a view can bet 9/2 Mansfield with bet365 and 31/10 the draw with Bet Victor. Bet Victor are also best-priced about a drawn Wrexham match (17/5) while Stan James offers 13/2 Forest Green Rovers.

Just down the road from Wrexham, Donald McCain will be hoping to take some of the spoils on offer at Bangor-On-Dee, his local track. Railway Dillon will popular in the 3.50 but this looks a trappy affair - front-runner Calisto Moon returns from a break and couldn't be completely written off if fit enough while Wake Board won as he liked over this course and distance last May.

The bumper is interesting. Imperial Leader's second to The Romford Pele reads well after that one came home seventh in the Festival bumper last week, beaten just over ten lengths. Donald McCain's Ifyousayso has to carry a penalty but it would be no surprise to see Nicky Henderson's mare Miss Ballantyne improve on her third to stablemate Brave Alliance at Warwick in November. I'll monitor the market and bet Imperial Leader if the signs are positive.

Over the years I haven't fared particularly well at tomorrow's Newbury meeting - the race that intrigues is the 3.40. Ikorodu Road is of obvious interest after his victory in the Grimthorpe. He may have been a little fortunate that day as a tired-looking Pentiffic fell at the final fence when holding a three length lead but he battled all the way to the line to pip Junior a short-head. I'm going to take an each-way chance on Henry Daly's Pearlysteps (10/1 bet365, Bet Victor) who didn't jump well at Ascot the last day but has been to Yogi Breisner's since and sports cheekpieces for the first time. His previous second to According To Pete in the Peter Marsh reads well and Jake Greenall takes off a handy-looking five pounds.

Football shorts

Cheer up Harry Redknapp... The Daily Mail reports that doctors have told the Spurs manager he has to stay away from work for another four or five weeks following minor heart surgery. Not too much of a problem for the likes of you and me, but Harry declares: 'This isn't going to stop me doing the job I love.' Under the circumstances then, you wouldn't have begrudged the Tottenham man a bit of good news in the first at Ffos Las today where his Bygones In Brid was sent off the 6/5 favourite. Unfortunately for Harry the wretched beast just hadn't read the script - the bay gelding was tailed off, finishing eighth of the ten runners. Later in the day Tottenham's 3-1 victory at Fulham was more what the doctor ordered but the radio commentary certainly wouldn't have made for easy listening...

Continuing on the subject of work, the fact Alan Hansen is paid £40,000 for every appearance on Match Of The Day has generated plenty of comment this week. Nice work if you can get it, as they say...

Finally, a word for Darren Deadman who refereed the recent Doncaster Rovers v Middlesborough match. Referee Deadman refused to book Doncaster's Billy Sharp after the striker scored a 'goal from heaven' and then revealed a message dedicating it to his son, Louis, who died aged two days old. Well done, Darren.

Weekend musings

Earlier today Blue Bunting made amends for her Epsom disappointment by taking the Irish Oaks while Workforce delighted connections in a Newmarket gallop and looks on course for a clash with St Nicholas Abbey and Rewilding in Saturday's King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. This evening Betfred bets 11/10 St Nicholas Abbey, 2/1 Rewilding, 11/4 Workforce; William Hill offers 11/10 St Nicholas Abbey, 5/2 Workforce, 11/4 Rewilding.

They went hard up front in the Summer Plate at Market Rasen, with the result several were struggling on the second circuit. Much as it pains me, I am obliged to report the mother-in-law took one look at the TV two minutes before the off and selected Qulinton; the wretched beast landed the spoils in what can only be described as a very convincing manner. Gutted. With gloating still ringing in my ears, I can report this evening that Stan James offers a miserly-looking 8/1 about David Pipe's charge for the Galway Plate on 27th July while Boylesports quotes 16/1. I wonder if connections are intending to make the trip over the Irish Sea...

Bookshelf notes - The Story of Your Life: A History of "The Sporting Life" Newspaper (1859-1988) looks a must for serious sports fans (currently £17.04 with free P&P from Amazon). Having enjoyed Nicholas Foulkes' Gentlemen and Blackguards: Gambling Mania and the Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844, I was tempted by D J Taylor's Derby Day, marketed as 'a Victorian mystery'; two contrasting reader reviews have made me think again. One tome I will purchase in the near future is The Form Book Jumps Annual 2010-2011 (£21.99).

Finally, if you follow football, Monday night's Dispatches on Channel 4 may be of interest; it's entitled  'How To Buy a Football Club'.

Ladies' days

Here's a quick round-up of the ladies who have been making the news over the past few days...

Hayley Turner had a lucky escape on Friday morning when the two-year-old filly Jessica Ennis, part owned by the World and European Heptathlon Champion after whom she is named, bolted during a routine stalls test and was then involved in a collision with a car in Newmarket.

An article published in the Metro that same morning saw Turner joined by weighing room colleagues Laura Pike and Sophie Doyle to publicise the first ever Flat race for female jockeys only which has been scheduled to take place at Carlisle's evening meeting on Monday 1st August.

Friday afternoon and Ladies Are Forever took the Group 3 Summer Stakes at York...

And a day later Turner was in the headlines once again, winning her first Group One aboard the David Simcock trained Dream Ahead.

Unfortunately there was no happy ending for the England women's football team after Faye White's penalty miss against France consigned her colleagues to a World Cup quarter final defeat, a fate similar to that suffered by England's male counterparts in the past...

And finally... One lady who has made more news than most this past week is former News Of The World editor and current News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. It's only over the past few days that I've realised Ms Brooks, once married to Ross Kemp (aka Grant Mitchell from EastEnders I have just been informed), is presently hitched to former jockey and racehorse trainer, now turned author and journalist, Charlie Brooks. Small world, isn't it?

Sitting comfortably?

Following the well-publicised brawl at Royal Ascot Ladies' Day, Giles Smith penned a skit in The Times dated Saturday 25th June in which he compared racing hooliganism to football hooliganism, concluding, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that the recent trouble at Ascot can lead to only one thing: 'all-seater racecourses'. That brought a smile - the number of times I've been on a racecourse, thinking what I'd give for a decent sit-down, never mind a winner; I guess I must be getting older.

Another Giles writing for The Times, this time Giles Coren (how many Gileses do The Times actually have on their books?), posted a piece in this Saturday's paper (July 2nd) after having the misfortune to be seated on the end of a row on a visit to Wimbledon.

Mr Coren observes, 'Tennis fans may all think they're pretty marvellous...but they haven't got the first idea how to behave compared with football fans.' I empathise with the author who clearly spent the whole afternoon shifitng around in his seat to allow assorted old buffers and 'rickety old dears' access to their seats without so much as one single word of thanks; on the other hand when football fans '...slide past you to go and get a pie or stab a copper they always, without fail, say "cheers mate"'. 

Giles concludes he knows which he prefers and I think I'm with him on this one. After all that talk of sitting around, I'm going for a lie-down.  

In the frame...

Earlier this week Daryl Jacob was appointed Paul Nicholls' second jockey. Having read Lucky Break and Ruby: The Autobiography, I wondered whether Nicholls would have perhaps considered an alternative arrangement this time given that first choice Walsh missed much of last year's core NH season with a broken leg. Of course, Walsh is peerless and returned to action in March to ride five Festival winners. Nonetheless hints of tension in the partnership were inevitably present - Nicholls was known to be disappointed by Walsh's decision to ride Willie Mullins' Mikael D'Haguenet ahead of Aiteen Thirtythree in the RSA Chase at Cheltenham. In the Weekender Alistair Whitehouse-Jones reports that trainer Nick Williams has acted quickly and appointed James Reveley as a replacement for Jacob but hints that Reveley's reluctance to relocate south could lead to problems in the future.

It may be very early days in the new NH season but I've seen snippets from Simon Holt and Alan Lee suggesting two jockeys who could give current champion A P McCoy a run for his money this year are Jason Maguire and the aforementioned Daryl Jacob.

Mickael Barzalona rode a double at Newmarket yesterday and later Barcelona won the Champions League Final at Wembley, but did anyone else think Paddy Power were sailing close to the wind with the advertisement that interspersed Channel 4's racing coverage? A young lady showed viewers a mobile device displaying the message 'Barcelona win normal time, refund losing bets'; the lady in question then encouraged punters to go to a specific web address. In actual fact the refunds applied to Paddy Power's correct score, scorecast and first/last goalscorer markets only; although full details were displayed in 'small print' on screen, I thought the deliberate impression created was the refund applied to all bets struck.

Finally, a couple of horses you may wish to follow if, unlike Ryan Giggs, you're a fan of Twitter...

Twitter horse Trending @Trending_Horse trained by @jeremygask website: http://socialmediaracing.com/

The People's Horse @peopleshorse website: http://www.thepeopleshorse.co.uk/

Student Horse Tae Kwon Do @StudentHorse His progress has been mentioned on the blog previously; he obliged at odds of 9/2 at Fontwell earlier today.

Friday night ramblings

There's a decent enough card at Stratford tomorrow evening but I imagine the attendance is likely to suffer as Manchester United play Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley. The going at the Warwickshire track is described as good, good to firm in places, with 18mm of rain falling on Thursday. 11 go for The Gambling Prince Trophy at 7.20; a case can be made for most of them. Invisible Man pipped Swing Bill a neck at Worcester ten days ago with Commemoration Day another ten and a half lengths back in fifth; the winner that day may well struggle to confirm placings on the revised ratings. Two Welsh handlers in good form are Rebecca Curtis and Peter Bowen; the former trains The Jigsaw Man but I'm tempted to take an each-way chance with Bowen's Sunday City (16/1 in tonight's tissue). This one isn't easy to catch right and isn't certain to give his running but he retains some ability having won the Macer Gifford Handicap Chase at Huntingdon last autumn and appeared somewhat unlucky when slipping up at Ludlow on his penultimate run.

Another Welsh handler in form Tim Vaughan (25% strike rate in past fortnight) saddles The Ferbane Man in the Warwickshire Hunt Handicap Chase at 7.55. This one is a trier and a stayer but in a stable tour article last October the handler said 'He loves bottomless ground and grinds the opposition down.' With the going on the quick side I'll watch from the sideleines.

The booking of  McCoy for Amercian Art in the opener catches my eye. The champ has ridden Rebecca Curtis' well-regarded gelding Praxiteles before. I'll check the price before deciding whether to bet.

I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson would welcome any diversion from the pressures of the build-up to a Champions League final but his two runners at Sandown last night failed to oblige. Pausanias finished fourth in a listed stakes while the somewhat inappropriately named Magic City could only finish third despite being sent off 10/11 favourite in another listed event. The irony is Magic City was beaten by Pyman's Theory, part-owned by Michael Owen. After pulling a stunt like that, I'd expect Owen to be leaving Old Trafford during the close season. Blue Bajan, a former Swinton Handicap Hurdle winner, took the two mile Henry II Stakes.

Following on from that prompt, horses with jumps form racing over a distance of more than one and a half miles on the Flat tomorrow include Cotillon, My Arch, La Estrella and Kayef in Haydock's opener; of these, Cotillon and Michael Scudamore's Kayef are of interest. The latter has a Sandown juvenile hurdle to his name and finished down the field in the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival. The colt doesn't look the easiest of rides but ran well to finish a close-up fourth at Ascot the last time, priced 33/1. Coral bet 16/1 for tomorrow's race.

In Catterick's 4.05 Micky Hammond's Heart Of  Dubai won over course and distance the last time but isn't guaranteed to reproduce that effort while mare Madamlily looks to have a tough enough task giving weight to all her rivals.

Newmarket's finale includes Veiled, Gifted Leader and Blue Spartan. Nicky Henderson has booked Kieren Fallon for Veiled. Gifted Leader has won a Stratford Class 3 hurdle; rated 130 over hurdles, the gelding goes off a mark of 77 here and would be of some interest for each-way punters if priced up at 16/1 (as in tonight's tissue). The grey Blue Spartan looks sure to appreciate this trip.

Scottish Salmond and flying dismounts for Ayr

Something of an eventful day for Frankie Dettori at Ayr yesterday...

A change in Ryanair security procedures meant Dettori was not allowed to board his intended internal flight from Stansted to Prestwick using his driving licence as ID. Another Ryanair money-making stunt perhaps? Unperturbed, the jock went back home, dug out his passport, took a later flight and promptly rode Dandy Nicholls' Redford to win the Ayr Gold Cup at odds of 14/1. This was Dettori's second successive victory in the race, having run off with the spoils last year aboard Clive Cox's Jimmy Styles. The First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond MP presented the booty and then appeared on television shortly afterwards to inform Channel 4 viewers that Dettori had said his mount Vesuve would win the Doonside Cup. I'd imagine that viewers who took the hint will be on good terms with themselves today as the 2/1 second favourite held market rival Kings Gambit (15/8f) a neck on the line. Other viewers, probably of Scottish descent, might well remark that's the first time the First Minister has ever given them something for nothing. Needless to say, viewers in the latter category are also likely to have based any judgement on the First Minister's previous form, so they probably wouldn't have bothered to have a bet anyway. Poor old Alex Salmond - can't do right for doing wrong...

Tommo's recorded interview with Scottish trainer Jim Goldie (JG) before the Gold Cup also brought a smile. Tommo kicked off with the fact that a Scottish trained runner hadn't taken the race since 1975 but Goldie appeared to have a very good chance with the aptly-named Hawkeyethenoo. A rough transcript follows:

JG: Winning this race, it would be like Scotland winning the World Cup!
Tommo: And you haven't done that for a long time!
JG: No, and neither have you!

Finally a Scottish footballing story from The Galloway News to finish with. Last Saturday Threave Rovers were due to play Crichton at Castle Douglas in the semi final of the Cree Lodge Cup. After a pre-match incident between the Threave keeper and a Crichton striker, Rovers offered to remove their player from the town so that the match could go ahead. Crichton rejected this offer on the grounds of safety with the result the match was abandoned. C'mon lads, it's only a game...

Mixed musings of an inconsequential nature

In last month's Yorkshire Oaks Sariska refused to leave the stalls allowing Henry Cecil's Midday to collect the spoils. Three and a half weeks on and something remarkably similar happened in the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp this afternoon; once again Sariska failed to come out of the stalls and Midday took the spoils. Connections immediately retired Sariska while Skybet have shortened Midday to even money for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

There was a bit of a turn-up in yesterday's St. Leger at Doncaster where the Godolphin even money hotpot, Rewilding, failed to fire, coming home a well-beaten sixth behind John Gosden's 12/1 chance Arctic Cosmos. Corsica (40/1) from the Mark Johnson yard ensured there was no hanging around, setting a searching gallop and staying on stoutly to finish third, beaten a nose for second by the Aidan O'Brien trained Midas Touch. Meanwhile over in Ireland Olivier Peslier brought 13/8 favourite Sans Frontieres to the front with a well-timed run to record a comfortable three quarter length win from market rival Profound Beauty. This represents a first Group One win for owner Sir Robert Ogden; connections have indicated that the Melbourne Cup in November is 'very much on the cards.'

Some potentially interesting race readers to keep an eye out for with (the threat of) Christmas just around the corner...

Ruby: The Autobiography by Ruby Walsh [publication date to be announced];

Kauto Star & Denman by Jonathan Powell;

Gentlemen and Blackguards: Gambling Mania and the Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844 by Nicholas Foulkes;

Race Profiles - Jumps 2010-2011 by Dr Peter May;

No Angel: The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone by Tom Bower [publication date to be announced].


Plenty has been written over the past week on the antics of England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney. By some distance the most amusing article I came across was Frank Skinner's piece in Friday's Times. I had to smile at this particular line: 'Ms Thompson said, on one occasion, when Rooney approached her in a hotel, that Michael Owen looked at him with disgust. Apparently this caused Owen to pull a muscle in his face and he has been out of action for six weeks.'

Last night the contestants in Strictly Come Dancing 2010 were allocated their dance partners and told to go away and practice for three weeks. The layers, never ones to miss an opportunity, have already priced up the field. Mrs Tips comes into her own with this sort of stuff - her verdict on Gavin Henson was particularly harsh (in case you were tempted by 20/1); personally I thought Gavin bore a remarkable resemblance to Fireman Elvis Cridlington of Fireman Sam fame.

Finally, one of next Saturday's features is the Ayr Gold Cup; the Morning Line guest, advertised in advance, is the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP. Forget the politics, Alex Salmond rates an entertainment in his own right and ranks high on a list of people I'd care to have dinner with. I shall rise early in time for next Saturday's scheduled transmission.

Playing catch-up

A few days away and I've completely lost touch...

The current big betting story centres around allegations in today's News of the World that Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammed Asif bowled three no-balls at pre-determined, specified points in test match play on Thursday and Friday. William Hill representative Graham Sharpe, speaking on Radio Five Live this morning, indicated that punters would struggle to strike bets of this nature with his firm.

I missed the first of Martin Clunes' two part series, Horsepower; apprently tonight's second episode (ITV1 21:00) starts with a visit to racecourses in England and Italy.

While away I did manage to catch small snippets from the two most recently broadcast editions of The Morning Line. Am I just getting too old and cynical? Perhaps so, but I did feel Nick Luck's fawning over firstly Jeremy Kyle before Sandown's Variety Club Day and then Guy Harwood and Amanda Perrett before Saturday's Goodwood Celebration Mile meeting left a bit of a taste...

Two quick points noted on recent travels - firstly Sanquhar in south west Scotland celebrated 100 years of the riding of the marches on August 18th 2010. Secondly, one of the halls of residence of Durham University has been built on the site of a house that once belonged to John Gully, an English sportsman and former MP for Pontefract. Appearently in 1827 Mr Gully lost £40,000 when backing his Mameluke to win the St. Leger but happier times followed in 1832 when he had a share of £85,000, his St Giles, part owned with Robert Ridsdale, winning the Derby and Margrave the St Leger. Wikipedia records 'Gully was twice married and had twelve children by each wife.'

With the jumps season on the horizon trainer Philip Hobbs had a word for a couple in an article in today's Racing Post - Captain Chris and Tarablaze were mentioned, as was Qroktou who has apparently strengthened up nicely.

Finally, a football note to finish on. As a lifelong fan of Wrexham FC (who now languish near the foot of the Blue Square Bet Premiership) I can't help but wonder why ITV employ our current manager Mr Dean Saunders (also known in our house as 'Pearl & Dean' and 'The Colonel') to pass comment on European games involving clubs such as Liverpool and Aston Villa while closer to home Mr Saunders presides over Wrexham defeats at places such as Forest Green Rovers and Eastbourne Borough. Perhaps he's lining up his next job...

Doc Martin, Andy Murray, Choc Thornton, Avram Grant and the man who ate his winning lottery ticket...

There was plenty of action at Fontwell this afternoon... First time blinkers appeared to rekindle Trenchant's appetite as Alan King's charge won the Grade Two National Spirit Hurdle while Martin Clunes, star of Men Behaving Badly and Doc Martin, was hoping Buffalo Stampede, the horse owned by his TV company, would prove a star in the making - unfortunately the beast hadn't read the script and trailed in last of the seven finishers.

The Times reported recently that tennis ace Andy Murray had his first taste of the races and was suitably impressed. Mind you, it was at Dubai's Meydan racecourse and is a world away from a Monday afternoon card at Plumpton in the middle of winter...

A couple of Festival titbits - Robert 'Choc' Thornton appears to have picked up two decent spare rides in Somersby (Arkle) and Twist Magic (Champion Chase). The Weekender reports that Choc was approached about Twist Magic last week - a decision was made after Oh Crick finished a well-beaten fourth in Ascot's Betfair Chase. Oh Crick will now go either for the Champion or the Grand Annual; if connections take the former option, Wayne Hutchinson will ride. I'm sure Choc won't need me to remind him that last year Twist Magic dumped pilot Sam Thomas on the turf right in front of the stands as they went to post. Nigel Twiston-Davies' Imperial Commander worked with a stablemate after racing at Kempton on Saturday and is reportedly in good health and on track for the Gold Cup.

100 days to the World Cup in South Africa and people are starting to talk about football's financial crisis. Following their coverage of the Manchester United v. Aston Villa Carling Cup final this afternoon, the BBC ran a trailer for a Radio 5 Live progamme Business Of Sport which will discuss the issue on Tuesday evening at 20:00. I suspect much of this has been brought about by Portsmouth becoming the first Premier League side to go into administration - manager Avram Grant considers the League's nine point deduction unfair. Now I have every sympathy with this view but such events are a common occurence lower down the footballing hierarchy and have been for some time. Contrast Portsmouth's situation with that of Chester City who were expelled from the Blue Square Premiership on Friday morning following a meeting at Rushden. Chester started the season on -25 points and were still in negative territory when they played their last game; the club is now up for sale for just £1. The men with the money - what have they gone and done to the beautiful game?

Finally, you would be tempted to place a headline 'Man Eats Winning Lottery Ticket' in the same bracket as 'Routemaster Discovered On The Moon' or 'Politician Tells The Truth'. On Friday a passenger travelling from Krakov in Poland to East Midlands Airport with Ryanair won 10,000 euros (roughly £8,930) on a scratchcard. When he was informed there wasn't enough cash on board to pay him immediately, he became agitated and promptly ate the winning ticket, thereby forfeiting any chance of collecting his prize. Understandably, the man wishes to remain anonymous...

Weekend notes

Big Zeb bounced back to form to take the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown earlier today; the trainer feels he has now sorted a problem the horse had with ringbone on his off-fore. This evening Ladbrokes bet 7/1 Colm Murphy's charge for the Champion Chase.

The abandonment of Doncaster yesterday meant that Nicky Henderson's Mad Max missed his intended engagement while Henrietta Knight's Somersby is likely to be re-routed to Doncaster next Saturday after Hereford was called off earlier today. One name missing from the list of runners in Saturday's Cleeve Hurdle was Karabak - Alan King's charge scoped dirty and as a result was kept at home in his box.

Paul Nicholls rightly took the plaudits for bringing Taranis back from a long layoff to win the Argento Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday. However, over the past couple of days a number of his more fancied chances have failed to deliver - both Tataniano (2/11f) and Aiteen Thirtythree (7/4f) were turned over at Newbury on Friday while Pistolet Noir (8/15f) and Royal Charm (5/4f) disappointed at the Festival Trials Day.

Well done to fellow blogger Ben Aitken whose book 'Narrowing The Field: Using The Dosage Method to Win at National Hunt Racing' received a favourable review in the Racing Post before Christmas but reached another level with a review in last Sunday's Observer. Perhaps now is the time to invest in a copy with just six short weeks before the Cheltenham Festival.

Tennis correspondent Mrs Tips' verdict on the Australian men's final: Federer awesome, Murray work in progress.

One footballing item - a Lee Dixon comment overheard in today's radio coverage of the Arsenal v. Manchester United game: 'It's hard enough staying on your feet when you're playing against Rooney, but if you're going to fall over, you're giving yourself a mountain to climb.' I'm not certain I know what he was trying to say there...

Finally a recent tweet from @Huntingdonraces suggested we ditch flowers and chocs for Valentine's Day and take a loved one racing instead. I tried that before but Mrs Tips was singularly unimpressed. Here's an alternative suggestion - ditch the loved one for the afternoon and go racing on your own - much more fun!

Matters arising...

A couple of performances impressed over the weekend - Rip Van Winkle's determination when challenged by Zacinto in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Barizan's victory in the juvenile novice hurdle at Market Rasen. Barizan raced off a mark of 140 which some (myself included) thought may have flattered a little but he hurdled fluently and won as he liked. I'd heard a quiet whisper for the second, Classic Contours, who finished a respectable thirteen lengths second - that was a decent enough effort on his first try over hurdles and he looks one to keep in mind for the future in this sphere.

I have a confession to make - after watching Richard Dunwoody dance the 'Cha Cha Cha' in Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing, I picked up the phone, tears still rolling down my cheeks, and voted for the man. What a star! Unfortunately, it was all to no avail and 'Richard Dun-goody' was promptly dumped out of the competition in no uncertain terms, like a novice chaser falling at the second. Of course, the BBC has missed yet another opportunity to increase its diminished racing coverage.

Around this time of year books start to appear on the shelves of shops, just in time for Christmas. In Waterstone's (Coventry) the other day I came across a copy of Fallon: The Biography by Andrew Longmore and Paul Nicholls' autobiography Lucky Break while Saturday's Times printed extracts from Michael Henderson's 50 People Who Fouled Up Football. I quote the author: 'There is no joy in English football today, and little dignity. The game is richer to the tune of many billions, yet it is poorer in spirit... Football has been shamed by people who do not hold its best interests at heart.' Amongst the fifty named and shamed are Piers Morgan, Alan Hansen, Nigel Kennedy, Victoria Beckham, Alan Green ('a man who speaks almost exclusively in capital letters'), Don Revie, Billy Bragg and even the fans themselves. I think I'm going to have to order a copy...

Football may have its billions but during the BBC's coverage of the European Eventing Championships this afternoon I watched Clare Balding interview one Piggy French who had just won herself a silver medal. 'Piggy French? Do people like that still exist?' I hear you cry; well, quite clearly, they do. You'll be pleased to learn that Piggy isn't her real name - Simon Barnes informs us her name is Georgina - the family nickname came about as her older sister thought she looked like Piglet from Winnie The Pooh. Different world altogether, isn't it?

Finally, I bring to your attention something I've spent a long time waiting for - left-handed underpants. According to aptly-named underwear seller Horn, 'They'll save left-handed men vital seconds.' It's all just pants really.

Round-up

Channel 4's coverage of the St Leger at Doncaster highlighted the tradition where the town's first-born child on the day of the race is given life membership of the track when reaching the age of sixteen; this year's recipient was Thomas Peter Talbot who entered this world thirteen minutes after midnight on the day in question.

Now I admit I was dozing a little but I'm sure I heard Channel 4's Jim McGrath say something like this during commentary. 'It's a glorious day to be watching horses. Of the four-legged variety, several look [well with the sun on their backs]'. Now, was Jim McGrath trying to make a statement there about the existence of horses with more / less than four legs?

On an altogether more sombre note, following the recent tragic deaths of two apprentice jockeys, Jamie Kyne and Jan Wilson, Julian Muscat wrote an excellent piece in Tuesday's Times that highlighted the spartan existence of the racing apprentice.

If you're a jump jockey, the chances are you won't get a chance to ride in the Derby; that said, the next best thing has to be a ride in the Jump Jockeys' Derby Handicap. Sam Thomas won Thursday's renewal over Epsom's Derby course on the appropriately-named Epsom Salts, the horse carrying the burden of eleven stones and five pounds to victory!

Of some potential interest to some readers - former Southampton player Matt Le Tissier's admission in his recently published autobiography that he was part of a failed betting scam is likely to result in both the FA and the police asking further questions; in South Africa a pigeon has carried 4Gb of data to its destination faster than broadband; and if you want a big win at the races for a small stake, Kevin Knight's experience would suggest you're better off knowing nothing about racing whatsoever...

Finally my junk mail item of the week comes from Virgin Trains. I quote: 'Treat yourself like Royalty with First Class travel... Whether you are attending the unveiling of a stately home's new garden, your brother's birthday, or any other engagement, it's always nicer to have some special treatment on the way.' Attending the unveiling of a stately home's new garden? Where did that come from?

Miscellanea

Channel Four are forever encouraging viewers 'Come racing!' but a snippet in the Weekender provides a different point of view with this summary of a recent Chepstow card - '...two maiden handicaps, a couple of maidens and a seller. And it was still £19 to get in the premier enclosure. Come Racing! No thanks.'

Another item in the same paper quite rightly bemoans the BBC's racing coverage on the web but at least there's some good news for presenter Clare Balding. She reports on her website that the recent treatment for thyroid cancer appears to have been successful and there are no signs that the cancer has spread anywhere else.

This week's junk item came via snail (rather than electronic) mail and dropped on my doormat yesterday. Sun Life has kindly sent me literature incorporating a picture of Sir Michael Parkinson asking whether I was aware that the average price of a funeral was now in excess of £2,500. Parky may have run out of guests to interview but this looks a nice little sideline for him, endorsing products aimed ageing people such as myself.

Finally a one-liner from Alan Hanson at the end of yesterday's Match Of The Day... As Gary Lineker informed viewers Peter Reid was about to take up a post at Stoke City, Hanson jumps in with 'Peter Reid - great in the bar afterwards!' Mine's a Guinness, Peter.

Odds 'n' ends...

The final day of the Glorious Goodwood meeting was anything but glorious - the rain came, along with the sea mist. Alan Lee wrote a piece in Saturday's Times commenting on the recession and falling attendances, pointing out that the free view from Trundle Hill had proved popular this year. Anyone who took the option to watch Saturday's racing will have seen next to nothing; from the racecourse stands visibility stretched to two hundred yards at most.

Two performances caught my eye during the week. On Friday at Bangor Beherayn won his first chase. In the past this one has either gone off like a scalded cat or pulled hard when held up, often failing to give the obstacles the respect they deserve. Have connections finally tamed him? The form book reports that he pulled hard in rear, made jumping errors but eventually won with something in hand. On Thursday The Betchworth Kid, a 33/1 shot, ran a huge race to take third place in the Goodwood Cup. He's set to go jumping this winter with Alan King.

Recently a colleague spent a few days walking in Northumberland, staying at The Blink Bonny, Christon Bank. The hostelry is named after Blink Bonny, a remarkable filly who won the Epsom Derby and two days later the Oaks in 1857. The horse's skeleton is preserved in the museum at York racecourse but two of her hooves are kept in a glass case above the fireplace at the pub.

That story brought to mind a time Mrs Tips and I lodged in a hotel in Gatehouse of Fleet, South West Scotland. Our stay coincided with the annual 'riding the marches', a tradition which, according to Wikipedia, 'celebrates the ancient custom of riding the boundaries of the parish/marches'. Townsfolk rode through the streets on all manner of different sized horses; the people of Langholm have recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of their Common Riding. Of course, you couldn't get a bet on for love nor money...

Finally, four footballers who did manage to get a bet on will perhaps wish they hadn't after they were banned for a breach of betting rules. Jay Harris (Chester City), Robert Williams (Accrington Stanley), David Mannix (Chester City) and Andrew Mangan (Forest Green Rovers) have all been fined and hit with playing bans of up to one year.

By the way, the new season kicks off on Saturday.

Grumpy Old Punter writes...

I first started PG's Tips roughly three and a half years ago; at that time one of my favourite blogs was the Grumpy Old Bookman. Much to my dismay, that blog was discontinued towards the end of 2007. Since then several acquaintances have suggested I should re-brand my efforts to carry the name Grumpy Old Punter - I can't think why.

Here's this week's round-up from the Grumpy Old Punter...

We saw two big rides from two top jockeys in two feature races on Saturday. With three furlongs to run you wouldn't have given Richard Hughes much of a chance on 2/1 favourite Monsieur Chevalier in the Wetherbys Super Sprint at Newbury; once the jockey got to work, his charge came with a rattling run to beat all nineteen rivals a shade cosily. At Market Rasen Tony McCoy performed an astonshing feat in getting 7/2 favourite Nostringsattached to win the Summer Plate; three out the horse looked a spent force in sixth, some ten lengths off the pace. McCoy galvanised his mount to pip stable companion Keepitsecret and No Panic a short head and a neck on the line.

Over the years we've all heard tales of members of the public being refused entry to various racecourse enclosures, often on account of the state of their attire (Ascot and Goodwood are two courses that come to mind immediately). Salisbury went a step further late last month when threatening to eject two racegoers from the members' enclosure for eating ice-creams! After a number of complaints, the course has now revised its policy...

It was a case of music while you work for Ryan Moore and his companions at a recent Kempton evening meeting. The London Philharmonic Orchestra played the William Tell overture during the running of the Digibet.com Handicap; this was the first race run to musical accompaniment in this country. Whether the idea is going to catch on is another matter altogether. One punter, when asked what tune had been played during the race, replied 'the Lone Ranger theme tune'. I also heard an unconfirmed rumour that several members of the orchestra failed to put in their best performance as the horse they'd backed in the event finished up out the back with the washing.

This snippet was spotted in the Times' City Diary last Wednesday. A gent, queuing up for his winnings at Ascot (yeah, OK), struck up a conversation with a woman who happened to be a banker with Lloyds Banking Group. They were at the races as part of a team-building exercise and had been given £5 'to put on horses'. That's taxpayers' money, isn't it? Aren't we entitled to our share of the spoils?

Finally, in case you hadn't realised, the football season is nearly upon us. I'd be the first to admit that my knowledge of the non-league scene is pretty patchy, although it has improved somewhat following Wrexham's relegation to the Blue Square Conference in 2007/8. I like to use Dr John Beech's excellent Football Management blog to keep abreast of events. The leagues below the Blue Square Conference, North and South in the hierarchy were previously sponsored by British Gas; this season however there is a new sponsor - the league will be known as the Zamaretto League. I know what you're thinking - just what is Zamaretto? Zamaretto is, apparently, a brand of flavoured liqueurs. Flavours available include blue raspberry, banana, apple, cherry, pear, peach and chocolate. Quoting from the website: 'Liqueurs are enjoying a renaissance with a new generation of young adults who are seeking something new, sophisticated and glamorous to enjoy with friends.' I'm just wondering whether non-league football is the right arena in which to promote this sort of stuff...

Weekend notes

In a strongly-run Irish Derby earlier this afternoon, Fame And Glory gained some compensation for his Epsom defeat by beating stablemate Golden Sword five lengths.This was Aidan O'Brien's seventh Irish Derby and Johnny Murtagh's third. In post-race comments Murtagh identified the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown as a possible target for the winner. Riding in his first classic, the winning trainer's son, J P O'Brien, finished tenth of the eleven runners on 200/1 shot Byzantine.

Michael Owen's wife, Louise, has recently been gainfully employed promoting next Saturday's Coral Eclipse at Sandown. That race has been given an extra fillip with the news that Epsom Derby winner Sea The Stars now goes for that prize, having been withdrawn from the Irish Derby on account of the easy ground.

There were plenty of footballing links at Newcastle's meeting on Saturday, links Derek Thompson wasn't slow to point out. Before the Pitmen's Derby, former Magpies' player Peter Beardsley and Hull City manager Phil Brown tipped up Som Tala from the stable of ex-England international Mick Channon. The beast, a 16/1 shot, won with something in hand. Roker Park won the 2.35 and Horatio Carter the 3.45; both are owned by Sunderland fan Mr T Alderson. Roker Park was the ground Sunderland used to play at while Horati Stratton Carter, better known as Raich Carter, captained them to the league title and their first FA Cup final victory. By the way, just in case you missed it, Derek Thompson originates from these parts...

Following on from recent match-fixing posts, I'm grateful to the Wrexham Supporters Association Blog for bringing to my attention two links that add some detail to the circumstances surrounding the Histon v. Lewes game in September 2008. Cambridge News Online reported the Histon team were threatened by a gambling ring while in May 2009 the Daily Mail made reference to five non-league games that were under investigation. Of course, fixing is a worry in all sports - the first-round tie at this year's Wimbledon Championships between Jurgen Melzer and Wayne Odesnik has been been in the news and has been reported to the authorities. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for its part has welcomed the recent announcement by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe that he is to set up a Sports Betting Integrity Panel.

Mrs Tips and I were at Wimbledon on Thursday, having been allocated two Centre Court tickets through the public ballot system. The crowds were big, the weather hot - I found it all jolly tiring. I was left wondering whether the tennis product is better consumed through the medium of television. Mrs T. enjoyed it though, so I've asked her to file a report; she says she'll do that when she has fully recovered...

Match-fixing considerations...

With Royal Ascot just around the corner, I've decided to keep my powder dry this weekend, in anticipation. I looked at the five furlong Scurry Stakes at Sandown; the conditions of the race appear to favour Adorn but the draw in berth one hasn't done him any favours and to date he has been campaigned over a furlong further. Course and distance winner Triple Aspect faces a stiff task giving ten pounds to six of his nine opponents and five pounds to the remaining three while Noble Storm is well drawn but has plenty to find on official ratings. I'm leaving well alone. I'd noted that Donald McCain's only runner at Hexham was in the concluding bumper but this evening the Racing Post indicate Whiteabbey is a doubtful starter.

Notwithstanding the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for the small sum of £80 million, there has been plenty of talk of match-fixing in the media this week...

Now, I'd be the first to point out that sport and religion don't always make the best of bedfellows. Granted, many consider supporting their favourite football team something akin to religion and I can recall Jeffrey Bernard stating in a book that an acquaintance of his once entered 'two mile handicap chases' in the religion box on a job application form. Still, on Tuesday night, seated in the nave of Coventry Cathedral, I listened to former New York mob boss Michael Franzese talk about corruption in sport; all very interesting, if slightly incongruous. His presentation, together with that of Betfair MD Mark Davies, formed part of the Play The Game 2009 conference. The message from Tuesday's evening session in a nutshell - match-fixing is out there, it's going on and it's getting bigger. A possible solution? Get to young players early, educate them and let them know that if they're caught, their careers will be over. Mark Davies was interested in offering 'trackable' betting systems in a regulated market to consumers at a price they wanted.

On Thursday morning the BBC ran a story that William Hill were considering stopping betting on certain football matches next season. That evening The Report on Radio Four talked about match-fixing in football and tennis, with the League Two fixture between Accrington Stanley and Bury coming to the attention of the authorities, as have two games in the Blue Square Conference, Grays Athletic v. Forest Green Rovers and Histon v. Lewes. Another story, released by the BBC on the same day, indicated that 'between September 2007 and March 2009 the Gambling Commission investigated 47 cases of alleged match-fixing and illegal betting on British sporting events.' Most of the cases investigated in the UK concern football, horse racing and snooker.

The consensus opinion - ignoring these developments is not an option.