Tommo tips a treble!

Earlier today I was alerted to the fact that Derek 'Tommo' Thompson and former Flat jockey Richard Fox were opening a new Betfred shop in Coventry city centre. I've been trying to keep out of betting shops recently, what with the credit crunch and Mrs Tips badgering me all the time to switch the heating on, but this just seemed like too good an opportunity to miss, so I popped in during the dinner hour to check out the fun. There were plenty of free bets up for grabs with Tommo asking punters (mostly) racing questions and Mr. Fox chipping in with a sly quip here and there. The double act liberally interspersed their well-rehearsed racing stories with advertisments for Tommo's tipping line. At one point punters were asked to guess which famous film Foxie had recently appeared in. The wags suggested Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, E.T. and Lord of the Rings but it turns out Mr. Fox has doubled for Ron Weasley in one of the Harry Potter movies. Tommo's tour-de-force was to walk the office, pointing out his four best bets of the day. Bless my old boots, three of them obliged - Ouqba at Salibury (15/8f), Enticement at Nottingham (11/4f) and Stevie Junior at Kempton (4/7f). His other selection, Damini (evens favourite), came in fifth. Apparently the Channel Four presenter expects something of a surprise in Sunday's Arc but for details of that you'll have to ring his (premium-rate) phone line number nearer the time. I'm currently considering that option...

Some press cuttings...

The well-named Gee Dee took the opener at Market Rasen this afternoon; needless to say, I didn't have a penny on.

Sir Peter O'Sullevan, 'The Voice of Racing', celebrates his 90th birthday tomorrow. Earlier today I browsed through my copy of his 'Calling The Horses' (published in 1989) and admired some of the photos. Like many I suspect, the two horses I always associate with this master of understatement are Be Friendly and Attivo.

Those perturbed by Mr Pointment's disappointing effort in The Grimthorpe yesterday will be relieved to learn that wasn't the horse's true running - he broke a blood vessel during the race. Skybet are out on a limb by offering Mr P. at 25/1 for the Aintree marathon.

Cheltenham is just over a week away and bookmakers are queuing up to tempt you with their free bet offers. Before diving in, it may be worth noting The Times' report that TV advertising has helped Ladbrokes to a 46% increase in profits. The majority of bookies now go non-runner no bet on Festival races but it's always worth confirming the fact. This year, as yet, I haven't seen Raceform Update's Guide to the Cheltenham Festival on our newstands. As soon as it appears I shall purchase a copy - if you only buy one Festival preview publication, this has to be the one.

Finally, off-topic I know but I couldn't resist, I'm going to suggest that the Conservative peer who recently branded nurses 'grubby, drunken and promiscuous' has probably been watching too many epsiodes of Casualty on a Saturday night...