Hoping to come on for the run...

Where to start? Well, spiders started coming into the house in the middle of August this year - that looks early in my book.

England manager Thomas Tuchel had a bit of a dig at the fans for their lack of support following last night's comfortable victory over Wales in a friendly at Wembley. 

Previously, after England's 2-0 victory over Andorra at the beginning of September, Martin Samuel wrote in The Times that 'Thomas Tuchel is selecting on form that is seven years out of date'. That line struck me like a bolt out of the blue: for years I've been doing something very similar - and I immediately experienced something of a personal epiphany.

After such a startling shock, I dashed straight under the stairs - a damp, dingy, festering space that I've used as a refuge in times of distress ever since the shed started to leak - and began to make the sort of technical adjustments to the selection processes that, in the long run, are unlikely to make any material difference whatsoever; readers hoping to see an improvement in the performance of the blog's highlighted runners should bear in mind the age old adage: old habits die hard.

Here's a salient case in point from Worcester's Fixed Brush Series Final card at the end of September.

Things had started off well enough on the day: minimal travel expenses incurred thanks to the Older Person's bus pass - used on the railway; concessionary course admission for £18.50; and then a kindly gent in the queue offered me a token for a free racecard. 

It went quickly downhill thereafter.

In the feature I preferred Knights Affair to Don Virginia, having watched a replay of their meeting over an extended trip at Stratford several times the night before. Don Virginia blew away what looked on paper a competitive field to win 17 lengths, with Knights Affair a further 20 lengths adrift in seventh.

Then Sir Hobnob took the biscuit by running green in the two and a half mile maiden hurdle.

After the Fixed Brush Hurdle Final, winning jockey Richie McLernon said:

"I was second on him at Hereford and thought he was a bit questionable then, but they held off for this and, fair play, it's paid off. They've [first-time cheekpieces] made a massive difference."

Paul Nicholls was slightly more helpful when he told Racing Post readers he doesn't have the ammo for a tilt at this year's trainers' title - he thinks Dan Skelton a bit of a shoo-in - but Martin Pipe's record of 3,930 winners is certainly within range.

Plenty thought Skelton a bit of a shoo-in last season but they hadn't counted on the the late run of Mr W.P.Mullins - for a second consecutive year. The Irish maestro clearly has his eye on the hat-trick with early season targets already pencilled in for Il Etait Temps (Tingle Creek); Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior (King George); and Anzadam (Fighting Fifth).

Mr David Maxwell hung up his riding boots over the summer - the David Maxwell dispersal sale takes place after racing at Cheltenham on Friday October 24th. 

The man himself told punters to 'lump on' Queensbury Boy in the Persian War Hurdle at Chepstow but earlier this afternoon the gelding could only finish fourth behind Sticktotheplan who, in a first-time hood, successfully conceded weight to all his rivals. Mr Maxwell's thoughts on one or two other key horses in the sale are here. 

Cheers for Chepstow's inaugural three-day Welsh Racing Festival which sees the Welsh Champion Hurdle (3.17 Sunday) return to the track for the first time since 2002. Earlier today the going on the hurdle track was changed from good to soft to good after the first race and on the chase track from good to good to firm, good in places after the third race.

On Monday, on his first ride since suffering spinal and neck injuries at Plumpton on Easter Monday, Nico De Boinville made all aboard The Expensive One to win the novices' handicap hurdle at Stratford. After that race the jockey said he was likely to 'come on for the run' and the same comment can be applied to the author of what follows.

Two chasers on the radar tomorrow:

Deep Cave makes his debut over British fences (2.45 Chepstow). 

After winning the opening handicap hurdle at Aintree on Grand National day, trainer Christian Williams said of Deep Cave:

"It's probably taken us a long time to figure him out, but we thought he'd be better on nice ground and he's going to be very special over fences next year. He won a novice chase in France, so he's not a novice, but hopefully he'll be a Saturday horse."

King Of Answers makes his chase debut (3.45 Hexham).

Back in May 2023 King Of Answers was beaten under two lengths by Wendigo in an Irish maiden point. Wendigo subsequently finished second behind The New Lion in the Challow at Newbury before finishing fifth in the Albert Bartlett behind Jasmin De Vaux. 

Finally, I realise I'm wandering off-piste but jumps trainers have a decent recent record in the Cesarewitch (3.40 Newmarket) - they have collected the spoils in nine of the past 12 renewals - and Ndaawi catches my eye. 

Gordon Elliott's charge, sent off a 7/1 chance for last year's renewal (Jamie Spencer up), finished stone cold last on soft ground, beaten 134 lengths off a mark of 92. After that race the trainer's representative reported the gelding did not stay the trip of 2m 2f on this occasion. 

Next time out, back over the sticks, he finished second to Kargese in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham (run over 2m 1f on the stiffer New Course on good to soft) and was then awarded the Galway Hurdle (2m, good) in the stewards' room at the beginning of August.

He lost two places when coming under pressure in the closing stages on the Flat at Chester last month (2m, good to soft, Cieren Fallon up) and connections have opted to fit first-time cheekpieces tomorrow. Cieren Fallon keeps the ride while Jamie Spencer is aboard stablemate Mordor.

His seventh in the 2024 Ascot Stakes (2m 4f good to firm) suggests this trip is within his compass on quick ground; a hurdle mark of 154 indicates there could be some leeway off a Flat mark of 89.

Ndaawi is a tentative each-way suggestion, 20/1 with Coral and William Hill at the time of writing, both paying five places.

Looking ahead

This is my favourite time of year - the leaves on the trees are changing colour, there's a nip in the early morning air and ever so slowly the National Hunt season is beginning to take shape. If anticipation is (more than) half the excitement of racing, then this is a time of excitement and anticipation. There was no jump racing last week but Perth holds its two-day meeting on Wedensday and Thursday (a meeting the Twiston-Davies stable regularly targets), Worcester race on Friday and then Market Rasen holds its two-day meeting over the forthcoming weekend. Of course, the big meeting on Saturday takes place at Ascot where the feature race will be the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes; a work colleague is going and has asked me for a few pointers - he really should know better. Last year I did promise myself I'd get to Ludlow's first jumps meeting (Thursday October 15th) but events have overtaken me and I don't think it's going to happen. As they say - the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Overheard comment from Mrs Tips while watching Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff during last night's Strictly Come Dancing: 'It looks as though she is trying to dance with a wardrobe.' In my time I've turned a few heads on the disco dancefloors of the country for the completely wrong reasons, but even I could see what Mrs T. meant. Before Joe had set foot on the dancefloor, he was the bookmakers favourite for this year's title; Betfred are currently offering 33/1.

Finally Guinness celebrates its 250th birthday on Thursday 24th September; I shall partake of the odd pint (or two) - it would be downright rude not to!

Points of view

Yesterday Sea The Stars confirmed his superstar status at Sandown, winning the Eclipse a shade comfortably. In post-race interviews trainer John Oxx indicated the Irish Champion Stakes was the long-term aim, where a re-match with Fame And Glory could be on the cards. In the meantime, the King George at Ascot or the International at York are possible targets. The Sporting Life reports that Hills are offering 5/1 the colt remains unbeaten in 2009. If I struck that bet and the horse subsequently suffered an injury which meant he didn't run again during the season, I wonder if I could collect...

It's been a week the jumping community won't want to remember in a hurry...

In a beginners' chase at Stratford on Tuesday evening, an old friend Mistanoora made a mistake at the water, broke a leg and had to be put down. The following day there was something of a debacle at Worcester when Highland Laddie collapsed from heat exhaustion after finishing third in the opener. The horse was eventually revived but only after 800 gallons of water had been used, leaving no reserves for other runners on a scorching day. The rest of the card had to be abandoned. Summer jumping has been staple fare at Worcester for some time; these latest events led to a RSPCA advisor expressing his concern over the summer jumps programme and in particular horses landing on ground that is quicker than good.

On Friday Nicky Henderson was handed a record £40,000 fine and banned from making entries for three months (11th July - 10th October) after being found guilty of allowing the anti-bleeding drug tranexamic acid (TA) to be administered to the Queen's mare Moonlit Path before she raced in the TurfTV Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Huntingdon on February 19th 2009. The reasons for the decision are given in full on the BHA website. I haven't gone through this document with a fine toothcomb but here are some basic points:

- on the day of a race a horse is allowed only food and water;
- TA is a prohibited substance and was given to Moonlit Path on the day of the race;
- Nicky Henderson broke the Rules of Racing;
- vet James Main, who adminstered the drug, refused to give evidence to the Enquiry;
- the omission of any mention of the injection in the Medication Book was 'part of a systematic attempt to conceal ... the use of TA';
- several racing commentators see the punishment as fair.

Having said all that, every cloud has its silver lining... Writing in Saturday's Times, Alan Lee hinted that it was unlikely the Queen would move her horses from Henderson's stable. Added to that, the three month ban has fallen at the most opportune time for Henderson, a time when the stable traditionally has few runners. Taking figures published in the Racing Post Weekender on 5th March 2008, the stable had 96 runners in the months of July, August and September over the preceding ten year period. From the month of November through to the following April, the core National Hunt season, the stable had 3451 runners over the preceding ten years.

Finally, Mrs Tips sends her apologies. She is exhausted having sat in front of the TV all afternoon watching the Men's Final - she has no energy left to write up her Wimbledon report from last week.