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Plus 4 and dry when driving in.

The days are becoming longer.. Far lighter this morning and for longer..

Diamond Gait should, after yesterdays run at Lingfield, qualify for a flat handicap mark..

You might ask why run her over a mile when she wants further?

Sadly there are so few novice races, for all aged horses, and most are shorter than a mile, so needs must as she has to run three times to qualify for a handicap mark..

The handicapper will of course handicap her on her first run when she finished 4^th at Kempton.. Before Christmas you only needed to run twice, but not now..it is three..

Warwick yesterday looked very testing and tiring ground and many did not finish.. there were a few upsets and one false start in the Hunters Chase.. typical amateurs.. all in a hurry to get going. OOh sorry they were professionals.. including David Bass..!

Amateurs are not deemed to be elite sportsmen.. Nor is point to pointing deemed to be an elite sport

Interesting viewing ‘would be’ point to pointers yesterday with Charlie and Francesca Poste..

Some lovely horses on show, but for the Poste's the current ban on Point To Point racing due to Covid it is not good news.. Normally if their horses were to win a point to point then selling is easier and far more rewarding.

Yesterday I was looking at stunning athletic horses, but with no form.. Hard to gauge their prices which are still far less than would be if they had won their point..

Just so that you know.. Irish point to points are banned indefinitely, while English point to pointing hope to be back in action in the middle of March.. Either way this breeding ground of future stars is in big trouble as it is an industry all of its own and the schooling ground for our future horses..

Both sides of the Irish Sea have yards and business full of horses that were bought as 3 year olds last year to sell this year.. Now they have no market unless pointing starts again..

The future of our sport is in doubt especially when you read this..Affordablity checks on betting..

Today I move to the Welsh borders to see horses with Willie and Mandy Bryan..

There is an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London, which used to have a gallows adjacent to it.

Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial of course!) to be hanged.

The horse-drawn dray, carting the prisoner, was accompanied by an armed guard, who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like ''ONE LAST DRINK''.

If he said YES, it was referred to as ONE FOR THE ROAD.

If he declined, that Prisoner was ON THE WAGON.

So there you go ... More history...................

Please note that my form of being 'on the wagon' was not quiet the same..?

Todays non virus video nasty..