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Plus 8 and raining when driving in.

Rain it did yesterday when driving to Kempton and the ground changed enormously.. The good was well gone out of the description by the time racing came round.

We had a winner with Kilfilum Cross which was the one horse I was not keen on running  (I was not expecting the ground to be suitable .. It certainly was) ..

KC was again ridden from the front by David Crosse and again showed that he is a progressive horse and one who will make a fine chaser next season. Gary Tardi his owner was a very happy man after and rightly so. We took Station Master out of the race because of the ground.

Of our other runners.. Involve struggled on the ground or does he just not get the trip. He jumped ok but was beaten far too far.. Well bred for flat racing he just might have to change code..

Wandrin Star ran a good race to finish second. Mikey Hamill rode him well. And finally By The Boardwalk just could not breath on the ground and finished down the field.. He is very much a fast ground horse and the handicapper might help him after yesterday.

At Ludlow we took Cascaye out after Sonneofpresenting ran no sort of race on their soft ground..Spring ground.. my a…e!

Back to today..

Gallows Point and Those Tiger Feet worked.

Pete and Thelma Leslie were here third lot to see their KBRP horse Balleticon.

Graham Potts our vet was in this morning

This weeks movers or shakers in BHA handicap charts..Sunblazer down 1 to 87.

We have one runner today at Southwell but judging by the rain they have had there it is unlikely to go ahead but if it does Cloone Lady runs there and for my thoughts on her chances please click here.

Mike Tuckers Memorial Service this afternoon in Cirencester at 3pm. Huge turn out expected..

Did you know..

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers.

Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking the yew' (or 'pluck yew').

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and they began mocking the French by waving the middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew!

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute!

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as 'giving the bird.'

It is still an appropriate salute to the French today!

And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing.