Once again I recorded Channel 4’s excellent Saturday afternoon racing program on my Sky+ box and watched it as soon as I arrived home after watching Ipswich thrash Bristol City 6 – 0 at Portman Road. It was great entertainment there. I just wish they could get better results away from home. They will be there abouts in the Championship race come the end of the season.

I did not know any racing news, so the Channel 4 program covering the climax of the flat jockey’s championship unfolded as pure theatre. No script could have been better written. The outcome of a dead heat was I am sure what most racing fans would have wanted. To go to the very last race of the season was absolutely unbelievable. The coverage on the news programs was great for racing in general. Seb Sanders went off to Wolverhampton’s evening meeting to ride a filly for his boss Sir Mark Prescott, whereas Jamie Spencer admitted he was wrecked and going home to his bed. Who could blame him as he has the lovely Emma to snuggle up to.

All our attentions can now be focused on the Chasers and Hurdlers and the forthcoming Open meeting at Cheltenham which starts this coming Friday 16th and finishes on Sunday 18th. The feature race of the meeting will be the Paddy Power Gold Cup Steeple Chase worth £120,000 and run over 2 miles 4 furlongs on the Saturday. More of that later.