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Well it’s pointless me posting this week guys as you have already covered my selections brilliantly.
For the record I’ve backed Westwood, Ogilvy & Furyk in the final major of the season – all three already tipped by either Adrian or Pete
I like the way Retief Goosen has been playing lately, having highly creditable finishes in both the British Open and last week at Bridgestone. He comes into his own on these long, difficultly set-up courses and his fantastic putting on fast greens can stand him in good stead this week. He is my final selection.
Good luck all.
Mike
Wow Jeremy, well if you were in the same car to get all that info, why didn’t you take the phone from her?
Mike
erm….no it doesn’t ~ it simply allows the stewards to act correctly in the event of unique circumstances.
Where does it say unique?
It says "some other circumstances acceptable to the HRA or stewards" and to me that means they can use their discretion when they see fit.
Basically, if the stewards on track are in agreement, they can accept any circumstance they like – it’s up to their discretion. Unless you can show me a list of circumstances that they are allowed or not allowed to accept then my opinion won’t change. If you can, then I will happily change my view.
Mike
141. (iii)
After the time on the day fixed under Order 128 for the declaration of Rider, a substitution of Rider shall only be permitted if the HRA or Stewards are satisfied that any one of the circumstances below applies unless the HRA or Stewards otherwise direct:-(a) illness, or Rider declared unfit to ride;
(b) unqualified Rider declared;
(c) a meeting on the same day has been abandoned and the Rider was declared to ride at the abandoned meeting;
(d) the Rider was declared to ride at another meeting on the same day and one of his declared rides is unable to run (See Instruction D2);
(e) the Rider was declared to ride another horse in the same race but the horse is unable to run;
[b:1hppwzaq](f) some other circumstances acceptable to the HRA or the Stewards; [/b:1hppwzaq]
(g) the Rider was not declared to ride because he had already been declared to ride at nine meetings but subsequently did not ride at one of those meetings (see Instruction D25).
In all cases the substitution is subject to the Rider being weighed within the times specified in Sub-Rule (vi) of this Rule and to the provisions of Sub-Rule (v) of this Rule. Where the HRA or the Stewards are not satisfied that any of the above circumstances have been fulfilled but have nonetheless permitted the substitution to take place because, at the instruction of the Trainer or Owner, the declared Rider is not present to ride, the Trainer or Owner as the case may be shall be guilty of an offence.
Great one that.Basically it means that they have the discretion to allow a replacement jockey whenever they see fit, and therefore all the other rules are irrelevant because they can always come out and say they allowed it under rule 141.iii.(f)
Mike
Aaron,
My heart goes out to you.
I can only promise you that time will be a great healer for you personally. Your son will have great memories of his grandmother to date, and as he gets older he will remember things and ask you things – this is a great opportunity to celebrate your mother’s life. You will have no problem at all talking to him about the good times and how his grandmother was the best in the world. Although your son won’t have the relationship with his grandmother that you did, your experience will inspire him and mean that her memory always lives on.
Throughout my life I’ve lost three people that I was extremely close to, both my father and auntie died of cancer, and my best friend died suddenly of an heart attack at the age of just 35.
Numerous things can trigger memories of them every day, whether it be music, tv, hearing a name, seeing a picture etc – but what I’ve learned to do is smile every time I remember them, it’s what they would have wanted me to do – remember them with a smile and talk about them proudly. I’m sure you will learn to do the same, and that your son will benefit hugely for having a smiling, proud, positive father that he can talk to about his grandother, and remember her with great happiness.
I wish you well.
Mike
Frankie has always been British according to the BBC, as they regularly have him as a contender for Sports Personality of the Year
.I once asked for a price on Gianfranco Zola (can’t remember which bookie) only to be told he is Italian and that he only works in this country, and wasn’t eligible for SPotY according to the BBC. Third favourite that year was Frankie Dettori
Mike
Which muppet called his condition critical? He’s apparently suffered nothing more than a broken arm.
I’m afraid it was another case of over zealous reporters diagnosing his condition by taking a look at the damage to the car.
When I first heard of his accident I switched to one of those American News channels on digital, and they were describing him as fighting for his life. Thank god for the British news an hour or so later who told us of his broken arm and elbow
Mike
Dale or Stuart will be evicted this week.
That effing Nominations Pod is spoiling everything
– what’s the point of having nominations in the Diary Room when you’re just going to allow housemates to tactical vote anyway – it’s so sh!t Yet again Mo survives, yet again that irritating Duracel bouncing Kat stays, yet again boring as hell Rachel stays, and yet again that argumentitive, arrogant tw@t Rex survives.
I’m going for a lie down now
Mike
"If he has been dismissive of ex or current jockeys views then I’d have to disagree with his attitude. He is fully entitled to his own views as we are all fully aware, but it would be wrong of him to dismiss the view of someone who is equally qualified to comment."
I don’t think I’ve said, or implied, that, Mike, think you may have mis-read or misunderstood what I was trying to say.
Colin
Sorry Colin. I was just commenting on an ‘if he did’ situation and recognise that you didn’t imply what I was commenting on.
Mike
I disagree Clivex.
I don’t think any of us can say exactly what it’s like to be boxed in, wtih a double handful, travelling near to 40mph on a horse with just a split second to make a decision, unless you have experienced it. We can have an opinion on it of course, but surely someone who has experienced it can give a more informed opinion.
However, I can comment on taking a penalty in a pressure situation, being respectful to a referree, arguing with the opposition, being the victim of a dangerous tackle, winning a league, losing a league etc etc – because I’ve experienced it.
Ok it wasn’t at professional level, but then again I was doing it for fun and wasn’t getting paid, so perhaps I shouldn’t have felt pressure, reacted, got upset, etc – but I did.
I’ve also been on a donkey ride, I’ve even sat on a horse, and I can honestly say neither of those situations would qualify me to comment on the situation I mentioned in paragraph one with 100% confidence about what I was talking about.
Mike
If he has been dismissive of ex or current jockeys views then I’d have to disagree with his attitude. He is fully entitled to his own views as we are all fully aware, but it would be wrong of him to dismiss the view of someone who is equally qualified to comment.
Like I alluded to earlier, most of Joe Public aren’t qualified to comment on what it’s like to make a split second decision at the two furlong marker because we’ve never been in that position. Still I’m not saying I’m a fan of people dismissing other people’s views regardless of how qualified they are to comment, I’m just saying I can understand why some people do it.
Mike
In which other sport are TV presenters so contemptuous (and would include Plunkett here too) of their audience?
Does a cricket pundit dismiss any criticism of a bad shot on the basis that the viewer "doesnt play the game"? Does Alan Hanson routinely defend all defenders mistakes beacuse the MOTD audience "are too busy stabbing each other to paly football" (or words to that effect)?
Completely agree, Clivex. Listening to Alec Stewart, Jonathan Agnew and Vic Marks replying to listener’s phone calls and emails during the Third Test was a great example. They gave their opinion, disagreed where they felt appropriate but treated the callers with respect. None of them felt the need to point out that they had played Test cricket nor to suggest that anyone who hadn’t didn’t know what they were talking about.
Yes, true Clivex and Andrew, but this is completely different to horse racing isn’t it – infact it’s not even worthy of comparison.
Ok so we may never have played Premiership football or Test cricket, but we’ve all played football and cricket haven’t we?
It’s easy to have a game of football or cricket after school, on a weekend with the lads from the pub etc – and much of it is organised. So although we are not playing at the top level, we are there, playing the game, gaining knowledge of the game, and basing opinions…. all from a player’s point of view and not a spectator’s.
How many of us can say the same about horse racing? How many of you have got your horses out on a weekend, put six flights of hurdles in the local park, and raced your mates on their horses? NONE.
So in horse racing, unlike football and cricket, the only chance you get to participate in the sport is if you actually become a jockey – you don’t have to become a footballer or cricketer to participate in those sports do you?
Therefore, in my opinion, horse racing pundits (who used to ride in horse races) are far more entitled to be dismissive of public opinion in thier sport than football or cricket pundits are in their sports. I’m not saying it’s completely right, I’m just saying I can see where Francome is coming from if he dismisses someone’s opinion based on they’ve never ridden in a horse race before, whereas I wouldn’t be able to say the same if Hansen dismissed someone’s opinion based on they’ve never played professional football before.
Mike
Yes Bulwark, Rex is entertaining, he says what he feels, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks – but is that good? It certainly doesn’t make him a nice person in my opinion.
He was also a lot quieter when Mario was in the house, was a lot quieter when Stu and Dale had a go at him over Pizzagate etc. Could it be that this arrogant tw@t is just a bully? After all, he only picks on the girls and seems to enjoy reducing them to tears.
I will quote what I wrote in a recent BB article;
“…but I must make a plea to the Great British public – don’t let Rex win. If he does it will be a victory for arrogance, a victory for dominant males who bully harmless women, a victory for restauranters up and down the country who brag about their wealth – but most of all, it will be a victory for side partons, reminiscent of those worn by 1930s footballers – he mustn’t win!”
Ok, the final bit is a bit tongue in cheek, but the rest is how I really feel about him.
I hope he gets evicted this week and leaves his girlfriend at the mercy of Dale, so that Dale can ‘nail that fanny’ he promised to do in his VT.
And after Rex ridiculed Dale about that audition tape, wouldn’t it just be ironic?
Mike
Adrian,
I very rarely have a bet in the handicaps in football. The sole reason for this is because if I were to have a bet then I would like to put a lot of work into it, assessing every team etc – and for some reason (call it lazy if you want) I just can never be bothered.
For the purpose of this thread however, I’ve had a quick look at the Premiership. I’ve made a short list of three teams that I think will improve on last season’s finishing position.
These are, Tottenham (goes without saying really), Newcastle (think they will finish top ten) and Middlesbrough (putting together a good young squad).
However, it’s difficult to work out whether they will improve enough to bridge the points gap the handicap has afforded them.
Last season Spurs finished 41 points behind United – this season they are only getting an 18 point start. Can they improve 23 points from last season just to catch the scratch team? And then you’ve got to hope that no other team performs way above their handicap mark. So for that reason I will swerve Spurs, though I do think they will finish top six in the Premiership.
Newcastle finished 44 points behind the scratch team last season and yet this season they are only getting a 29 point start. Yes I think they will improve, yes I think they will finish top eight in the Premiership, and yes I think they can finish 15 points better off from last season…. but only just.
Middlesbrough are the team that interest me, and I promise this isn’t because I’m a fan – well it is, because if I weren’t a fan I wouldn’t be watching them and noticing how well they are blending in friendlies
.They have a talented squad of youngsters, including the likes of Downing and Wheater. Up front they ahve a prolific goalscorer (albeit in the Dutch league) in Afonso Alves. Mido has lost a lot of weight and looks fit as a fiddle and hopefully he will be like a new signing. Tuncay played really well for Turkey in Euro 08 and I think he will improve on his first season in the Premiership. Aliadiere and Marvin Emnes are young and very speedy who can play across the frontline or on the wings.
I don’t have any worries about Boro’s defence as they have plenty of strength in depth, but I am slightly worried about the centre midfield position. We have lost Boateng, Rochenback and Cattermole, and only have Didier Digard, Julio Arca and Gary O’Neill who can play in this position – however, there is talk of a new arrival soon for this position.
In summary Boro finished 45 points behind the scratch team last season with some dire performances and I think (and hope) they can improve considerably on that and finish in the top 8 or 10 of the Premiership. Eighth last season was 30 points behind the scratch team (tenth was 38 points behind) – so I think the 37 point start Boro get gives them a great chance of going close to winning the handicap.
They are available at 26, and if I were to have a bet (and I just might now) then Middlesbrough are the team I would (the more I think of it, out of hope and loyalty) go for.
Now, whoever said never let your heart rule your head?
Mike
No – I just think it’s a huge credit to the whole Ballydoyle team that they are so well prepared when it comes to the big races.
No – Godolphin aren’t becoming a laughing stock – they already are a laughing stock – and no it’s not too strong an expression Colin
Mike
Well done to FHL and Adrian on your wins with your match bet and Vijay Singh respectively.
I’m still beating myself up about not backing Darren Clarke for a top 10 finsih at 27 on BF. I backed him at 53 for a top 5 finish – he finished sixth
Still, Eduardo Romero was a good result in the seniors. Roll on next week
Mike
.
– what’s the point of having nominations in the Diary Room when you’re just going to allow housemates to tactical vote anyway – it’s so sh!t 
