LOOKING at the sides, I will probably be the best player on show in the Unibet Injured Jockeys’ Fund football match on Wednesday.
I hear a few of the people involved are bad-mouthing others already, but I will let my ability do the talking on the pitch.
Some can expect an early wake-up call if they come near me, though.
Look at the right-sided axis on the @unibet XI. De Boinville-Brennan-O’Brien. Magical pic.twitter.com/spJfq3KUKj
— The IJF Football Match (@IJFFootball) April 11, 2019
Newbury
1.40pm
Pilansberg
We last saw him finishing third in a selling hurdle at Taunton in February, so you would have to say he is right up against it in this company. But he was Group 2-placed on the Flat when trained in France back in 2015; he is clearly the outsider of the field, though.
2.10pm
Gypsy Spirit
She ran a couple of crackers for me at Newmarket at the end of last season. This is her first run over 7f but she handles soft ground well and her pedigree gives you plenty of hope that she will see out the trip well enough. She needs to improve a fair bit for it to beat the form horses, though.
3.15pm
Bubble And Squeak
She won for me at Goodwood last season and went on to run some good races in defeat thereafter, as well as scoring at Newmarket. She is 7lb higher than at Newmarket, but she ran well in testing ground in Listed company in France at the back-end, so hopefully she can be competitive here.
Wolverhampton
6.30pm
Rockies Spirit
He wasn’t in the best form when we last saw him in January, but he has come down to the same mark as when winning over course and distance in November and maybe a first-time tongue-tie will see him return to form, too.
7.00pm
Marshal Dan
He looks to have a good chance. He won off a higher mark than this last summer and ran well when second at Lingfield recently. This is his trip, and he has run well here before, so everything looks set for a bold showing.
7.30pm
Our Manekineko
He hasn’t raced since winning here in February but he is just 3lb higher and he probably has as good a chance as any in a competitive handicap.
8.00pm
Another Reason
We were only just touched off by a neck here earlier in the month. He has gone up 4lb but he still gets in this 0-60, so he looks another ride with a fair winning chance.
8.30pm
And The New
I don’t know much about him other than he is a fair hurdler, rated 132, and has been running pretty well in that sphere. He could actually make his presence felt in this grade.
