There must be some football statistics that are interesting but the one from Peter Drury on Sky Sports yesterday (“Semenyo’s goal for Man City makes him the third player in Premier League history to score against Spurs for two different clubs in the same season”) most definitely wasn’t one of them.

Placed several bets on yesterday’s racing at Leopardstown and the fact that none of them at any stage looked even remotely like obliging certainly tempers enthusiasm for today’s action. Great card, though.

Well said.

Don’t want to come across all “Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells” but Royal Mail have this morning delivered two cards (both posted in good time) for a birthday last weekend (i.e. nine days ago) and a fortnightly current affairs magazine “mailed first class on the 6th January 2026”. Pathetic service.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/winter-watch... The new Winter Watch from Adam Houghton.

Whenever things get tough, I ask myself, “What would Jesus do?”, and then I hide in a cave for three days

Posted this in November. The horse that beat him that day was Sixmilebridge so it doesn’t look too bad a run with hindsight but unfortunately Derryhassen Paddy seems since then to have disappeared without trace. My ante-post bet for the Brown Advisory looks like it’s bitten the dust.

Interviews with genuinely thrilled winning owners are a great watch and there were two yesterday on ITV Racing, first the affable Dr Paul Kelly (with his happy family smiling away in the background) after Norn Iron’s victory and then the clearly overjoyed Megsons when Sixmilebridge won the big race.

Although my generally negative view on this remains it’s only fair to mention the RP has sent Lee Mottershead out to Brazil to cover Dettori’s finale with pieces appearing yesterday, today and a further one promised on Tuesday. Congrats to Lee for persuading his editor to sign off that expenditure.

www.attheraces.com/news/2026/Ja... This isn’t a surprise.

Having pointed out a few times the sea change that has taken place in terms of Cheltenham Festival NRNB betting, I completely failed to notice that Corals/Ladbrokes introduced it for the flagship races on Monday of this week. So, I’m mentioning it now.

Today’s Paris-Turf front page on Dettori’s farewell in South America whereas no mention of in today’s RP and just six lines on p3 of the current Weekender, describing it as a “damp squib”. You’d have to say he’s played his cards pretty badly in this country in recent times for it to end like this.

Sorry to soil my timeline but this did make me laugh…you? Took me a moment… Greg Bovino was asked how he felt about his demotion today. "Well, obviously, I'm not happy", he replied. Someone in the crowd shouted back, "So which one are you?"

www.attheraces.com/news/2026/Ja... It’s certainly not the ideal Arkle prep.

Bit of a bloodbath for many who got involved antepost earlier in the week.

www.attheraces.com/news/2026/Ja... It’s hard to envisage Energumene winning at his age, even on suitable ground, but it’ll be very interesting to see how Poniros and The Reverend shape up. All three are intended runners anyway which is good to hear.

There’s also this from Epsom about the Derby Meeting. Early bird offer ends on February 2. Three photos in the email, one showing racing and two the social side. In contrast, the Newmarket email contains four photos, all racing-related. Always interests me, that.

I get emails from various racecourses regarding tickets. Just sharing this, from Newmarket, regarding the Guineas Meeting in case anyone is interested. Current offer ends tomorrow.

Charles Henry John Benedict Crofton Chetwynd Chetwynd-Talbot - or “Chas” as he no doubt likes to be known - hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory here.

Leopardstown may be “optimistic” about racing going ahead but it looks likely to be touch and go given the forecasts for tomorrow and Friday. Not hard to envisage significant withdrawals even if they race.

Great pub.

Yesterday’s RP. Jagwar was obviously due “a further ratings rise” after Saturday’s run but it’s most surprising to see today that he’s up just 3lbs from 149 to 152 when a rise of about 8lbs could have been expected. It’s lenient. He’ll have a favourite’s chance whichever race he goes for in March.

Huge metaphor sets sail. (Today’s Guardian.)

www.racingpost.com/news/britain... Don’t want to kick a man when he’s down but how on earth do people get themselves into this situation?

ICYMI: This week's #RoadToCheltenham from Gowran Park featuring special guest Darragh O'Keeffe www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baaw...

If nothing else, this is highly entertaining. And eye-opening.

Lest we forget, Farage, despite having met on many occasions veterans not only of the Second World War but also of the campaigns in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq, has said several times that Donald Trump is “the bravest man I have ever met”.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/a-moment-tha... @emmacollingsberry.bsky.social on Sam Sangster. Comments re Robert Sangster’s silks chime with me. In the late-70s my mum, when making her ITV7 selections, used to ask me to pick out for her those running in green and blue as “they win all the races”.

www.racingtv.com/news/gewan-e... A really excellent, extended piece on this year’s Classic crop.

Still no sign of any form offering non-runner no bet for Cheltenham. The suggestion that it’s because they were simply too busy over Christmas and New Year seems to have gone by the board. Certainly looks coordinated.

Francis @graffardracing.bsky.social gives his and the @agakhanstuds.com team's current thinking as to starting points and aims for newly-minted Longines World's Best Racehorse Calandagan and brilliant Qatar Prix de l'Arc hero Daryz. @rpbloodstock.bsky.social www.racingpost.com/news/world-r...

www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/... All the votes are now in and there appears to be unanimity that this horse is the real deal.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/st-marks-bas... Footage of the race is included. Impressive winner and very well-bred.

Excellent. “Not fit to lace George Best’s drinks”…

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/obrien-outli... You’d obviously respect anything O’Brien runs in either of the Guineas but recent evidence suggests it’s a little way down his list of priorities these days. But the Derby’s another matter and there’s early encouragement here for Pierre Bonnard backers.

Congratulations to @agakhanstuds.com and @graffardracing.bsky.social for the crowning of Calandagan as Longines World's Best Racehorse at the Savoy Hotel in London. Final rating of 130 puts him 2lb clear of any other thoroughbred on the planet in 2025.

Splendid work from @simonrowlands.bsky.social who appears to be still alive at this stage despite being in that London.

Fixture lists for 2026 for anyone who might find them useful.

Current events have confirmed my long-held view that the 'special relationship' is very similar to the one I didn't have with Wendy James in the late 1980s.

Article in today’s “i” paper. The journalist clearly believes “24-hour online gambling” is one of this country’s “biggest problems” but she’s “not a puritan who wants to rip Lotto tickets out of people’s hands” and she’s “no stranger to the odd flutter”. So, what’s her solution?

Betting exchanges, basically. But why anyone would choose to bet on obviously “riggable” markets on platforms in which a member of the Trump family has a stake or advisory interest is beyond me.

I suspect Jenrick doesn’t have “friends” in the same way that the rest of us do.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/jim-goldie-r... Thoroughly deserved. A fine trainer and, as I discovered when I chatted with him (at some length) at a Newcastle meeting a few months back, a very nice and affable man.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/mellons-grea... In addition to his many other talents, John Berry is an accomplished racing historian.

The excellent NH action over the next 3 days speaks for itself - the Berkshire Winter Millions is proving to be a great initiative - but it’s worth mentioning that for the second year running there’s a very good AW card at Newcastle tomorrow. Decent prize money, some good horses, competitive fields.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/armano-follo... Half-brother to Ace Impact runs today in the Prix Ace Impact, the (now renamed) race Ace Impact won on his debut three years ago.

5yos don’t have a great record in the Champion Hurdle but it’s not a deep race this year (only 16 entries including a few no-hopers and Lossiemouth may well not run) and Poniros is widely available at 66/1 which looks a bit insulting given that he’s not done much wrong over hurdles.