Newbury Report

Free entry for some top class racing at Newbury only made it comfortably busy rather than bustling. I expected a bit more thronging. It was the trains where the real pressure was felt. It's getting to and from venues where the inconvenience makes itself felt.

Two trains worth of punters wanted to get on the inadequately-carriaged 11.12 from Reading and so the passengers of the next express that was going much further were accompanied by the racegoers just as far as the extra stop put in at the racecourse. And then getting home involved the use of four trains.

However, we were there in time to see Sprinter Sacre impressively strenghten his position at the top of the betting for the Arkle Chase at Cheltenham before Long Run only did enough to make little difference to his Gold Cup prospects, beating Burton Port by a diminishing half a length, although giving him 10 pounds and Nicky Henderson specializes in having horses ready after a long absence. Sam Waley-Cohen put a positive spin on the race in his interview but I think I've seen more convincing Gold Cup favourites than what the champion has shown us so far this season. But, luckily, not betting on races that include Kauto Star, it won't affect me either way.

Zarkandar (pictured, with Ruby Walsh) becomes second favourite for the Champion Hurdle after doing what he needed to do in the big handicap hurdle but I wish I'd stuck with my first instinct and backed Get Me Out of Here each way because he did all one could have hoped for in finishing second and getting 20/1 wouldn't have been a problem.

Having gone with the intention of holding a mainly watching brief, it then started to go wrong when I decided to get involved and so in purely acquisitional terms my day out amounted to going to Newbury to pay well over the odds for a bright yellow promotional Betfair scarf. What am I bid for it?

Having gone down to the start for the novice hurdle, I can confirm that when the jockeys show their horse the hurdle in the enclosure there, they do actually say, 'there it is, you have to jump that.' Aidan Coleman told his mount, Tanerko Emery, exactly that. Although looking back at the card, I can now see why. Last time out at Hereford, he didn't. In fact it was at only the second obstacle that he didn't.

Still, it was a nice enough day out. I just need to remember to stick to the plan.