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Tanya's Blog - Tuesday 10th April 2012

A chilly morning on an exceptionally early drive to the office, I got in at 7.15am, but surprisingly not the first in, a very keen James who works in the accounts office was playing catch-up after the Easter break.

I needed a fork-lift truck to transport all the papers from security to our little office as they hadn’t been collected since Friday and seeing as we get every tabloid and broadsheet daily you can imagine there’s plenty of reading to catch up on!

The window cleaner has just completed a pitiful effort as a token gesture he used a contraption with a brush which squirted water out sporadically, however the water droplets have now dried and stained leaving the windows in worse condition than they were before and unless he brings a shammy leather to the party, we’ll almost be forgiven for thinking it’s a miserable day out!!!

All that now keeps me company is the hum of the air conditioning and James’ typing on the keyboard. Thought yesterday’s racing was compulsive viewing, although I’m now beginning to get a complex. The young rider on my Irish National selection Glam Gerry took a worrying look down before pulling him up four out – I do hope he is alright. And just as concerning is Gary Woodland one of my picks for The Masters had to withdraw! He’d moved into a very pleasing position at -1 after two rounds and in contention only to shoot an 85 in the third. I later learned he has seriously injured his wrist and played the third round out of respect for the tournament, constantly reaching for an ice pack after each shot!!!

Wasn’t it wonderful to see Get Me Out Of Here get the win he so deserved, I would have loved him to have had the opportunity to have run in a Champion Hurdle, but alas not to be and instead he could be a World Hurdle contender next year.

It won’t be long before the 48 hour decs come through for Aintree so it is worth keep checking the website to see if Big Buck’s declares and who he is taking on. More importantly and on to today, Pontefract is live on and there will be the usual excellent in depth coverage.

Es Que Love had a busy season for a two-year-old and despite some of the form figures not looking that attractive at first glance the efforts weren’t that bad. The final ninth refers to the Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar, and drawn on the wrong side he was only seven lengths behind Bogart. It was also ninth of 22! On the first start of the season under Silvestre De Sousa he could lead all the way.

There are too many short ones for my liking at Yarmouth but saying that, Oh So Spicy has become a Yarmouth specialist with a win, two seconds and a third from just six runs at the course. Chris Wall has had winners already this season and may be worth chancing first time up.

Congratulations to Sheffield’s Owlerton Greyhound Stadium which celebrates it’s 80th birthday this evening and all the festivities can be enjoyed live on Sky Sports 4 from 7.30. Sheffield has long been my favourite stadium and if you ever get the chance it’s worth a visit. Home to some of the best greyhound trainers in the country, Barry Draper, Harry Crapper to name just two. Not far from Hillsborough it is always updating the facilities and without fail a warm welcome awaits.

TIPS
3.20 PONTEFRACT - ES QUE LOVE
4.45 YARMOUTH - OH SO SPICY

POINTERS

Hughie Morrison’s last four runners have all won

Tim Vaughan has had five winners, three seconds and two thirds from his last 17 runners

Noel Fehily’s last four rides have all won so watch out for him at Aintree on Thursday

John Gosden has had five winners, a second and a third from his last 11 runners

William Buick has had five winners from his last 12 rides

Three of John Quinn’s last four runners have won