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Captain's Blog - Friday 29th June 2012

Surely it is going to stop raining soon?

When Flat meetings are being abandoned in the middle of June due to waterlogging you know something is wrong. Surely just a few weeks of fine and warm weather is not too much to ask. I am not sure who I am asking but it is either the Good Lord or Carol Kirkwood and to be frank I just need one of them to respond positively and tell me there is still hope that summer could still happen.

You may ask why I am so bothered? Well the answer is twofold. Firstly everybody has a smile on their face when the sun shines, secondly my bet on Richard Hughes to win the jockeys’ title is dependent on some decent weather because the Hannon horses are better on decent ground and Hughes's quiet style of riding is better suited to good ground than to slog-fests in soft ground.

Our selection yesterday was Memory Cloth at Newcastle and he ran well to finish third on ground that would be better suited to three-mile chasing. Today I am keen on the chances of Poole Harbour in the 3.55 Folkestone. He was a nice winner on the AW last time and has held a number of entries over the last few weeks, but seemingly the Hannon team have waited for this option and the hint should be taken.

I am really looking forward to the One-Day International series between England and Australia. The first game takes place today and the result is tough to call. England are a moderate one-day side away from home, but under English conditions they are a good unit, particularly strong in the bowling department. Australia are rebuilding their Test side, but are world beaters at this discipline and will be tough to beat.

They will be without the brilliant Michael Hussey who has had to stay at home for personal reasons and he will be a big loss, but even so they will be very competitive. It is going to be a fabulous series and I am planning on watching as much of it as I possibly can. Of course my fun could be spoilt by the weather, no surprise there though!

Have a good day folks.

Today's Selection

3.55 Folkestone - Poole Harbour