Cheltenham
The prominence in the sporting calendar of the horse racing meet at Cheltenham is difficult to explain.
The weather is invariably bitter, it’s not that easy to access or egress and the iconic Grand National is less than 2 months away.
Even the laddishness of male bonding and the notion of Ladies Day seem a bit dated these days.
Yet as ever the crowds flocked there seemingly indifferent to Coronavirus.
Your correspondent, having braved the elements and transport in the past, decided the sofa was the best viewing point.
But first I called John Pargiter to mark my card. The secret is, he explained, to lay every favourite less than 2-1 and to land one winner.
Champ duly obliged in the 2.10.
Then from nowhere the green and yellow silks of Willie Mullins appeared and Champ, jockeyed by Barry Geraghty, made an exhilarating run between the two to win.
Backing successfully against the favourite Defi du Seuil in the Queen Mother’s, a disappointingly reduced field, and Tiger Roll in the 4.10 meant I was very much ahead of the game.
I enjoyed ITV’s coverage headed up by Ed Chamberlin with A.P. McCoy and Ruby Walsh as experts.
Later I watched Liverpool v Atletico.
Liverpool have not convinced recently and Atletico under Diego Simeone are one of those curmudgeonly sides capable of ‘doing a number’ which they duly did.
I was impressed by the Atletico defence especially their Slovenian keeper Oblak and central defenders.
One of them, Savic, was at Manchester City but went to Fiorentina with Nastasic going the other way to City.
With Otamundi not looking the real deal and Laporte out injured City must rue his absence.
