The Lidl-Eclipse

September 16 

I wonder how Peter McNeile is feeling this morning having lost his job as Commercial Manager at Cheltenham Racecourse after suggesting that bookmaker sponsorships weren't as important as other sponsors in light of the Racing Post article that the powers that be are considering banning bookmaker sponsorships unless they pay more from their offshore business? Might be scare tactics more than anything else but an interesting development nonetheless. The Lidl-Eclipse has a nice ring to it.

Good luck to David Casey who has his last ride today before retiring. Some punters like to think that in these circumstances the other jockeys don't put it in the same effort to send them off on a winning note but that really is codswallop as they want to keep the rides for the same owner next time. Okay, Andrew McNamara went out on a high but it certainly wasn't handed to him on a plate. I will best remember David Casey for almost winning two races on the final day of the Festival in 2014 as I was on both runners-up, On His Own in the Gold Cup and Arctic Fire in the County Hurdle, after he replaced Ruby Walsh who was injured in the Triumph. A day of what could have been. Being a long odds-on shot in the his final race on Long Dog, Willie Mullins has tried his best to ensure Casey's career ends on a winner.

I see Golden Horn's owner has said that he is more worried about the ground than Treve at Longchamp. I can kind of see where he is coming from but I for one will be cheering on the best filly/mare I've ever seen to become the first three-time Arc winner. My main concern was whether she was to good in the Vermeille and put too big a performance so close to the big race. It's hard to replicate big wins next time out as we've seen many times in the past. I won't be opposing her though so will be looking at betting without Treve markets.