By George Winbury
Good morning and welcome – if it is still morning, that is – for anyone crawling back into life after staying up to watch last night’s Superbowl.
The one pretty much nailed-on guarantee is that anyone seriously involved in the horseracing profession won’t have seen much of it.
They’ll all have been early to be ready for ‘first lot’ on the gallops this morning and preparing for today’s three meetings – two over the jumps, one in the far south at Plumpton, one in the far north at Catterick, and the usual Monday night meeting over the all-weather at Wolverhampton.
As for the rest of us involved with the thorny issue of which horse to back, and where to watch them run, then your fun starts here.
Having said that, it won’t seem like much fun this morning for anyone involved with Venetia Williams’ Herefordshire yard.
Venetia has three runners heading for Sussex today to take on the fences at Plumpton.  But the thoughts will still mostly be for the one that did not return from Chepstow yesterday, Ottoline, a nine-year-old mare who ‘went wrong’ between fences and was pulled up approaching the final bend that leads to the long straight.
She has three hopes today, starting with Jeu D’Opale, a seven-year-old French gelding, on his first start for the yard who has ridden ‘under rules’ just three times before, all of them in France.
Charlie Deutsch rides both him in the 3:15 and Supervisor, another gelding, in the 3:45, along with the 13-year-old Chambard, looking for his first win in 14 months under Lucy Turner.
Worcestershire’s Ian Williams has Galiant Lion, four times a winner on the flat for Tony Carrroll, switching to hurdles for the first time in the 2:15.
And in the closing Mares Handicap Hurdle at 4:45, Sam Drinkwater has Sawpit Siena looking for her first win in 13 months, with Tom Bellamy on board.
At Catterick, Nowmelad is making the long journey up to North Yorkshire from Worcestershire for Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole.
After wins already at Uttoxeter and Hereford this season, the six-year-old gelding was second on his last start at Chepstow a month ago – and is one of three main fancies in the 1m 7f hurdle.
As for the evening card, Worcestershire’s Billy Loughnane has four rides, one of them for his dad Mark in the last, King Of Speed, and one for George Boughey in the second race, Megaphone, both of which start favourites.
There is then another evening of all-weather action at Dunstall Park on Tuesday night.
And then on Wednesday, it is over to Hereford for the only jumps meeting of the week in the Midlands – as the Cheltenham countdown starts.
Just four weeks now until the Festival.
This week’s meetings in the Midlands
Monday 10 February
Wolverhampton (All Weather/Flat)
First race: 4:25
Last race: 8:30
Tuesday 11 February
Wolverhampton (All Weather/Flat)
First race: 4:30
Last race: 8:30
Wednesday 12 February
Hereford (Jumps)
First race: 1:10
Last race: 4:38
