IN A busy weekend of sporting action, by far the best of the racing comes from the Lockinge meeting at Newbury this afternoon.
Mind you, I won't be watching myself, choosing instead the real pressure of Celtic Park and the Jam Tarts' attempt to win their first trophy for 36 years. Believe it or not, I was at Hampden back in 1962, cheering on a pretty fair Hearts side as they scraped past Killie 1-0 in the League Cup final.
As the team paraded the trophy, I remember faither lifting me up on his shoulders with the confident boast: ''There will be many more days like this one son.'' Faither, of course, had been totally spoilt by the era of Conn, Bauld, and Warhaugh and to him it was unthinkable that even a season could go past without a serious tilt at the silverware.
Almost four decades, we are still waiting to get past the post again at Tynecastle. However the plan for today is for faither and son to be at the final together for the first time since that big day.
Fitba and racing have one thing in common. All losing runs come to an end sometime. Today could well be the day and Hearts to win in 90 minutes might prove to be the best 11-4 shot of the day.
However The Herald doesn't pay me millions to punt on two-team races, but to stick a pin in the big race meetings. In truth today's Lockinge (3.00) looks a shade sub-standard.
However, there is nothing moderate about Air Express, regarded by Clive Britain as the best miler he has ever trained. Given that he handled the likes of Averof back in the 1970s, that is praise indeed.
Air Express scooped the German and the Italian 2000 Guineas last season, before running a blinder to edge out Rebecca Sharp in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. If he is fully tuned up, then he will take all the beating today and rates a confident nap at Newbury.
On the same card, the races immediately before and after the Lockinge offer decent investment opportunities. Happy Valentine (2.30) was once upon a time the ante-post favourite for last year's Derby, before suffering a setback.
Nursed back to health in Dubai he ran a fair race in the Jockey Club at Newmarket before running out of puff.
I would not be surprised if he provides another success for a Godolphin operation which may now be starting to move up through the gears.
Of the others in the race, Ian Balding's Sausalito Bay is a useful stayer who progressed through handicaps to be a creditable fourth in a Group 3 at Longchamp. Although an outsider he may give Happy Valentine something to think about as well as providing a good benchmark as to whether the Godophin horse can finally fulfil its potential.
If Pat Eddery carries off the Lockinge on Air Express, he may celebrate with a double in the 3.35. John Dunlop's Mohawk is a promising enough sprinter who won a competitive race at Newcastle 12 days ago. It is always possible that there may be a tartar lurking in the handicap, but the exposed form of the rest does not look all that intimidating and Mohawk might scalp them all today.
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