The Golf was not horrendous and for a brief moment, I thought Hideki might falter, allowing Jordan a chance. However, like the coward that I am, I greened out at the end of the 2nd round, losing my favourite Korean Im in the cut, but with five going through to the final 36, I thought a 26/50 profit was OK. The Masters and the Grand National where my final shortlist of seven contained the winner and the third – and yes, I swerved both – simply mark the passing of time. We all measure time differently. For me the FA Cup Final must be soon surely? And the Oscars, aren’t they April? The Test tourists, what news, are they here yet? European Grands Prix as well, practice sessions must be nearby (plural of Grand Prix discuss).
The reality is that we have entered that annual half-world between lightness and darkness, between the chill and the heat, between Tweed and Linen. It is always an ethereal time, always slightly out of sync with the pace of life, because we still have a Grand National to race, and a Gold Cup. We have an Irish Festival and some very pointy handicaps. All the summer sports I mention are “soon” but everyone is practising. We have matters to settle and holidays to plan and some are returning to work, and some are thinking of the break they’re due. This year, some of those activities must be quite rightly delayed while we pay our respects as we lay to rest The Lord High Admiral.
I need to be convinced that he would believe it right that we must still live under the yoke of this medical tyranny and ill-considered lockdown. Two very tiny examples. Why is a Country pub NO – but travel ten miles to the town Supermarket YES. Why is Leaving The Country NO – Flying In from Brazil via Germany YES. Why is there no proper track and trace at Supermarkets? London Transport? When did anyone see the supervision of bio-security measures at EVERY supermarket being carried out? Perhaps they had David Cameron to lobby.
So while this macro pressure fills our time, we’re again confronted with the microcosm of mathematical conundrums and scales of rating. Where speed is muddled by position by draw by pace. Where some trainers bring their kids on in April and May and some only want them ready in September. Sometimes we’re ready for that transition, sometimes we’re not. I’ll let you know how I feel in June.
For what it is worth, I shall be backing the following on the shown races. Mostly top 2 in the betting as chance would have it. Doubles and Trebles beckon – much like a pub after lockdown.
