Showing a woeful grasp of history, the bollocks-sphere has rung with the mutterings of the illiterati, suggesting that the Bishops have no right to involve themselves in matters temporal; and that Cantuar is a Woke liberal who is being racist when he suggests that Rwanda is unfit for Syrian refugees, (but OK for Gorillas according to Priti Patel). Quite apart from Beckett, Cranmer, Laud, Scrope and an astonishingly long list of executed, lynched and murdered Bishops and Archbishops slaughtered for crossing some political line or other, history gives us swathes of pseudo-political Bishops whose quasi-religious thumbs-up gave credence to the next regal or political manoeuvre. Worse still, and across the stage of European or known-world politics was the involvement of the church – and thus its senior officers – in any political activities that supported the advancement of Christianity – or its survival. Over a period of less than a Millenia, those leaders hastened the departure of several millions of civilians. Beauvais’s prosecution of Joan of Arc at one level, the inertia of the Catholic bishops and the Pastors of the German Evangelical Church during the 1930s on the other. So, my little anti-bishop chums? Desmond Tutu… force for good or meddling priest? Either way, the stable door is wide open and the Bishops and their horses bolted long before the Vikings arrived.
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One thing I do wish I could get my head around is NHS costs. This was prompted by a small note on my medical records that I didn’t understand. I was only looking because, (while all Doctors and Nurses and medical staff are to be applauded and cheered because they’re ALL saints and Shrewsbury and Telford are simply two places where probably only one person who wasn’t a doctor was no good), somebody hadn’t read the bit of paper with my surgery, address and date of birth on it and the details were either wrong or missing. The little note said “Seen in Out of Hours Centre. Code: ABC123.” As I was in sorting-out mode anyway, I mentioned this to the Receptionist in my kindly avuncular, GK Chesterton Fr. Brown voice, which is a fair impression of Charlie Bronson digging a tunnel in The Great Escape. She said: “That’s probably because you signed in online, and maybe made an appointment”. I didn’t pursue it because I don’t remember, and I might have signed in to check my records, to see if the last mistake had been rectified. (Oh yes there are also two other missing reports.) But to my untutored eyes, the ABC123 looked suspiciously like a cost-centre code and I wonder whether the Surgery charged the NHS for my automated, non-human, “Out of Hours” call. Which might seem harsh…
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On matters racing, a very well-written article by Matt Bisogno, can be found HERE which adds a great deal of meat to the contention I have been making for some time, which is that NH race-planning is no longer fit for purpose. He believes that if things don’t change soon, the game will be up by 2032. I would suggest that we have less than five years to get a grip and we have to start with a root and branch examination of the decision-making process and to lessen the impact of so much damaging self-interest.
Talking of low-impact, here are the tips for Sandown’s Trails Day and Perth’s always-fun Spring meeting.
1:20 SANDOWN bet365 Hcap Cl2 (3yo 0-100) 5f 10 run
AUDITOR won a 5f C5 sprint at Windsor some ten months ago, by 4 lengths. He has less miles on the clock than some of these and looks open to improvement. A decent winter should have strengthened him and frankly, those with recent runs haven’t dazzled yet.
AUDITOR 3 pts win
1:50 SANDOWN bet365 Esher Cup Hcap Cl2 (3yo 0-100) 1m 10 run
WANEESE 3 pts Win – NUVOLARI 1½ pts e/w
2:05 PERTH William Hill Extra Places Every Day Hcap Hdl Cl3 (4yo+ 0-130) 2m 5 run
Gordon Elliot’s PLATINUM CARD looks to have huge potential which is reflected in the price. Nicky Richards runs SERIOUS EGO who I prefer over stable companion PARIS ENCORE – but then I’m hoping the headgear works this time which they didn’t in Ireland.
PLATINUM CARD 3 pts win
2:25 SANDOWN bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (G3) Cl1 (4yo+) 1m2f 3 run
Three runners… it’s a bloody disgrace.
MOSTAHDAF – 3 pts double with ALCOHOL FREE in the 3:00
2:40 PERTH William Hill Highland National Hcap Chs Cl3 (5yo+ 0-130) 3m6½f 15 run
RATH AN IUIR has 2 wins from 5 chase starts and caught the eye when having only his second run for over a year in the Eider this February. He was in the vanguard fro most of the race and 4m and race fitness just saw the tank empty. He was 4th LTO in a race where the other runners who beat him were all rated at least 15lbs higher on OR. In a 0-130 he looks value with his current mark of 125. Back him ASAP – he’ll not drift.
RATH AN IUIR 2½ pt e/w
3:00 SANDOWN bet365 Mile (G2) Cl1 (4yo+) 1m 6 run
With every winner this century being rated 108+ we need only look at ALCOHOL FREE. He also meets all the other trends bar one. No horse in the last twelve years has won wearing headgear and they have declared him with a first-time hood. You could look at having Frankie to come second on SUNRAY MAJOR, who is being backed and more is expected from him in 2022. Perhaps betting without the odds-on favourite is the answer. If Sylvestre de Souza can tuck him in and not take the lead, then JOHAN has got a decent turn of foot and he might spring a surprise for second place – but I am stretching credulity.
SUNRAY MAJOR 4pts Win Betting without the favourite 6/4 in several places.
3:35 SANDOWN bet365 Classic Trial (G3) Cl1 (3yo) 1m2f 6 run
FRANTASTIC 2 pts win