SO, the much-maligned williamhill.com St Leger, which this year suffered a GRA-led cut of pounds 5,000 in prizemoney, gets under way at Wimbledon tonight and looks as wide-open as any in recent memory. Nearly everyone has had a blast about the prizemoney issue, with the GRA last week in effect pleading poverty during these austere times. Muttley just wonders what happened to that pounds 8,000 forfeited by Lyreen Mover's connections when he was disqualified from the runnerup spot in the williamhill.com Derby? SPEAKING of the GRA, spokesman Stephen Rea's week didn't get any better despite the fact that Rathcor - the horse he owns under the Playboy Kennels banner, in partnership with a number of Hall Green staff, trainers and bookmakers - landed a tidy gamble at Huntingdon last Sunday. Rea, acting as auctioneer at Sheffield Sales that day, was under the impression the horse was likely to be withdrawn due to softening ground. Trainer Ian Williams left a message to the contrary after arriving at the racetrack, but Rea was busy cajoling bids and didn't get it until all his partners were happily counting their readies. It never rains...
A TRUE champion departed this week when Rapid Ranger was put to sleep after a stroke. The dual Derby champ in 2000 and 2001 was the perfect Wimbledon greyhound and trainer Charlie Lister simply said it all: "He was as great a dog as I've ever had."
CHARLIE McCANN, spokesman for Stan James, was delighted to be handed a DVD of Sky Sports' broadcast of Tuesday's Laurels gala, sponsored by his firm at Belle Vue. The Sky team are good like that and many a winning connection has gone off with such a memento of the evening. Normally, though, they do remember to put the right title sponsor on the disc and not credit last year's company instead...
HENLOW's assistant RM Lorraine King, despite breaking her wrist in two places and awaiting an operation, was still on duty at Henlow on Thursday for the Primus Telecom Derby heats. Ordered to keep the afflicted wrist in the air, her movement was restricted, but ever adaptive she was spotted using her forehead to operate the racecard stapler. Who said it makes a change to hear of racing office staff using their heads?
