i wish i could be excited enough about today to not to have to force myself to engage my brain.

​The ‘stuck together as if glued’ title of what is to follows is representative of how I feel. No one pays me for the thoughts, concerns and ideas that appear on this site. Yes, once the National Hunt season is over, I annually come down with the ‘flat blues’, as I refer to my state of mind at this time of the year. Though this year I am further depressed by the sheer number of jumps fixture we have had since the old season closed and the new one started. 2 and 3-runner fields at Ludlow tomorrow, is that not bone fide evidence that there are far too many meetings for this time of year? Come on, B.H.A., do your job; care for the sport you are licenced to govern, show some pre-emptive spunk and deplete the number of race-meetings in the same way as you have the power to abandon races that are, to your mind, so uncompetitive as to be waste of resources.
Chester did little this week to lift my springtime despondency. It was not always the case. I used to look forward to Chester as the starting gun for the ride towards the only two classics that come with added anticipation. Yet this year Chester was merely a Ballydoyle win-fest, with the maestro not even in attendance. And all we got as far as fact was concerned from his stand-ins was a whole lot of conjecture. Ifs and buts as if they were protecting state information.
Lingfield today is no better. Only 3 turn-out for am Oaks trial that on paper is nothing more than a parade for the O’Brien filly and the Derby trial looks a match between, you guessed it, the two from Ballydoyle, the only point to ponder being has Ryan Moore chosen the right one. 
One element of the flat that has always annoyed me is races with Group 3 status that would have the same number and quality of runners if it were a listed race worth a few thousand quid less to the winner. ‘Black type’ should be consigned to the needless bin. It is a vehicle for breeders to board and means nothing when it comes to the actual ability of horses who attain ‘black type’. It is a falsity, a present that comes in ribbons and bows but holds together an empty box. Third of four in a listed race at Salisbury or Chelmsford should not extoll a filly with some sort of achievement that lofts it above the filly that won five handicaps in a season.
The lack of loyalty in racing also grieves me. I have great respect for John Gosden but his cutting the cord of kindness with Kieran Shoemark, even if the decision was driven by big name owners at Clarehaven, was unforgiveable. There may not have been a written contract between the two but having taken the decision that someone could replace Frankie, and having forgiven him on many occasions down the years, the right decision would have been to have given Shoemark the whole of this season to prove himself. In doing the dirty on Shoemark, it tells everyone that Gosden made a mistake in giving the Shoemark the job in the first place.
It is hard to criticise, as I have done in the past, that the flat is too dominated by so few stables, what with Willie Mullins now virtually owning National Hunt racing, but I do believe the sport would be energised if the smaller flat stables were able to play in the big races. What is worse, and this is more a reflection on the low standard of prize-money in this country, if a horse of classic-winning potential were to emerge from an unlikely source, one the major foreign funded outfits would be quick to snap-up that horse and even if it were to remain with the original trainer it would cease to be an under-dog and with it the sparkle of wonder would be gone.
Even the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock does not inspire me with anticipation this afternoon. It used to be a race where champion hurdle type horses would attempt to give away lumps of weight to good handicappers but like the old Whitbread the race is just an afterthought these days, even if it is now the first big race of the new season.
Anyway, I look forward to the Derby meeting and Royal Ascot. I am presently reading Sean Magee’s mighty tome on the history of Royal Ascot and hope to discover a few forgotten facts to enlighten the day of anyone foolish enough to visit this website.
You know, when I started this website, I thought on days when I had nothing to say, I would upload one of the many horse racing themed short stories I have written down the years. I did do this on one occasion and have refrained ever since. Even though I am not wholly repelled by those stories, I came to the conclusion that if people could not fork out a few quid for the collection I worked so hard to have published, why give people an excuse not to buy the book.
My apologies, I have the wrong head on this morning. And no, I have not forgotten to take my meds. I am not on any meds for any condition. At 71, that is one of the few aspects of my life to be proud about.
My best wishes. Have a good day.