Barney's Blog

Looking forward to a bit of Brunch

Evening all, Barney McGrew here...

I SEE it’s been confirmed that my mate Brunch is taking his chance in the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster tomorrow.

Brunchy’s a canny lad and he won three for us last year so he’s definitely worth his place in the line up. I’ve always thought Brunch was a funny name but his mother was called Granola, so I’m guessing that’s where it comes from. Granola’s a food humans eat, made of oats and stuff. I think it’s part of their attempt to be more health and refined, like us horses.

I reckon Brunchy will put up a good performance with the Callum human in the saddle but there’s often an unexposed Group horse that’s been targeted at the race by one of the southern trainers, so it’ll be tough.

That said, the gaffer – the Michael human – has won the Lincoln before, in 2011, with an old friend of mine called Sweet Lightning. Nice sort, he was ridden by an Irish human called Johnny Murtagh that day. Another good pal of mine, Kiwi Bay, ran that day but wasn’t himself and came 14th.

Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m sure Brunchy (pictured below) will have another good season. When he wins, I’ll ask the Carole human to make us some of that Granola stuff to celebrate. I always like me oats.

AS you all know, I like this blog to be educational, so a bit of a history lesson on the Lincoln…

It goes back all the way to 1849 when the race was first established at Lincoln and was run in August over two miles. The race was shortened over the years and moved to the Spring. It was run at Lincoln until the track closed in 1964 and moved to Donny.

It now forms the first leg of what’s known as “The Spring Double” with the Grand National the second leg. The only jockey to ever win both races was a human called Dave Dick. He rode Gloaming to victory in the Lincoln when he was just 17 in 1941, and won the National on E.S.B in 1956 when Devon Loch mysteriously fell and did the splits in the shadow of the winning post.

So now you know in case it comes up in one of them pub quizzes.

IT was nice to see Bellatrixsa – or Belly, as I liked to call her – back in the winner’s enclosure the other day.

She won for us on the Flat at Newcastle (see picture below) and I always thought she was a canny lass. They decided she’d be better still over the jumps, so she’s gone to live with a human called Venetia Williams down south somewhere.

Anyway, she must be doing alright because she won over hurdles at Huntingdon. I must get her address off the Carole human and drop her a line to say well done.

FINALLY, I heard on the grapevine the other day about a famous racehorse who was on a night out and met a donkey in the pub.

Anyway, they ended up at the thoroughbred’s flat for a nightcap and the walls were adorned with photos of him.

“What are the photos of?” asked the donkey.

“Oh, that’s me winning the Derby, the King George and the Arc de Triomphe,” explained the racehorse.

The donkey went on to invite the horse round to his flat to return the favour a week later, but felt the need to impress him.

When the horse walked in, there was a huge picture of a zebra on the wall.

“Who’s that?” asked the horse.

“Oh, that’s just me playing for Juventus,” replied the donkey.

Ta ta for now, lots of love, Barney