The end of Thyne

Flashy chestnuts aren't always hugely popular at the sales, but they always grab the eye on the course. Which makes it even sadder that Cheltenham will be without a fabulous looking chestnut due to the death of Thyne Again who died on the gallops at Liam Burke's yard on Thursday. The course will be at least visually poorer for his absence.

Beware the Hair-Dryer

Ruby Walsh has plenty of excuses for sleepless nights at this time of year and another biggie emerged this week. When Cooldine won the PJ Moriarty chase for Willie Mullins last Sunday he was promoted to joint favourite for the RSA novice chase with What a Friend, who is trained by Paul Nicholls. The problem for Ruby is he must choose between them and What a Friend, who is part-owned by Alex Ferguson. Given what allegedly occurs when there is a disagreement with Fergie (see David Beckham's eyebrow), Ruby might want to phone in his decision if he opts for Cooldine.

Going, going. Blog.

Simon Claisse, the Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham, will post regular updates on the state of the going on his blog over the next couple of weeks and this may prove useful for betting purposes. He is currently reporting the going as 'soft' but is reluctant to predict what it might be like on opening day of the festival. His caution is understandable. His long-term predictions in previous years have tended to land him in controversy. (www.cheltenham.co.uk/press/simons_blog.html)

Frozen out

But another entry in Claisse's blog is more immediately worrying. Cheltenham, along with most other courses, has come under pressure in recent years to upgrade the facilities for the visiting stable staff. Despite this, he writes "Some temporary accommodation for stable staff arrives this week... including the hire of a large mobile freezer unit." Let's hope the grooms remember to pack their winter woollies.

Weight matters

Way back in 1980, there was a pronounced national 'frisson' between the host establishment and visiting Irish jockeys over the way they brandished their whips. After years of detente it could all kick off again with Irish trainers upset over the weights their horses are allocated in British handicaps. The Guardian carried an article this week by Lydia Hislop, diplomatically headlined as "When Irish trainers whinge about weight, get betting." Maybe it's just recessions that bring out this sort of tetchiness. Colm Greaves