NEWBURY NH RACING -- BETFAIR SUPER SATURDAY IS OFF 9th FEBRUARY 2019

This weekend SHOULD have seen one of the highlights of the Jump season thus far, Betfair Super Saturday regularly showcases some of racing’s biggest names alongside the stars of the future. The £155,000 Betfair Hurdle [3.35], now the richest race of its type in the UK, boasts a prestigious roll of honour dating back to 1963 with recent winners including Zarkandar, My Tent Or Yours and Ballyandy. Sadly all British meetings have been cancelled and this feature event is one of many casualties. 

Wednesday earliest possible date for resumption of racing in Britain.

The British Horseracing Authority say racing will not resume in Britain until Wednesday at the earliest, with a decision on that taken on Monday. There will be no racing in Britain until February 13 at the earliest, the British Horseracing Authority has announced.

An outbreak of equine flu has caused a six-day shutdown, with racing's rulers set to make a further assessment on Monday as to when racing can resume.

No further positive tests have been recorded, but another three days are needed before it will be possible to make a decision on whether it is safe to resume racing as the disease can take that long to show its symptoms. 

It added that a plan to reschedule this weekend's key races will be constructed.

Going -- Good to soft, Soft in places.
Weather -- Light rain forecast throughout the day with a maximum temperature of 9C.

13:15 -- The Read Paul Nicholls Exclusively at Betfair Novices' Hurdle.
[Class 3 2m 69y]

13:50 -- The Betfair Bet in Play Handicap Hurdle.
[Class 2 3m 52y]

14:25 -- The Betfair Denman Chase.
[Grade 2 2m 7f 86y]

15:00 -- The Betfair Exchange Steeple (registered as the Game Spirit Chase).
[Grade 2 2m 92y]

15:35 -- The Betfair Hurdle.
[Grade 3 2m 69y]

16:10 -- The Betfair Each Way Edge Novices' Limited Handicap Steeple Chase.
[Class 3 2m 7f 86y]

16:45 -- The Best Odds on the Betfair Exchange Bumper.
[Listed Race 2m 69y]

Hopefully this meeting, or at least the feature events can be saved but time is running out with barely a month till the festival. Shame but understandable. 

LOVE YOU DAD. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. MISSING YOU ALWAYS Xx

Today would have been my Dads birthday, he'd have been 85 years old, I miss him so much. 

Nothing so far has come close to filling the void left behind when you passed. No words or deeds can bring you back, yet you still fill my days with joy, and the memories are very fresh in my mind. I will continue to remember you and your work, along with the help and love you showed all of us not just on days like this but always. Family ... it's the most important thing. 

I hope you are still with us in some form, keep watching over us all, some of us need all the help we can find. x

He never looks for praises

He's never one to boast

He just goes on quietly working

For those he loves the most

His dreams are seldom spoken

His wants are very few

And most of the time his worries

Will go unspoken too

He's there.... A firm foundation

Through all our storms of life

A sturdy hand to hold to

In times of stress and strife

A true friend we can turn to

When times are good or bad

One of our greatest blessings,

The man that we call Dad.

NFL SUPERBOWL LIII -- SUNDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2019

Super Bowl LIII 
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Sunday 3rd February 
Time: 23:30 GMT. 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS   vs   LOS ANGELES RAMS

The final game of the 2018-19 NFL season takes place in Atlanta Georgia on the opening Sunday of February. The opening ceremonies will include Gladys Knight who will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Maroon 5 are this year's half time show.  

The New England Patriots reached a record 11th Super Bowl with a 37-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. It's their 9th Super Bowl appearance under head coach Bill Belichick and their 3rd in a row they will face the Los Angeles Rams who themselves beat New Orleans Saints in overtime 26-23.

This end of season extravaganza is a big night in my calendar and will make a night of it where the main challenge for myself will be can I keep awake to catch it all, or will I be asleep before the half time show. This is live on the BBC1 channel on Sunday night and they'll have coverage of all the build up from 22:30 GMT, Mark Chapman presents the show as usual and is joined by two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, former NFL cornerback Jason Bell and a host of guests from the world of American football. Will have some snacks, a few beers and settle down to enjoy the action.

New England Patriots

Odds 5/7F
(10/11 with -2.5 points handicap.)

No surprises that the AFC Champions The New England Patriots arrive here as strong favourites, with their superstar quarterback Tom Brady running the show on the field and Bill Belichick calling the shots from the side line. It will however be no big surprise if they fall behind early on and are famous for their big come from behind wins as demonstrated in their Superbowl LI win over Atlanta although they were beaten last season by Philadelphia Eagles. They won yet another AFC title beating Kansas City 37-31 and with star players such as Rob Gronkowski, Sony Michel and Julian Edelman being supplied by the outstanding Tom Brady they are going to be hard to stop.

Los Angeles Rams

Odds 6/5
(20/21 with +2.5 Points Handicap)

The Rams saw off the New Orleans Saints in a controversial overtime win 26-23 where a missed but clear cut pass interference call cost the Saints with only a couple of mins left to play out. Never mind the Rams are the NFC Champions and are into their first Super Bowl for decades and although the outsider of two should still have plenty to say about the outcome. Rams Quarterback Jared Goff has been outstanding all season and has plenty of offensive options with CJ Anderson and Todd Gurley but they also have one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL with Aaron Donald and he'll be keen to shove it up to Tom Brady given the chance.

Expecting a high scoring offensive game so the over 56.5 points is high but achievable (10/11) will also support the half time market with the over 27.5 score at Evens shall aim to have that in some accumulators over the weekend.