If a new racing service was launched in Britain, the word glamour would hardly spring to mind as an army of suits are unleashed to harvest up the canapés.
But that is not what happened when GBI Racing, the service that combines British and Irish action from both At the Races and Racing UK, was introduced to Finland.
Present at launch were Sara Sieppi, winner of the 2011 Miss Finland contest, and Anni Ussivirta, who finished runner-up, plus Miss Finland 2012 Sara Chafak.
At the launch: Krista Siegfrids, who will represent Finland in the Eurovision song contest, at the launch of At the Races and Racing UK in FinlandThey were alongside Krista Siegfrids, who’ll represent Finland in this year’s Eurovision Song contest, Keith Armstrong, a British footballer who has made his name in Finland, and several MPs at an event which made national TV and newspapers.
GBI will be beamed into Finland’s 1,200 betting outlets and also be available on the internet via Finland’s Tote Fintoto.
Past winners: Past winners of the Miss Finland contests were also at the launchHopefully, it will live up the glitzy launch.
But after all that Glam, The Captain can’t help worrying it will be a bit of a let-down when Finnish viewers tune in to find the best bit of ‘eye-candy’ is GBI regular Martin Kelly.
Maybe, they will make him wear his medallion.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned …. And an annoyed jockey’s wife seems a pretty intimidating prospect as well.
After unbeaten Black Caviar had won her 24th race in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday, jockey Luke Nolen had his riding helmet stolen.
The theft prompted his wife Alicia to launch a Twitter appeal to identify the suspect, saying her husband was ‘devasted’ by his loss.
Hell hath no fury: Luke Nolen's wife, Alicia, took to twitter to demand that his stolen helmet was returned‘Do you know this grub?’ tweeted Mrs Nolen in a message that oozed contempt and was accompanied by a picture of the suspect in Crime Watch style.
After annoying the camp of Australia’s racing darling and, in particular Mrs Nolen, the suspect might be best advised to buy a one-way ticket to New Zealand.
The Lambourn and Middleham Open Days, now so much a fixture of the racing calendar on Good Friday, are fast approaching and there will be a chance to see four Gold Cup winners parading at Lambourn.
Looks Like Trouble (2000), Kauto Star (2007 & 2009) and Long Run (2011) will be joined by the latter’s Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate and most recent winner Bobs Worth on a day of activities when the programme also contains a silent auction to name your own race at Kempton.
Champion Flat trainer John Gosden doesn’t rate his chances of retaining his title as he rebuilds his team following some high-profile names being retired and says he told rival Richard Hannon when they bumped into each other while holidaying in Barbados in the winter that he was polishing the trophy in preparation of sending it back to the man who won it for the previous two seasons.
Gosden will be hoping for some drier weather for his top filly The Fugue, who could reappear in the Middleton Stakes at York’s Dante Meeting while dual group One winner Elusive Kate could reappear in Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes.
More... Scu's view: Walford's stable really enjoying the wet weather Sprinter Sacre may be upped to two and a half miles at Aintree
