P.J.A. MAD ABOUT IT, FORTHFACTOR FIRST FOR ME, LISTEN TO FARAGE & HOLLIE BACK WITH EIGHT!

There is nothing more pleasing in life than to be proved right, not that it happens too often in my case, so forgive me starting with a gloat. Not that the P.J.A. are happy; they are quite cross, though pleased that the B.H.A. have stepped in and quashed the guilty verdict hanging around Jack Garrity's neck since the Leicester stewards accused him of not-trying on the ten-year-old Red Derek. Garrity was found guilty on the basis of sectional timing, not that the Leicester stewards allowed Garrity access to that information, which makes the Leicester inquiry look more and more like a kangaroo court. Quite rightly, the P.J.A. now  want the B.H.A. to stop the use of sectional timing in stewards' inquiries. If I had a say in this matter, if I had the ear of both the P.J.A. and the B.H.A., I would be pressing for sanctions against the Leicester stewards, with consideration given to installing a set of stocks in the parade ring at Leicester, with the stewards involved in the Garrity inquiry spending the day in them, with jockeys given bucket loads of rotten fish, fruitand vegetables to throw at said stewards. To be serious, the Leicester stewards brought the sport into disrepute, allowing the keyboard warriors to spread their vile opinions all around the world. Humiliation by rotten tomato is the smallest of punishments that I can think of.

The first horse to really impress me this National Hunt season, and I mean really impress me, not just impress me, was the Skeltons novice hurdler Forthfactor at Stratford yesterday. It was not the 20-length+ in which he won by, but the total domination throughout the race. Of course, it is unlikely the form will be worth much but, as they say, he could only beat what trailled in his wake.

Do you hear any other party leader say anything like this: 'If betting shops are in as big trouble as I think, then the British horse racing industry is in even bigger trouble - and horse racing is a very big part of rural life .... 'Taxes like these do three things. One, it's more empty shops on the high streets. Two, it's damage to the racing industry. Three, and drives people to the black market.'

Burnham does not defend our industry. Badenoch shows no support for our industry. Davey does not realise there is such an entity as a horse racing industry. Only Nigel Farage is brave and genuine enough to put his head above the parapet to declare his support for our industry.

I wrote yesterday that Hollie Doyle ( yes, I know that I continually spell her name incorrectly) returns to the saddle at Southwell tomorrow evening with four-rides. That was incorrect, though correct in that I took the information from The Racing Post. Now, this might be some kind of record, as usually a jockey returning from such a serious injury, after five-months fighting to return to fitness, would gently dip their toe into the water with one or two quiet rides. That is not the way of the force of nature that is Mrs. Marquand. There are nine-races at Southwell and you find Hollie riding in the first eight-races. I hope a couple of the senior jockeys hang around to carry Hollie to her car as she might be feeling a tad on the weak side, especially if she has to ride a finish on the majority of her rides.