Angus McNae
Back Havana to take Gold
31 August 2012
Today's Selection
6.35 Salisbury - Havana Gold
You will be pleased to know that my day has started in a somewhat more conventional fashion than yesterday and I am preparing for a day in the studio today with Jonathan Neesom as my expert guest, who will hopefully be providing us with plenty of winners.
It will be a busy afternoon as we have three meetings and then towards the end of the afternoon an excellent meeting at Salisbury kicks into gear and that will keep me busy until about 8.00pm.
The main event at Salisbury is the Stonehenge Stakes, which the Richard Hannon team have won for the last three years. This year they rely on Havana Gold. He was a most unlucky loser of the Prix Francois Boutin at Deauville recently unseating Ryan Moore in the closing stages when looking sure to win. Prior to that he had won his two starts in good fashion and this step up to a mile will suit him. Richard Hughes takes the ride and he looks sure to go close in a race that Richard Hannon has made his own.
South Africa thrashed England in the first one-day International and now they should be backed to make it 2-0. In my opinion the England team is in crisis. They are reeling from the Pietersen affair and the resignation of Strauss. The problem with what has happened with Pietersen is not just a loss of trust and an unbelievable display of arrogance from KP, it is that England have lost a world-class player that cannot be replaced by the likes of Ravi Bopara. The team must also feel unsettled by everything that has gone on. In contrast South Africa are a superb side with a tremendous work ethic and top-class players from one to 11. They are a shade of odds-on to beat England and that seems fair enough value to me.
Time for me to get to the studio and get some work done. These Racing UK programmes don't just make themselves you know!!
All the best
Comments
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Regardless how good a player Pietersen may be (and in my opinion it’s not a given, as his arrogance is often translated into some pretty slack batting), he should never play for England again. The man is trouble (a veritable bad apple), and will only destabilise any team he plays in. Given that his decision to be English was a mercenary one, he’ll no doubt soon find a way of becoming Australian…
Phil Hertel | 8 months ago