The Long Road To Yarmouth

Good morning all,

As I wake to the sound of seagulls and the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs (is there anything better than a hotel breakfast? I don't think so) it'll become aware to you that I'm not at home and am, in fact, already in Great Yarmouth ready for the three-day Autumn Festival.

I travelled down yesterday rather than having to face the morning traffic today and what a good decision that's already turning out to be. Well worth the extra few quid!

My thoughts on the place and the drive here (plus today's selection) on the main piece. 

The great thing about the drive here is that it's so long, it really gives you a chance to get your thoughts together for how you are going to tackle the week and what I'm looking to get out of it. Just play the maidens? The low-grade handicaps? Sack the lot off and punt on Hove dogs? I'll say this, we had a fair bit of rain last night and I'd expect it to ride pretty testing today.

Although it's not as far as say, Fontwell, from my house, because it's all A-roads and no motorway it's a fair trek. The journey can be broken down into six bits, which somehow makes it more manageable – Derby-Nottingham -Grantham-Boston-Kings Lynn-Norwich-Yarmouth. You know when you've hit Grantham as all the fields suddenly become pancake-flat. Even more so when you come out the other side of it, and all the place names become saints.

There's a retail park at Kings Lynn where I call for a coffee, as I feel like I'm halfway by then and have broken the back of it, before the push to Norwich and then that long, straight, final few miles to Yarmouth. When you see the windmills, you know you're there.

The place itself is full of the usual seaside stuff, including a lapdancing club (I was given some great advice about that last year – “Dave, whatever you do, DO NOT go into that place called Fallen Angels on the front. (Pause). But if you do, ask for Sophie…”

The town needs a bit of modernization, it's fair to say. There's parts of it that look like they need a lick of paint and new fascias, but it is what it is. Breakfast this morning was full of racing people, so it's always nice to make a new friend or two and incredibly, one of the blokes at breakfast knows a few people I do (he lives about 20 minutes away from me, it turns out. Small world).

So I'm off to get my hair cut, which I tried to do yesterday but after almost an hour waiting in the barbers I gave up.

Today's selection comes from Newcastle, where tracker horse Tansheet takes his chance in the 1m Novices stakes at 7.10. You'll remember he was one I liked a lot in the paddock at Newbury but he clearly needed the experience. This looks a little easier and given he should have come on for that run, plus he's got relatives that have won on artificial surfaces, so looks worth a try tonight.

Good luck with all your bets today,

David.