All hail the Chief

It's certainly not the most original comment to make but no result has pleased me more in ages than Well Chief beating Master Minded at Cheltenham on Sunday. And Master Minded is in my 12-to-follow. But to see a lovely horse like that great strapping chestnut come back after being plagued by injury was really heartening. Here's hoping he can get through the Tingle Creek and Queen Mother Champion Chase before being given an honourable retirement.

Another pleasing result, which was probably only noticed by me and his owner and trainer (who I think is both one and the same, Dr Richard Newland), was the success of Overstrand at Market Rasen. He's not a superstar but he's a genuine little horse that I would be proud to own and I've followed his career with great interest since he won me quite a bit of money at Sandown as a four-year-old when still trained by Mary Reveley. That day, Tingle Creek Day, he was an up-and-coming handicap hurdler and he beat Our Vic and Monkerhostin by five lengths and four lengths respectively. They've both gone on to greater things but it's wonderful to see Overstrand still winning in the confident manner in which he did on Sunday. It's impossible not to admire a horse who has raced 78 times for 11 wins and 15 places. Long may he run.

Probably can't sign off without saying that the perfect tonic to aid recovery from my Australian jetlag was the arrival here on Tuesday of Oscar Bernadotte, the horse of my dreams. Whether or not he becomes the horse of my nightmares remains to be seen but he's a loveable little chap and he's already made friends with Panto, my other dream boy. What price OB being my next hack?