Lord riddiford to rule at Wolverhampton
LORD RIDDIFORD can make amends for a slice of bad luck last time out by landing the Betway Handicap at Wolverhampton.
The six-year-old was sent off the second-favourite on his most recent run at Chelmsford, but he ducked as the stalls opened, giving his rider no chance of maintaining the partnership.
He is consequently much better judged on his penultimate spin, when he chased home the reopposing Venturous over this same five furlongs.
While Venturous had a length and a quarter in hand, the distance probably does not tell the full story as it was later reported Lord Riddiford had bled, so perhaps his effort should be marked up a little.
He is 3lb better off with Venturous this time around and with thirdplaced Exalted Angel having boosted the form with a Listed win last weekend too, Lord Riddiford must have strong credentials.
Atacamena should improve for her initial outing as she tackles the Play Ladbrokes 5-A-Side On Football Novice Stakes.
Beaten eight lengths into fourth at this track last month, Atacamena cut out plenty of the running, setting a steady gallop before a few speedier rivals swallowed her up in the home straight.
Atacamena looked a bit green when asked to go about her business and the experience should stand her in good stead.
The equine Charlie Fellowes can pick up where he left off last year with victory in the Get Your Ladbrokes Daily Odds Boost Handicap at Lingfield.
He finally opened his account at the seventh time of asking at Beverley last September, but once he found the winning groove, he certainly capitalised by following up at Wolverhampton in October and Southwell in November.
The application of cheekpieces on the Westwood was seemingly the turning point as he powered home by seven lengths, followed by seven and a half lengths at Dunstall Park.
Admittedly his Southwell success was not quite so visually taking, but giving weight all round, he still won with something in hand and a mark of 92 looks well within his compass.
Crackling might enjoying switching back to Polytrack in the Bombardier British-Hopped Amber Beer Handicap after being edged out at Southwell on his first start of the year.
This lightly-raced five-year-old has was beaten just a head in Nottinghamshire after a tardy start, but should be sharper for the outing.
Mummy Bear looked a likely future winner when second at this track last month, and her moment can come in the Ladbrokes Watch Racing Online For Free Fillies’ Novice Stakes.
She finished off well enough over six furlongs to be beaten a length and a half, with third-placed The Hulk having since scored in fine style to give the form a pleasing look.
Give ‘Em The Slip relinquished her lead in the dying strides on her 2021 bow, but she can right that wrong in the Play Ladbrokes 5-A-Side On Football Fillies’ Novice Stakes.
Having her first outing in 240 days, Charlie Hills’ charge had nothing more to give at the line, but her fitness should have improved for the outing.
SWANSEA City’s Championship schedule is set to become even more congested after their clash with Sheffield Wednesday was postponed.
Steve Cooper’s men were due to face the Owls at Hillsborough today, although sub-zero temperatures in south Yorkshire ensured the pitch was unplayable.
Officials carried out a pitch inspection at the 39,732-seater venue on Friday lunchtime and opted to call off the game little more than 24 hours before the scheduled kick-off given that conditions were not expected to improve.
But plenty of questions have been raised surrounding the nature of the postponement.
“Swansea City’s Championship fixture with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday has been called off due to a frozen pitch,” a Swansea statement read.
“Following an inspection earlier today, the pitch has not been deemed playable.
“A new date for the fixture will be announced in due course.
“The club can confirm that supporters who had paid to view or listen to Saturday’s stream via SwansTV Live will be automatically refunded.”
Naturally, the Owls issued an official communication of their own.
“The Owls’ Championship home game against Swansea has been postponed due to a frozen pitch,” it read.
“A pitch inspection at Hillsborough was conducted on Friday and the surface deemed unplayable.
“The fixture will be rearranged with details announced in due course.”
EFL rules state the following: “Each home club shall provide full pitch frost covers and/or under-soil heating (the specification of which shall meet the reasonable satisfaction of The League) which shall be operated to the extent necessary to procure, so far as it is reasonably possible, that the pitch is playable on the occasion of each match.”
Under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, the Owls spent £1m to install a new Desso GrassMaster pitch – the same as those used as Wembley, Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford and the San Siro – with new under-soil heating and drainage systems ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
However, given the nature of the congested 2020/21 schedule along with the recent inclement weather, the turf at Hillsborough has suffered of late.
The freezing temperatures ensured the pitch was firm for the Owls’ 2-0 triumph over Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night while a late blizzard threatened to impact their encounter with Gareth Ainsworth’s side.
Snow that fell earlier in the week remains on the ground in Sheffield given that it has not had the opportunity to thaw out, such have been the cold temperatures in the area.
At the time of the pitch inspection – which took place shortly after Rotherham’s league clash with Queens Park Rangers was also postponed – the temperature in Sheffield was a brisk 0°C.
The temperature dropped to -4°C overnight while it was not expected to rise above zero degrees today, meaning the state of the pitch would not improve by the scheduled kick-off time of 3pm.
Some members of Swansea’s backroom team were on their way to Sheffield at the time of the postponement, although the club’s players and coaches were still at Fairwood having held a training session on Friday morning.
They weren’t due to fly up north until Friday afternoon.
However, with the trip to Blackburn Rovers being cancelled last month too, Swansea now have something of a concern on their hands when it comes to the fixture list.
The Swans are currently scheduled to play 10 more league games before the international break in March.
And, after that period, Cooper’s men would still have nine league games left to play between Friday, April 2 and Saturday, May 8.
It means there are only two midweek slots available for the Swans to play the away fixture with the Owls, and they come on the week beginning Monday, April 12 and the week beginning Monday, April 26.
Swansea remain in a strong position to challenge for automatic promotion this season, although the congested schedule could test the squad to its limit over the coming months.
For the time being, though, Cooper turns his attention to Wednesday night’s clash with Nottingham Forest at the Liberty Stadium.
JONNY Williams and Alex Smithies will be unavailable for Cardiff City’s clash with Coventry City, manager Mick McCarthy has confirmed.
Wales international Williams joined the Bluebirds at the end of the transfer window, only to get a kick in the back of the knee in training on the eve of the Severnside derby with Bristol City.
The knock was worse than feared and he also missed the win over Rotherham in midweek. And he will have to wait even longer for his Bluebirds debut as McCarthy confirmed he would take no part against the Sky Blues on Saturday afternoon.
“We are going to make sure he’s OK and make sure he is available for the rest of the games,” he said of Williams
after ruling him out.
“We don’t want to rush anyone back. We have got games coming thick and fast. If they have to miss one and then they’re fit for the next five, six, seven, eight.
“That’s better to me than rushing someone back and getting 40 minutes out of the next five or six. That’s daft.”
Smithies, on the other hand, went down inside the opening 10 minutes of the Robins clash owing to feeling unwell.
He missed the 2-1 triumph up at New York Stadium on Tuesday night, too, with Dillon Phillips taking his place between the sticks.
And McCarthy revealed the mystery problem knocked City’s No.1 for six.
“Whatever it was, of all the times to get a virus that isn’t coronavirus, it completely wiped him out,” McCarthy said of Smithies.
“He’s not available, he’s out. It really took it out of him.
“On the upside, Dillon was excellent. You don’t want players missing, but when you get players replacing them you want them to have a good performance and he did.
“There is only one slot as a goalkeeper and he was very good at both games. When he came on against Bristol, especially when they launched a free kick straight at him when he came on. He was very good the other night against a very tough opposition at Rotherham.”
Cardiff do welcome back Leandro Bacuna into the fray after he missed the Millers game following a training-ground knock. He will add competition in that midfield.
The Bluebirds will hope to build on the momentum which has been gained over the last four games, which has seen them reap eight points, with another positive result against Mark Robins’ side this weekend.
The cornerstone of Cardiff’s solid results has been the manner in which the team has adapted to this new 3-5-2 formation McCarthy has brought into place.
An unlikely beneficiary of that system is Aden Flint, who has slotted
into the heart of the back three and has been in encouraging form over the last couple of outings.
Flint fell out of favour under Neil Harris, the 6-1 demolition by QPR last New Year’s Day put paid to his chances under the former manager, but has repaid McCarthy’s faith in him with his recent displays.
McCarthy has always been a fan of Flint, who terrorised his Ipswich Town sides down the years, and revealed he was delighted when he learned he would be working with him at Cardiff.
“I can’t sign all the players that troubled my Ipswich side in the past, because quite a few have done that!” McCarthy joked.
“Aden was excellent at Bristol City. I was really happy to inherit him, actually. To be getting him as a player.
“I’ve only had positive thoughts about Flint. He’s not disappointed me, he’s been excellent. The three lads at the back have really responded well to it and I think have played very well.
“They’ve reacted off each other and organised themselves very well as a three or a five. Aden’s been excellent.”
McCarthy said there was a visible lift in confidence on the training ground - positive results will do that.
There have been quiet murmurings that Cardiff are now looking up at the top six once again, indeed it is mathematically possible for them to be in seventh place come this weekend if results go their way.
But while McCarthy is clearly happy with how things have gone, he warned against getting too far ahead of himself ahead of the clash with Coventry City.
“We’ve had two really good results,” he said. “But what we can’t do is be complacent. We’ve got eight points from four games, but we don’t suddenly start believing we are this team who can press all the way.
“We have got to win [on Saturday] and get something out of the next game at Luton.
“If we can do that for six, seven, eight games, then we can start believing. What I don’t want to do is to start bigging it up and then suddenly find we trip ourselves up against Coventry.
“I only look as far as the next game. That’s a bit boring I know.
“But if you’re saying to me on Monday ‘Oh Mick another great three points’, I’ll be delighted. But there’s a big ‘if’ there as Coventry are going to be a hard nut to crack.”