Snooker and Racing

Well its good to be back in Blighty and back on the old treadmill again. Snooker action from China today is the first up.
By the way, good luck to anyone running the London Marathon in a couple of weeks time. Hope all that training is banged into the legs now. Particularly good luck to my friends Toby Bailey and Harry Judd, who are both running for worthwhile charities. Please feel free to sponsor them if you have a winner today!
Toby is running for the Lords Taverners - http://www.justgiving.com/tobybailey2
Harry is running for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Kent House, a brain injury service - https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/sponsor/harryrunsthemarathon

11.30 Barry Hawkins to beat Stephen Maguire 7/4 (LOST -21.75 - A solid break in the 5th frame to get back to 3-2 looked to set up a close finish, but Maguire pulled away again)
Hawkins is having a better season than last year and is on target to register more ranking points this season than last and get into the key top 16. Maguire is having a decent season too, but not quite shoopting the lights out like last season, although he will surely have ideas about next month at The Crucible. Maguire is rightly favourite for this match, but there have been upsets already this week - Hawkins 5-1 defeat of Stephen Hendry being a case in point - and so 7/4 about a tough player who gives little away when he's in, seems worth a flutter.

2.50 Southwell Savile's Delight 5/4 (LOST -22.75 - Disappointing jockey work from Richard Kingscote never put our selection in the race. When he set about it he finished well, but alas too late)
Now then, now then, now then. What we have here is a letter from a little boy what says "Dear Jim, Could you fix it for me to have a winner at Southwell today". Ok, yes Sir Jimmy has two 'l's in his surname but this geldinig could be one 'ell of a winner here today. Despite being officially 4lbs wrong versus Fire Up the Band, the topweight went backwards last summer and a first run on the all weather for over two years doesn't suggest that run is about to change. Our slection however, is prove over C&D with 3 wins, two 2nds and a third in his 6 runs over 5f at Southwell this year. I'm going for another in the win column.

3.50 Kempton L'Oudon e/w 11/1 (LOST -23.75 - looked good for the first 2 miles and moved into the places coming to 2 out. Then faded fast from there, possibly something going wrong as he dropped away so quickly)
This ex Paul Nicholls trained gelding made an excellent return to hurdling for his new yard a fortnight ago, when handled well by today's jockey Liam Treadwell. He never quite fulfilled his early promise for Nicholls, but he handles Kempton and Gd-Sft, and with one win and three places in his last four Handicap Hurdles, 11/1 looks a decent each way proposition today.