Graham Clifford's View From The Stands covers everything from the Jubilee to the Euro 2012!

Biography: Graham is a reporter for the Irish Independent newspaper and is based in London. He presented on the Raceclubs/Getminted horse racing TV show in Britain a number of years back and is the former sports editor of the Irish Post newspaper. Also he has been a broadcast and print journalist for the last decade working in the U.K., Australia and in his native Ireland. He presents a show on local BBC radio in the South East of England and claims to have Psychic powers. He once worked as a body double for Johnny Vegas and represented Slovakia in last year’s Eurovision song contest with the song “random factor blues”!

What a Royal treat…

No not the four days of pageantry and celebrations but the accompanying poetry penned by Raceclubs poets-in-residence. I asked you to come up with a few lines about the Jubilee and you didn’t let me down. The winner of this week’s £10 in bonus credits is Smeagol Stables who just pipped the likes of Link Up and Radcliffe Road. Getting the word ‘Epsom’ into your poem certainly helped Smeagol! For those who missed the work of art, here it is:

“It’s time to celebrate peasants, it’s the Queens diamond jubilee, Even she will get down and party - just like Charlie sheen

Sixty years on the throne I bet she's learnt a thing or two, Maybe we will see her on the dance floor busting out some old skool moves 

A spot of earl grey at the palace followed by a whisky chase Then she will be off to Epsom to watch the derby race

So raise your glasses to the Queen and say hip-hip hooray, Because all that really matters is we got a longer bank holiday!”

I must also give a mention to my fellow country man at Hermitage Kennels who chipped in with the following entry. I fear though if I gave the bonus credits to a non-British stable on this one I’d be getting a visit from MI5!

“I'm Irish and to be honest, I don't really know But to win some BCs I might as well have a go So I went on the net and searched near ways and far And I found a website called 'jubilee cars' 

Not sure I can see why ye are making a fuss For mobility vehicles 'n' a wheelchair accessible bus But my overriding thought on Queen's jubilee day They've not been the same since Freddie Mercury passed away.”

Have the Helen farm stumbled into the wrong game?

Well I’ve heard it all now. Not generalising or anything but would I be right in assuming that not too many of our owners are into any form of classical music? If I’m wrong I apologise. But I was surprised by a cultured posting by the Helen Farm yard this week. 
On a thread started by the Free and Easys stable where he claimed ‘This is it’ by Hughie Lewis and the news is his favourite song from the 80s Helen wrote “Excuse me for chipping in with you big boys, but Andreas Bocelli, now that’s music.” 
Mugs of coffee were spilt from Aberdeen to Bognor Regis and on around the globe when the post went up. One owner told me “this is a new dawn for Raceclubs. He added “Perhaps we could have a concert of classical music for our non-existent annual national conference”.

As an aside I was similarly shocked to learn that one of Andreas Bocelli’s children is called Amos. Wasn’t that the name of the ferret-loving old geezer off Emmerdale Farm?

If there are classical music enthusiasts out there please make yourselves known and you might be able to educate the rest of us. Now where’s my Dizzy Rascal CD collection gone…..

Can it be done? The Great Euro 2012 challenge

My lords, ladies and gentlemen of Europe. With just hours to go until the start of the European Championships I am hoping to find an owner from every participating country. You don’t have to be first generation but if you are all the better. I know we will have no problem getting English, Irish, Swedish and Greek trainers but am more concerned about the rest. I need one of you to start a thread on the Owners forum looking for an ambassador from each country. Can we do it? 

I will be heading to Poznan for the Republic of Ireland versus Italy game on June 18th - just hoping we have something left to play for then! Have a feeling we could surprise one or two people!

Oh it’s the way I tell em….

A horse walks into a smart cocktail bar. The doorman says: “Wait you can’t come in here without a tie.” The horse goes out to his car, looks in the boot and gets a set of jump leads, which he ties around his neck. He goes back in and says to the barman: “This alright?” The barman says: “Hmm, ok... but don’t be starting anything.”

Olympic bartering?

A friend of mine who’s part of a football themed website told me members there are bartering Olympic tickets. The idea is you list what tickets you have and then list what ones you’d like. He’s been able to swap gymnastics tickets for athletics and even the family of a participating athlete have been able to exchange tickets so they can attend their son’s event. Not sure if this would be an idea for the good members of Raceclubs but might be worth giving it a shot.

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