Déjà vuFor the second year in a row, the Grand National was won by an EIGHT year horse, in green and yellow silks, trained by Willie Mullins in County Carlow in Ireland. Behind him was last year’s winner who we must think is past it at the age of nine. Keen readers of the Quiz Update will know that the average age of horses entered in the National is dropping as the fences have become easier. Eight year olds were the largest age group in the race. Deja vu at Aintree as at Cheltenham for Mullins whose horses had been romping home in the top races over the first two days then saddled an astonishing five of the first seven home in the National. Willie becomes the champion trainer again despite having very few runners in England before Cheltenham, leaving English trainers to make a living on rainy winter days at Fakenham. The only English trained horse in the first nine home was owned by an Irish billionaire, trained by an Irish racing legend and ridden by his son. Mullins went on to train the first and second home in the Scottish National.Frankly, the whole thing is becoming embarrassing.

For the second year in a row, the CAMBRIDGE rowing juggernaut won all four Tideway races, the men’s, the women’s and both the reserve races. Oxford threw everything at turning the tide but had even less success than Canute. Oxford had whinged about eligibility rules and succeeded in having three Cambridge rowers thrown out because although the three were bona fide students, their studies were for a teaching diploma, not a degree. In the women’s race, the chosen quiz question, Cambridge were quickly in the lead. The Oxford cox blatantly ignored the umpire’s repeated instructions and steered his boat into the Cambridge oars, causing several crabs.(Why were both coxes men?)The umpire Matthew Pinsent (B.A. Oxon)stopped the race and restarted without penalizing Oxford. Perhaps you can guess my alma mater.
Nice if the water companies spend some of the price increases in our bills on cleaning up the Thames so the crews don’t need to act as if tip toeing through Chernobyl!

The plot twists during the final round of the Masters were many. Perhaps it’s true for every golf tournament but Augusta’s drama is intensified because we know the course layout so well. Quizzers who had written down any margin of victory from nought to five had their moments as Rory McIlroy mixed birdie and even double bogey to give all his pursuers hope that he would again blow a chance at his career Grand Slam. Rory and veteran Justin Rose drew level at the 16th.Rory would need a birdie on one of the last two holes to avoid a playoff. A four foot birdie putt at the 17th-in those deathless words, all he needed was a par on the 18th.It would have been out of keeping with the drama of the day if he’d done that. His approach fell into the greenside bunker. PLAYOFF=0.How could Rory get his head together in the ten minutes before he had to play the 18th again in a sudden death playoff. Rosé went first and put his approach close enough for an excellent birdie chance. All the near misses of the last ten years must have been in Rory’s mind. Maybe not. He put his approach closer. Rose missed. Rory holed.
Great to see Europe’s top two golfers of the C21 head the Masters field in a Ryder Cup year to be played on American soil. Great to see Europeans prevail with Europe the target of so many jibes by Trump and his corrupt,chaotic lawless crew.