The prophet Jeremiah never stopped castigating his fellow men for various shortcomings; to such an extent that quite soon (we’re talking about 600 BC) the average citizen took to the hills at first glimpse of the old soldier’s bristly chin. My plan is to practice sweetness and light in this Mupdate. The “hard words” can be found under SPORT and entitled HARD WORDS.

Breakfast

I am reminded that in the February Round-Up I introduced the gourmet reader to the joys of Porridge extrème, and then suggested that the breakfast orange juice should follow, rather than precede, that incomparable dish, in order to restore the gourmet mouth to a condition of mountain stream freshness, in preparation for the boiled egg, fry-up, or what-have-you.

How wrong can one get? There is only one way to achieve total freshness in three sips, and that is by means of the juice of half a lemon poured onto a teaspoon-and-a-half of best Tate & Lyle-granulated lying in the bottom of a smallish whisky glass. Homogenise briskly (stir) and top up with very cold soda water. Just writing about it makes me growl with impatience for breakfast time.

Jockeys

I visited the Jockey’s Association website the other day and learnt that 30 jockeys were currently suspended for various misdeeds and 35 were injured. As regards suspensions, I get the impression that the current whip rules are doing a good job.  If that is the case, all the credit must go to Paul Bittar, whose intervention towards the end of 2011 prevented the development of a very unpleasant situation.

The number of jockeys sidelined by injury is a reminder of the risks they run and the courage they show. It is also a reminder of the wonderful work done by the Injured Jockeys Fund, which must be high on the list (maybe top?) of support-worthy causes for any racing enthusiast. As I type this I am looking at the September page of the IJF 2013 Calendar. The most glorious photograph of Lester Piggott and Desert Orchid. I won’t try to describe it because it is too beautiful for words. And what’s more, several of the other “months” are almost as good.

Newmarket 28^th September 2013

The weather – perfect. The going – good to firm over ground that is, I suspect, the best in the world.

My number one favourite horse, Berkshire, wins the first race. In his previous race, at Royal Ascot over 7 furlongs, he settled well, flew at the finish and won with his head in his chest. This time, over a mile, he was working a tiny bit too hard from the start. Over a mile, that would have put paid to the chances of most two-year-olds, but not this one. He is very good and can only get better.

I was so pleased to see my number two favourite, Sky Lantern, win so easily, given a perfect ride by Richard Hughes. The partnership deserves the highest praise, as do all the connections, for the way they have acted throughout a season which has had its less enjoyable moments.

Anything else?  What about Johnny Murtagh’s ride to win the Cambridgeshire? When one talks about genius, one must set the bar very high. I suspect that Hughes and Murtagh both relish a challenge and strive for nothing less than perfection.  In his youth Hughes rode the winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle, and a few years ago Murtagh ended a very short holiday over hurdles by riding a near-flawless race to be beaten by inches at the Cheltenham Festival. They keep working at their profession. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: today’s top jockeys are magicians. Where they lead, younger jockeys will follow. Lucky owners, trainers, horses. Lucky, lucky racing public!

Rugby

If you want to see creative, imaginative rugby football, you need to be watching rugby league, which presents a final of some sort this coming week-end. I watched one of the semi-finals the other day. I have never seen the “grubber” kick used so effectively, likewise the “chip over the top.” As for the cross-kick, the understanding between kicker and catcher was astonishing. I save the best for last: these guys know how to pass, at enormous speed and with faultless technique. When the late great coach Carwyn James beat the All Blacks in 1971, his secret weapon was speed of passing, which provided his excellent backs with room to move and time to create. These league young men are in the same class. Rugby union, wake up!