Build ups for a flourish

The recommended exacta was perfect as Lexington Spirit led home Princess Banu in the first race at Newcastle.

Workforce won on his seasonal debut and the fact that he dismissed Jan Vermeer and Cavalryman by more than 11 lengths indicates that he has lost none of his ability. In fact, he might be even better than last year! The bookies were quick enough to tag him as the new favourite for the King George and Arc. A little too early in my opinion, given that there are others like So You Think, St Nick Abbey, and Pour Moi as potential 12 furlong specialists.

Talking of Pour Moi's trainer Andre Fabre, the Montjeu colt has been tagged as his best ever chance to win the Derby this year. Strong words for a trainer reputed for not talking up the chances of his horses. But I am in total agreement with him. At this point, Pour Moi is my fancy for the Epsom Classic, ahead of Carlton House. We'll see how things develop until then, but I can very well see the French raider finishing in the Top 3 at Epsom.

In football, the countdown to the Champions League final is turning into a journalist's nightmare. Barcelona and Man Utd are spending time praising each other; no finger pointing, no arrogance, no flashy remarks, in contrast to what we've seen with the Real Madrid/Barcelona build-ups. It's clear the teams respect each other, let's hope the game will be in those sporting spirits as well (note to Busquets, Alves, Mascherano, Pedro, Rooney).

Speaking of Madrid, the internal war between Mourinho and Valdano has turned to the Portuguese favour (no surprise there). Valdano is out and Zidane is in. As in the past, the Special One will do things his way and probably will be successful with Madrid. It's only after he leaves that others will be left to try to pick up what remains. Tough ask for his poor successor.

Finally, I'm watching with interest the hardships of Rafael Nadal at the French open. He's still in contention and I expect him to go to the final, but am not so sure whether he's a certainty for winning his 6th title this year. If he's not at his best and meets the awesome Djokovic, I would be inclined to say that the Serb gets my vote on this one. Let's see if the Spaniard can get his dominating form back.