Susie Dent shares the fascinating origin of “going to the polls” just as Count Binface looks to get more votes than Laurence Fox in spite of the latter having a ludicrous £5 million campaign pot
With voting underway across the country, “that woman in Dictionary Corner” Susie Dent this morning shared with her 753,000 followers on Twitter the origin of “going to the polls” this morning:
Origin of the day: the ‘poll’ in ‘going to the polls’ originally meant ‘head’, referring to the counting of heads or votes. A ‘noddypoll’ was an incompetent fool, a ‘clod-poll’ a blockhead, and a ‘tadpoll’ (later ‘tadpole’) a ‘toad-head’.
“It has been a very long, and very tedious, London election campaign, but for some of the capital’s voters, perhaps bewildered by the multitude of different voting systems employed and vast number of candidates for Mayor or the London Assembly, there has been one bright spot: Count Binface.”
“In elections that were postponed from 2020, among the various races-within-the-race for City Hall, there is a fascination among those who long ago tired of the lies of Tory Shaun Bailey or the deadly dull platitudes of Sadiq Khan (did you know: his father was a London bus driver?), the idea that a geezer with a bin on his head could attract more votes than the spittle-flecked campaign of Laurence Fox has lightened the mood these past couple of weeks.”
“And what’s more, unlike so much of so many of the pointless political campaigns, Binface is actually doing some good, by raising thousands of pounds for homelessness charities.”
Elsewhere on social media yesterday, Count Binface himself shared an amusing video based on Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody asking his followers to make him their first choice today. The Steeple Times’ editor Matthew Steeples duly obliged when he headed to St Columba’s Church of Scotland in Pont Street, SW1 this morning and casted a protest for Max Fosh as his second choice also.
LONDON! Here's my final pitch to be your mayor, and/or the UK's next Eurovision entry. Make me your first choice vote, and together we will crush the loopy candidates. (You know who I mean.) #VoteBinfacepic.twitter.com/lZ7BpqE7Qv
Going to the Polls – Count Binface morphed into Whitney Houston to share his final pitch to be the next Mayor of London “and/or the UK’s next Eurovision entry.” He urged: “Make me your first choice vote, and together we will crush the loopy candidates. (You know who I mean.)”
Origin of the day: the ‘poll’ in ‘going to the polls’ originally meant ‘head’, referring to the counting of heads or votes. A ‘noddypoll’ was an incompetent fool, a ‘clod-poll’ a blockhead, and a ‘tadpoll’ (later ‘tadpole’) a ‘toad-head’.
Going to the Polls – Boris Johnson was escorted to vote in Westminster by his latest baby mama Carrie Symonds at just before 8am this morning. Whether she had to help the ‘noddypoll’ PM mark his voting card or not is unknown.Going to the Polls – Many Twitter users mocked the ex-actor Fox and remarked of their desire for Count Binface to actually be his ex-wife Billie Piper in disguise.Going to the Polls – The parody Boris Johnson account went further and declared: “To be honest, I don’t care if we take Hartlepool, as long as Count Binface beats that streak of piss, Laurence Fox.” 1,200 clicked “love” in response. Author Emma Kennedy added: “When Count Binface gets more votes than Waitrose Tommy Robinson tomorrow, I look forward to the 3682 5k thinkpieces/profile articles in The Telegraph and Sunday Times telling us what a brave visionary Count Binface is. Also: BBCQT AHOY!” and got 1,600 “loves” also.Going to the Polls – John O’Connell announced: “Duty done. I voted. Now I can freely spend the rest of the day taking the piss out of Shaun Bailey and Laurence Fox, and cheering on Count Binface.”
Nikolay Kalinin reports wannabe Conservative Mayor of London Shaun Bailey has sunk to 84/1 on Oddschecker; he suggests voters back outsiders such as Max Fosh, Count Binface and Niko Omilana as a sign of protest against the ineptitude of mainstream candidates
Shaun Bailey – the man who once promised to give London “a fresh start” – is once again facing a massive decline in support. This is far from surprising given some newly unearthed remarks he has been found to have made.
If you thought this Conservative Mayoral candidate would stop going after women – whether they be pregnant teenagers of female MPs – then you would be seriously wrong as now this misogynist dullard has gone one stage further and decided to go after female domestic abuse victims too.
In a post found on the website of Conservative Women’s Organisation, Bailey claimed: “If you could get girls to accept less of men’s rubbish then men would have to change because ultimately men are after a girl.” In doing so, all he achieved was invoke the idea that it is the fault of women if they find themselves getting abused. I would love to hear him say that to the faces of the thousands of women who were trapped in hostile environments with abusive partners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bailey’s campaign spokesperson responded to the criticism, not by saying that he has taken accountability for his statements – or even better that he would be dropping out of the Mayoral election – but by accusing Labour of “taking old comments out of context.” The spokesperson added that they believed his point was that “the only way to end domestic violence is to change the behaviour of men.” This, I’d argue, is a blatant lie.
It should be mentioned that Bailey has a history of speaking before thinking about many matters. In 2017, it was reported that he called the region of North Kensington where he grew up in a “ghetto” – which hugely contrasts with the high house prices in the region, as well as the fact that the very wealthy ex-PM David Cameron is a resident of that very same area.
In the meantime, the mayoral campaigns of YouTuber Max Fosh and Count Binface – both of whom The Steeple Times have endorsed (given there’s little to nothing else on offer) – have been expanding greatly, with Fosh continuing his crusade against blockhead Laurence Fox, calling out his ex-fellow Old Harrovian for failing to debate with him.
Fosh has also created a website where he has written out his election policies. They include a pledge to “put Laurence Fox on the call back list for every acting job in London” and another to build Jurassic parks across the city.
Count Binface has also released a campaign manifesto of his own on Twitter, where he has pledged – amongst many other ingenious things to banish Piers Corbyn to the Phantom Zone, finish Crossrail and get London to go it alone and join the EU.
I would like to encourage readers to vote for Max Fosh as your first preference on 6th May, and Count Binface or Niko Omilana – who has stated he wishes to deport all EDL members to Poland and ban Prince Andrew from going within a 4-mile radius of all London schools as your second preference.
These three people, unbelievable as it may seem, are way more appealing than the three leading clowns Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey and Brian Rose, so let’s show them that on 6th May. It’s time to give the Conservatives and Labour especially the kick they well and truly deserve.
Bailey Bombs to 84/1 – Shaun Bailey has been endorsed by the pretty awful Priti Patel. If that’s the best he can do, God help the guy.Bailey Bombs to 84/1 – Even ‘King of Tory Sleaze’ Boris Johnson appears to be distancing himself from Shaun Bailey’s flagging campaign. Frankly, this bombastic bozo might as well give up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-ItPJWU6QQ
Bailey Bombs to 84/1 – ‘The Steeple Times’ urges readers to back independent candidates to send a signal to the mainstream parties that their campaigns in the London Mayoral elections have been dreadful in 2021. Contributor Nikolay Kalinin suggests Niko Omilana as one such option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcy5V4JwfnA
Bailey Bombs to 84/1 – Max Fosh is the favoured first choice of ‘The Steeple Times.’
Bailey Bombs to 84/1 – We also rather like Count Binface and urge choosing him as your second choice.
New contributor Nikolay Kalinan delves into the history of the American ex-heroin addict and wannabe Mayor of London Brian Rose and finds his curious claims to be rather hollow
Several weeks ago, Brian Rose seemed to have it all; his odds of winning the London Mayoral election stood at 18/1 – 2nd place to Sadiq Khan – and he was organising what he called “the largest outdoor campaign in British political history” supported by 2 million subscribers on his ‘London Real’ YouTube channel and 1.6 million followers on his Instagram pages.
Yet, the truth be known: Rose’s image of supposed runaway success is nothing but total fakery. In an opinion poll, only 2% of the respondents said they would vote for Rose, which is actually less than the amount of people who expressed their support for Niko Omilana – someone who doesn’t even have serious election policies apart from the genius pledge to make Boris Johnson “shush.”
For years now, ‘Brian The Piss-Drinker’ has created an image of his being a knight in shining armour, but that hides his utter incompetence and shallowness. Indeed, this was evident back in April 2020 when he conducted an interview with the fruitcake David Icke. During that discussion, Icke claimed that COVID-19 was not real, and was actually spread by 5G towers – no surprises there – with the purpose of creating a fascist world order.
When faced with criticism regarding the Icke interview, which was quite justifiably subsequently removed from YouTube, Rose first responded by stating that he was simply protecting freedom of speech, and then by him re-uploading the interview to his own video service, the Digital Freedom Platform. He then doubled down on the whole controversy by releasing interviews with more nutjobs, including the angry and delusional radio host Alex Jones and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Aside from Rose’s pandering to COVID-sceptics giving a sense of how great a wrong’un he genuinely is, a look at whether he has kept his promises in regards to the Digital Freedom Platform he created illustrates further the deception that surrounds this American ex-heroin using transplant.
Initially, of that, Rose said that the medium would be a new video platform “of the people, by the people and for the people.” Almost a year later, and with some £720,000 raised for the project, you would think that he would do what any “politician of the people” would do and fulfil his promise by officially opening up the platform but, of course, he didn’t.
Instead, Digitial Freedom Platform has been transformed into a library of content for amateur conspiracy theorists and is also being used as another piece of marketing for Rose’s mayoral campaign. So, to recap, Brian Rose spent £720,000 donated to him by ordinary people on creating InfoWars 2.0 and what did they get back? Nothing.
Things don’t get any better when you look at Brian Rose’s election manifesto, which looks like a bunch of regurgitated campaign promises from candidates such as Shaun Bailey and Laurence Fox. Rose has aped such pledges as that by Bailey to put thousands of police officers on London’s streets and build thousands of homes that will cost just £100,000 each, as well as Fox’s pledge to end lockdown and create a festival celebrating London’s culture.
In fact, it just feels as if Rose has copied and pasted whole sections from Bailey and Fox’s manifestos and then replaced some words and numbers with ones of his own. In summary: Here is someone incapable of actually coming up with anything original.
Brian Rose is inevitably heading for doom on May 6th, and the truth – whether he likes it or not – is that it doesn’t matter how much money he spends on campaigning or how much he says that he is a crusader for “freedom of speech.” The reality is clear: Brian Rose won’t become the next Mayor of London because he’s simply nothing other than an utter nutter.
Pictured top: Naughty boy Brian Rose being given a ticking off (and a fine subsequently) for campaigning when and where he shouldn’t have been.
A Rotten Rose – According to an interview he gave to Susannah Butter, published in the ‘Evening Standard’ on the 14th April 2021, plainly delusional “Brian Rose is already referring to himself as the Mayor [of London] and says Londoner’s are too.”
As ingeniously ironic Old Harrovian wannabe Mayor of London Max Fosh photobombs his fellow Old Harrovian grumpy groaner rival Laurence Fox, their clapped-out Conservative rival Shaun Bailey sinks to likely 3rd place at odds of 64/1
Late last month, Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey’s chances of becoming the next Mayor of London looked to be improving. Whilst odds on him winning were just 45/1 in January, they’d moved to 31/1 and later to 25/1 – in spite of an endorsement from the irksome, well-known associate of dildo floggers, Karren Brady.
Things seemed to finally be swinging in this bombastic berk’s favour, but now, today, Oddschecker shows he’s retreated into third behind Labour’s laughable Sadiq Khan (1/16) and independent oddity Brian Rose (18/1). Today, Bailey stands at an astonishing 64/1 whilst the Liberal Democrats’ Luisa Porritt has sunk to 999/1.
Amusingly, making a complete mockery of him, a seemingly likeable young chap named Max Fosh (100/1) has come forward and raised the £10,000 deposit required to run. The 26-year-old, who studied at Harrow School with Fox, wrapped his car with text that read “Don’t Believe Everything You See On A Bus” and photobombed Fox’s bus.
Shared subsequently on his YouTube channel and watched already by just under 100,000 viewers, Fosh turned up at Fox’s launch event with his car and then introduced himself to the Reclaim leader.
Speaking to The Tab subsequently of his “Max Fosh to Mash Fox” campaign on Friday, Fosh explained:
“The reason I want to beat Laurence is because he seems like a very upset man. He’s a bit of a grumpy guy…. Politics is just a cesspit of name-calling and anger, and it’s just going to make Laurence grumpier. So, I want to beat Laurence in this election to get him out of politics and get him back to doing what he does best.”
“It’s basically a philanthropic mission at this point. Wouldn’t it be nice to see more of such kindness and sincerity in politics today?”
Today, given the quality of candidates on offer in this election is so dire and thus Khan’s likelihood of returning as Mayor is sadly so high, we urge those eligible to do the only sensible thing left available in the absence of our long since departed favoured choice Rory Stewart. Please don’t spoil your vote, but instead back Max Fosh as you first choice and Count Binface as your second.
Doing so on the 6th May 2021 will send a signal to Laurence Fox that in spite of the millions of pounds in wonga behind him, he shouldn’t be in charge of a bus ticket let alone a capital city, but it’ll also do something else: It’ll tell the Tory Party that they made the worst of choices in Shaun Bailey and it might persuade them not to put a twerp of such epic proportions on a ballot paper ever again.
Join the 19,900 followers of Max Fosh on Twitter at @Max_Fosh and Count Binface’s 20,200 at @CountBinface.
Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Max Fosh might not have the financial resources of Lawrence Fox’s £5 million campaign pot, but he’s creative and likeable. We urge readers to support this breath of fresh air.
Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Count Binface – formerly Lord Buckethead – has always amused readers of ‘The Steeple Times.’ He’s certainly worth voting for ahead of Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey and Brian Rose.
Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Shaun Bailey was mocked by ‘THis Is North Kensington’ for “wringing the wrong numbers” whilst his campaign was summed up by ‘From The Hornets Nest’ with the following: “The Conservative Party made a massive miscalculation in backing this man. His appalling record as one of the laziest members of the London Assembly should have been a warning that Bailey was an insubstantial dud.”
Wannabe Mayor of London Shaun Bailey makes a berk of himself discussing drug use by the poor; he neglected to mention wealthy coked-up Conservative sorts
In spite of Sadiq Khan having proven himself an utterly incompetent Mayor of London, the Tories are still running in third place behind the frankly Frankenstein-esque whack job Brian Rose.
Featured this morning in the Guardian, speaking before the London Assembly’s economy committee about universal basic income (UBI) yesterday, Bailey bizarrely told those gathered:
“I know some people would absolutely fly if you gave them a lump sum to deal with every week. I know some people who would buy lots of drugs. So where is the care in this, where is the care for the person? How do you get past just universally giving people money?”
Responding to this “extraordinary” baloney, Simon Duffy of the Centre for Welfare Reform thinktank remarked:
“I’m sure the people spending most of the money are not the poor – they’re the well-off. It’s your City traders and their cocaine habits. Where’s the love for them?”
“There is a trope or a myth that ordinary people don’t know how to spend money, and that people who are poor are, in some way, incompetent at spending money. And therefore, what the state needs to do is control them or their spending in some way. This is utterly false.”
“It’s not just false, it’s clearly unproven. It’s clearly the opposite of any evidence we have about the world.”
Previously last August, Bailey was slammed by associate professor of addiction at the University of York Ian Hamilton for calling for random drug testing of all employees in companies employing more than 250 staff.
Writing in the Independent of a policy pledge that would actually just “punish big businesses” primarily, Hamilton commented:
“Bailey’s pledge to introduce workplace drug testing does nothing for his credibility. He knows, or should know, there is no evidence to support this policy. As with legal markets, the drug market is diverse: those dealing and using cocaine are not the same as those using and dealing crack cocaine and heroin. The latter is associated with violence whereas the former is not. So if the justification for invading employees’ privacy is to make a dent in knife crime, all the evidence suggests it will be a failure.”
“But I suspect that isn’t the point of this announcement. It’s a blatant attempt to capitalise on people’s fears and win their votes.”
Elsewhere, in slightly better news for the brazen bozo, Bailey’s odds of actually winning have moved from 45/1 in January to 37/1 on Oddschecker. Still, however, his chances of becoming the next Mayor of London look as likely as that of seeing Madeleine McCann ride into town on Shergar the racehorse.
A Coked Candidate – Later, plainly seeking to justify Shaun Bailey’s latest balderdash whilst failing to respond to the point about coked-up Conservatives, a spokesperson for him arrogantly answered: “Shaun won’t take any lectures from career politicians on what life is like for those struggling to get on.”A Coked Candidate – That Shaun Bailey is trailing even Brian Rose – a genuine oddjob who was arrested in January for “unlawful campaigning” – speaks volumes as to his sheer incompetence and unsuitability to be the next Mayor of London.
A Coked Candidate – In January, on LBC, Shaun Bailey was “tied in knots” after saying “London is unsafe and also the best place in the world.” Responding to his all-over-the-shop contradictory comment, presenter Iain Dale commented: “You sound like Donald Trump.”
Odds of Tory twerp Shaun Bailey becoming Mayor of London in 2021 unsurprisingly sink to 45/1
Banger-on about being the son of a bus driver Sadiq Khan has without a question of doubt been a totally useless Mayor of London, but the prospects of his Tory rival beating him have now sunk to 45/1 from 29/1 last week.
Whilst Khan will go down in history for increasing the congestion charge at a time when the public would be safer in private cars than on pandemic spreading public transport, the result of batshit bonkers Bailey’s strange and frankly stupid policy ideas are most definitely the reason that he has fallen into third place behind the equally awful Brian Rose.
Aside from halfwittedly claiming homeless people can and should save £5,000 to get a home, Bailey’s pointless pledge to give away 300,000 pointless screeching (and likely to be completely ignored) burglar alarms has been deservedly condemned as “utterly ludicrous.”
Equally, this warbling wazzock’s bigotry has plainly come home to roost with a reminder of his comments in 2005 about “accommodating Muslims and Hindus” in the UK “robbing Britain of its community.” Given the 2011 census revealed that 40.2% of London’s population to be non-white, one can see why such offensive remarks will hamper his already hapless campaign
The best thing now for Bailey? Quit the Titanic before the iceberg hits.
Stupid Shaun Bailey SINKS to 45/1 – In January 2019, ‘The Red Roar’ reported Bailey was forced to return donations to his campaign from an an “impermissible donor” linked to the Paradise Papers scandal.
Stupid Shaun Bailey SINKS to 45/1 – Who’s more stupid Shaun Bailey or Owen Jones? During a 16:29 minute YouTube feature in May 2019, Bailey declared: “Nobody has a monopoly on common sense,” but then went on to prove he’s totally lacking in even an ounce of such.
Tedious Tory twerp Shaun Bailey’s leaflets reported to the CPS as “fraudulent” after his burglar alarm blunder and being condemned over “talking bollocks” about the finances of homeless people
Aside from likely just polling his own campaign office and nobody else to come to the conclusion: “A majority of voters now believe Shaun Bailey will do a better job as Mayor,” the batshit bonkers Conservative candidate campaigning to run the nation’s capital has this morning again featured in the Guardian. This time, this noxious nitwit has hit the headlines for allegedly distributing “fraudulent” leaflets.
Reported to the Crown Prosecution Service over junk mail that featured a fake City Hall insignia yet included no mention of the Conservative Party, bombastic Bailey was condemned by Labour’s lawyers, Edwards Duthie Shamash. They stated that his latest campaign literature represented an “attempt to attract the reader’s attention with the pretence that it is issued from the headquarters of the London mayor and the Greater London Authority, such that it is an official communication from a public authority with powers of taxation.”
In 2005, in a further illustration of his bizarre bigotry, Bailey claimed multiculturalism could make the UK a “crime-ridden cesspool” and argued that accommodating Muslims and Hindus was “robbing Britain of its community.” At the time, he also concluded: “It’s far easier for black people to integrate.”
(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – Lawyers acting on behalf of Labour, in their submission to the Crown Prosecution Service, called leaflets distributed by Bailey’s campaign team in December a “fraudulent device,” as described by the 1983 Representation of the People Act.(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – Marina Purkiss compared Shaun Bailey’s decidedly dodgy leaflets to those of Vote Leave’s fake news NHS ones.(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – An Oddschecker analysis in January 2021 puts Shaun Bailey in third position behind Sadiq Khan and Brian Rose, “a guy with a mid-Atlantic twang who hosts David Icke on his YouTube channel.(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – On the 19th January, Ladbrokes Politics pointed out that the latest internal polling by Shaun Bailey’s campaign director had left “betting markets strangely unmoved.” In response, one Twitter user, Jon Ragno, remarked: “’Internal polls’ – Ben means they asked round the campaign office, doesn’t he.”(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – Twitter users mocked the campaign’s ‘Shaun Bailey – A Fresh Start For London’ logo resembled an “ad for a laundry product.” One, Lewis Taylor, responded: “Bang, and the bullshit is gone!”(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – Other Twitter users rounded on Bailey and suggested he is more likely to come “a very bad second” or third even in the forthcoming London mayoral elections.(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – Another response to the same article suggested “Tommy Robinson would be proud of [Shaun Bailey]!” and added: “[He] should be ashamed!”(Yet More) Bollocks from Bailey – After a recent article in ‘The Times,’ one respondent, Michael Brown, highlighted Shaun Bailey’s remarks about how “good looking [girls] tend to have been around.” He quoted the Tory wannabe mayor as having said: “The boys have got this opinion that if a girl looks clean, and that generally means she’s good looking, she appeals to them, it is less likely that she’ll have an infection… If a girl appeals to one that way, she’ll appeal to all of them… She’ll tend to have been around.” A Dr. Helga Lees responded: “It is not obvious [Shaun Bailey] is a nutcase?”
‘The Steeple Times’ examines the tipsters’ selections and offers 4 options for The Classic Chase 2021 at Warwick – as well as a 15/1 at Market Rasen
Today, after a second day this week finishing 99% up for our racing followers on email with a 1st for Majaam at 4/1 (£5 to £17), a 4th for International Law at 8/1, a 3rd for Socru at 11/2 and a 1st for Crazy Spin at 12/1 (£5 to £41) yesterday, we are looking at EACH WAY BETS in The Classic Chase 2021 at Warwick.
3pm Warwick – The Classic Chase 2021 (13 runners, 4 places with Ladbrokes ‘The Grid’)
The Classic Chase 2021 is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase that is open to horses aged 5 years or older. It runs over a distance of 3 miles and 5 furlongs and features 22 fences.
Last year’s winner was Kimberlite Candy for Tom Lacey and in 2017, it was won by another favourite horse of ours, the Lucinda Russell trained One For Arthur.
Today in The Classic Chase 2021, we are favouring a punt on another old favourite, Twiston-Davies double The Hollow Ginge at 13/1 from 20/1 earlier (Racing Post ‘Ace Tipster’, At The Races ’Top Tip’)
Callum Jamieson for The Sun says: “We return to an old friend, The Hollow Ginge, who I actually fancied to go well in the Welsh National at Chepstow last weekend.”
“He was kept in the rear much of the way before unseating jockey Jamie Bargary at the 13th fence. That race shouldn’t have taken too much out of him and he’s now been found a much easier spot.”
“On top of that, he’s trading around a 16-1 poke at the time of writing –a similar price to the one he has chalked up at originally last week. He’s been dropped another pound, but the booking of Sam Twiston-Davies catches the eye more than the minimal lenience offered by the handicapper.”
“Twiston-Davies has partnered the horse to three of his four wins and this has to signal some form of intent He gets in off a perfect racing weight of 10’9, largely thanks to stablemate Ballyoptic heading the weights at a whopping 11’12. All the same positives apply from last week. Plenty of rain is forecast and conditions should suit. His fourth in the Ladbrokes Trophy remains a rock-solid piece of form and showed a step up in trip and further emphasis will be right up his street.”
“The bet has to be The Hollow Ginge at big odds. He looks a cracking each-way poke in an open race.”
At The Races adds: “A chance is taken with THE HOLLOW GINGE in the Classic Chase 2021. He was creeping into contention when unseating his rider in the Welsh National last Saturday and he is able to race off a 1lb lower mark on this occasion.”
Racing Post says: “Fourth in major handicap at Newbury in November, his sole completion this season.”
Keith Rose for Racing Post adds: “A marathon trip and deep ground look right up his street. Can improve on his Ladbrokes Trophy fourth.”
Also in The Classic Chase 2021, Tom Cannon – Alan King combo Notachance at 18/5 from 7/2 earlier (The Sun NB, Daily Mail ‘Robin Goodfellow’)
The Sun says: “Impressive at Bangor on comeback and should stay this far… He has every chance after taking a big step forward at Bangor last time. He relished the heavy ground at the Welsh track and had plenty left in the tank at the end of three miles. The handicapper hasn’t gone mad with a 7lb rise and he looks a real marathon runner in the Classic Chase 2021.”
Racing Post adds: “Progressive sort; won useful handicap at Bangor in November; should have more to offer.”
Also in The Classic Chase 2021, Skelton double Captain Chaos at 11/2 from 7/1 earlier (Telegraph)
Racing Post says: “Should revive with blinkers refitted (good record in the blinds); second in this last year.”
Also in The Classic Chase 2021, Kielan Woods on Le Breuil at 19/4 from 6/1 earlier (Racing Post ‘Spotlight NAP’, Radio 4, At The Races ‘Watch Out For’)
Racing Post says: “The 2019 NH Chase winner LE BREUIL (nap) is taken to beat the improving Notachance… Had wind surgery since his third in the Becher Chase; this may well be his time to shine.”
At The Races adds: “Le Breuil shaped well for a long way when third in the Becher Chase at Aintree and a wind operation is likely to aid his cause with connections needing a victory to ensure him every chance of making the Grand National line-up.”
Richard Austen for Racing Post adds: “Bravely won the 2019 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and remains the type to win a big staying handicap, for all that he’s 0-6 since. Had wind surgery since finishing third in the Becher Chase six weeks ago and runs off a handy mark, so this may well be his time to shine.”
Elsewhere today in other races, we’re keen looking at:
1.50pm Warwick (3 runners, WIN only)
Old favourite producer for us, Jonjo O’Neill – Colin Tizzard combo Fiddlerontheroof at 21/10 from 2/1 earlier (Sporting Life, At The Races ‘Watch Out For’)
Ben Linfoot for Sporting Life says: “FIDDLERONTHEROOF can get the better of Next Destination and Golan Fortune in the Grade 2 Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick on Saturday.”
“The Colin Tizzard stable is down in the doldrums a bit at present but Fiddlerontheroof has the fencing experience to get the better of his two rivals on Saturday.”
“Second to a good horse in Allart at Ascot last time, he just lacked the winner’s extra gear that day but it was another good run over an intermediate trip and he can improve going up to three miles at this track.”
“Jonjo O’Neill Jr should be able to dominate on the front end and make the most of the 5lb he receives from Next Destination, as well as his extra experience (has had four chasing starts already) which could prove vital.”
Racing Post adds: “FIDDLERONTHEROOF who, strictly speaking, has the best chance at the weights… Solid chase record, albeit over shorter trips; has a good chance on ratings.”
At The Races less enthusiastic: “Fiddlerontheroof is best treated at these weights but looks second best.”
Moving on to two other races, we suggest EACH WAY bets at 2.40pm and 3.15pm Market Rasen:
2.40pm Market Rasen (8 runners, 3 places)
Old favourite producer for us, Bryony Frost – Neil King combo Lil Rockefeller at 13/5 from 5/2 earlier (Daily Mail ‘Gimcrack’)
Racing Post says: “Runner-up in a 3m handicap on return from a year out; these terms are favourable.”
Also in the same race, Nico de Boinville – Nicky Henderson combo On The Blind Side at 7/5 from 11/8 earlier (GG.co.uk, The Sun TREBLE)
Racing Post says: “Hard to fault back over hurdles this season and solid claims, even with his penalty. “
The Sun adds: “Cracking second in Grade 2 last time and one to beat… He has been in great form this season and followed two top efforts at Cheltenham with a gutsy Grade 2 second at Kempton last weekend. Trip and ground are ideal so only coming back quickly can stop him.”
3.15pm Market Rasen (7 runners, 2 places)
Nico de Boinville – Willie Mullins combo Grangee at 33/20 from 13/8 earlier (Radio 4, The Sun NAP, Racing Post, Telegraph NB)
The Sun says: “Impressive at Galway and comes from bumper king Mullins.”
Racing Post says: “With the emphasis on stamina, GRANGEE, representing last year’s winning trainer Willie Mullins, is preferred to Eileendover… Won in a big field at Galway and seems sure to go well for last year’s winning trainer.”
Also in the same race at bigger odds, Olly Murphy trained Chosen Port at 15/1 from 18/1 earlier
Racing Post says: “Well-bred point winner; second at Wetherby on rules debut; could well outrun her odds.”
Happy racing and may we wish you huge success with whoever you choose for The Classic Chase 2021 at Warwick today.
Pictured top: Our favoured pick of the day for The Classic Chase 2021 at Warwick has to be The Hollow Ginge.
The Classic Chase 2021, Warwick – Though an analysis of the tipsters’ choices across the board in the Classic Chase 2021 at Warwick generally favour Notachance, The Hollow Ginge, Captain Chaos and Le Breuil are all worth a look in our view.
Pontificating pillock Shaun Bailey proves himself unfit to be Mayor of London after curiously claiming impoverished homeless people can and should save £5,000 to get a home
As we pointed out last March, Rory Stewart would have made a great Mayor of London. Sadly, since he’s no longer in the running, the “inept banger-on about being the son of a bus driver” Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan is getting the bloody easiest ticket-to-ride.
Aside from an especially creepy looking American YouTuber and fan of David Icke named Brian Rose as an independent, all the opposition have managed to put up is a pontificating pillock named Shaun Bailey. This self-declared “different dude” is standing for the Conservative Party in spite of bizarrely previously branding himself “gobby and dangerous.”
Having declared a pointlessly ear-piercing policy of giving free burglar alarms to 300,000 Londoners aged 65 plus and shown himself as a “foolish man with pockets plainly as large as China” in 2020, bombastic Bailey has returned to the fray this week. This Tory twit has now ludicrously stated that he believes 62,670 “homeless people in the capital would be able to save up for a £5,000 deposit to buy a share in a newly-built affordable home.”
Reported on this morning in the Guardian and Mirror, Bailey’s off-the-wall remarks to Inside Housing included:
“I don’t think the £5,000 [deposit to secure a mortgage] will [be a problem for those currently in temporary accommodation]. The mortgage application thing might be a bit tougher … They could save for it, yeah.”
Going further, the Guardian reported that this “man of gimmicks” and “malicious” moron continued with his gibberish:
Pressed by the interviewer on whether he was suggesting a homeless family in bed and breakfast accommodation could afford a deposit, Bailey replied: “Not all of them, but some people could. A full proportion of people could.”
He added: “I know about that situation, I sofa surfed for years. You’re right, I definitely couldn’t have come up with £5,000, but those people I’m not expecting to or asking to. We’ll provide social housing for them.”
Reaction to this nitwit numbskull was unsurprisingly that of “widespread bewilderment” and of him, Lambeth Labour councillor Ed Davie tweeted:
“Famously, people living in poverty usually have at least £5,000 lying around – it’s amazing that it hasn’t occurred to them to simply buy a London property, which are well known for being really cheap. Thank God senior Tories are here to give out this good advice.”
Whilst Sadiq Khan’s policies – such as the extension of Boris Johnson’s bonkers bike lanes – have been equivalent to driving a bus into a brick wall, Shaun Bailey has yet again proven something else: Here, indeed, is a berk who shouldn’t be allowed to be in charge of a bus ticket, let alone Britain’s capital. It’s time, instead, that Bailey was just put back in his box.
Birds of a Feather – Shaun Bailey with Boris Johnson. The fact that the pair “get on well” is proof enough that the loopy wannabe Mayor of London is unfit for office. Birds of a Feather – Shaun Bailey with now former Prime Minister David Cameron. The smug look on this duo’s faces sums up the “f**k the rest of you” attitude of these opportunists; here is a pair whose involvement in politics has caused nothing but disaster for everyone whilst their own pockets get deeper.
Brian Rose’s decision to stand as a candidate to become Mayor of London was understandably greeted with mockery by ‘Coffeezilla’ and described as “some form of joke” by ‘From The Hornets Nest.’
Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France
To those that aspire to be Mary Berry, Saint Tropez is famous for its Tarte Tropézienne – created in a bakery in the main square in the 1950s by Alexandre Micka, a young Polish baker, and made famous by Brigitte Bardot’s obsession with it subsequently in the 1960s – and to the flash with wads of cash, this is a summer spot that is all about hedonism and high fashion.
If you want Celine, Dior, Hermès, Loro Piana or Louis Vuitton, in Saint Tropez you will find yourself in your idea of heaven and in terms of dining, the coastal town is primarily divided between restaurants that cater to tacky tourists and dining destinations that pander to the cravings of the super, super ultra rich. However, for those desiring something a little more authentic there’s a wonderful little oyster bar hidden behind a small fish market named Chez Madeleine that you simply just couldn’t fail to fall in love with.
Owned and operated by a delightful lady named Garance Fonquerne and her family since December 2019, Chez Madeleine is certainly petite. With just a few bar stools, it’s a quick pitstop for some but, if you linger, you’ll soon discover the charm of this dining destination is based upon its atmosphere and jolly staff.
Garance is thoroughly French, but her father runs a hair salon in London’s Gloucester Road. She was educated partly in South Kensington and as such has an ability to click with her international clientele. Here, indeed, is a hostess exceptionnelle and someone whose dining spot is deservedly buzzy.
Featuring primarily a menu of oysters including the Josephine and the Gillardeau – both famously farmed by the family of the latter name since the 19th century. As you sit observing these delights being shucked, you’ll soon realise the truth of Andrew Carnegie’s quote on this most delectable of shellfish: “The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell” as you then witness the suave staff of the ‘have yachts’ arrive to collect stunningly presented takeaway baskets of such for their masters to consume on their nearby gin palaces.
Offered here also is king crab, prawns, salmon and caviar and washed down in the sunshine with a bottle of rose, you’ll also realise you’ve found the best thing in life in Chez Madeleine: A simple, yet utterly glorious culinary paradise.
Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47. Instagram: @la.fine.equipe.chez.madeleine
Pictured top: Garance Fonquerne outside Chez Madeleine.
