Greetings from Kempton Park, or at least a popular brand of budget hotel a few hundred yards from the track, one which could easily be mistaken for a prison or perhaps the well signed nearby Feltham Young Offenders Institute.
On the upside it does sit within crawling distance of one of the finest Indian restaurants in the country if seven litres of Cobra and a red hot madras tickle your fancy then a trip to the Zest at Sunbury Riverside would be well advised if you ever find yourself detained in this neck of the woods.
Despite extensive efforts Ive never yet qualified for a free stay at a young offenders establishment, though perhaps tonight could be the night if I go bertie and have one too many peshwari naans.
Youll know for sure by 8am if were a man down on the Morning Line.
Providing my good friend Jack Frost behaves himself (temperatures could dip to -2 overnight) and doesnt do too much damage to Clerk of the Course Barney Cliffords lovingly tended to ground we should be set for a cracking afternoon, with the William Hill Lanzarote Hurdle the centre piece of three live races on Channel 4, alongside four possibly even better ones from Warwick.
A field of 20 line up in the Lanzarote itself at 2.50pm, a race in which I wouldnt be at all surprised to see a big run from top weight Spirit Of Adjisa.
His success in Grade 1 Novice company at Punchestown in May was certainly no fluke, and at 28/1 he looks a big price each way, despite a hint of vulnerability against some unexposed types further down the field.
Several have a definite chance, and Ill be hoping for a solid run from Colin Tizzards up and coming Ohio Gold he has form with my own familys Knock A Hand and its fascinating to see him upped so markedly in class and unleashed into handicap company when he could have run under a double penalty in another novice.
Whether hell be good enough at this early stage of his career is impossible to say, although bear in mind he was a more than fair eighth in the Neptune at Cheltenham last March.
Old rivals Featherbed Lane and Decoy are back for more, but the one to give them all a run for their money is Nick Williams classy Exit To Nowhere mare Swincombe Flame, who treads the boards in handicap company for the first time and has been well backed earlier in the week.
Connections were worried she wouldnt get in, but there she is at the foot of the handicap lurking with intent under a low weight and with conditions to suit.
Winner of four of her five races she has mostly made it look effortless up til now, including bagging a mares race at Wincanton on Boxing Day with plenty up her sleeve.
The step up in trip to 2m 5f should bring about further improvement, we know shes effective on the surface, and the winner of the listed Mares Final at Sandown has to be taken very seriously indeed.
Jockey William Kennedy has been amongst the winners in recent days, and he can bag a high profile success here aboard Swincombe Flame back her each way at a standout 8/1 with Victor Chandler.
Half an hour later I couldnt help but be drawn to top weight Fine Parchment in the 0-135 two and a half mile Handicap Chase (3.20pm).
The handicapper has dropped him just enough that he can sneak into this race, and trainer Charlie Mann cleverly employs the services of five pound claimer Peter Carberry to lessen the burden of his hefty weight.
He went into the Paddy Power Gold Cup on 144 after a fine second to Hectors Choice at Aintree in October (the form of which has since been well franked), but now drops back to 135 after a couple of forgivable efforts plenty dont land a blow in the Paddy Power, and the ground was his undoing at Aintree last time.
After a nice break of 42 days, on better ground, against lesser opposition, dont be surprised if he bounces back in an open looking race; the 12s with Ladbrokes looks too big, simple as that.
There are several things in life that make my tongue involuntarily hang out, one of them is Sienna Miller, another is the Penrith Tea Rooms scene in the film Withnail & I, while a decent paella and an ice cold San Miguel or a bottle of good Rioja usually does the trick, as does a San Carlo Seafood Royale, but the quality of sport on offer at Warwick on Saturday afternoon comes close, not least the Classic Chase in which I wouldnt be at all surprised to see a command performance from David Pipes Sona Sasta.
This potentially well handicapped nine year old gets in with a feather weight off a mark of 132, and if hes forgiven a below par effort in Ireland over Christmas theres a lot to like about his overall profile.
His previous run now reads very well in light of how that form has worked out (two and a half lengths adrift of subsequent Welsh National winner), he is effective on a range of ground and boasts a convincing strike rate over fences (two wins and a second from five starts).
He should see out the marathon trip, and can use his light weight to good advantage to see off some thoroughly exposed rivals.
The 7/1 with William Hill looks more than okay.
The NFC Wild card game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants could easily be one of the best playoff games of the week.