Fairyhouse report no problems as they build up to a top-class weekend of racing featuring three Grade Ones on Sunday.

Newbury are not expecting the weather to disrupt their three-day Sportingbet Winter Festival meeting, culminating in the Hennessy Gold Cup on Saturday.

“Are you a fan of existentialism, Merse?” wondered Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday last weekend.

Nicky Henderson declared himself pleased with conditions after walking the course at Newbury ahead of this weekend’s highly-anticipated fixture.

Today’s meeting at Newbury goes ahead after course officials made an early decision to give the card the green light.

This afternoon’s meeting at Newbury will have to pass a further inspection at 11.30am if it is to go ahead.

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form and full of energy.

Likeable two-year-old fillies Speedfit Girl and Ishbelle starred on the racecourse at Windsor today on an afternoon when football dominated proceedings.

Elusive Pimpernel will miss his intended engagement in the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on Sunday after suffering a setback.

THE PHRASE “the sublime to the ridiculous” could have been penned for Chelsea FC. Whether it be Osgood to Mayes, Mourinho to Grant or last Wednesday’s spectacular performance up at Anfield to the extraordinary finish to Saturday’s game against Bolton.

THERE is a song the Liverpool faithful like to sing, to the tune of ‘Lord Of The Dance’, which is reserved especially for those occasions when they come up against Chelsea.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own. Today, and every Tuesday, he will be acting as referee on your opinions on the Premiership. Let him know what you think and he’ll argue the toss with you.

SO HERE it is.

This afternoon’s meeting at Newbury has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.

THE ashes of Peter Osgood — the king of Stamford Bridge — were buried beneath the penalty spot in front of The Shed yesterday.

Chelsea 2 Spurs 1

Chelsea paid tribute to Peter Osgood before the first home game since the sudden death of their legendary striker.

Newbury are confident of racing tomorrow after an innovative course cover allowed today’s fixture to go ahead.

CHELSEA officials could consider a permanent tribute to Peter Osgood following the death of the player nicknamed ‘the King of Stamford Bridge’.

Chelsea officials could consider a permanent tribute to Peter Osgood following the death of the player nicknamed ‘the King of Stamford Bridge’.

Chelsea legend Peter Osgood has died aged 59.

ON THE train the other day, I bumped into a casual acquaintance who revealed he was a Chelsea fan.

IN more ways than the merely geographical, it might seem like a long way from the Brandywell to Stamford Bridge but visits to Derry and west London in close succession last weekend underlined the pleasantly surprising extent to which football can shrink the world.

Newbury have called a 7.30am inspection tomorrow ahead of their afternoon meeting.

Backers of ante post favourite Irish Hussar can look forward to more rain before tomorrow’s Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup gets underway.

Chelsea legend Peter Osgood predicts more disgruntled Blues players to emerge in the wake of Damien Duff’s criticism of Claudio Ranieri’s rotation policy.

Francis Jeffers has hit back at comments by former Chelsea star Peter Osgood that it would be good to see him "taken out" and get "really hurt".

Former Chelsea striker Peter Osgood has expressed sympathy for Mark Bosnich after the Australian's positive drugs test.

Peter Osgood has revealed he has been sacked from his public relations role at Chelsea after a "personality clash" with chairman Ken Bates.