With Betfair’s latest episode from the ‘Paul’s Ditcheat Diary’, company Head of Media Relations Barry Orr and British horse trainer and Betfair ambassador Paul Nicholls gave a brief overview of the World Cup final and the horse races in Plumpton and Taunton.

“Paul, I have to start with the World Cup,” said Orr.. “What a game, were you watching it?”

Nicholls replied: “A fantastic game. Best game of football I think I’ve ever seen. Just incredible. 

“France was so bad early on into the World Cup, and then got into the game and looked like they’re going to win it. What a brilliant game, and I suppose it was the right result at the end.”

Nicholls was then asked to choose a horse that can compare to the great Lionel Messi, to which he said: “I suppose you have to say Kauto Star, wouldn’t you? Invincible.”

Shifting the conversation to the upcoming Plumpton race, Orr asked: “So we just look at the week ahead, we see some interesting entries. Captain Teague is in tomorrow?”

“Yeah, he’s in Plumpton,” Nicholls said. “I just spoke to the park of the course, they’ve had 44 millimetres of rain, so the Grand’s changed from what it was at declaration, it’s now soft on the hurdle track. I guess more rain is going to be soft ground.  

“He (Captain Teague) won his point-to-point on heavy ground over three miles, we’ve been waiting for some soft ground to run him in, so hopefully he’ll run very tidy.”

When asked  which horse will be on the lookout for the “Christmas money”, Nicholls said: “Captain Teague will run very well tomorrow. And DancingOnTheEdge on Wednesday at the Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. She seems to be coming right, she’s going to mark 93, which is a bit more realistic.”