Somewhere over the Rainbow

This week I have managed to find four horses with a link to one band... Rainbow. Rainbow were formed in 1975 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, after he left Deep Purple. Over the years they had more members than you can imagine, the only constant being Blackmore himself. The band finished in 1984 when Purple reformed to top up their pension fund. After Blackmore left Purple again, he briefly reformed Rainbow, but that didn't last long. Ritchie Blackmore nows wears tights and plays medieval music... really.
All of these horses, run on Saturday. First up is Rainbow Riches, in the 4.20 at Bath. Next is Diamond Rainbow in the 7.25 at Limerick. Those links are obvious. Next up is Cozy Tiger in the 5.30 at Sandown. One of Rainbow's many drummers was Cozy Powell, and he played on Rainbow's best stuff. He had a hit of his own in the early 70s with Dance with the Devil - it's not often you have a hit with a drumming instrumental. After Rainbow he joined Whitesnake, and later worked with Peter Green. He died stupidly in 1998, when he drove his car at high speed whilst using his phone, and crashed.
Finally, my tip of the week is Stargazy in the 7.35 at Lingfield Park. This reminds me of Rainbow's best track Stargazer, from their best album, Rainbow Rising. An epic track - so epic that a friend of mine recently rediscovered it, and listened to it constantly for about a fortnight... go listen and enjoy.

Long time, no communicado...

After a short break, I'm back with my wonderful tips!
First up is Teenage Kicks, in Saturday's 2.45 at Worcester. This was the Undertones biggest hit and a fantastic song. Famously, it was John Peel's favourite record.
Next selection is also at Worcester on Saturday, in the 2.10. The Boss is, of course, Bruce Springsteen.
Next up is Monterey, in the 5.40 at Newmarket. Monterey is also the venue of probably the first rock festival, featuring the Who, Janis Joplin and an incendiary set by Jimi Hendrix.
Finally, my tip of the week is Million Faces, running in the 3.15 at Doncaster. This is a lyric from Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive, "I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all". He probably has seen a million faces, but whether he's rocked them all is a moot point.
Ta-ra for now...