The Cheltenham Festival is well under way and although I know absolutely nothing about the sport of Kings I have always wondered about the phrase `going nap.`  I`ve never really understood what it meant, although I`ve always assumed it was something to do with doing something five times in a row.  Anyway I found out that it is a pick or recommendation as a good bet to win a contest and originates from the French card game Napoleon.   In that game you have to win all five tricks with the lowest trump played first.

So there we have it.  All very clear, I`m sure.  But I have to confess that I know even less about obscure French card games than I do about the Cheltenham Festival, although I do like the occasional glimpses of Cleeve Hill on the TV.   And I`m not sure how the phrase `to go nap` found its way into horse racing, so I guess it must refer to a jockey, say, having five winning rides in a row or some nag being a good bet to win.   It makes me wonder why it isn`t used more widely, as I can well imagine a number of activities to which the phrase could very appropriately apply.

Anyway, the real point of this ramble is simply to enable me to qualify for `going nap,` as this is the fifth daily post in a row on these pages this week.  How sad is that?  All very exhausting, so if you`ll forgive me I`m off for a nap - give me a shout in five hours or so.

OUCH !!

A confession.   Despite having an uncle who was a National Hunt jockey, I know absolutely nothing about horse racing - the so called sport of kings.   As for betting, I wouldn`t know how to place a bet even if I wanted to, which I don`t since my only foray into the gambling world was once to buy a lottery ticket.   I didn`t win, so that was that.   At least I was true to the family motto, `if at first you don`t succeed, give up.`

Anyway, I could not help but notice the furore going on about jockeys using the whip and the peculiar rule that apparently says that jockeys are allowed to use the whip `only` five times during the last furlong of a race.   The matter seems unresolved and it left me wondering whether the rule means that horses can be whipped unmercifully until they reach the final furlong, after which jockeys have to ease up a bit.

In all my innocence of these things, I imagine also that my conclusion might also be shrugged aside as the ignorant ranting of the ill informed.   But I did conclude that surely the way to stop the controversy is to ban the whip altogether.   Simples?