Be warned. Coming your way shortly is a charity record acclaiming the undoubted pleasures of the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival. To the tune of Petula Clark's Downtown, assorted jockeys, trainers and turf personalities test the ear drums with lines extolling the virtues of the four days of sport, Cotswolds-way, in March.
Include in the chorus line is John McCririck. Mercifully, he is not singing in his underpants, as showcased during his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. Nor talking at the length - four hours - he did when I interviewed him over lunch for the Financial Times.
Proceeds from the Cheltenham record go to the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, so we should encourage all to buy and download the disc. That said, the release coincides with efforts to raise money in the same way for the earthquake victims in Haiti. I suppose it is up to the public to decide which is the more worthy cause. Alternatively, buy both. Gamblers are usually generous to deserving cases.
I cannot say that Downtown resonates with me from a gambling point of view. For musical inspiration ahead of taking to the tables or racecourse, and when settling down for a card game, I like the greatest voice of the last century in my head; namely Sinatra. St Francis may not have been much of a player, himself. At the casino, he was usually too busy singing. But his upbeat anthems resonate with those who are - with apologies to Barry Manilow - ready to take a chance. What's more, ballads such as "In The Wee Small Hours" are the sort of comfort needed at that time when Luck has been anything but a lady. (see at gambling.standard.co.uk/)