There are sure to be some talkSPORT listeners off to a losing start on Gold Cup day.
And this has nothing to do with horses – the biggest shock of the day may well end up being Alan Brazil turning up for work on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The talkSPORT Breakfast host has a patchy record when it comes to making it in for his show’s 6am start on Gold Cup day.
Last year, Virgins Radio’s Chris Evans had to be drafted in to kick-off the Friday early shift, with Brazil nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t until hours later that he was found, with colleagues Paul Hawksbee, Andy Jacobs and Charlie Baker finally tracking him down in the festival’s famous Guinness Village.
But the broadcasting legend had no such trouble this time around, as he stunned co-host Shebahn Aherne, by calling into talkSPORT Breakfast this morning, albeit 10 minutes late.
With Aherne opening the show without him, all bets on Brazil pulling his latest sickie had looked set to come through.
That was until he appeared at the other end of the line at 6:10am, announcing: “Hello, Shebahn!”
After Aherne asked for his whereabouts, Brazil pointed the finger at fellow Friday regular Ray Parlour, who also failed to show up on time.
He continued: “Don’t you worry, I’ve just been at a nightclub in Cheltenham to get Parlour out of the bar.
“I’ve dragged him out. Honestly, he was slumped in the corner, dragged them out. We’ve now got Mr Bib again, who’s caused us chaos getting in. I will be there in 15 minutes, we’re at the entrance.”
The Scot then had a victory cry for all listeners who had put money on the unlikely event of him making an appearance on Gold Cup day.
Brazil said triumphantly: “So collect your money from Coral, get in there!”
And after Aherne shared her surprise at his late arrival, the former Ipswich striker admitted there was plenty to be gained from a early morning appearance.
He revealed: “Of course I’ve made it, certainly. I had two hundred quid on!”
Brazil did, however, reiterate his concerns about Arsenal great Parlour, adding: “I’m worried about Ray, I might need another guest.”
But his fears were put to bed shortly after, as both Brazil and Parlour then rocked up at the Coral Box at Cheltenham to host the rest of the Friday morning show.
Celebrating their arrival, the Scot said gleefully: “Collect your money. 6:22am, get in there! All five days!
“[I] pulled Party Parlour out of a club in Cheltenham!”
And it’s fair to say Brazil has saved himself plenty of grief by reporting for all five of his shifts this week.
In 2019, the Cheltenham cult hero revealed how he was briefly sacked after going AWOL on Gold Cup day, with the charms of the festival keeping him out until the early hours
He wrote in the Sun: “Knowing I would be in stacks of trouble if I wasn’t back in London for the show, I told the old porter at the hotel to make sure I was up at 3.30am.
“I woke up and my heart nearly stopped – it was gone four. I tore into the old boy for not getting me out of bed but he replied: ‘Mr Brazil, you didn’t get in until ten to four’.
“A bike turned up at my house with a letter. I’d been sacked. It was my wife Jill’s birthday on St Paddy’s Day and I was well and truly in the dog house. When I got home I just told the kids we were off skiing. We were soon on the mountain with beautiful blue skies.
“I was back at talkSPORT two-and-a-half weeks later.”
