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Friday 31 December 2010

What will 2011 bring us ?

Well we are nearly at the end of 2010 and as we look back over the year we can gain confidence from the results that we have achieved in pursuing our goals in life, whether it be racing related or not.

Please keep in touch with the blog whether you are a new or old readers as I am looking forward to the 2011 flat season with renewed enthusiasm and I will be endeavouring to seek out some big handicap winners.

As always comments are welcomed from whoever is reading, I am not afraid of critiscm and I love praise, so please let me from you.

Finally I hope all the readers of my blog, young and old, have a Happy New Year and a prosperous 2011.

Thursday 30 December 2010

John Balding duo to double up ?

John Balding sends both Cheery Cat and You'relikemefrank to Lingfield tomorrow and both look capable of running well and continuing their trainers recent good spell of form.

Cheery Cat contests the 2.00pm over 6f and he may not have done his best last time out at Southwell so we will go with him again to regain his polytrack form and get placed in waht looks a weak race on paper.

You'relikemefrank has been realatively progressive of late and he could well throw in a better run now back at Lingfield in the 3.00pm over 5f, he won well there the time before last and a speculative small ew double could be the best bet on the two of them, although its not likely to make us rich.

Some more Kiev Sir ?

At kempton tonight in the 6.40 Anne of Kiev gets the chance to extend her winning run to three and make it 4 wins for the year. Given that we have backed her for her 3 wins so far we have to stick with her today and she showed no signs of stopping her winning sequence at Lingfield last time out and of course she has race fitness in the bag. She has no trouble with the distance and she ran ok here on her first run back after a break behind Piscean who has gone on to win since. She has gone up 6lb for her latest win to 90 so it is getting harder and harder for her each time and although she faces some good opponents today they are beatable.
She will probably sit off the pace once again and come with a late run, however Ray of Joy will also have that as his game plan and he won over course and distance last time out when defeating subsequent winner Breathless Kiss by a neck for which he was raised 1lb to 85, he also ran well on his previous run at the track and he can pose the selection most problems in my view.
Of the others Diriculous has dropped down the weights but it remains to be seen if he is back to his best. Perfect Act probably runs best when fresh and the rest dont look up to it unless someone poaches an early lead and is able to hold on in the straight.

Looking back at yesterday John Balding's sprinters continue to be in good form, as I have previously stated, and his Garstang was having his first run back at Woverhampton after having had 2 wind operations and ran a very respectable fourth place. He looks sure to be a winner soon and we should continue to follow all of the yards runners until their run of good form stops.

Sunday 26 December 2010

The Secret is out at Lingfield !

I hope you have all had an enjoyable Christmas holiday and that you are ready once again to do battle with the bookies  and or exchanges.

The Class 2 Dry Hill Handicap at Lingfield over 6f on Tuesday see's Jane Chapple Hyam's grey gelding Secret Asset bid to extend his winning run to two (AW Form 2161)
Last time out over this same course and distance he recorded a decent time of 1m 10.88s which is about the fastest we have seen over the course and distance this AW season, he sat off the pace there before coming through smoothly to win going away by 1 3/4 lengths from Sioux Rising.

Piscean(Drawn 9) has shown progressive form on the AW to date winning off marks of 78, 82, 89 and 93 and in the last of those he beat Sutton Veny(10) who now meets him on 4lb better terms for a 1 1/4 length beating but his limitations look to have been exposed, also in that race where Edinburgh Knight(4), Sioux Rising, Secret Asset(5)(winner since) and Cape Vale(winner since).
If we take Sioux Rising as a bench mark for Secret Asset we see that in the "Piscean race" Sioux Rising was receiving 6lb from Secret Asset and finished 1/2 a length in front, but in their next race Sioux Rising was receiving 12lb but on this occasion Secret Asset beat him by 1 3/4 lengths in what was a faster run race. Secret Asset obviously improved on the first of those runs and he may be capable of improving further given another fast run race which he could well get at Lingfield, but whether he has improved enough to beat Piscean is the big question ?

Of the others in the race Arganil(11) had shown progressive form on the AW up to March of this year and won his last race over 5f here off 105 and runs off 96 now but for some reason he has not shown the same sparkle since and something must be niggling him which is preventing him from giving his all.
Love Delta(6) has shown his best form at Southwell and Five Star Junior(1) who is 2-6 here has been off for 92 days so will probably need the run.
In any event I cant see anything else in the race being good enough to beat Secret Asset and Piscean and I expect to see them both dominating the finish, who will be good enough is open to opinion but I feel that Secret Asset may just prevail with George Baker in the saddle as he has a healthy 22% strike rate at this track.

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Kiev to be served late !

Lingfield is subject to an early morning inspection tomorrow and I hope it gets the go ahead as Anne of Kiev can get the chance to extend her winning sequence.
The race in my view looks to be between Anne of Kiev, Perfect Act, Methaaly and Billy Red, the latter set off at a decent clip last time and it remains to be seen whether he does so again as he folded up the straight then with those tactic's, albeit it was a better race than this. Perfect Act has her second race for Andrew Balding since moving from Clive Cox and she clocked a decent time over this 6f last time out when winning after a several month break, however she is best fresh so whether she will be as keen this time up we dont know, however the stable have been in good form of late and she was only raised 3lbs for that win and she looks to be the one to give the selection most to do. Methaaly has been a stalwart of the track but he is still capable of decent form on his day and although he may not win I would expect him to be thereabouts.
Anne of Kiev however looks capable of better and provided the stable have been able to get an edge on her fitness with the current conditions then she should take the beating. She was forced wide on the home turn for her win last time and although the time was slower than most for the track it seems to have speeded up since then according to race times and she picked up well once she commenced her run to win going away despite a little stumble near the finish. She got upset in the stalls prior to being a non runner here last time, when her stalls blanket fell off as she went in and it is hoped that incident hasnt left it's mark.
The race looks set to be run in a decent time and I would expect it to be set up for a late run from Anne of Kiev and the early price of 7/2 looks more than fair.

Winter Wonderland ???

With the weather showing no signs of letting up we continue to be treated to the AW racing as our only avenue of racing action.

Today we have a whole meeting of bumpers with strange entry conditions to cover all sorts at Kempton, whilst at Southwell there is a low class flat meeting to conjure with.

At Southwell in the first Alpha Tauri should be able to build on his last run for his new trainer as he looks to have improved since moving to new surroundings.

In the second race I mentioned Charles Bear the other week but he hasnt really shown anything in his 2 races since and it remains to be seen if he runs any better in this handicap for his inexperienced rider, still he could be some ew value at small stakes only.

Monday 13 December 2010

Balding continues good run !

John Balding sent out another winner today to continue his good recent run which was flagged up on this blog after the first of his wins in November with Cheery Cat, he has added another 4 wins since at good odds. He is a top trainer of sprinters and with the likes of Garstang and Turn on the Style shortly to come back from injury setbacks he can continue his good form into the New Year.
He has This Ones for Eddy entered in the 3.25 at Southwell on Tuesday who has won at the track before and he looks to be on a favourable mark at present.

Thursday 2 December 2010

Ballodair to show his true colours ?

A bumper 10 race card at Wolverhampton today, the track where all the trainers love to go !

In the 6.15 Ballodair's recent form figures dont look too convincing but when you have a look at the races he's been in you wonder whether we have seen the best of him yet and his recent pipe opener here could have brought him on a bit. He has been up against some better one's than he will see in this and having dropped in the handicap and been given a stall 3 draw he should have an ew chance for the Fahey stable at the value odds of 11/1.

In the next race at Wolverhampton Charles Bear is also better than we have seen to date, but whether he obliges in this maiden or waits for a handicap is a problem we have to work out.

So much for "All Weather" racing with Lingfield being abandoned today and another inspection planned for tomorrow!!

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Don't be putting your feet up just yet, there is the All Weather !!

With limited jump racing taking place over the next week and beyond the All Weather racing will be coming to the fore as the Racing papers and betting Shops strive to find something to write and bet about.

Unfortunately the All Weather racing on offer doesnt make the blood race and you could well get frostbite whilst trying to find a winner !

The sprint races tomorrow consist of Class 5 5f 20y Handicap at Wolverhampton and a Class 6 6f Handicap at Lingfield.

At Wolverhampton the field consists of 8 runners and the race should be between Grand Stitch, Sloop Johnb and Angelo Poliziano, although Raimond Ridge could be capable of further improvement now he has switched stables as he seems to perform well on the polytrack and 22/1 is a good price if he gets the strong pace he needs.

I dont know anything about the runners at Lingfield and it looks a dire race that you should avoid if of course racing gets the go ahead with an inspection planned at 6.00am.

We have a Class 2 Handicap over 6f on Saturday at Southwell as well a Class 4 over 5f at Wolverhampton and lets hope those in high places put on some decent races whilst the cold snap continues. Hopefully they will be quicker off the mark this year with extra bumpers on the All Weather if we are in for a continued cold spell.

Sunday 28 November 2010

Song of Praise to catch the cat ?

Song of Praise could be value to catch Cheery Cat in the opener at Kempton today. Cheery Cat won well last time for the in form John Balding yard but he has twice dissapointed at Kempton and Song of Praise who is dropping down in grade could be able to take advantage.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

John Balding hits top form !

That great trainer of sprinters John Balding has had a couple of winners in the last few days with the latest being today at 25/1 with Sleepy Blue Ocean following up Cheery Cat's win at 7/2 on Friday.
He is certianly a trainer to follow when in form and he has the following entered over the next week :

26Nov10 1:25 You'relikemefrank LINGFIELD (A.W), Bet Ashes Cricket - Betdaq Handicap

27Nov10 5:20 El Dececy KEMPTON (A.W), digibet.com Handicap

28Nov10 2:15 Cheery Cat KEMPTON (A.W), boxingdayraces.co.uk Handicap

28Nov10 4:50 This Ones For Eddy KEMPTON (A.W), Name A Race For Christmas Presents Handicap

Obviously they are not all going to win but you should kep a watchful eye on proceedings.

Friday 19 November 2010

Fallon to enact a winning performance ?

Sir Michael Stoute doesnt have too many runners on the AW but he sends Enact down to leafy Lingfield on Saturday and has booked his old chum Mr Fallon to do the steering. The duo have had some success when they have teamed up this flat season and they will have to be in top order tomorrow to win from stall 12 of 12. This is a decent sprint for the track and it will need an above average sort to win it and in picking Enact Fallon has deserted Meehan's Arabian Mirage who as luck would have it is drawn in stall 1, however she probably hasnt shown as much as Enact on the track so far but she won well at Wolverhampton off a 7lb lower mark in a 6f Class 3 Handicap when beating Baby Strange by 2 1/2 lengths. She was held up there and came home full of running off the fast pace which is what she is likely to get here and 12/1 represents good ew value.
Tweedy has gone well at Dundalk when allowed to dominate and he should be able to get to the front from stall 5, but whether he will be able to hold the challenges of some of this field come the end must be open to doubt.
Hitchens will be much better suited by the 6f trip here than the 5f at Dundalk and he must be capable of going close and is a worthy favourite.
Noverre to Go was beaten fair and square by Take Ten last time out and I think it will need an improved effort from him to win this.
Angel's Pursuit hasnt run for a while and Little Garcon will need to have improved further from his Ascot win and although they are both good animals to have on your sid,e today may not be their day.
Arganil who was so consistent on the AW last season has been dissapointing of late but he would be a major threat if back on song and Rowe Park and Run for the Hills would appear to be just making up the numbers.
It's a tight little race but I like the look of Arabian Mirage at 12/1 for Brian Meehan she looks sure to get a decent pace and could be able to extend her polytrack record to 3-3 but there will be several coming with late runs here and luck could play a big part.

Thursday 18 November 2010

Racing Dreams or Real Adventures !

You may, or may not, have wondered who the horse is that is pictured winning at the top of this page, well it is Turn on the Style who is shown winning at the Dubai festival. I'm glad to say that I have a share in the old boy who is now trying to recover from an injury which resulted from that very race. He has been an excellent horse to be involved with over the years and he has surpassed all my expectations as a shareholder with his 10 victories. I have been involved with several other not so glorious horses in the past, however I'm glad to say it didnt dampen my enthusiasm and there is no better sight in racing than watching your own horse win and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is potentially interested.

Of course you may say well where do I start, how do I go about it or who do I have a horse with. Well there are several well known racing clubs about and one that strikes me as decent value is the Middleham Park Racing Club which seems to have a steady flow of good horses at affordable prices with top trainers and a look at their website is advised. It maybe however that you are already local to a racing yard and it is well worth getting in contact with them and seeing if they have any shares for sale or horses for lease. Turn on the Style is in a syndicate run by Paul Clarkson who is a racecourse announcer in the North of England and he often has shares available in syndicates that he runs and he can be contacted via his website http://www.lancashireracingstables.co.uk/
If you do live in the North West area like me then a trainer who is doing well with a small amount of horses is Paul Green in Lydiate and you can fnd him at http://www.paulgreenracehorsetrainer.com/

So there you have a few names to conjure with and to see what they have got on offer, who knows next summer or winter you may be leading your own horse into the winners enclosure if you are lucky enough to find a good one !

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Golden Rose Stakes at Lingfield this Saturday

Well there is not much to write about sprinting wise at this time of the year but weve had a very good time of it on the AW recently so we can't complain.

This Saturday sees Lingfield stage the Listed Golden Rose Stakes over 6f and it should have a competitive field going to post. Sir Michael Stoute has entered the useful filly Enact and there are also entries for Hitchens, Little Garcon, Noverre to Go, Piscean and the Irish challenger Tweedy. The latter has won a couple of races at Dundalk recently and seems to prefer to dominate so they will be wanting a rail draw in this. Enact has only run twice this season and her run at Newmarket was her best when 2nd to Hawkeyethenoo and that race contained several horses in behind who performed well throughout the season. Being by Kyllachy I cant see the polytrack being a problem and it all depends on whether she is fit enough to do herself justice. Noverre to Go was beaten fair and square at Dundalk by Take Ten and its a suprise that he is not in this race as he would surely have gone close. Hitchens looked to be stretched behind Invincible Ash over 5f at Dundalk when 2nd and this distance should suit him a lot better and he should be in the shake up. Run for the Hills has his 2nd run for Roger Charlton so could be open to some improvement but even so I'd be suprised if he was good enough for this. Piscean has been a revelation back on the AWand he was unlucky at Wolverhampton the other day and granted a clear passage he might get back into winning ways once again. The best off at the weights where he to take his chance would be Richard Hannon's 3yo Angel's Pursuit, but on his only run on the AW, when he was 2, he finished last of 7
The race was won last year by Jaconet so it will take a decent one to take the spoils this time around and it will be interesting to see who the final twelve are and their draw positions when the declarations are made on Thursday.

Meanwhile the 4.40 at Wolverhampton on Thursday over 5f looks as though it could be a match between the two well drawn market leaders ANGELO POLIZIANO and GRAND STITCH who both have recent winning form over this course and distance. The latter has gone up a fair bit for his 2 wins and although he had his last race sewn up by half way he may set it up for ANGELO POLIZIANO this time who has the cheek pieces on once again. However it's not a race to get too worked up about and I wouldnt be putting my last £1 on it !

On a different note Pires looks an interesting runner at Wolverhampton on Friday night for Tony Martin with Fallon booked. He was a running on 3rd in the Cambridgeshire over 9f at Newmarket last time out off a mark of 89 and he runs off 93 here. The trip of 1m 4f should hold no terror's as a he ia a useful dual purpose performer and afer his run at Newmarket the trainer suggested he might take his chance in the Greatwood Hurdle last Sunday but he wasnt entered. He will probably be a skinny price and he has the admirable Nanton to beat.

Monday 15 November 2010

Piscean to record hat trick of wins ?

Piscean has a great chance this afternoon to extend his AW winning sequence to 3 when he contests the Class 3 5f Handicap at Wolverhampton. He isnt well drawn but there should be a good pace on from Cayman Fox and he should be able to be produced late by his jockey to take the spoils. The race itself doesnt look as competitive as the last one he won and he seems to go well on this surface.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Take Ten to take all !

Take Ten turns out for the Class 2 6f Handicap at Lingfield on Saturday for which he looks to have a good chance of winning, he looked an improved performer on the AW when he won last time out at Dundalk and here is what I wrote about him after that :-

Dundalk next for the 6f Handicap on 29th October and this was dominated by the 2 English raiders Take Ten and Noverre to Go. The latter has shown good form on turf during the year and he finished 2nd on the far side in the Wokingham off 98 (7th overall) and he was 2nd on the far side again in the Stewards Cup also off 98 (5th overall), he was running off 97 here. He struggled though to keep tabs on Mark Johnston's Take Ten who adopted the usual front running role from stall 1 for this stable. He was always in command and was value for more than he won by here and as a result our GB handicapper has assessed the race and stuck him up 10lb to a mark of 93, which is about what he was at the begining of the season. If he is kept to this surface then you couldnt rule out further improvement, he has only run once on the AW before when he was 5th behind Mac's Power who went on to destroy the field in his next race. Mark Johnston who probably would be honest and say he has no aspirations to be a sprint trainer could have an improver in Take Ten on this surface.


He will probably have most to fear from Arganil who has a top AW record, 7 wins from 10 runs and his AW rating has dropped 6lb since his last run at Dundalks all weather track.
However if Take Ten sets out to make all it is difficult to see what will beat him.

Friday 5 November 2010

Wentworth Stakes at Doncaster

Well the winning run can't go on forever, I'm well aware of that, but this is a decent race and there are a few going into it that ran well last time and are now at double figure odds.
At the head of the betting are Inler and Mac's Power and the latter has shown progressive form of late for his trainer James Fanshawe who is also in rare form himself. Mac's Power is best over 6f and he doesnt mind a bit of cut and last time out he won with something in hand but he's gone up 7lb for that. Inler has been running over 7f and he might be up against with these experienced handicappers although Fallon rides so you cant totally discount.
However you have to remember this is a Listed race and over half of the field are out of their depth.
Anglezarke finished 6th beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Hoof It last time out over 5f here, when she was doing all her best work at the finish and the 2nd Noble Lord won easily at Southwell today. As Ive said she was really flying at the finish there and she has a first time visor fitted to sharpen her up now and 20/1 represents a bit of value as she could run into a place, however stable jockey Paul Hanagan will certainly be looking for winners on the last day and he has picked Kaldoun Kingdom who won over course and distance first time out this season and being rated 103 he has the class and experience to go well and stall 1 could be the place to be, however wherever he finishes Hitchens mightnt be to far away on their Ayr Gold Cup meeting.
R Woody is another that is improving at the right time of the year and he too is a decent price at 25/1 but his inexperience might let him down in this.
However Tax Free is always one that is consistent in this type of race and I expect to see him run his to his best and he must be involved in the finish.
Doncaster Rover has been running in much better races than this and first time blinkers are sure to light him up and he wont mind the ground.
Cheveton was 4th in the Doncaster race that Hoof It won and he too remains at the top of his game when there is cut and that is what he will get here but his best form mightnt be good enough for this.
It's a tricky end of season race and very difficult to pick the winner, but I'm not going to duck it and I will go with Kaldoun Kingdom, and I can see Anglezarke, Mac's Power, Hitchens and Tax Free fighting out the places.

Win, Win, Win !!

When Viv Nicholson won the football pools in the early sixties a reporter asked her what she was going to do with all the money she had won and she famously said "I'm going to Spend, Spend, Spend". Although she won £150,000.00 it's nothing like the 120 million you can win on Eurmillions these days and in any event anyone winning now would be more likely to say "I'm going to Save, Save Save" and after the good run of results for the blog in this last week maybe some of you will be able to say the latter.
Although Piscean, Sutton Veny and Anne of Kiev all came from the same race at Kempton a few weeks ago, what it shows us is that top form always prevails barring accidents and mistakes. The good thing about that Kempton race was it was run in a course record time and I have often said in the past what more a can a horse do than win in a course record time, how can it prove itself to be any better ? does it have to break the course record again. Certainly if a horse is carrying 9-10 when running on the flat and breaks a course record, then what else can it do ? It can't carry anymore weight whatever the class of race it's in and there is only 1 course record for each distance at each track, so surely it will always run well against all opposition given the same sort of conditions, if it is fit and well.
Can winning on the horses be as simple as that or do you need to pay a couple of hundred, or thousand even, for information that supposedly gives you a better chance of winning ?
Certainly the punter has never been in a better age for information than he is now with all and sundry being readily available to him whenever he needs it. I remember back at the end of the sixties when you had to turn on Grandstand on a Saturday afternoon at about 4.40pm to see the results of the races from that day and some days they didnt even put the results up, so you would be right miffed because other than going to the betting shop there was very little other way of finding out what the results actually where, Those were the days of no information, but you still managed to pick winners.
So horse racing doesnt have to be over complicated, there is no secret formula to work out, just viewing a race yourself can provide you with a lot of the required information that you can use to your own advantage, just like that Kempton race were the form has worked out and the winners have followed each other one by one.
So get looking on the various platforms for viewing races, narrow down your specialism, keep a record of what you see and hey presto your nearly there !

Thursday 4 November 2010

Noble Storm to Lord it ?

You would have to think that Noble Strom has excellent prospects of winning Southwells 3.30 over 5f as it is all about whether you can act on this surface and we know he can from his 2nd to Captain Dunne two runs ago when he was at the head of affairs throughout. Since then he has run his best race of the season at Doncaster when pipped by 1/4 of a length by Hoof It and he seems to be on the up at the moment. He is now 4lb higher as a result of that run and 9lb higher than his Southwell run but he is at the top of his game and the trainer and jockey know how to handle a good sprinter or two.
Of course it's not all plain sailing and Rowe Park is 2-2 at the track, his last win was here was in October 2009 off a mark of a 102 and he was only beaten 6 lengths last time out in a Group 2 at Goodwood, although that was 99 days ago and he hasnt got a history of running well after a break to date.
Love Delta won 3 times here earlier in the year and he's recently had a run after a 5 month break and he brings about the best course and distance time into the race. He had only just turned 3 by a month when he cloocked that and he could be open to further improvement on this surface given the stable's continuing good form, however he has 10lb to find on Noble Storm's handicap rating.
I posed a question to Mark Johnston his trainer a few years ago as to why he doesnt have more AW runners when most of his horses are American bred, of course he did answer that in no uncertain fashion by winning the following years AW trainer's championship !
Anyway Noble Storm should have the edge, although I can see Love Delta giving him a good run for his money.

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Anne of Kiev to continue hot streak ?

In the 6f Class 4 Handicap at Lingfield at 1.55 Anne of Kiev gets her chance to uphold the form of that Kempton race which has seen both the 1st (Piscean) and the 2nd (Sutton Veny) both win off higher marks. The race was run in a course record time and Anne of Kiev was a very promising staying on 5th as she had not run for 5 months previously. In fact she was probably the most eyecatching in the race as she was stone last entering the straight and ran on to great effect and was even stopped in her run close home. Rather than going up in the weights like the other 2 she has come down a pound to 80. She has a reasonable draw in stall 4 here, although she will probably be dropped in. She had shown progressive form, prior to her break, on turf earlier in the year when she won cosily at Windsor off 75 and she may be ready to raise her game on the AW too. She probably requires a fast pace to show her best and hopefully she will get that  at this track with its downhill run into the straight. Sutton Veny of course is her stablemate at Jeremy Gask's yard so her win on Tuesday shows the stable is in form.

The trainers comments on Anne of Kiev's last 2 runs are as follows :

1st June 2010
"Well you can't say ANNE OF KIEV doesn't create debate! She looked disappointing last night and I would be the first to say she was, however before we all over analyse the run I would make it clear I would have been far happier if she'd been drawn in the middle and not in 1. If you have a look at her races she is one that needs covering up and loves to come through horses. Last night she saw daylight the trip and for mine was in trouble after they had gone a furlong.Steve Drowne reported she struggled with the track but I would reserve judgement on that for the time being".

21st October 2010
I have to confess to having a real soft spot for SUTTON VENY. To go down running a course record herself by making the running, she deserved better. However she was beaten by a better one on the night but for mine it was as good as a win. She remains in great heart and will continue on during the winter while she is in such form.

ANNE OF KIEV ran a terrific race in the same event and looks to have come back well in a race that was always going to be a bit sharp for her.

You can see from those comments that she will benefit from the step up in trip to 6f and its just a case of whether she gets the cover and fast pace she needs, if she does I can see her flying down the home straight and she should take all the beating in what looks an average race.

Up a bit, down a bit

In our regular look at the ups and downs of the sprint handicapper we start the week by looking at Class 4 Handicap run over 6f at Woverhampton on the 29th October. The winner Mister Laurel was running on the AW for the first time and he won with something in hand and as a result he has gone up 5lb to a mark of 82, which he should be able to win off. The second Pavershoooz holds up the form as he is a decent sort on his day on this surface and the 3rd Avertor was an eyecatcher, he stayed on very well down the outside having had to make his run around the field and would have been 2nd in another stride, he remains on 81 and looks capable of winning in due course if kept to this distance or 7f. Having only had 9 starts he is open to improvement ann is one for the "Horses to watch out for" list.

Dundalk next for the 6f Handicap on 29th October and this was dominated by the 2 English raiders Take Ten and Noverre to Go. The latter has shown good form on turf during the year and he finished 2nd on the far side in the Wokingham off 98 (7th overall) and he was 2nd on the far side again in the Stewards Cup also off 98 (5th overall), he was running off 97 here. He struggled though to keep tabs on Mark Johnston's Take Ten who adopted the usual front running role from stall 1 for his stable. He was always in command and was value for more than he won by here and as a result our handicapper has assessed the race and stuck him up 10lb to a mark of 93, which is about what he was at the begining of the season. If he is kept to this surface then you couldnt rule out further improvement, he had only run once on the AW before when he was 5th behind Mac's Power who went on to destroy the field in his next race and he is entered again at the weekend. Mark Johnston who probably would be honest and say he has no aspirations to be a sprint trainer could have an improver in Take Ten on this surface.

So that's it for this week, Piscean's race on the Sunday will feature next week as it hasnt been assessed by the handicapper yet.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Hit the Jackpot !!

Great win for blog selection Sutton Veny today at the generous odds of 8/1 ! She managed to get herself into a good position from the off just behind the leaders and they were all towed along by We Have a Dream and Below Zero. Sutton Veny made her move in the straight and the race was put to bed in a matter of strides as she flew home to win a shade cosily. Ray of Joy who I said would be thereabouts ran a cracker too and was only just denied 2nd place at 25/1 having come with a storming run down the outside and compensation surely awaits. All in all though a great day and I will have another AW selection on Thursday afternoon at Lingfield so do keep in touch.

Monday 1 November 2010

Sutton Veny to confirm Piscean win ??

Sutton Veny is happy at 5f or 6f, she set the race up for Piscean last time here over 5f when she was 2nd. A course record was set in the process on the back of her front running display and the winner Piscean has since won another Class 3 at Lingfield off a 3lb higher mark and the selection has gone up 2lb for her 2nd place. The only problems would appear to be her getting a good position from her stall 3 draw and that this is 6f instead of the 5f she ran so well over last time.
Below Zero has the best draw in 13 and being an inmate of the Johnston yard he will take some pegging back if he is allowed to dominate. He too was 2nd last time out to the useful Pastoral Player when he tried to win from the front and he has been raised 2lb as a result.
Ray of Joy won a decent fillies handicap last time at Bath and she has in the past shown her best form on the AW so she could be set for a good winter season and should be thereabouts in this.
Baby Strange is able to run off his AW rating which is 5lb lower than his latest win at Doncaster on turf, he gets a 5lb turnaround on the weights with Swiss Cross when that one beat him fair and square last time here.
It looks like being a decent pace throughout and you will need one that sees the 6f trip out well to win. Below Zero should go well from the front under Joe Fanning and he may well hold out to the line but Sutton Veny could also be well handicapped if she can improve on her last run here over this 6f.

Sunday 31 October 2010

Mar Adentro to make amends at Maisons-Laffitte

Mar Adentro ran very well from a poor draw in the Group 1 Prix de L'Abbaye to finish 3rd behind the well drawn Gilt Edge Girl, Mar Adentro made up a significant amount of ground in the final stages of that race and should appreciate the step to 6f in this Group 3 contest at 2.15 tomorrow. The excellent Thierry Jarnet (212)takes the ride and Mar Adentro has few miles on the clock only having run 15 times. The very soft ground forecast should hold no fears as it was very soft in the Abbaye and he coped with it well enough there. Sir Michael Stoute runs Main Aim but he may prefer 7f and Dalghar who was 2nd to Lady of the Desert in the Diadem Stakes may pose the bigger threat.
Mar Adentro should go very well though and if you can get a bet on then you should get a run for your money.

Piscean to win ?

Piscean could well be good enough to win the Class 3 5f sprint at Lingfield this afternoon. He broke the course record at Kempton last time out and that could turn out to be a decent race so he obviously acts on Polytrack and having only been raised 3lb he has been given a chance to record back to back wins.

Saturday 30 October 2010

Keep on Running !

Not much on the sprinting front today, so looking at other options we have the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. It looks a trappy event and the pace should be hot with Nacarat and Ollie Magern in the field and this course is not as testing as it used to be now that the circuit has been reduced and the jumps are portable. Barber's Shop is one that has shown top form in quality races but has never quite made it and he is capable of running a big race on his showing in last season's King George. Of course Paul Nicholls always has one for every big race in the calendar and he sends up The Tother One to win the cash but he has some issues with his jumping and they might be put to the test with the pace that will be on here. I think Nacarat will run a big race from the front but Barber's Shop should have the class to win this if Henderson has him in top form.

Thursday 28 October 2010

Up a bit, down a bit

Well the nights are really drawing in now, the temperature is dropping, it's Halloween and Bonfire Night next week and the end of the turf flat season is upon us.

Still we have next season to look forward to and if we can harness what we have learnt this year and put it to good use next then who knows what can be achieved.

Anyway, back to what happened last week and how has the handicapper has reacted.

First up is Class 4 Totesuper7 Hcap at Pontefract over 5f which was won by Captain Royale, who is trained by Tracey Waggott, Russian Spirit was 2nd and Strike up the Band 3rd. The winner has been raised 4lb for his 1 length win to a mark of 76.
Strike up the Band has been right out of form this season and he was ridden differently here being held up before being produced to stay on into 3rd. Ishetoo had run very well on his previous run and he is dropping down the weights of late and as a result of this effort he was dropped a further 2lb to 76, he must surely be capable of winning off that mark.

Later on in the week at Kempton the Class 4 5f Hcap went the way of Piscean from Sutton Veny and the winner was raised 3lb for his 1 1/4 length win. Anne of Kiev finished in 5th having not had a run for 5 months, she looked an improved performer earlier in the year when she did this blog a favour and she may be capable of a bit more improvement as she is only on a rating of 80. Henry Cecil's Tomintoul Singer is another that has promised more than she has delivered and she too should be able to win off her revised mark of 80 having been dropped here for finishing 9th. The race itself was run in a course record time.

Doncaster on Friday saw Mac's Power show a powerful finish to win for James Fanshawe in this Class 2 Hcap over 6f and beat a competitive field with little fuss. He had won his previous outing at Wolverhampton and his trainer has always given him a good word when asked. On his trainer he has been out of form for most of this year but he's bounced back in this last few weeks with several winners. The winner as a result has gone up 7lb to 97 but there's every chance under Fanshawe that he will be able to progress even further and take a big handicap next summer. Esprit De Midas in 2nd showed his good run at Haydock wasnt a flash in the pan but its going to be difficult for us to know when his going days will be. Kelly's Eye received the usual Jamie Spencer ride and found all the gaps gone when he tried to make his move and he remains on 93. The handicapper released his grip on a few behind dropping the consistent Parisian Pyramid 2lb to 96, Secret Witness 5lb to 95, Rasaman 2lb to 86, Quest for Success 2lb to 97, Advanced 2lb to 93 and Singeur 3lb to 92.

On Saturday at the same venut the opening 5f Class 2 Handicap went to Hoof It who has run some decent races this year and Fallon who had trouble in running on him in a previous race prevailed this time by a neck from Noble Storm who ran his best race this year. The winner has been raised 5lb to 99 but his jockey thinks he is capable of further improvement next season. Cheveton continued his good spell in 4th and he remains on 97 and he may need to come down again before winning again. Anglezarke was an eyecatcher running on at the end and she has had her problems this year with injuries and this was a good effort for the 5yo and she should be kept in mind for future. Our Jonathon was another that caught your eye out the back and he is open to improvement from 3 to 4 years of age. Harry Patch who had showed decent form on his limited runs this year was obviously not at his best for this as he looked to be struggling some way out from his stall 3 draw, but you couldnt blame the draw for this dismal effort as the winner himself was drawn 1. Arganil is better on the AW and his trainer will have welcomed the 2lb drop he received to a mark of 92 and he looks assured of further success this winter.

Sticking with the AW the Listed Mercury Stakes at Dundalk in Ireland had a few from these shores contesting and the race went to Invincible Ash in a time of 58.10s from Hitchens. Out the back was top AW performer Jaconet and I'm sure she will leave this form behind when she next runs at Lingfield over 6f.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Horses to watch out for

The horses to watch out for page kept up its good record today when Milton of Campsie finished 3rd at 20/1, this followed some good results last weekend at Doncater when Hoof it and Mac's Power both won. Stay ahead of the game and keep in touch with "Horses to follow" !

Friday 22 October 2010

Harry Patch can be an eye opener !

Harry Patch seems to be the improving horse in the Class 2 5f Hcap at Doncaster tomorrow. He is lightly raced only having had 5 runs so far and he beat Mac's Power at Yarmouth last time out and he has since won on the AW and very convincingly here yesterday. Prior to that Harry Patch ran another good race when 2nd to Poet's Place who subsequently went on to win the Portland off a 10lb higher mark and the 3rd Damika went on to win the Great St Wilfrid and they both had race fitness on their side at Haydock. He only had one run in 2009 when 3rd to Swiss Diva and she has made great strides this year too winning two Group 3 sprints. He suffered a pelvic problem last year which kept him off the track for a while but he is making big strides now. He was entered in the Wokingham but didnt get a run there and he looks capable of defying his mark of 92 on what he has shown us so far and he could even progress up to Group class next year. He is by Lujain out of an Indian Ridge mare so is always likely to want a bit of cut underhoof.
Of course this will be no penalty kick and his draw in stall 3 mightnt be the best looking at yesterday's 6f result when the finish was full of high drawn horses and there are others to consider such as Cheveton and Johannes who ran well on his latest run.
However it is hard to get away from Harry Patch and it looks as though he will be well supported tomorrow and he is selected on the basis that his untapped class will see him through.

Jaconet to be on her toes !

Jaconet looks a bit of value at Dundalk in the 7.00, she is 5-7 on the AW and can break from stall 1 here. She is all about speed and could have the others on the hop from the start. You have to take on trust that she is fit but I doubt she would be going over to Ireland if she wasnt. The only negative for me is she is probably better over 6f, however she was beaten far on her last try over 5f on the AW when she was trying to go with Glamorous Spirit and Arganil, so no disgrace there.

Thursday 21 October 2010

Doncaster Sprint Handicap

Friday sees Doncaster stage a Class 2 Hcap over 6f and with 22 runners it looks like being competitive stuff for this time of the year. A lot of the old favourites take up battle once again and heading the handicap is the 3yo Iver Bridge Lad and Newmarket trainer John Ryan has booked the assistance of Fallon. He has been running well of late and he wasn't beaten far behind Bewitched at Ascot last time and the stables Oceans Minstrel ran very well in the Cesarewitch.
Just in front of Iver Bridge Lad in that race was the consistent Secret Witness who gets a pull in the weights here but Fallon should make all the difference to that battle.
Golden Desert is another that has been doing well of late he was 5th in the Wokingham off 1lb higher when behind Laddies Poker Two and Ryan Moore has been booked to do the steering but some might say he might not be suited by the conditions.
Knot in Wood finished 4th in the Ayr Gold Cup and is now down 4lb from that mark and with Dettori booked the stable could mean business.
Parisian Pyramid has been consistent all season but he is still 7lb higher than his last win so although he may run well he may struggle to win something of this nature.
Mac's Power is the overnight fav, he won well on the AW last time out for James Fanshawe but this looks a much stiffer test for him and although his trainer is keen on him I'm not sure he can win this. The stable have had a poor time of it this year win wise but they are in better form now.
Ancient Cross has run a couple of good races lately too but he has gone up 5lb without winning so you would have to think he is up against it here. Dandy Nicholls has a couple entered and Joseph Henry is capable of going well if he can run to the form he showed at Goodwood when beating his stablemate Victoire De Lyphar and Tajneed who has Ripon in his blood could be well drawn in stall 3 for a front runner but he wont have the cut he needs.
Its difficult to know however what effect the draw will have on this, in the Portland Hcap the draw seemed to favour those drawn low, but the going was good then and it may be slightly softer here. Whatever happens it will give us a guide for the 5f Class 2 Hcap here on Saturday afternoon.
It is often the skill of the jockey though that can have the edge in these big handicaps and one such jockey who was always worth having on your side in a handicap was Mick Kinane, however in this we have the likes of Fallon, Moore and Dettori and come the end it wouldnt be a suprise to see the 3 of them fighting it out.
Well its decision time and I'm concious of the draw having just watched the Portland again but I'm going to go for Knot in Wood who although 8 years of age is still capable of decent form and with Dettori booked he should go well.

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Up a bit, down a bit - Part 2

Onto this last week then and we kick off with Kempton again and the Class 4 6f Hcap which went the way of Green Park, but I liked the way Barq followed up his last run in being beaten a neck here and this 3yo is an improving sort and should be able to win a race soon for the Godolphin blue.
At Catterick on 16th October the Class 2 Dash went to Thats a Fret with Favourite Girl and Johannes filling the minor places, the latter two both finished to some effect and have been raised 3lb each to 93 and 97 respectively. They have both had busy seasons but on this run they look like they're not ready for stopping just yet. A few of those behind who have seen better days were given a bit of respite by the handicapper, they are Pavershooz who is down 2lb to 85, Moorhouse Lad down 3lb to 97 and Judge n' Jury down 3lb to 95, all 3 can go well of these marks in the future.

Up a bit, down a bit - Part 1

Ive not been updating this for the last few weeks so I will start by looking at some of the highlights from a few weeks ago starting with Kempton on 27th Sept when Mac's Power won the Class 3 Hcap over 6f on the AW by 1 length from Arteus with Five Star Junior a further 1 1/2 lengths back in 3rd. The winner looks well up to winning again of his revised mark of 90 as does the 2nd off his mark of 87.
At Kempton again on 30th Sept Jeremy Noseda's 3yo Illustrious Prince won a Class 4 Hcap over 6f in a slightly slower time beating Vintage by a neck. The winner was value for more than the neck that he won by and he looks open to improvement and he has only gone up 3lbs for this to 81.
At Musselburgh on 8th October Fol Hollow dissapointed in the Class 2 Hcap over 5f and finished last of 10 and as a result has been dropped 2lb to 90 which is 3lb lower than when winning at Thirsk in May. Archers Road ran well in 2nd only just being run out of it close home.
At Wolverhampton on the same day the Class 5 6f Hcap went to Darcey, but it was Cape Melody who finished 1/2 length behing that went into the notebook. Hughie Morrisons charge has been raised just 2lb as a result and is now on 74, so has plenty of room for improvement.
At York that day the Class 2 Hcap over 5f which was run on going described as Soft (good to soft in places) Haajes rewarded his followers with a win, he came there strongly at the end and he can continue his run of good efforts in the coming weeks now he is getting his ground. His win takes him to a mark of 86, up 3lb. Ishetoo ran well in 5th from off the pace and his turn could be near and I'm getting fed up of saying Oldjoesaid is well handicapped but he has been dropped another 1lb to 79 and it can only be a matter of runs before it all clicks and he has an overdue win.
The following day at York Fathsta romped away with Class 2 6f Hcap at York under Silvestre de Sousa and he seemed to get a few stern words in the winners enclosure from David Simcock who probably thought he would get hammered by the handicapper and he was right, he was raised 9lb to 103. The manner of his win though shows he can be a class act on soft going. Damien who also liked the going was a running on 2nd and a 2lb rise for him isnt harsh considering the strength of the opposition behind.
Out the back Able Master who had run well previously got 3lb taken off his mark and he is now on 92 and Signor Peltro was dropped 2lb to 98.
At Bath on 10th October Ray of Joy won the Class 4 5f 161 yard Hcap by 3/4 length from Superior Edge and she looks to be on the up and should be able to win again off her revised mark of 81. Dream Number who I had noted after her win at Folkestone may need to run over the minimum as she got caught close home.
At Goodwood on the same day R Woody won the Class 3 Hcap over 6f on going described as Good to Soft by 3/4 length from Lochan Mor and he seems to be a progressive 3yo for his trainer Dean Ivory.

Sunday 17 October 2010

Oceans collects on ew bets !

It wasnt a good day for the sprint selection yesterday with Taberet running himself out after getting into a good position, but we had better luck with Oceans Minstrel who managed to run on into 4th to collect us some ew money in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on our 40/1 ante post bet. Had he had a better run through he may have even won as he was the fastest finishing horse up the hill come the end, still 4th provided us with some welcome relief and he could be one to look out for over hurdles during the winter.

Saturday 16 October 2010

Totepool Catterick Dash

The big sprint today is the Class 2 Totepool Catterick Dash Handicap run over 5f at 3.25pm and some of the usual suspects are on show as we get near to the end of the turf flat season.
The going at Catterick is Good and I'm afraid I'm going to side with the spotlight verdict in the Racing Post and go for Tabaret who is in first time blinkers and as stated by him Taberet has won twice previously when wearing some form of first time headgear and his draw of 3, I feel, is a good one on this sharp track and his win at Doncaster shows he still has whats required. Amy Ryan takes off 3lb and his price of 18/1 is good value for this.
Of the others I would have time for Pavershooz who is on a decent mark again, Judge 'n Jury who has been running well of late in decent races and Moorhouse Lad, these 3 would make up my 4 for doing any pool bets such as the exacta or trifecta.

Monday 11 October 2010

Winter Warmers !

Over the coming winter months I will be keeping in touch with the sprint action at the all weather venues and I will also be looking at finding some value ante post bets for the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals and these will feature on a new blog page to be commenced in November.

I have always looked for value throughout my punting life and although I'm not always right I occasionally do have one or two big priced winners and I hope to continue that theme were I left off last year when picking the Topham winner at Aintree, Always Waining.

As always over the winter I will be keeping up the good work on the turf sprint racing and hope to be back next April better than ever having learnt a few lessons over the last 6 months. Also over the coming months I will be writing a booklet to accompany the blog for the 2011 flat season which will set out sprint horses to follow for the season together with their respective requirements for producing their best form and I will be reviewing some of the big sprint races of this season and looking at what it will take to win them in 2011. I will also be looking at sprint Kings and Queens of next year and who are the well handicapped dark horses to keep an eye on.
I will let you know in due course how you to get hold of a copy of the booklet so if you are interested please keep in touch with the blog.

But first we still have a few weeks of this flat season remaining too eek out some more winners !

Sunday 10 October 2010

Horses to follow

There are a few horses running today that feature on the horses to follow page, namely Dream Number Bath 4.10, hasnt really run with much credit since win and there are a few in the 2.35 Goodwood to check out.

Saturday 9 October 2010

Coral Sprint Trophy at York

Not a great day for the blog yesterday although we narrowed down the sprint at York Oldjoesaid was once again not given a chance by being dropped out the back by Spencer.
Today the Class 2 Coral Sprint Trophy at York over 6f sees a competitive field of the usual suspects do battle once again and the betting is headed by the 2 David Barron runners Poets Place and Colonel Mak.
The draw conclusions I gleaned from yesterdays sprint race suggests that there could be a better strip of going near the stands rail from where both Haajes and Ishetoo made up a lot of ground yesterday to finish 1st and 5th.
Richard Fahey sends quarter of the field with 5 runners namely Kaldoun Kingdom (20), Knot in Wood, Quest For Success(19), Irish Heartbeat(2) and Brae Hill and Paul Hanagan has chosen Irish Heartbeat in stall 2 as low numbers have been traditionally favoured here when the going is on the soft side.
Last years winner Kaldoun Kingdom who was 6/1 fav last year off a 12lb lower mark is available at 16's this time around as he isnt in the form he was in then and 5lb claimer Lee Topliss takes over from B. McHugh who rides Knot in Wood this time. I feel ha has a good draw in 20 but I'm not sure Pricewise selection can overcome the weight increase on last season.
Hawkeyethenoo may not be as effective on this ground as he is on Good to Firm, although he did run well on Good to Soft when winning at Newmarket first time out this season and his draw of 18 and the booking of the in form Tom Queally catches the eye, particularly as he is a horse that finishes his races well and thats what you needed to do here yesterday to win.Tom Queally said the following on his blog on www.racinguk.co.uk
I have some interesting rides at York on Saturday including Hawkeyethenoo in the Coral Sprint Trophy. He was well fancied for the Ayr Gold Cup last month but it didn't happen for him whatever reason. However, he's run well in these type of race before and Jim (Goldie) is a master at preparing sprinters for the big handicaps and it's great he's given me the chance here. You don't need me to tell you that he has an obvious chance.
I liked the way Colonel Mak won the Ayr Silver Cup from the wrong side of the track and I think he is a sprinter on the up and he is certainly in my view in the better place today and he will take some stopping, his trainers other runner Poets Place on whom stable jockey Philip Makin takes the ride is another improving sort and Barron certainly has a grip on this today.
Consistent sorts Parisian Pyramid, Rileyskeepingfaith(17( and Tajneed are others to look out for however the latter may not be as effective here as he is at Ripon.
Able Master was troubled in running behind Colonel Mak at Ayr and he may get closer this time with first time cheekpieces, although I would have preferred it if he had been tackling a less competitive race than this.
Jamie Spencer usually rides one of the Ryan runners but he has gone for the other stable he regularly gets involved with and thats Michael Bell's Gramercy but as usual you have to wonder what Spencer will do riding wise.
Barry Hills has 2 entered and Swilly Ferry doesnt look as though he will operate on this going so that leaves Damien who has gone well in the past when there has been some cut which is predictable being by Namid and he could be a lively outsider at 25/1.
However I would be keen on both Colonel Mak and Hawkeyethenoo who can both be thereabouts at the finish.

Also today we have the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot over 6f which sees the 2 highest rated horses in the field Genki and Redford drawn next to each other in stalls 16 and 17 and they look the most likely ones to be fighting out the finish and the improving Redford can get the better of the argument under Richard Hughes to make it a hat trick of weekend wins for this improving sprinter.

Thursday 7 October 2010

Can Look Busy get busy ?

Look Busy's recent form figures dont paint a great picture but if you look at the races she's run in she hasnt done that bad lately. She only finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Mister Hughie at Beverley in the Listed sprint and Prohibit and Captain Dunne were 2nd and 3rd and they have both won since with Prohibit finishing 6th at Longchamp last Sunday. She then finished 7th 3 1/2 lengths behind those 2 again in a Listed race at Doncaster when Rose Blossom and Group Therapy were 2nd and 3rd. Back in a handicap now she is running off 5lb lower than in her last one and also gets a further 5lb taken off her back by claimer Slade O'Hara and she has decent speed figures in the book too. She is going to take a bit of faith to back, but at 10/1 or maybe even bigger she should have an ew chance as she goes well on a slow surface.
The race looks set to be run at a fast tempo with the rejuvenated Cayman Fox likely to take them along and this will no doubt suit both Rasaman and The Nifty Fox who both like to come from off the pace and you get that here because there is usually a sprint to get to the first bend.
Noodles Blue Boy ran well last time out and won in a decent time at Leicester as did Fol Hollow when 4th behind Cheveton and the latter is now 1lb lower than his last winning mark when he beat Captain Dunne, so he too can go close to winning.
Its a tricky little race really and I can see Fol Hollow, Noodles Blue Boy, Rasaman and Look Busy fighting it out come the end.

There is a decent Claimer later on the card and the pairing of Nicholls (Father and Son) who have cleaned up in these types of races this year can win again with Sonny Red who goes particularly well with some cut. He is rated 94 which is 15lb higher than anything else in the race, he only gives Titus Andronicus 8lb here but Lee Topliss takes off another 5lb, however Titus Andronicus probably wont be as at home on the going as Sonny Red.
At the forecast price of 7/4 its hard to see Sonny Red being beaten.

At York in the 3.40 Jamie Spencer takes the ride on Oldjoesaid who gets the chance to run off a mark of 80 here, when you think he was running off 107 in 2008 it is some drop. Okay he hasnt been running well and his mark has dropped accordingly, but he ran well for this jockey at Doncaster when a fast finishing 7th beaten 3 3/4 lengths and I would imagine Jamie will be anxious not to leave his run too late this time. He is drawn in the middle and thats usually a good place to be on this sprint course.
However this looks a decent sprint for a Class 4 with 20 runners and Haajes, Russian Spirit and Mango Music have all been performing with credit of late and Strike up the Band is another whose rating has dropped like a lead balloon this year and he will feel like he's loose at home.

In the 3.20 Spencer and Ryan team up again on Esprit De Midas, he ran really well to win at Haydock but then dissapointed badly at Chester but it may have been the course there as you either love it or hate it and he may be capable of a better show back on a more conventional track and at the forecast 25/1 he's worth a look if nothing else.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Oceans Minstrel is all the rage for Newmarket

I dont usually refer to any type of racing other than sprints on this blog but I feel I must mention Oceans Minstrel is now as low as 16/1 for the Cesarewithch at headquarters, he ran a race full of promise when 3rd last time out over the course and distance and it prompted me to write the following on this blog after the race "On a different note 2 other horses that caught my eye over the weekend were Cumulus Nimbus at Newbury and Oceans Minstrel at Newmarket and I think the latter could be a value bet in the Cesarewitch over 2m 2f".

He was available at 40/1 then and this son of Pivotal still represents good value for his small yard at 20/1 and that price is still available with a couple of firms. In that aforementioned race he was out the back with about half a mile to go and he came through well down the outside after having some trouble at the begining of his run. He looks to be open to further improvement over this sort of trip as he has shown that he wont be stopping come the end of this unique 2m 2f race.
Whilst I am on about other distances I thought Tony Martin's Pires ran a cracker in finishing 3rd in the Cambridgeshire and if he takes his chance in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham then I know what my money will be on.

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Solve the anagram at Catterick ?

Paul Green's Maragna may have a chance of getting on the scoresheet at Catterick today. The leading flat amateur Mr S. Walker has been booked and cheekpieces are on for the first time at a track where the trainer has a 22% strike rate. Throw in the fact that its his only runner today and that this son of Invincible Spirit is dropping back to 5f and you have the makings of a tip ! The only downside of course is that he nas never won and not shown a great deal to date, but today could be his day in this lowly affair.

Monday 4 October 2010

Gilt Edge Girl gives out French lesson !

Gilt Edge Girl had the plum draw in stall 1 when winning the Prix De L'Abbaye on Sunday and she took full advantage of it on the very soft ground, which her trainer said afterwards she loved and it was a very big factor in her success. She was always well placed on the rail and skipped round the weakening Moorhouse lad with a couple of furlongs to go and maintained her lead to the line from Lady of the Desert who was also drawn low in stall 3. Being by Monsieur Bond (6th in 2000 Guineas)she was always likely to be suited by soft ground and her win completed a good weekend for her sire, who also had the winner of the big 2yo sprint at Redcar on Saturday Ladies are Forever.
Lady of the Desert may have found the race coming a bit too soon after her win at Ascot the previous weekend and this trip of just short of 5f was probably too sharp for her, so she did well considering. She is now to be aimed at a purely sprint campaign next year according to Brian Meehan her trainer and only having had 11 races to date she remains open to improvement over her ideal trip of 6f.
The French pair Mar Adentro and Marchand D'or both finished to some effect weaving their way through the beaten horses and coming from stalls 18 and 14 they both deserve plaudits for managing to get so close as it was not the best going to be making up ground. Mar Adentro is only a 4yo and has only had 15 races to date so he is one you should keep in mind for next years race with a better draw and on better going. Marchand D'or seems to have been around forever but he too is lightly raced considering he is a 7yo and he has only ran 31 times.
Picadilly Filly drawn 17 and Total Gallery drawn 16 were two more that were making progress from the back as the race reached its climax and both should be kept in mind for next season, the latter has had a lacklustre year considering he won this last term and a new season may bring about a change of luck. Picadilly Filly is only 3 and having only had 11 races to date she can improve on this seasons consistent runs.
The race was run in a time of 57.00secs and all of the horses mentioned above had no trouble with the going and can be followed on a similar surface in future with confidence.

Sunday 3 October 2010

Sunday at Longchamp

Lady of the Desert looks to have an excellent chance of winning the Qatar Prix De L'Abbaye this afternoon at Longchamp provided she has overcome last weeks run at Ascot. She won there with some authority from the french raider Dalghar and she has had a pretty light season compared to some of the others running today so she should be fresh enough. She has a very good draw in stall 3 and she should be able to follow the pace before pouncing late to take the spoils. Her trainer sees no real problems with the very soft ground and she handled the cut at Ascot with little problem and the iceman Richard Hughes who has been in great form all season takes the ride. Of course this is no one horse race and not only is she a filly but she is also a 3yo so she does have some stats against her.
Planet Five, Moorhouse Lad (b1), Judge 'N Jury and Marchand D'or all have sound reasons for going well and should have place claims, however taking everything into account Lady of the Desert should run a very big race as she comes into it in fine form.

Saturday 2 October 2010

Going gets even softer at Longchamp !

The words of that song "when the going gets tough the tough get going" will have to be ringing in the ears of the jockeys when they tackle the big sprint on Sunday as the course could be like a bog come then. You will need to be able to get a handy position from the off as it is unlikely there will be anything coming with a wet sail on this surface come the end. It may well be best to be drawn near the rail as there are 21 runners in all and at this stage I would be sticking with my initial ew selection of Planet Five. Lady of the Desert takes her chance and she would appear to have the best chance of the home contingent and her trainer does not seem too bothered with the forecast going.
I would suggest having a look at the track in the races today and forming your own assessment from the times of the races as to how soft it really is, but the going stick currently appears to have it as heavy.

Friday 1 October 2010

Up a bit, down a bit

This week sees us start with the Class 4 3yo Handicap over 6f at Kempton on 20th September, this was won by the Godolphin owned Barq in a time just 0.78 secs outside standard and as a result he was raised 5lb to 85 so he has plenty of room for improvement if they choose to keep him. Dubai Media who had won his last 2 races was 2 1/2 lengths back in 3rd so it is form that should stand up. Rule of Nature in 6th was probably unlucky with her run as she could never get out to mount a serious challenge and she is now on a mark of 81 for Sir Michael Stoute.
The same day at Leicester the Class 3 Handicap over 5f went to Noodles Blue Boy by a head from Desert Phantom in a time of 58.79secs fast by 0.21. The winner has been raised 4lb as a result and is now on 86 and is reportedly to be aimed at the Portland next year.

On tuesday at Beverley we had the Class 3 Conditions Stakes over 5f and the winner here was what seemed the unlikely Tangerine Trees. He was rated only 81 prior to this and after his convincing 2 1/4 length win from hardened campaigners he was raised 12lb by the handicapper and that has since been proved to be justified when he followed up at Newmarket beating Tax Free once again. He certainly looks an improved performer and there is no knowing where this will stop when a horse is in this form. His win wont however have come as a surprise to his trainer as he has always stated that he works like a top class horse at home.

On Friday at Ascot the 6f Class 2 Handicap for 3yo went to Little Garcon who had shown good form when beaten behind Bated Breath at Haydock earlier in the year. Here he beat Dungannon by a neck after coming with a well timed run down the outside of the field and it was a decent effort with 6 last time out winners behind and as a result he has been raised 5lb to 95. The race itself had been won by the likes of Genki and Laddies Poker Two in the past and there's every chance he could turn out to be just as good. One who was slightly unlucky behind was James Fanshawe's Deacon Blues who had finished 3rd in the Portland and he remains on the same mark of 95 and he should be capable of winning off that whether it be this year or next.

I was over at Chester on Saturday and I chose to stand just by the turn into the straight and it was noticeable that in all the races the horses were finding the going stretching their stamina. In the sprint Green Park continued his love affair with the track and won the Class 4 Handicap run over 6f by 2 1/2 lengths from Cape Vale who is now back in the care of Dandy Nicholls. Green Park went up 6lb for this to 82 and that would be the highest rating he has had for sometime, whilst Cape Vale remains on 83 and the maestro might be able to coax a bit more from him in the coming weeks.

At Haydock there were 2 decent sprints, first up was the Class 2 6f Handicap which was won by Jeremy Noseda's 3yo Summer in the City who was only having his 6th start but he took the measure of some experienced sorts here. He won by 1/2 length from the unlucky Secret Witness with last time out winner Horseradish in 3rd so the form looks as though it should stand up. As a result the son of Indian Ridge, who may always need some cut to show his best, has been raised 6lb to a mark of 93. Of those behind a couple who have been dropped by a few pounds are Valery Borzov who is now on 82, he won a Class 2 off 97 for Dandy Nicholls last season and Invincible Force who drops to 89, his last winning mark was 88 and we may see the stable using the talented claimer James Sullivan on his next run.
The following Class 2 Hanicap over 5f went the way of Cheveton who made light of his new mark to win here going away after coming with a well timed run. He is in top form at the moment and it would be hard to argue against him winning again off his new mark of 97 if he gets his ground. Hoof It showed in 2nd that his unlucky run a couple of starts back was indeed that and he too has been raised 4lb as the handicapper was impressed with his effort and he is now on a mark of 94. Behind Fol Hollow emerged from the doldrums that he has been in of late and he may be capable of picking up something before too long.

Thursday 30 September 2010

Early thoughts on the Qatar Prix de L'Abbaye de Longchamp

This Sunday sees one of the spectacles of the sprint season at Longchamp and at the moment there is every chance that it is going to be soft up the 5f course. Of course the layout of the track has never made this the easiest race to watch on TV and its probably the worst view for a sporting event known to man.
Swiss Diva (3/1) has struck up a good partnership with her jockey and has won her last 3 races in France showing improved form on the soft ground she has encountered and that is no surprise being by Pivotal out of an Indian Ridge mare. However although she has been winning well I'm not convined the times she has recorded are good enough to win this which is usually run at a very fast tempo, 54.40 secs in 2008.
Another of the home team that has done well on her foreign trips is Piccadilly Filly (33/1) and she has been showing decent speed albeit she has been run out of it close home a couple of times most recently in the Nunthorpe. Her conqueror at Chantilly on Soft in June was Planet Five (16/1)and he reopposes on 4lb better terms this time so should confirm form, albeit that was Piccadilly Filly's first start of the season so she may be thereabouts come the end.
Others that may well go well on a softer surface are Amico Fritz (20/1) and 2008 winner Marchand D'or (16/1).
The British usually have a good record in this but I dont think were going to continue that run this year unless the current 11/4 fav Lady of the Desert takes her chance and with the next 2 in the betting also being trained in the UK there are some decent prices for some of the others to be had. Total Gallery (8/1) last years winner hinted at a return to form last time out but he still appears to be below his best.
At this stage I would be looking at having an ew interest in Planet Five and then seeing if anything else develops over the next few days.

Going is Soft at Newmarket

The going is soft at Newmarket and Golden Destiny is a Non Runner.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Rous Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday !

The next sprint of note on the calendar is the Listed Rous Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday over 5f. The going at the course is currently Good to Soft and there are 10 horses in the field. Slightly best in at the weights he would appear to be Golden Destiny and Ryan Moore has been booked for the 4yo who was 2nd beaten 1/2 length to Astrophysical Jet at Newbury last time out. Tax Free also finished 2nd behind Astrophysical Jet in Ireland although he was beaten 2 lengths, he then went on to dissapoint at Beverley behind 50/1 shot Tangerine Trees who also lines up for this. The reason that was dissapointing was because in a handicap Tangerine Trees would have been 26lb better off and the fact that he won by 2 1/4 lengths on levels left form students scratching their heads, although he appeared to win on merit on the day.
I think this track will be too testing and will not suit Hamish McGonagall and Quest for Success has had a few races in quick succession, so may struggle here. I dont think there is much else in the race and it probably wont take much to win. At this stage I would have to be looking at Golden Destiny but I will have a further look again tomorrow evening when the going is known for sure.

Its soon that are attentions will be switching from the flat to the jumps and a blog I have been looking at in respect of this is the excellent and analytical Wayward Lad whose blog can be accessed via a link at the top of my page.

Please remember when reading this "blog" that I am an not a professional tipster and I dont get paid for writing these posts, the blog is compiled in my spare time away from the usual demands of family life and it requires you the reader to do some work if you want to make the blog pay. You will see there is a horses to follow page that is made up from those I have selected from my weekly "Up a bit, down a bit" post and like with all formbooks or Racing newspapers that provide horses to follow you will have to keep your own record of the horses I mention so that you will be able to give consideration to backing them if and when they run. This method has been very successful this year with several big priced winners obliging and I hope to refine it as and when I am able. Thank you for taking time to read the blog and lets hope the winners keep coming in.

Monday 27 September 2010

Tueaday sprint action !

Firstly just to say that I have updated the "Horses to Follow" page. You should try and keep a note of the horses on it or enter them up into a horse alert system that are free on a number of betting sites and then you will not miss them when they are running. They wont win everytime they run but if you follow them closely they may pop up at 20/1 every now and then and hopefully it will put your betting balance in the black.

Tomorrow there is a Class 3 Handicap at 4.55 over 5f at Newbury on going currently described as Good (Good to Soft in places) or 6.7 on the going stick.
It looks a wide open affair with several in with chances and Sohraab at the top of the handicap looks to remain in good form and is still feasibly handicapped on 89 after running off 102 last autumn, although his last 4 wins have come on Good to Firm. Russian Spirit hasnt really gone on from last year but she could be open to further improvement and has winning form at 5f, however she was keen on her first run back this year and not having run since June she may be so again and therefore may run herself out. The booking of Ryan Moore for Caledonian Princess may see her return to the form of her 3 wins in July and August in which she beat a useful yardstick in Secret Witness who has been 2nd 5 times since, however she had every chance at Sandown last time but wasnt good enough and Piscean who finished in front of her there should do so again if he breaks quicker and he could collect on an ew bet at 20/1. The latter will certainly get a fast pace from the old timer Cape Royal who should take them along at a good pace for the first 4f or so as he did in that Sandown race. Equuleus Pictor is now 10lb lower than his last win which was on Good to Soft however he hasnt really shown us enough of late to be wading in with any cash.
As Ive said this is a wide open race but I will have a go at Piscean at 20/1 who should go well if showing the same form as when he was 4th at glorious Goodwood.

Please remember when reading this "blog" that I am an not a professional tipster and I dont get paid for writing these posts, the blog is compiled in my spare time away from the usual demands of family life and it requires you the reader to do some work if you want to make the blog pay. You will see there is a horses to follow page that is made up from those I have selected from my weekly "Up a bit, down a bit" post and like with all formbooks or Racing newspapers that provide horses to follow you will have to keep your own record of the horses I mention so that you will be able to give consideration to backing them if and when they run. This method has been very successful this year with several big priced winners obliging and I hope to refine it as and when I am able. Thank you for taking time to read the blog and lets hope the winners keep coming in.

Sunday 26 September 2010

French raider Dalghar can steal prize.

Dalghar can get the better of the other runners in todays Group 2 John Guest Diadem Stakes over 6f at Ascot. Kingsgate Native and Lady of the Desert should be the best of the rest but as in all sprints it doesnt take much to win or lose these races and they can easily be won by a decent handicapper.
Dalghar has been running over 7f and Ascot is a stiff track and that is further enhanced today by the ease in the ground, although his trainer would have preferred good ground for him. The race should be run to suit however and the grey can get the better of the 3yo Lady of the Desert who ran an admirable race in the Sprint Cup at Haydock.
Of the others Dever Dream has been very consistent all year, however this is a step up in class for her and it may be just place money she gets today.

For those of you who require spoon feeding with selections I highlighted Pepper lane in this weeks "Up a bit, down a bit" after her run in a decent race at Pontefract and she looks an improving sort. As we all know fillies can come into there own at this time of the year and she can go well in the 3.25 at Musselburgh with the much under rated Graham Gibbons doing the steering.

Later on in the 5.40 at Musselburgh Sharp Bullet can be a welcome first winner back for Bruce Hellier who has resumed his training career in the UK. Sharp Bullet was unlucky last time and he will be bidding to make all from stall 1.

Please remember when reading this "blog" that I am an not a professional tipster, the blog is compiled in my spare time away from the usual demands of family life and it requires you the reader to do some work if you want to make the blog pay. You will see there is a horses to follow page that is made up from those I have selected from my weekly "Up a bit, down a bit" post and like with all formbooks or Racing newspapers you will have to keep your own record of the horses I mention so that you will be able to give consideration to backing them if and when they run. This method has been very successful this year with several big priced winners obliging and I hope to refine it as and when I am able. Thank you for taking time to read the blog and lets hope the winners keep coming in.

Saturday 25 September 2010

Stick with the Soft Ground winners at Haydock

With Haydock up the straight being soft its probably best to stick with the form horses on Soft. In the 3.10 Class 2 Hcap over 6f I would be looking at Sonny Red who ran so well in finishing 2nd in the Silver Cup at Ayr being beaten by a progressive rival. They were both on the unfavoured far side and there shouldnt be any problem with that today and although he is higher in the Hcap he thrives on Soft going and he must be in the shake up if this doesnt come too soon. The other one to keep an eye on is Damika who won the Great St Wilfrid so well that he must go well in this. He too is a soft ground lover and ok he hasnt run well the last couple of times but he could bounce back here at 20/1.
The 3.45 sees Cheveton as fav at 11/2 and he always operates on Soft. We saw last week when he won at Ayr that he is at the top of his game at the moment and he probably would have preferred it even softer there but still won. He is still well in on old form from his revised rating and he too must be in with a shout.

Friday 24 September 2010

Little Garcon comes in at 20/1 !

A big win for fans of the blogs "Horses to watch out for" page when Little Garcon won today at Ascot off a rating of 90, here's what I wrote back in July in my regular handicap post "Up a bit, down a bit" :-
As expected Bated Breath went up 10lb for his facile win at Haydock in the 3yo Class 2 Handicap over 6f and he is now on 105. Afterwards Roger Charlton said we may see him in next years Sprint Cup here but later in the week he entered him for this years race. I thought Little Garcon was unlucky not to get closer and he remains on 88 which is a very fair mark that can be exploited on his next run. The race itself was run in a decent time only slightly slower than the Class 2 Conditions Stakes won by his stablemate Genki 30 minutes later. Charlton is now eyeing up a 0-105 Handicap at Newmarket in August however he has stressed that he wont run him on fast ground again this season.

This result followed up Captain Ramius who won at 18/1 at Chester on 10th September 2010.

Get involved in the big prices...keep in touch with Sprinterstogo !

Thursday 23 September 2010

Up a bit down a bit

After a few weeks off from this post we take a look back at Ayr Gold Cup week and try to make some sense of the handicappers ups and downs.
I have added a post below marked BHA Handicappers blog which has a good write up of the Ayr Gold Cup and the Group 3 Dubai Airport World Trophy at Newbury last Saturday.
The latter was a tight finish and only a few lengths covered the first 8 or 9 with Astrophysical Jet prevailing once again and building on her Curragh win over Tax Free who let the form down this week at Bevrley. This was Astrophysical Jet's last run of the season and she is reportedly to be brought back for the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket next spring. Golden Destiny in 2nd sort of lets the form down a little bit as although she was rated 99 she wasnt given much chance in the betting going off at 40/1 and as a result of her closeness to the winner she has been raised 6lb to 105.
Prohibit in 3rd continued his good run of form and if he can be brought back in the same vein next year you could see him winning a Group race.

Earlier in the week Esprit De Midas showed a smart turn of foot at Haydock to win the Class 4 6f Hcap by 1 1/4 lenths from Lochan Mor and it would be no suprise to see him follow up off his 5lb higher mark of 90.

At Ayr on the Thursday the Class 5 Hcap over 5f went to Richard Fahey's Mango Music by 2 1/4 legths from Argentine in a time of 59.69s. The stands side held sway here and continued to do so later in the week too, Dispol Kylie was the first of those home on the far side by about 3 lengths and as a result she has been left on 65 so is capable of winning off that mark although she hasnt won since 2008.

That same afternoon at Pontefract saw the Class 3 6f Fillies Hcap go to Who's Shirl who won by a nose from Pepper Lane. It was run at a good pace and the time was only 0.29s outside standard so the form should stand up, the winner has been raised 5lb to 83 and the 2nd 4lb to 74 and both look capable of further progress up the ladder.

Back at Ayr for the Class 2 Bronze Cup on Friday and this went to Cheveton who was well handicapped on his old form, he also had the assistance of 5lb talented claimer Dale Swift. He bagged the favoured stands rail from his high draw and he just about managed to prevail from Dandy Nicholls Courageous who had run well the time before. Cheveton would probably have preferred even more cut in the going than here and he may well build on this from his 8lb higher mark of 93. First home on the unfavoured far side was Ancient Cross, he was drawn in stall 1 and he beat home Eton Rifles and Beat the Bell, he has subsequently been left on the same mark of 84. Of those behind Oldjoesaid didnt build on his last run and finished well back on the far side but he has been dropped a further 2lb 81 and he remains of interest if turning out in a lower grade. The time of the race was 1m 11.41s (1.21 slower than standard).

Earlier in the day Class 4 Hcap over 5f went to Hazelrigg by 2 1/2 lengths in a time of 58.70s, a second faster than the Class 5 the previous day and it wouldnt be a suprise to see him continue his good run off his new mark.

Onto Saturday again for the Silver and Gold Cups and the first went to the 3yo Colonel Mak by 3/4 length from Sonny Red. I think this was a decent performace as they raced up the unfavoured far side and finished 2 lengths in front of Misplaced Fortune on the stands side. The winner was racing off 93 here and will be off a 100 in future but he is the hands of David Barron a trainer who knows how to get the best out of a sprinter. I'm sure there is more to come from Colonel Mak and this was very competitive for a consolation race and was run in a time of 1m 10.97 (0.77 slower than standard). Of those behind Bonnie Charlie was droppped 3lb to a mark of 92 and two that didnt get very good runs were Tiddliwinks and Able Master who have both been left on their same marks of 94 and 95 and can both figure in futrue races.

The Gold Cup was won by Redford who showed that he is up to Group class sprints on this showing as he won readily from Victoire De Lyphar by 2 1/4 lengths in a time of 1m 10.26s (0.06 slower than standard). It made it a 1-2 for Dandy Nicholls in a race he has now won 6 times in the last 11 years.
It was certainly a top class sprint that had all the major players from the season so far with Genki finishing well in 4th having run well in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup.

On a different note 2 other horses that caught my eye over the weekend were Cumulus Nimbus at Newbury and Oceans Minstrel at Newmarket and I think the latter could be a value bet in the Cesarewitch over 2m 2f.

Dont forget to look in over the weekend as there are some decent sprints taking place at my local track Haydock.

BHA Blogs: Handicapper's Blog

BHA Blogs: Handicapper's Blog

Monday 20 September 2010

Tax Free to continue Nicholls good run ?

Tax Free should go close in the sprint at Beverley tomorrow. There isnt much between him and last years winner Captain Dunne but Tax Free in my view has the slightly better form with his second to Astrophysical Jet looking better now that she has gone in again and hopefully young Mr Nicholls can get him home.
Five Star Junior is the only other one in the race I can see getting involved but that would only be in 3rd place and I might even do a tricast on the 3, but its Tax Free for me.

Saturday 18 September 2010

The Hot Streak Continues !

Well it was another good day for followers of this blog which kicked off with Sonny Red finishing 2nd beaten 3/4 length in the Silver Cup at 25/1, 40/1 in the morning. The big prices have just flowed and flowed all summer and its not bad for a free service.....some of you must be well ahead of the bookies !

Next up was the Gold Cup itself and whilst I didnt pick the winner I did highlight all of the Nicholls runners earlier in the week and Redford beat his statblemate Victoire De Lyphar at odds of 14/1, with both having a high draw as I predicted the winner would come from. The exacta paid £87.40 and to complete the party Genki and Johnny Mudball finished 4th and 5th to collect on ew bets too.

Astrophysical Jet rounded up a great day, as I have highlighted him as a 3yo sprinter to follow since his win at Newmarket and he followed up his win in Ireland with a further win at Newbury. He is now to be put away for the season as he wont incur a penalty for the Palace House at Newamrket early next season and I couldnt unnderstand Pricewise deserting him today.

If you want big price winners you need to keep in touch with this blogs regular posts and if there is enough interest going into the winter I will be looking at writing a Sprinters to Follow booklet for next season, so keep alive to that one and let me know your thoughts if anyone is interested.

The Highs have it !

There has been no change to the going overnight save that it has got slightly faster right across the track and therefore the stands rail should once again be the place to be particularly as Johnny Mudball will give them all a lead. Yesterday it appeared that the stand side had several lengths advantage over the far side and in the last furlong the stands side pulled right away.
One that could benefit from the firming up of the going is Striking Spirit who is stiil reasonbly priced at 20/1, I'm not saying he is good enough to win, although he ran very well in the Wokingham when finishing 2nd, but he should be bang there.
I still think that Victoire De Lyphar will take all the beating and his stable have been saying he is a future Group horse and to win this lately that is what you have to be.

Friday 17 September 2010

Ayr Gold Cup

Well Cheveton won at the generous odds of 16/1 today and followers of this blog should have been on as he has been well mentioned in the past and he has also featured on the horses to follow page for sometime. He finally came good at a decent price to recoup previous losses and he put a few quid in the pot.
His victory, and the runs of the placed horses, showed that those drawn high should be in with a big shout tomorrow, as those numbers have dominated the races on the straight track so far this week.
A look at tomorrows draw tells us the following :
27 - Striking Spirit -25/1
26 - Flipando -40/1
25 - Johnny Mudball -10/1
24 - Victoire De Lyphar -7/1
23 - Quest for Success -33/1
22 - Signor Peltro -20/1
21 - Evens and Odds -20/1
20 - Noverre to Go -25/1
19 - Damien -33/1
18 - Tajneed -25/1
As you can see there is plenty of value to be had amongst those drawn high and our pick of Nicholls runners, Victoire De Lyphar, is now 7/1 from 10/1. Nicholls has had 5 winners of the race in the naughties, Bahamian Pirate 2000, Continent 2001, Funfair Wane 2002, Funfair Wane again in 2003 and Regal Parade in 2005 and Victoire looks sure to harden up even further overnight as the gamble begins to take shape and he is no doubt featured on the morning line.
The going has got faster as the week has gone on and although Cheveton(prefers give) won today Johnny Mudball and Striking Spirit could lead the field along at a good pace on the stand side tomorrow together with Victoire De Lyphar. However I could be wrong and the winner may come from anywhere on the track as there are plenty of top horses within the field notably the likes of Genki, Poet's Place and Hawkeyethenoo.
There are also a number of consistent performers in the race with the likes of Rileyskeepingfaith and Parisian Pyramid, however for me the winner must come from one of those six in the previous paragraph.

The Silver Cup takes place an hour earlier and that should give you the final clues on the draw, if you need any.
Those drawn high in this are ;
27 - Joseph Henry 14/1
26 - Kellys Eye -40/1
25 - Misplaced Fortune -16/1
24 - Tiddliwinks -10/1
23 - Pavershooz -40/1
22 - Able Master -50/1
21 - Lowther -16/1
20 - Irish Heartbeat -10/1
19 - Hotham -50/1
18 - Baby Strange -25/1
There are some tasty prices drawn high in this and this field wouldnt be out of place in the big one. It will probably be wise to stick with the Nicholls runners in this too and Joseph Henry and Sonny Red should both go well for a stable that peeks in the big handicap sprints.

Make sure to have a look at the blog again tomorrow, about lunchtime, as I will put on any late information that comes to light

Tuesday 14 September 2010

The Ayr Gold Cup early thoughts

Well this is probably the last big sprint handicap of the flat season and one in which Dandy Nicholls the sprint king has a great record in. This weekend he has several entered and we will run through all of his horses now to see who has the best chance of winning and who has the best chance chance of being placed in this cavalry charge. We will start at the top of the handicap and work are way down.
EVENS AND ODDS - 104, 9-9, Billy Cray 5lb - 16/1
2nd and then 1st in the last 2 Stewards Cups, he ran in this last year and finished 4th, he is pretty easy as far as the going is concerned and he should be reasonably fresh having not run since his win and he looks certain to be bang there.
TAJNEED - 104, 9-9 - 20/1
A standing dish at Ripon and 2nd in this in 2008, he will need some cut on the going to show his best.
STRIKING SPIRIT - 99, 9-4, Andrew Mullen - 33/1
2nd in this years Wokingham behind Laddies Poker Two and he will need fast ground to show his best. He hasnt run that much and could be open to further improvement on the right surface.
VICTOIRE DE LYPHAR - 101, 9-4 - 10/1
2nd in the Stewards Cup consolation race but you got the feeling that his trainer would have loved him to be in the big one. He is certainly the one open to most improvement. Trainer says he isnt ground dependent and he must have a great chance of being in the first 4 and maybe even win.
REDFORD - 97, 9-2 - 16/1
Hasnt been with the stable long having moved from Kevin Ryan after having been with Michael Bell last season, he has run in all the big handicaps in the past and is another who is easy as far as the ground is concerned although on the easy side might be best. He hasnt got many miles on the clock and this trainer could eek out some more improvement.
SOMETHING - 93, 8-12 - 40/1
He is probably too low in the handicap to get in and doesnt have the same big handicap form as the others.
The going at the track is currently good, good to soft in places and the last 3 winners have been drawn 15 or higher.

Monday 13 September 2010

Green Day !

Paul Green has been in top form this summer and he had another winner in Dubara Reef yesterday who was winning for the 3rd time this season. If you were ever thinking of having a share in a horse or even buying a horse in the North of England then Paul Green is your man. He is a trainer who really understands his horses and the welcome you get at the stables is second to none plus you can always be sure of a good breakfast on a Saturday morning.
At Haydock tomorrow I can pass on a good word for his Feeling Fresh who was just that when I managed to get down to the stables a couple of weeks ago and he can go well for Silvester De Sousa who has been in good form himself lately. Feeling Fresh is only 4lb above his last win, which was here at Haydock, on going described as Good to Soft. Also Lucky Numbers in the naxt gets the soft ground that he so needs to show his best and he will not be short of assistance in the saddle with one of the strongest jockeys around in Franny Norton. Lets hope its a red letter day for the stable and we can all go home winners !

Saturday 11 September 2010

Poet's Place Portland Pick ?

Not a great deal of rain overnight at Doncaster and the going remains the same so far. Poet's Place looks like being a warm order on the back of his cosy win a competitive handicap at Haydock and if the same horse turns up again he should win. However there are reasons for him not being at his best, he is a big horse and may not want to let himself down on this ground, he hasnt got the handicap experience of the others and of course there is a lot of luck needed in these races especially with 22 runners.
Highlighting a few down the bottom of the betting market I would have to be looking at Striking Spirit EW at 25/1 for handicap wizard Dandy Nicholls, Monsieur Joe at 28/1 and Judge N'Jury also at 28/1. All 3 of these have shown good form at some point this season, Striking Spirit was 2nd in the Wokingham off a 5lb lower mark but has that offset by a 5lb claimer and this trip of 5 1/2 f could be right up his street, Monsieur Joe has been running well of late and is an up and coming 3yo sprinter for Walter Swinburn, whilst Judge 'N Jury is an established sprinter that has been coming back into form of late. There is also Masamah who has won his last 2 in good style and he is available at 20/1, so there is plenty available if you want to oppose the fav.

Of course there isnt just the one race today and it would be great to see Dandino win the St Leger for the 12,000 Elite owners of which I am one !

Thursday 9 September 2010

It's Friday, its Donny !

The Claas 2 Brakes Fresh Ideas Handicap over 6f and 110 yards has 18 runners set to do battle up the straight. There has been little to go on draw wise so far this week at the track so there is no need to get bogged down with that, however there is rain due overnight and maybe some tomorrow as well so keep an eye on the going report.
This is another competitive sprint and I'm not going to select a single runner but a group from which I hope the winner will come and they are Damika, Medicean Man, Hoof It and Pastoral Player. Damika has been in top form this summer and his last run resulted in a win in the Great St Wilfrid at Ripon from the course specialist Tajneed and prior to that he was 3rd to Poets Place and Harry Patch who are now joint favs for the Ayr Gold Cup. If the rain takes it back to Good to Soft he wont be inconvenienced from a 4lb higher mark.
Medicean Man has been threatening to win a big handicap this summer and he has the first time visor on to spark him into life.
Hoof It got into plenty of trouble last time under Fallon, however it looked as though if he'd got a clear passage there he would have won and he deserves another chance here under Paul Mulrennan off the same mark.
Pastoral Player's form is up and down but on his good days he's not bad, he was 2nd to Mister Hughie earlier in the year and he was 4th behind Victoire De Lyphar in the Reg Griffin at York where he finished in front of Astrophysical Jet amongst others.
If I had to go for one it would probably be Hoof It who may not have finished improving.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Was Spencer too Frank in the last at Donny ?

Jamie Spencer, you either love him or hate him, he is brilliant or just ordinary and its probably his come from behind style of racing that Ooften leaves us in exasperation. Today we saw him at his best on Prohibit and at his worst on Oldjoesaid, on Prohibit he sat waiting for his moment and was able to produce his mount late on to win. On Oldjoesaid he opted to fall in at the back as the stalls opened, he then stayed there before he made his move with less than 2 furlongs to go, however at this point he was a bit undecided about which way to go and eventually chose the stands side. Oldjoesaid then picked up in eyecatching fashion but it was all too late and Spencer must have known he wasnt going to get there and eased him up to finish out of the frame. The time of the race was only slightly slower than the Listed race earlier in the day and maybe this caught Spencer out. It reminded me of the ride he gave Anne of Kiev earlier in the year and that one won next time out.