October 2020

Good morning all,

It’s that time in the week when my thoughts turn to the upcoming weekend action.

ITV are televising nine races on Saturday and its jumps action all the way. There are four races from Wetherby, where the feature race is the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase, and four potentially competitive handicaps at Ascot. As a bonus they will also be showing the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase from Down Royal.  

The going is good to soft at Wetherby and also good to soft at Ascot. There looks like there will be showers at both venues between now and race day and maybe some more prolonged rain at Wetherby on Thursday. It’s probably best to work on the assumption that the going will be on the soft side of good on Saturday at best.

The bookmakers have priced up seven of this Saturday's races and over the next two days I’m going to look at some of them.

Inside the main piece you find my thoughts on three races. Plus, I have selection running today at Punchestown.

Read More »Weekend Thoughts – Part 1

Good morning all.

I’m keeping my jumps hat firmly on again today. As I continue my reflections on the weekend’s action at Cheltenham and Aintree on Sunday. I chatted yesterday about Rouge Vif and Frodon performances at Cheltenham's Showcase Meeting. Well inside today's main piece I have three for the tracker from Cheltenham and Aintree for you. Plus, I have a selection from Bangor.

Read More »Four For The Tracker and Bangor Selection

Good morning all,

The curtain descended on this strangest of flat seasons on Saturday. Granted there is still the final Group 1 of the season the Vertem Futurity and the November Handicap to be run. Mind you I’m not sure anyone really cares about the latter race these days. Do they?  Yes, to all intents and purposes the flat season is done and dusted after Champions Day.

It’s hard to believe this was tenth Champions Day.  Despite the many doubters when it first began, It’s still with us.

Champions Day has achieved what it set out to do and be an end of season showcase for British flat racing and occasionally we even get to see a real champion at the meeting. We didn’t see one this season but we had plenty of good stories and performances to look back on.

Over the next two days I’m going to look back at the meeting, sarting today with the first two races on the card. Plus, I have a couple of fancies from Windsor & Wolverhampton.

Read More »Champions Day Review – Part 1 & Monday Selections

Something that happened this week jogged my memory of a punter that, when I was managing a bookies all those years ago, reminded me of the bets I used to take from him. It was the same bet(s) every single day, he never changed, not once. That in turn set me off thinking about some of the other weird bets I used to have to settle, usually by longhand and using a calculator! I thought I’d share a few of those with you today, I hope you enjoy them.

Read More »Settling Strange Bets…