John Burke

Morning all,

We can firmly look ahead to Cheltenham now. Granted we have two Saturdays of racing until the tapes go up on the runners in the Supreme. However, with all due respect to Kelso’s Morebattle Hurdle Day, Newbury’s Greatwood Gold Cup, and the Imperial Cup at Sandown it’s all about Cheltenham now.

The final pieces of the “Festival” puzzle were put in place on Tuesday. With the publication of the weights for the Cheltenham handicaps.

Inside today’s column you’ll find my penultimate “Path To Cheltenham” instalment. Plus, there’s a Thursday selection from Ludlow.

Read More »Cheltenham Pointers

Morning all,

Spring is here!  Ok, it may not be the Astronomical spring but it’s the start of the Meteorological spring and that will do for me.

What a month March is too. In just two weeks we have the Cheltenham Festival and the month ends with the start of the 2022 flat season. It’s a great month but the sport enters a new month with a ‘Sword of Damocles’ still hanging over it and its something I look at today. Inside today’s main piece I look at affordability checks. Plus, there’s two for the tracker and a Tuesday tip from Newcastle.

Read More »Newcastle selection & two for the tracker

Morning all,

The great thing about February it’s a short month. Spring is getting closer and each day we see the days getting longer. As witnessed on Saturday where the last race at Fairyhouse went off at 5:25.

A busy Saturday of action just gone. Ok, it wasn’t of the highest quality but it was good enough with the handicaps being of most interest.

Inside today’s main piece, you can read my weekend review. Plus, there’s a Monday tip from Carlisle.

Read More »Weekend Review and Carlisle Selection

Morning all,

Big race trends/stats aren’t for everyone. They have in the past played a big part in my selection process for big races. However, the shutdown of racing in Britain & Ireland in the spring of 2020 had a big impact on my use of them. It was clear that given the unusual circumstances of that year that big race trends wouldn’t be a useful guide to finding winning selections and I kind of haven’t gone back to them in a big way since.

That doesn’t mean I don’t still look at the big race trends. Indeed, I have done so for this weekend’s Eider Chase and of course they guided my two picks in the Betfair Hurdle. Mind that didn’t exactly work at out well. My intuition was telling me this year’s race would see a ‘trends buster’. Instead of going with my intuition, I fixated on the trends.

All of this doesn’t mean I have completely binned off the old trends & stats. I certainly haven’t. In fact, I have been sharing with you some Cheltenham Festival stats for the last couple of weeks and I do so again today.

I think the Cheltenham Festival remains a meeting where it’s wise to keep a close eye on the trends & stats. Its just a case of focusing on the most relevant ones. Easier said than done but then that’s all part of the fun of solving the puzzle.

Inside today’s article, it’s another installment of my Path to Cheltenham series which includes another ante post selection. For those of you not interested in the ante post stuff. There’s a Cheltenham Festival Stat. If you’re not interested in that either. You can head straight to the bottom of the main piece to find today’s tip.

Read More »Lots of Luck