John Burke

Morning all,

Shandoz got the week’s tipping off to a good start. As I said last week. It takes the pressure off for the rest of the week when you fire in a Monday winner. Shandoz got a perfect ride from jockey David Egan. Hopefully you got on at 9/1 as the money really spoke in the selections favour as he was returned at just 9/2.

Time to put the flat turf season firmly to the back of your mind and concentrate firmly on the winter game.  Granted I will be having a few bets on the Breeders Cup this weekend and of course in the November handicap at Doncaster but apart from that its mostly the jumps for me now.

The weather over the last couple of days has helped to get me fully immersed into the winter game. There’s been plenty of rain around the country which hopefully means we should start to see perfect jumping ground around our racecourses.

Now is the perfect time to de-clutter and refresh those trackers and its a process I completed yesterday. Inside today’s main piece you’ll find a couple of horses for the tracker. Plus, I have a selection from today’s big race at Exeter.

In tomorrow’s column I will be looking ahead to the weekend’s big race jumps action which includes the return of the National fences at Aintree for the first time since April and on Thursday you can read my Breeders Cup Preview.

Read More »Haldon Gold Cup Preview

Morning all,

A new month and the clocks have gone back, making the next five months even more depressing than they need to be. It also means the racing starts much earlier in the day.

The Irish flat season came to end yesterday at a very wet Naas. The English one finally exits stage left at Doncaster on Saturday. If you like your flat action you must look towards Australia and the US this week. At 4am tomorrow UK time it’s the Melbourne Cup. I used to set my alarm to watch the “race that stops a nation”.  Maybe it’s a lack of international jockey’s or a decline in international runners but It’s not a race I will be getting up early for this year or even have a bet in.

Next weekend’s Breeders Cup is another matter altogether. Del Mar – “where the surf meets the turf” plays hosts to this year’s Breeders Cup.  It should be a fantastic couple of days of high class racing and for the first time you’ll be able to watch all the action on ITV on Friday & Saturday evening.

More on the Breeders Cup in Thursday’s column. Inside today’s main piece I look back some highlights from Saturday’s action at Wetherby & Down Royal. Plus, I look at couple of races on an excellent Kempton card.

Read More »Jump racing at its best

Morning all,

We have some super jumps action this weekend. There’s Grade 1 action with Champion Steeplechase at Down Royal (2.50). The race is likely to see the return of Gold Cup winner Minella Indo. It’s a sure-fire sign that the winter game is now centre stage when the best racing is over jumps.

This side of the Irish Sea, it’s Charlie Hall Day at Wetherby with the feature race the Grade 2 Charlie Hall Chase going off at 3:05. The Wetherby card also includes the listed Mares' Hurdle (1.55) and the West Yorkshire Hurdle (2.30) with Paisley Park set to return in the latter race. Jump racing returns to Ascot for the first time this season. The Grade 3 Bateaux Gold Cup (3.20) the highlight of a seven-race card and it looks to have attracted a decent entry.

There’s Listed action on the flat at Newmarket but make no mistake it’s the jumps where its at this Saturday.

You can watch the best of Saturday’s action from Wetherby, Ascot and Down Royal on another bumper ten race programme on ITV.

Inside today’s main piece its time to look ahead to the weekend’s big race action. Plus, I have selection from Nottingham.

Read More »Nottingham Selection

Morning all,

It was slow motion stuff at Leicester on Monday but the veteran Greenside rolled back the years to for a well-deserved success. Always good to get the week off to a winning start as it does to take off the pressure for the rest of week.

Cheltenham’s Showcase meeting was a disappointment from a betting perspective. So, it was important to see Allmankind win the Old Roan Chase on Sunday and find another winner on the Aintree card. It’s always good to get an early jumps winner under your belt. If only to know that you have a handle on the form.

Inside today’s main piece. I’m focusing on the jumps and the weekend action at Cheltenham. Plus. I have two horses for the tracker and a selection from the Curragh.

As I said in Monday’s column. The Showcase meeting wasn’t of the highest quality. However, we did see a couple of excellent performances and a few for the tracker.

Read More »Cheltenham & Aintree thoughts