Colossus Update

Good morning all,

Just a quick post this morning regarding the Colossus Pick 6's that I've been trying to hit over the past month. Going to have a  crack at one more today, with Lingfield looking a likely target for a decent payout.

Plus a selection from the Worcester card today. 

Plenty of you have been involved in the Pick 6's that I've been doing on Colossus, with mixed success it has to be said. It's still a learning process for myself as well but I have decided that, as I'm playing with your money as well as mine, where possible (and it's worth doing so) I'll always take a cashout after 4/5 races to get people's money back and a bit more, and then let the rest run. That doesn't always work in our favour, but then again sometimes I wish I'd cashed out more – Epsom's Pick 6 on Monday being a good example. After the fourth leg, where a 5-1 chance beat a 14-1 chance (2 places) and we had the 14s shot in, we were offered over four times our original stake. I took 30% of it, let the rest run and promptly got knocked out on the next leg where I had two fancied runners!

Similar happened at Southwell too, and it's really annoying when you're sure you'll get through the next leg with the selections you have, only to get stuffed and wishing you'd cashed out more. I am trying to leave out favourites when I can as that's really the name of the game, if we are to get a nice pot up then we need a few favourites out of the frame, but as I say, this is a learning curve and by October I'm hoping I'll have it a bit more nailed down.

What's also clear is that I need to do 2 of each syndicate as they are filling really quickly when I put them up. I'm keeping it to small stakes for everyone at the moment but again, once I'm more confident, I'll be upping them to 50p units and £1 in certain cases. You'll still be able to join in for small amounts, so don't worry about that.

Anyway, my thoughts on the Lingfield Colossus –

2.20. 7f Nursery

Good grief. a 7f nursery with next to no form to go on, on a surface that most of them have no experience of. What could go wrong? Well, in truth, everything, so be prepared for an early bath. Equally, if we can get through it, every chance of getting a really good result. I'm going to throw four at it – No Diggity, who ran okay at Chelmsford two starts ago, Hard Taskmaster, who is a lovely looker but has looked bone idle so far. The visor goes on – that might do the trick. Sybil Grand has run respectably on her last three starts and has the 1 stall, so has some positives, and Burning Lake looks another likely improver stepping into handicaps (and getting blinkers).

2.50 – 7f Novice Stakes

This looks a bit easier, with plenty of dead wood and only a handful to concentrate on. With Bella Vita out, it looks like Chicago Doll and Stay Forever look the ones to concentrate on. The latter was staying on nicely on debut at Newbury to finish fourth and will know more here. We'll have her, along with newcomer Annecy, as David Simcock has a decent record with them first time up (6-32 past year, with another 5 placed).

3.20 – 6f Seller

9 runners down to 7 now, so just two places, and that probably means we have to have favourite Outback Traveller on our side, as he's head and shoulders above these on form. The worry is the fact he's even in a seller, as he really ought not to be, and I'm going to take another in the shape of Monumental Man, who can't win on the figures but has a decent enough record around here and isn't without hope of getting in the fame at a price.

3.50 – 6f Handicap

Exchequer looks obvious after his Kempton romp but he is dropping back a furlong and he's not won at this trip. I'm going to try and get him out of the frame with Seprani and Temeraire, both of whom have decent records at the track and we ought to get at least one of them in the two.

4.20 – 1m1f Claimer

More fun and games as we switch to the turf, and as I type this, some 10 miles away from Lingfield, it's chucking it down, so soft ground can be expected. With Ventura Knight seemingly kept away from soft ground throughout his career, that's got to be a worry, so favourite Unveiling has to go in after a better effort at Windsor last time. She's rather unproven on the ground as well but wasn't disgraced on good to soft the time before and just looks more likely. Im going to throw in outsider Beloved Knight, who ran well enough over C&D here (on good to soft) in May to think he might get involved too.

4.50 – 1m2f Handicap

Absolutely none of these have form on soft ground and this looks a lottery. Suffice to say if we're still in here and there's a decent cashout offer, I'll take a fair chunk! Zoffany Bay thrashed them at Brighton but that race fell to bits and this is different ground as well. Nevertheless, it's hard to see him out of the frame if he does act on the ground and I'm told you should always have the favourite in last leg, so we'll just have him on his own as I really cannot fancy a lot else in the race.

The Colossus Pick 6's will go up in the next half hour, so keep an eye out.

Today's selection comes from Worcester though, where I'm going to give Cuirassier D'Empire another chance in the 5.15. I didn't think he was that fit for his comeback run over hurdles and badly needed it, and anyway, he really needs fences these days, so this test will be far more suitable. I'm expecting better from him tonight, and I think he'll be winning better races than this later in the year.

Good luck with all your bets today,

David.