Morning all,

Well I hope you all had a good week and are looking forward to five days of world class horse racing at Royal Ascot which all begins tomorrow.

Last week's highlight was my first ever visit to Nottingham Racecourse for lunch with the guys involved with the excellent On Course Profits Magazine and Betting School’s Insiders Report.

It was great chatting to the likes of Dave Massey, Josh Wright and Carl Nicholson. Top guys all three of them! I have to say it’s a long time since I have had a get together with a group of fellow tipsters/pundits and had a chance to discuss this great sport we love.

I was impressed with Nottingham racecourse, granted it’s not the biggest but you have a decent view of the races. Sadly, the track doesn’t seem to market itself very well and if it wasn’t for a large contingent of students from Loughborough University, it would have been a poorly attended meeting on what was a super day weather-wise.

Given the tracks close proximity to the centre of the city and its relative closeness to Derby, Sheffield and Lincoln it is most definitely  a track underachieving on the attendance front.

After last weeks look at the World Cup it’s back to horse racing this week. As promised, I will be having a brief look at two of my favourite handicaps of the season the Royal Hunt Cup and the Wokingham Handicap. But first this weeks notebook horse.

Notebook Horses:

This week’s tracker horse comes from the Queen Mother’s Cup for Lady Amateur Riders that opened York’s Saturday card. The horse is in question is the Tim Easterby trained Mukhayyam.

The 5-year-old came into the race 2lb below his last winning mark. He had had finished second in the race last year and was well fancied (sent off 5/1) to go one place better this year.

Sadly, his supporters soon realised they had done their money, as the jockey went off far to quick in front and was never going to be able to sustain the fast pace she had set. Once headed at the two furlongs mark, he was a spent force and had to settle for 5th place.

To the horse’s credit, he did well to finish within 3 lengths of the patiently ridden winner and runner up. You can draw a line under this run and he’s capable of winning a race in the coming weeks.

Royal Ascot: Hunt Cup & Wokingham Trends

Here are some interesting trends for two of the this weeks big betting races.

Royal Hunt Cup – Wednesday 20th June

A big field cavalry charge down Ascot’s straight mile isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it certainly is mine. Here are some of the key trends that you can use to shortlist contenders for this normally tricky handicap.

Trends:

The results below contain – 10 winners from 284 runners 40 placed:

Odds SP: 33/1 & under
Weight: 8-8 to 9-5
Best in Five Runs: 1st
Class Move: Up 1, Same, or down 1
Not trained by Luca Cumani or Richard Fahey

These filters have trapped 9 winners from 75 runners 16 placed since 2008 and have found 15 of the last 21 winners of the race.

Wokingham Handicaps – Saturday 23rd June

Another cavalry charge, this time over 6f, which has attracted an average of 26 runners in the past 10 years.

The results below contain – 10 winners from 267 runners 40 placed:

Trends:

Odds SP: 33/1 & under
Weight: 8-11 to 9-8
Wins at Distance: 1 or more
Wins on Going: 0 to 1
Runs at Track: 0 to 5

The above filters found all of the last 10 winners from 96 runners 20 placed and 13 of the last 21.

Now of course trends can be busted but hopefully the winners of both this year’s races will be found amongst the above.

Monday Racing 

My Monday selections should be carrying a government wealth warning given the poor run they have been having but hope springs eternal and it’s time the Monday tips came off the cold list.

Windsor

7:30 – Six Strings, has taken a bit of time to find his form since moving from the Richard Fahey stable but his 3rd placed effort at Kempton over 7f last week was very much a step back in the right direction.

The 4-year-old looks on a workable mark on his best form of last season, including when a two length 3rd in the Class 2 Scottish Stewards Cup at Hamilton last July and ¾ length, 3rd at Doncaster over 7f in September.

The Eve Johnson Houghton trained runner, can now race off 7lb lower, than in those races, and if he builds on his Kempton promise back down in trip looks the one they all have to beat.

Monday Selection: Six Strings

All that’s left now is to wish you a profitable weeks punting.

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