Hi all,
My back is slowly improving. I’m still struggling with stairs, but fingers crossed I’ll be fully functioning again in a couple of days. Thankfully it's a quiet weekend of racing or I would be struggling to do much writing for Victor Value subscribers.
Today’s column is a short one. I’m looking at how the Racing Post race comments can help spot future winners.
It might be the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and Newbury's valuable Super Sprint on Saturday. But it's a weekend where I wish I had decided to go away.
Spotting Opportunity in the Formbook
Last Thursday, Prince Of India won a valuable 3-year-old sprint handicap at Newmarket’s July Festival. Here are the Racing Post analyst’s notes for the first three home.
The winner was put up 11lb by the handicapper. That says plenty about the strength of the performance. But it’s the third home Zayer who interests me more
He’s stayed on the same mark despite covering extra ground when switching from the nearside to almost the other side and also become slightly unbalanced approaching the final furlong.
I had already noted Zayer at Royal Ascot. When he finished 4th of 20 in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap. Last week confirmed my favourable impression of the 3-year-old.
Hence why I was taken with the above comment:
“He seems suited to these big-field handicaps”.
He’s one to keep an eye on in races like the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood or the Portland Handicap at Doncaster. There’s a decent pot in Zayer over the next few weeks most likely in a big-field handicap.
Backing the Independents: A Word on AK Bets
As regular readers will know, two weeks ago I was down in London for a betting conference called Smart Bash. There were some excellent presentations over the two days, but — as ever — the real value came from the networking.
On the Friday, after the event wrapped, I met up with Anthony Kaminskas and Tony Calvin. Anthony is the founder of AK Bets, a rails bookmaker who’s expanded into the online space.
It was good to meet them. That night on the train back to Yorkshire, I opened an account with AK Bets. I’ve since made my first withdrawal — it went through smoothly, and I haven’t been restricted. So far, so good.
It’s not easy taking on the likes of Evoke’s William Hill, Flutter’s Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet, or Entain’s Ladbrokes and Coral. I wish Anthony and his team well.
If you want to support a truly independent bookie in a world dominated by big corporates, I’d recommend giving them a try. After all you can never have too many betting accounts — and if you play fair, you should have a smooth ride.
In all the time I’ve been writing these columns, I’ve never recommended a bookmaker. It’s just not my style. But I like what AK is building, and I back the independents.
If you want to look for yourself, you can find them here.
Good luck with your Thursday bets.
John