Racing today comes from Musselburgh, Yarmouth, Southwell, Bangor-on-Dee and Ballinrobe. With three flat and two hunt meetings on show, there is something for everyone to get their teeth into. I thought I'd stick with Southwell where the the type of racing is something akin to the way racing is conducted in Oz. This of course guarantees nothing. I'm not exactly brave, so I'll avoid the first race. In the 18:30 Pint Size ticks all the boxes. He loves the track and the opposition looks pretty thin on the ground. He's an 11-8 chance at the moment, but I expect him to just about reach red. And now one that's going to set the forum's experts to laughing. In the 20:30 I'm going for the rogue himself, Bookiesindex Boy. When looking all over a winner last start at Brighton. He stumbled out of the inside slot and was last to hit the ground. He was then hunted up along the rail. Strange thing about the track that day, was the fact that the rail seemed much heavier than any other part of the course. He cut in deeply, none of the others did the same. So I think the more even going here will help him. The seven alley isn't the best, but at 6-1 he's value. 18:30 Pint Size. 20:30 Bookiesindex Boy. EW. All naps and comments welcome. Musselburgh. 16:00 Birkside. EW Chippy. Yarmouth. 15:45 Captainrisk. Degs. Southwell. 18:30 Pint Size. cyc. WON 8-13 Bangor-on-Dee. 19:10 Indian Pipe Dream. Oddy. Ballinrobe.
Wayward: I would like to point out a small error on your posts yesterday re your 'girls' Amanda Perrett trains way down South near Pulborough (I think) in West Sussex. The scottish trainer you follow is Linda Perratt Did the 40/1 winner make you profit on the day with all her runners?
Alan Berry is knowhere near as good a trainer as his father BUT his horses have just hit form with a few winners and placed horses yesterday. If he runs them again today (couple declared) they could go well at nice prices.
Bookiesindex Boy - Held Up, travelled strongly, ridden inside final 100yds, found little, lost places on line. (my synopsis of tonight) My bets 2.15 My Sharona 3.00 Commanche and non two year olds 3.30 Majestic Millie - O'Meara horse who I think is better than bare form of Southwell run (surface issue perhaps) 4.15 Cheifdom Prince - Should have won last time out, this race is weaker and I think this is a very talented horse who looks nicely weighted. NAP. Southwell 8.30 Spic N Span - I just see this horse as being more genuine than most of this field, he goes on the ground and will be prominent throughout. 9.00 Elusive Warrior - this race is weaker than the one he ran so well in last time out. I think he will take this race.
Today’s cards are abysmal to my eye and staging them does more harm than good to racing. The 5/1 winner of a bad race may pay the same as a 5/1 winner of a good one but anyone who wagers on today’s action is in my opinion either ‘in the know’ or ‘in the need of a straight jacket’. If they don't, at least, half the number of fixtures in this country then racing long-term is in trouble, methinks. Anyway rant over and it's resolutely, ‘no bet’ for me.
Cheifdom Prince. Chucks, a couple of fair races at Yarmouth do you not think? Southwell has a couple of my handicaps at the end of the card, but as you say the other racing is absolutely abysmal. The trouble is that they are putting all good racing on the weekend and its ruining the flow of the racing week. We might as well turn Sunday to Wednesday into virtual racing days.
Nass, totally agree and I’d extend it to Sunday – Thursday. Really think that if they keep putting on this sort of action then racing in this country will turn into nothing more than the equal of greyhound racing and reality racing. There is far, far too much mediocre stuff. I’d never have any more than 3 meetings on any day (and go back to 6 races on every card) but invest heavily in this product and make each race at least a half decent one. The Ebor meeting and now Newmarket July have recently included Saturday and I think its safe to assume that Cheltenham will do the same within 3-5 years re the Festival. I don’t think focussing solely on Saturday does racing any good as the competition from other sports is far, far too tough for racing to compete. Even the Derby on a Saturday is reported way down the ‘pecking order’ in the following days press.
The more races there are the more the bookies will take off mug punters who will back any race - i can't believe the amount i have seen placed on virtual races (or cartoons as they should be called)
Imagine how many small operators would go to the wall if we pruned the cards back to just six races on a three meeting day. These ideas would have profound effects that would wash back through the system and cause no end of pain.
ADM, if only the government allowed more roulette machines and then the bookies would never need to take a bet!
Spot on. The other Staurday was mental - Newmarket, Chester, York and Ascot all with some decent races. it was impossible to keep up with all the action and I know I missed out on a couple I would usually have backed purely down to just not getting the time to study properly - I doubt I was alone. Moving the big races to Saturdays is getting beyond a joke - i'm half expecting them to reschedule the likes of Royal Ascot, Glorious goodwood and Cheltenham so that they're either run with 10 races a day at the weeknd or even stagggered over 2 or 3 weekends. It's ludicrous. Rant over but expect me to continue at length on this subject every time it's raised.
Having had a rant I suppose it's only fair to put up a horse now as well...... Birkside looks well handicapped for a CD winner so it's an each way bet in the 4-00 at Musselburgh.
Thats not a rant, if you want a rant I will start!!!! I actually was at Silverstone the other weekend so missed the racing of our four legged friends, but when I got home on the Sunday evening I nearly cried when I saw the list of winners. I however soon realised that I wouldn't have been able to back them all because it would have taken about 20 years to have read all the form and found all the races to bet on.
I see Indian Pipe Dream goes in the 7.10 at Bangor tonight with Jason Maguire. This one was with John Gosden on the flat and has been with Gollings and Pipe over the sticks. Last year he looked to have completely fallen out of love with the game, finishing miles back on start after start (his last run in 2010 he finished PU behind The Giant Bolster). But then cam the remarkable transition, he was sent to run on the flat at Southwell in February over 14F and again finished well down the field. On his next start over obstacles he jumped like a stag and made all to win. He repeated the dose at Stratford in April, jumping for fun and powering clear. Next time out at Kelso, off 110 on his handicap chase debut, he won by 23 lengths after another flawless round. No idea what Mr Saddik has done to light the fires again, but it has certainly worked. Anyway he goes off 123 tonight and I'll be having a dabble at 7/2. Make it the NAP as well.
2 for me today: With the Alan Berry yard hitting top form FORCE EAST may be able to win the 330 Muss at very rewarding odds. For the double i turn to Silver Tigress in the 500 at Muss. Be Lucky all
Could not agreee more Barney, the amount of times i now look at a racecard and ask who exactly is this being put on for? And sadly the answer is always the same the bookmakers. At the prize money levels the trainers are saying we can see no point, spectators are saying we can see no point, by not attending and genuine enthusiasts as we have on here can see little joy in watching a staying on finish slogged out in the Southwell sand by a horse rated 46. I feel it is for bet on anything betting shop punters groomed with free coffee and crisps going on machines between races because the ten minutes between races is still too much for nothing to be happening within their attention. Cut the fixture list by 35%, end Sunday racing except for festival meetings or make Sundays only festival meetings and turn them into really strongly catered for family days to try and get new people, we have ladies day now family day on the Sunday. Jumps season to be a proper season again ending in April beginning in September. To weed out the fixture list naturally state that no race can be worth less than £4000 in total and those tracks that can not put on racing to at least that standard must unfortunately fall away helping make those that can stronger.
