Off to Galway for a stag do this morning. With no sport on apart from the nags, any tips appreciated to keep the boys entertained
Hi all..Cheltenham over but think I m gonna play 2 outsiders today: Kempton 2.05pm Buzz de turcoing 28/1 e.w . Has a good chance of making top 4 in a competitive race. Horse is fit and well. Midlands grand national Just your type 18/1 e.w 5 places..I can see this one plodding on when some have had enough. Good luck all!
Good stuff, have you been there before? Not from there but it's a great spot, AFAIK all your main pubs are on or just off the pedestrianised Shop Street. You won't go far wrong round there. Weather in Galway is always consistent too, i.e. awful.
First time! Not sure where we are staying exactly but with all the sport off (old firm game) we will likely just pub crawl. Weather is fine we are from Glasgow so it’s milder
Galway full of pubs so i'd advise a mammoth pub crawl and a few bets on the Argentina football later this evening.
Tward07 Galway is a great town,very Bohemian/Arty but great crack. As said earlier Shop Street very vibrant for pubs. My favourite is Tig Neachtain.great old fashioned pub full of nooks and crannies, tattooed ladies,failed poets and retired bank robbers !!!
Hmmm - more of yesterday wasn't quite what I had in mind! Onwards and hopefully upwards with Main Fact
De Rasher Counter is higher than average contender in terms of his official rating. For comparison purposes we can consider that Champ, who won the RSA was a 153 rated Chaser, while De Rasher Counter is a 157 rated horse. He has a lot of weight but he was taking on Gold Cup horses last time out and the winner of that Cotswold Chase, Santini, damn near won the Gold Cup. Without being cheeky, the opposition in the Midlands National is of a more sedate talent level and class is something that cannot be undervalued. The problem is that good horses get weight and weight will eventually level the playing field De Rasher Counter has won at Uttoxeter before and although that was only over 3 miles it was on Heavy ground, which is encouraging. He was held up that day and I would imagine the tactics will be the same this time. I can't get away from the fact that his handicap mark of 157 is too high though. Winners of late have been rated in the 120's and 130's and even the ill-fated Synchronised, who went on to win the Gold Cup, was only rated 143 when he won the Midlands National in 2010 on Heavy ground. De Rasher Counter is going to have to deny a stone higher mark than Synchronised and that looks very tough. Not many really appeal to me. Truckers Lodge brings Welsh National form after his 2nd in the Chepstow slog and on 141 he's not much higher now. He is not fully exposed yet and he ticks the stamina box. His previous Chase win came from quite a poor bunch mind you, with the runner up a 125 rated horse who would have been getting 15 lbs had it been a handicap. The one good horse to come from that race was Copperhead but when he ran behind Truckers Lodge he was rated 125 and he has made massive improvement since then and we have no evidence yet that Truckers Lodge is anywhere near as progressive as the Tizzard horse whose improvement stalled in the RSA Chase. I see Captain Drake tipped in a few places but he's had two unseats and that worries me. His Exeter win came from a mark of 127 and he is now on 138 which makes life a bit tougher. I am not enthused by the odds and Harry Fry has been pretty quiet of late for all that he has had a couple of winners. The handler had a very low key and barren Cheltenham Festival, with no joy from only 3 runners. Fry was tipped for the top but it is disappointing to see a trainer like him having next to no role at Jump racing's showpiece. Petite Power has had a good season and is popular in the betting. Fergal O'Brien gets his share of winners considering that a lot of the ones he runs go off as no hopers at big odds. The off-putting factors for me are that the horse is 11 years old now and started his winning from a mark of 115, so it may be that he was just extremely well handicapped when kicking his season off, rather than the quote I read which declared that he "Has returned better than ever this season" Prime Venture's form line looks less appealing at first glance. He was 4th in the Welsh National though and filled the same position in this race last year, so clearly has some affinity for ultra long trips. He is 4 lbs lower than last year and you can expect him to be involved but it nags at me that he is still a maiden over fences and his second place last time was in a three runner race where he was odds-on favourite. Christmas In April has had a good season and like Petite Power started out his winning from a moderate enough mark. Rated 120 when first scoring, the Tizzard chaser went on to win an Exeter race that resulted in his current mark of 137. I like that he's a proven winner and not too long in the tooth. His latest win was a clear personal best and it came on Heavy ground over nearly 3m7f and that makes me think he will be fine at today's trip and he is unexposed at the "National" trips. I went for Christmas In April and did a permed tricast with Truckers Lodge and Prime Venture for the crack. 3.35 Uttoxeter Christmas In April 13/2
I know there's a few of you online - feel free to chip now and then Reaaly like the chances of Almazhar Garde next at Kempers although the money coming for Solomon Grey is a worry!
