Very good Bravemansgame - let's see how the time (5:51 and change) compares to the Denman Chase later on. Does he sneak into the 160s on the back of that?
16:45 Newbury - Top Dog (This Leading Light gelding has raced creditably in Bumpers so far, and should go well again today. Hopefully, this time he will not run too freely. Thomas Bellamy on board for the Emma Lavelle stable. 10/1 best price at time of writing, freely-available. E/W definitely the best way to go.)
Impressive from Edwardstone - maybe he will be the one to snap Alan King's losing streak at the festival? 2/1 fav for the Arkle now
A winner and 4 seconds. One of those days as my Betfair Hurdle pick I Like To Move It also finished second.
Tks vm,, STH, but things would crash badly if that happened. Good effort by Top Dog and jockey Thomas Bellamy. Not an easy horse to ride IMHO? Thanks again!
Found the performance of Broomfield Burg most frustrating. Was much too keen, travelled far too freely and then found little after jumping the last. What made it worse was the fact that his barnmate, First Street, was only 2.75 lengths off winning the heat. And you would have expected Broomfield Burg to bally Trounce First Street with a capital 'T'. Nice to see Tom 'Fast Pacey' Lacey grab a big winner but disheartened somewhat by this result. Of the other heats in Royal Berkshire you had to be impressed by Bravemansgame obliging, in style, off a perch of 159. The pair of Grade 2's were won by Eldorado Allen and Fumambule Sivola. However, you would envisage that both would need to find very weak Grade 1's to have a chance of striking at the highest level in the near future. Meanwhile, in the 4.10 Groom de Cotte was only 1.5 lengths off winning at 200/1! Almost an unbelieveable outcome, there. At Warwick I was really impressed by Edwardstone and on that performance he has to be a leading player in the 'Meghan Markle'. In fact right now I can't name a more likely winner of Cheltenham Festival race number 2. Whilst, at Naas the long odds-on shots all obliged - Journey With Me, Billaway and Elimay, what a lovely name for a mare by the way. And there could be worse trebles to place re the Cheltenham Festival than these 3, people. Finally my eyecatcher of the day. That was SKY PIRATE. Some may think nominating an animal who finished last, as an eye-catcher, slightly paradoxical but in my opinion he was ridden today solely to achieve a ratings reduction with an eye to, next month's, Grand Annual (a race he won last term). Will be looking out early next week to see Sky Pirate's revised perch. If the 9YO son of Midnight Legend gets 4-5 lbs taken off his mark then I may well step into the old ante-post market re this one.
Sky Pirate's odds for the Grand Annual are currently dropping fast (blue across the board on Oddschecker right now) after being tipped up on the Racing Post website this morning (I presume in the paper as well). Best now 16/1 or 14/1 (NRNB). As low as 10's (NRNB) with Paddy Power. Revised handicap mark though not announced until tomorrow morn.
