Thursday's Meetings Cheltenham Festival N/H 7 Races 1:30-5:30p.m. Stayers Hurdle Off @ 3:30p.m. Hexham N/H 6 Races 1:50-5:10p.m. Dundalk(E) A/W 8 Races 4:40-8:20p.m. Southwell(E) A/W 7 Races 5:05-8:10p.m. Chelmsford(E) A/W 6 Races 6:00-8:30p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Whilst the majority gaze at cotswolds , there is the 4 mile hexham slog for slow boats taking place ! Lucinda Russell looks like she wants to win it , young mr wadge rides the most exposed horse , prince dundee , who won lto away from hexham , his favourite course .
My bets Day 3 Turners Banbridge 20/1 e/w Ground against him, I imagine he’ll be NR. (Three Stripe Life 16/1 e/w RIP) Pertemps Captain Morgs 20/1 e/w Ryanair Janidil 25/1 e/w Stayers Home By The Lee 13/2 win only (Zanahiyr 20/1 e/w NR) Plate Mars Harper 25/1 e/w five places Mares Novices Hurdle Lot Of Joy 8/1 win only (Between Waters 25/1 e/w NR) Kim Muir Annual Invictus 33/1 e/w five places
Thursday's picks on what could prove a good day for favourite bettors. Going to take a few of them on, likely to my own detriment. Here goes ; Appreciate It 7/2 Walking On Air 9/1 Shiskin 10/11 Home By The Lee 13/2 Haut En Coluers 13/2 Luccia 6/4 Angels Dawn 7/1 All the best.
1.30 Mighty Potter (antepost and went in again today) 2.10 Maxxum, An Tulleur and Walking on Air (all win only) 2.40 Janidil (28/1 ew antepost; French Dynamite 35/1 ew antepost) 3.30 Teahupoo win only (Paisley Park antepost too but no chance) 4.10 Midnight River, Frero Bambuu and Datsalrightgino (all each-way) 4.50 Magical Zoe (win) & Princess Zoe (ew) 5.30 Dunboyne (win only); - might back another one or two at long odds ew. Good luck troops.
Would love to see Princess Zoe reward her sporting connections in the Mares Novice Hurdle. The trainer reckoned 12/1 was an insult. Now 16/1.
15:30 Cheltenham (Stayers' Hurdle) -Klassical Dream e/w 17:30 Cheltenham (Kim Muir) - Lord Accord e/w (plus - e/w double)
Turners Banbridge 20/1 e/w Ground against him, I imagine he’ll be NR. He’d better not be a non-runner !
I think Mighty Potter can't be opposed today There you go, I've put the mockers on him for you Tam & Pilgrim
I'm not so sure the ground will be a big issue. Going today is described as soft, good to soft in places. Banbridge has 6 wins and 3 places from 11 runs on similar going. On soft ground alone, 2 wins, 1 place from 4 runs and its win at last years festival was officially good to soft. I'd be less concerned about the ground today than the fact that it has two very good horses ahead of it in the market. That's not me saying it can't win. Of course it can, i just don't think the ground will be the excuse (cue the trainer pulling it out due to the ground haha). I wish i had the price you have. I'll be looking to do an acca today and Banbridge to place will be in it, one of the safest bets of the day in my opinion. Best of luck with your bets.
I wonder if we will see a good old Pipe plot come to fruition in the Pertemps Final today? Thanksforthehelp couldn't have won any easier at Chepstow in the final qualifier and, whilst an 11lbs rise might look a lot, he has only had 6 runs over hurdles so is entitled to show improvement. He has his 2nd run after wind surgery (can't remember whether that is perceived to be good or bad stats-wise) and hopefully he can get Mark Walsh into the winners enclosure. The handicapper has been pretty relentless with the Irish horses again and Maxxum is now 25lbs higher than when sauntering home in the Leopardstown qualifier over Christmas - Tony Martin's Good Time Johnny might be the one to take from that race but he is 4lbs higher and Liam McKenna can only claim 5 here as opposed to 7 in Leopardstown. Gordon Elliott has one lurking right down at the bottom in Level Neverending and he could go well in first time blinkers. He got a little outpaced at Warwick and qualification looked in jeopardy but he closed well over the last half mile and was noticebly tenderly ridden up the home straight to finish 3rd. He runs off the same mark (126) today and could fare best of the Elliott battalions. Might be worth an e/w saver at 22s. For the home team Nicky Henderson has 3 entered but Captain Morgs and Walking On Air didn't help their cause by winning last time out. Moka De Vassy has been contesting some pretty hot races the last 2 seasons as a juvenile and then novice hurdler and finished 3rd on handicap debut at Exeter to qualify for this. He runs off the same mark today and could go close if handling the rough and tumble. He has been found in the market though and 12/1 is skinny enough.
Day 3 then: 1:30 - No bet. 2:10 - Hector Javilex 16/1 & Coltor 22/1 (8 places) 2:50 - Chacun Pour Soi 40/1 Ew wasted a free bet on this purely coz of the price. 3:30 - Flooring Porter 6/1 & Henri Le Farceur 33/1 (4 places) 4:10 - Midnight River 7/1 & War Lord 20/1 (7 places) 4:50 - No bet. 5:30 - Angels Dawn 15/2 & Rapper 16/1 (6 places)
Ew Lucky 31/Acca at Dundalk this evening: 4:40 - Betrayed 11/1 (4 places) 5:15 - Kanzino 16/1 (4places) 5:50 - Kartayaz 11/1 (4 places) 7:20 - Tai Sing Yeh 5/1 (3 places) 8:20 - Evening Verse 5/1 (4 places)