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Cheltenham. Open. Sunday
Another cracking day at the home of jumps racing - here's my (slightly musically themed) picks - 13:55 Fox Norton / Special Tiara 14:30 Winter Escape / Leoncavello 15:05 Autesse de Guye / Mahler's Star 15:40 Brahms de Clemont / Gustav Mahler
Cheltenham Open
Fab day at Cheltenham today - Thistlecrack impressed again - good to see Venetia Williams's ASO put in a good run - interesting to note the weights of the Winners today in advance of tomorrow.
Bumper Saturday
Action packed day of flat and jumps - my selections for the day are Aintree 12:55 George despite champs Aintree 15:10 Splash of ginge Doncaster 13:50 George Bowen Kelso 1:45 Bourne Kelso 16:00 The Vocalist Down Royal 14:35 Valsour Lido Santa Anita 23:40 Limato
CHELMSFORD PICKS
Chelmsford Selections 5:40 Excellent Sounds 6:10 Texts Katie 7:10 Acertwo 7:40 Baby Ballerina 8:40 Burauq 9:10 Commanche
Silsol Triumphant at Wetherby
Gutsy win by Silsol under a superb ride by Jack Sherwood - a lot of pundits thought the ground wouldn't suit but this made no difference in a tight finish.
MR SATURDAY
Paul Nicholls has been in tip top form recently - my top tips for tomorrow include the excellent Silsol who always runs well when fresh. At Ascot, Saphir du Rheu will bag the spoils - I believe the Champion Trainer can get him right.
Heavy, heavy, heavy
The bad weather continues to affect UK racing. With inspections at Uttoxeter and Warwick tomorrow at 8 AM, it’s an early start for me! Punchestown is going ahead - here’s a list of my tips anyway.
Punchestown 12.05 Pleasant Co 12.35 rolling rocket 1.05 Seabass 1.35 swamp fox 2.05 jetstream Jack 2.35 Oscar sam 3.05 out of Cologne 3.35 Black Franks angel
Warwick 12.40 Solidago 1.10 battle dust 1.40 Thatchers Gold 2.10 paddy the Oscar 2.40 Katie Too 3.10 eaton rock
Uttoxeter 12.20 authorised too 12.50 Proud times 1.20 vicki’s charm 1.50 over my head 2.20 Rouquine Sauvage 2.50 Val D'arc 3.20 Postbridge
If these accumulators come in then it really will be a happy 2016!!!
Don Cossack v England
Boxing Day’s King George should be a belting contest - with recent improvers Cue Card and Smad Place heading up the home challenge (not discounting Silvinaco Conti whose attempting a treble in the race): however, Irish raider Don Cossack is simply the best jumper out there this season - so I’m going for an Irish win!
Early Doors in the Jumps Season
It’s that time of year again as the leaves turn gold, russet and brown in the UK, and the jumps season gets back into full swing. This week there’s some interesting horses coming back into the fray. On Tuesday ( 3.50 at Exeter) is Anthony Honeyball’s City Supreme, who locks horns with Paul Nicholls Le Mercurey (a staying trip over fences is very likely to suit). On Wednesday (3.10 Warwick), Captain McGinley makes his seasonal debut for Rebecca Curtis. His final run of the season is best ignored although a season over hurdles beckons for him this season. He looks sure to make an impact in staying novice hurdles and is one to keep a close eye on. Also on Wednesday, another fancy is Charlie Langsdon’s Cooper’s Friend (below)(Chepstow 3.20) - the inside track is Mr.Langsdon’s delighted with his new horse.
Brother Tedd faces a stiff return at Kempton tomorrow against Silviniaco Conti and fellow C&D Kaysersberg. Phillip Hobbs’s six-year-old has never lacked for guts though - so my money’s on him.
Monday 22nd June Picks
There’s a glut of potential runners in tomorrow’s racing - a quick breakdown for you meeting by meeting
Chepstow Ballynanty 2:30 for Andrew Balding Dandy 2:30 for Andrew Balding Mister Mayday 2.30 for George Baker Jazri 2.30 for Milton Bradley (CD at Chepstow) Farletti 3.05 for Andrew Balding Guiding Light 4.10 for Andrew Balding Orlando Rogue 4.10 for George Baker
Windsor Kingston Mimosa 7.05 for Andrew Balding Lunar Logic 9.10 for Andrew Balding Tingleo 9.10 for Roger Varian
Wolverhampton AW Acclamate 3.20 Marco Botti Binzart 3.55 Marco Botti Le Notre 4.25 Marco Botti Spanish Danser 4.25 George Baker
Also, I fancy the slightly out of form Thornaby Nash will strike in the 8.50 at Wetherby for David O’Meara.
Royal Ascot - Saturday 20th June 2015
Had a great visit to the final day of the Royal meeting - a feast of top quality races during which I managed to back the unfancied Snow Sky in the Hardwicke Stakes, then followed this up with Oriental Fox's stunning performance in the Queen Alexandra Stakes for Mark Johnston’s second winner of the week with a beautifully timed ride by Joe Fanning.
Royal Ascot Friday tips
Not a great day again, so I won’t blame you at all if you’re sceptical about my Ascot tips - I’ll just keep on trying. There were a couple of placed horses today, Scottish and Kingfisher for the imperious Ryan Moore, Simenon made a great late run in the Gold Cup, and the Ballydoyle horses seem to be in electric form after a fairly indifferent start to the season.
Can Ryan Moore keep up the winning form? - yes, to an extent. Hootenany will bring him the record tomorrow - the USA horse is a speedster and I can’t see anything else defeating this overseas raider in the 3.40. Fellow overseas raider Ervedya is my tip for the Coronation Stakes. The other races are more open affairs - Astronereus ticks all the boxes in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes - he’s up 7lb for his Newmarket mile win but he looks the type crying out for a stiffer test. Would be great to see a female trainer winning a race - cmon Amanda Perrett! Great value at 10-1. Future Empire is my pick in the 5:35 - he ticks all the stats boxes, and with James Doyle on board I think Saeed Bin Suroor is due a winner too. Back to the start of the meeting - Mick Channon’s Jersey Breeze looks the type to flourish in the Albany Stakes where big price winners tend to land the prize - the same is true for Mark Johnston's Fireglow - again the Scottish trainer has had a relatively quiet week and is due some more winners. May the sun continue to shine and your punting brings you profit!
Willie Mullins’s tough nut Simenon is my fav tip for the Ascot Gold Cup. With James Doyle on board, and the ground not suiting favourite Forgotten Rules, I reckon the jump trainer’s horse will have what it takes to win the biggest race of Royal Ascot.
Peacock, with Richard Hughes on board, goes in the Tercentenary Stakes (3.05 p.m.) at Royal Ascot on Thursday. Do it for the old Queen, Hughsie!
Ascot Ladies Day Tips
Richard Hannon’s PuttingPrrrrrp!!! Wednesday was a Black Wednesday for me with zero winners. So far having a desolate time of it at the Royal Ascot Meeting (with added joy at the prospect of showers on my visit this coming Saturday!) However, we soldier ever on (given that you may simply laugh at my punts and expense - I like to think I’m keeping the bookies in employment).
Anyways, missing out the tight looking Norfolk Stakes at 2.30, my first tip is Peacock in the 3.05. Rock solid form for her majesty’s horse, along with a notable second to Golden Horn in the Fielden stakes. Can’t decide between 3 pairs of horses in the remaining races - first in the Gold Cup its Kingfisher (AP O’Brien’s horses looking very classy and well prepped this week) OR Simeon, Willie Mullin’s gutsy performer - both good value at 8-1 and 10-1 respectively It’s also Ryan Moore versus James Doyle - should be a cracker!!! (p.s. even though I’m winning nothing - I’m still enjoying the racing which is what it’s all about).
In the Britannia Stakes at 5.00 p.m., I fancy John Gosden’s Malaf, along with Mark Johnston’s Resonant. With only two favourites winning in the last 15 years, this affair is wide open. Both horses are weighted well, are drawn low and high, and I’m expecting a large priced Johnston horse to bag this type of race at some point in the week. I also anticipate that an experienced trainer like John Gosden wouldn’t enter a horse like Malaf for his first run on turf unless he had every confidence - with this race often going to lightly raced, recently progressive types like Robert Hlavin’s ride. With both horse at around 20-1 these are great value EW bets.
Finally in the handicap King George V Stakes your looking for a horse carrying no more than 9 stone and who’ve been placed or won their last race. Only one clear favourite has won in the last thirteen years. There’s a clutch of likely types but Andrew Balding’s Scottish and Richard Hannon’s Putting Green fit the bill perfectly at 8-1 and 18-1 respectively - worth a punt on both. Major competition could come from Dissolution, Belgrade and Marma’s Boy - I’d never discount a horse like Mark Johnston’s Yorkidding with Silvestra de Souza on board.
Wednesday Royal Ascot
After a memorable first day when Solow impressed, Gleneagles looked imperious in a relatively weak St.James Palace Stakes (what chance of a dual on the downs in the Sussex stakes at Glorious Goodwood?) - some nice seconds and thirds from Air Force Blue and Muthmir and a lay bet on Sole Power in the King’s Stand Stakes.
Tomorrow offers a cornucopia of punting conundrums and possibilities - first tip is Richard Hannon’s mega-progressive Tupi - as mega-progressive as Steve Hillage meeting King Crimson in musical terms! There are two value bets in the Queen Mary Stakes - Mark Johnston's Rah Rah and Mick Channon's Kassia. The progressive Euro Charline gets the nod in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, and the much under-rated but improving Western Hymn following his gelding in the tight Prince of Wales Stakes.
Spark Plug's turn of foot impressed in his last outing, and the horse seems to have matured in its win in the Planteur Handicap in Newbury in May - he was easing up over the line as GM Hopkins pressed hard for second. Mondialiste is also a good value bet at around 25-1 in the Royal Hunt Cup. Finally, there's a treble delight in the Sandringham Stakes with Always Smile warranting his favourite tag (although statistics are against Saeed Bin Suroor's horse) - with Realtra and Charlie Hills's Hundi worthy of each way bets.
Later on in the day there's a trio of Mark Johnston horses running at Hamilton - Galesburg, Sprit of Wedza and Cassande, with other choice punts in the form of Kevin Ryan's Bint Aldar and David Nicholls Orion's Bow also in attendance to contest. A day of punting heaven!