Today's best bets, by Chris Cook
M'colleague Greg Wood has written here today with his usual authority about TV coverage of the Derby and I notice the first person to comment has suggested turning it into an all-aged race with no weight-for-age allowances! Can you imagine? Anyone from racing's establishment who reads that will still be shuddering when the Epsom race comes round next summer.
I can see a case for ditching weight-for-age in Group One races but opening up the Derby to older horses really would kill its identity. It's a three-year-old championship and must remain so, whether we watch it on the BBC or Sky.
There's not much danger of a bidding war for the rights to today's handicap chase for conditional jockeys at Fakenham. It's one of those races where, at first glance, you think none of the runners can win, but the significant fact is that Great Tsar (3.00) is having his first run for Tim Vaughan, who has an uncanny ability to win with horses that others have failed with.
In some cases, it seems clear that Vaughan has simply pinched a talented beast from someone who doesn't know what they're doing, but I wouldn't have put Charlie Longsdon in that category and Longsdon had no luck in 19 attempts with Great Tsar from December 2007 to April this year. Still, I feel sure that Vaughan will have found a way to improve this six-year-old and it wouldn't take much progress for him to win this. The market appears to agree, since he's a 7-4 shot.
His jockey, Dean Coleman, is basically in his second season but is storming along on a strike-rate of 18% and currently lies ahead of Ruby Walsh, Rhys Flint and Sam Thomas in the jockeys' table, thanks to Vaughan. Over time, we will see if he's really that good or if he's getting a lot of help from his mounts, but he promises much.
It would be a mistake to get overexcited about the fact that Tom Taaffe has sent a couple of runners to Fakenham from his base in County Kildare. Taaffe is not a regular visitor to these shores and the temptation is always to think: 'Well, they won't have come over for the fresh air,' but his record at minor British tracks is poor. Over the last five years, he's sent three to Market Rasen, two to Sedgefield and one each to Kelso and Fontwell, all without success. His only victories have been in major races with Kicking King and Finger Onthe Pulse.
Still, I'm drawn to his Stretch The Truth (3.30) in the closing novice handicap hurdle. This one was clear two-out at Punchestown last time but tied up on soft ground. The going today will be more like it was when he won at Ballinrobe in September and 4-1 is quite attractive.
The favourite is Weststern, which is a bit surprising, since you'd normally expect punters to be put off by the presence in the saddle of a 10lb claimer.
The most interesting race at Folkestone is the mares' handicap hurdle, in which Itea Du Fau has her first run since joining Alan King from France. I get the impression that the trainer thinks this one is well handicapped, but the yard are still some way from peak form and this may be one to watch without an interest – particularly as one of her rivals is another ex-French runner, Chocolat, from the Emma Lavelle yard that nearly beat King's Bensalem at Plumpton yesterday.
Tipping competition, day two
A deeply impressive performance from MrPositive yesterday, hitting all three winners at 8-1, 9-2 and 5-2. But history says it will be no easy task to hang on for the whole week and a third of his rivals got off the mark yesterday.
This week's prize is a copy ofTurn Me On Guv, a collection of funny and weird stories from the racing world, put together by Marcus Armytage, who rode Mr Frisk to win the 1990 Grand National. It's the ultimate book for your downstairs loo, according to this blurb.
Today, we'd like your tips, please, for these races: 2.40 Folkestone, 3.00 Fakenham, 3.50 Southwell.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. New entrants are welcome today but you must start on -3
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
Standings after day one
MrPositive +15
millreef +6
xwireman +6
Mai11 +6
dickthebutcher +2.50
hkr105 +0.50
TheVic +0.50
slackdad38 +0.50
Harrytheactor +0.50
FinsburyPark +0.50
factormax +0.50
15244 +0.50
Memopad +0.50
sandiuk +0.50
stee33 +0.50
MrWinnersSonInLaw +0.50
Renzofan +0.50
mike65ie -3
emmapathak -3
coma88 -3
tom1977 -3
shears39 -3
gashead1105 -3
johne5knuckle -3
fatdeano -3
melonk -3
suckzinclee -3
TeddyFrost -3
socialwanderer -3
chiefhk -3
cloudy75 -3
goofs -3
paulusthewoodgnome -3
MillieJ -3
Moscow08 -3
fleety3001 -3
diegoisgod -3
WalthamstowLad -3
MatthewHargreaves -3
Smidster -3
lasramblas -3
Hotspur61 -3
JDK1 -3
Brochdoll -3
gmuller -3
23skidoo -3
Shrewdette -3
Farewell, then, Edward Woodward
How sad to see the good old Equalizer is no longer with us. Racing fans, hopefully, will not remember Woodward for being a virginal sacrifice on a remote Scottish island but as Josh Gifford here in Champions, a piece of casting almost as flattering as the time Pierce Brosnan played Edward O'Grady here.
3.05pm Great Tsar unseats Dean Coleman at the first
All that chatter about Tim Vaughan, and for what? Oh Mr Coleman, you'll have to do better than that if you're going to break into the big time. As Jim Bolger says, this game would tame lions.
3.45pm Support for Weststern proves accurate
The closer at Fakenham went to the money horse under Joe Akehurst. Stretch The Truth was building up a head of steam on the run to the last, but then ran into it rather than over it and finished fifth. I don't think he'd have quite caught the winner in any case. He looks a rangy sort who'd be more suited by a galloping track but his form doesn't read that way.
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