Friday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
The ground at Newbury remains good-to-firm after a dry night ahead of this afternoon’s seven-race card, and with the going soft at Haydock and a few showers possible, the Berkshire track could be the one to focus on today.
Miss Infinity (3.40) is a little weak in the market this morning for the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes for juveniles, with the punters preferring Simon Crisford’s runner Mokarris. He certainly looked like a very promising two-year-old on his debut at Haydock in May, but beat only two home in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Miss Infinity, by contrast, has shown more consistency in her three runs to date while improving for each outing, and stepped up again when she made all the running to win at Haydock on 30 June. The ground was good-to-soft that day, but she ran well enough on a faster surface on her debut to suggest quicker ground will not be an issue, and the times of her last two starts both suggest that if she gets away to a good start, she will be very hard to catch.
Ruscombe (3.05) got off the mark when dropped back to an extended 10 furlongs on her second start at Doncaster last month, having finished third on her debut over a mile-and-a-half. She looked very much as if she will be more at home over further, however, and she should continue to progress when she steps up to a mile and five furlongs today.
If there is a bet on the Haydock card it is probably Toulson (4.55) in the mile maiden towards the end of the card. Eve Johnson Houghton’s runner showed a lot of promise to finish second on debut and makes more appeal at the prices than Fastnet Tempest, the likely favourite.
Dutch Destiny should also go well in the six-furlong handicap after her strong performance when second to Guishan in a well-run Newmarket handicap on 23 June, while Joules (2.55) is the pick of the card at Nottingham.
Tipping competition, day five
Our winners so far:
Monday
Shamson 7-2
Royal Duchess 12-1
Prendergast Hill 4-1
Tuesday
Bernisdale 8-1
Final 11-4
Cabal 17-2
Wednesday
Best Trip 6-1
Majeed 8-1
Proctor 6-1
Thursday
Mont Ormel 179-10
Decorated Knight 9-4
Brazos 8-1
And our leader is:
chris1623 +25.25
… who continued his excellent week with Decorated Knight, making it at least one winner each day for him so far. Other good scores: Toptrapper +15.90, AndieAndson +13, factormax +10.15, ID0330506 +8, Mulldog +6.50, kmill68 +6, Bonzodrongo +4, kentay58 +4.
For today’s thrilling climax, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.30 Nottingham, 4.15 Newbury, 7.50 Newmarket.
This week’s prize is a pair of tickets to Ascot to see the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday 23 July. Our most prestigious all-aged Flat race could bring together Postponed and Hawkbill this time. The tickets, generously offered by the Queen’s track, are for the Winning Post Enclosure, which, as the name suggests, will get you very close to the action. If you don’t win, you can buy tickets here.
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. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today but you will start on -12.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day (TODAY).
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
