2.55pm Fakenham abandons Tuesday’s planned meeting
Tony Paley: The scheduled jumps fixture at Fakenham on Tuesday has been abandoned owing to a waterlogged track. After 14 millimetres of rain overnight on Sunday course officials called an inspection on Monday afternoon and the decision was taken to abandon the meeting due to unsafe and false areas of ground due to excessive rain.
The course tweeted: “Racing tomorrow is abandoned due to excessive rain. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. Our next meet is on 28th Jan 2016.”
11.45am Newcastle’s Wednesday meeting latest to be abandoned
Tony Paley: Wednesday’s meeting at Newcastle failed an inspection on Monday and has been abandoned. The Gosforth Park track was hit by heavy rain during last week and prospects were already considered bleak ahead of Monday’s look.
Meanwhile, officials at Fakenham have called an inspection for 2pm on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s meeting. The ground is reported to be heavy following 14 millimetres of rain on Sunday night. Further rain is forecast during Monday, prompting the check on conditions in the afternoon.
Leicester, where the course is currently waterlogged in paces, will inspect on Tuesday at 8am ahead of their scheduled Thursday fixture.
Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Ach, how dreadful to find ourselves confronted with David Bowie’s obituary this morning. And he was only 69, younger than I’d have guessed, too young to be going, though he certainly packed a bit into those years.
Whenever there’s a significant passing, I find myself reflexively scanning through that day’s runners to see who might be an appropriate winner at such a time. It would be a rotten gambling method and is not much of a tribute but it’s the sort of thing you do when you think about horse racing every day.
We only have two cards, so options are limited. Light From Mars in the 4.10 at Kempton was the name that jumped out at me, not being many letters away from a familiar Bowie song that, to be honest, I don’t listen to any more because it’s just too downbeat.
Anyway, take your protein pills and put your helmet on, it’s time to make a semi-serious assessment of the day’s sand racing. Effusive (1.50) is the day’s nap as she tries to win Wolverhampton’s fillies’ handicap under a penalty, but the case for her does not take much explaining, as odds of 5-4 make clear.
I had to work harder to see possibilities in The Fenland Man (12.45), a 20-1 shot in the opener. A half-brother to a horse that won off 80 last spring, this five-year-old put up an improved effort in his third maiden last month, running third on his first start for a year.
It’s a pity the cheekpieces have been left off today but there will be more to come from this one at some point, if not here, and Rob Hornby is one of the better apprentices involved. Perhaps he’ll be our star man.
At Kempton, I like 11-2 about Guards Chapel (2.00), a course and distance winner from the in-form Gary Moore yard. He’s been running well over hurdles this winter and still looks fairly treated on the all-weather, though his late-finishing style probably means he’ll trade bigger than 11-2 in running. His main rival, Flighty Filia, is an eight-times-raced maiden who was outbattled in her last two starts, though clearly the betting market expects her to be a hero, just for one day.
Tipping competition - a new week
Congratulations to royal1scot, who held on to win last week’s competition on a final score of +21.25. Friday may have been marginally uncomfortable for him, as significant late headway was made by orso (+18.50), Blitzwing (+17.38), wiggy12 (+16.25) AND moidadem (+14.75).
We have three pairs of premier enclosure tickets to Ascot a week on Saturday (23 January) for Clarence House Chase day, which may feature a clash between Un De Sceaux and Sire De Grugy if we all keep our fingers crossed. Two pairs of tickets for this week’s prize have come from web sports betting community OLBG (here’s a link to their website) and one pair from Ascot themselves. “With a prize fund of £125,000 the race is a vital stepping-stone to the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival,” Ascot’s website explains. You can read more and buy tickets here.
To kick things off, we would like your selections, please, for these races: 4.00 Wolverhampton, 4.10 Kempton, 4.40 Kempton.
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.
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.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
