Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
There’s an interesting piece of journalism by Bill Barber in today’s Racing Post, exploring the £6m debt owed by British Champions Series to the rest of British racing. You can read it by clicking this link.
What made me feel a bit queasy is that the plans for repaying the debt are so vague as to sound a lot like wishful thinking. One of the creditors (Ascot) has already written off £446,000 of the debt that was owed to it.
Now, any bold new enterprise is bound to have startup costs and I understand that a business cannot be run along the lines of domestic economy. The aim of the Champions Series was to give us a proper climax to the British Flat season with prize money that could compete with similar events around the world. The investment was bound to be long-term, with no quick profit in view.
Still, I wonder if the extent of this debt suggests that £4m in prize money for Saturday’s racing at Ascot is on the extravagant side? Looking at the horses who have been declared, could we not have got the same fields for £3m? Or perhaps even £2m?
On Brighton’s heavy going today, I’m interested by Uganda Glory (4.10), whose only win came here last autumn on soft ground from a mark just 2lb lower. She also ran a fair race on soft at Windsor in the spring, when she was first home on what was probably the unfavoured part of the track up the stands’ rail. She would have needed her recent return to action at Wolverhampton. She’s 13-2.
More speculatively still, Bainne (4.40) may be a decent price at 16-1 in the following race. She comes from the Jeremy Gask yard that doesn’t get many winners and perhaps she is no longer capable of the form she showed in Ireland last year.
But she had good form on a testing surface over there and would be very well treated if back to that level of form after a summer break. The step up in distance should also help.
I’m a fan of Al Alfa (3.50), a 5-1 shot at Wincanton, and I think early in the autumn might be the right time to catch him. This exuberant jumper won on his reappearance last season and was unlucky not to follow up at this track last October, three lengths clear when slipping on landing four-out. Dangers abound, notably Daymar Bay, who should be better for a reappearance run, but Philip Hobbs’s chestnut appeals most.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Langley House 9-2
Brave Spartacus 7-2
Latin Charm 7-2
Tuesday
Top Billing 11-1
Lucky Lodge 8-1
No Win No Fee 6-1
Wednesday
Goodwood Mirage 8-1
Hidden Gold 4-1
Lady Tiana 4-1
And our leader is:
goofs +17
... who was already in front yesterday and then picked Goodwood Mirage, so he has reason to be grateful to Mr McCoy for riding such a strong finish that he managed to reinjure himself. Paragoncup (+11.60) lies second.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.20 Wincanton, 3.50 Wincanton, 5.00 Uttoxeter.
This week’s prize is a copy of Timeform’s Chasers & Hurdlers 2013/14, the treasured annual from the long-established ratings firm, retailing at £75 and running to more than 1,000 pages. Each horse that ran last season is described and rated, while there are extended essays on 80 or so of the bigger names, in which Timeform’s writers reflect on the talking points thrown up by the last 12 months. If you don’t win this excellent prize, you can buy it 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 -9.
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!
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