Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I have made many a complaint about the instinctive secrecy and galloping paranoia that so hampers the British Horseracing Authority in its work. It has to be acknowledged that, in the time of Nick Rust, there has been some progress in opening up to greater scrutiny; the types of disciplinary hearing which are open to the press have been greatly increased, for example, and, until this year, we would not have been allowed into a hearing like the David Evans one on Monday.
Still, it can’t be right that the BHA apparently took aspects of that case out of the disciplinary hearing and proposes instead to deal with them in the much more private arena of its licensing team. When I asked them yesterday why Evans had not been quizzed about taking enhanced odds from Ladbrokes, their response seemed very weak to me: that the hearing was about his betting activity but not his relationship with Ladbrokes, which is something their licensing team may now discuss with the trainer. Or not.
Why is that a useful distinction to make? When we’ve got a trainer in the room, answering questions because his betting activity has broken rules, is it not an excellent time to explore the fact that another aspect of that same activity is in breach of his licence? Especially in view of the fact that losing that licence was already a possible consequence of the hearing.
I see two possibilities: the BHA would rather deal in private with things like trainers taking enhanced odds because that avoids scrutiny and the risk of negative headlines. Or the BHA has fallen out of the habit of enforcing those licensing conditions and failed to quiz Evans on the subject because it simply hadn’t occurred to them.
Has any trainer ever been carpeted by the BHA specifically for suspected breach of the relevant licensing condition, which bans them from taking special concessions from bookmakers? If so, I don’t know of it and I’d be glad to hear from the ruling body on the subect.
To Musselburgh, where I have the in-form Sandy Thomson and Rachael McDonald down for a double. Buckled (12.45) is 2-1 for the opener, in which he tries to follow up a career best effort at Kelso 11 days ago. The sound surface is a help to him.
In the last, Blue Kascade (3.30) has more than halved in price from the opening 13-2 to 3-1. He’s 3lb below the mark from which he won over course and distance in this month last year and, having then lost his form, now returns from a six-month break, with the market speaking most encouragingly about his prospects.
In between, I may risk a few coins at 100-1 on Boy’s On Tour (1.50), who has been a bit of a loony so far but now gets a hood for the first time and comes from the Lucinda Russell yard that has hit form since he last ran. He blew himself out on his hurdling debut by towing his way to the front but this drop back in trip will help and he could be dangerous if he actually does drop the bit this time.
Nottingham has a few of those interesting backend maidens today and the market prefers Glencadam Master to John Gosden’s other debutant in the same race, Corelli (1.40). This presumably has a bit to do with jockey bookings, as Rab Havlin is on the jolly. But I remember a similar race from last autumn in which Dettori rode a 6-5 shot for Gosden into fourth place while Robert Tart scored at 25-1 on a stablemate, Tartini.
Tart gets the leg-up on 15-2 Corelli, who is closely related to a few good horses that Gosden has trained. Specifically, he is a half-brother to four who won first time out, including, goodness me, Tartini.
Tips for all Wednesday races
Nottingham
12.35 Burn Some Dust 1.05 Rhode Island 1.40 Corelli (nb) 2.15 Perfect Pasture 2.50 Van Gerwen 3.20 Ebitda 3.55 Shining Romeo
Musselburgh
12.45 Buckled (nap) 1.15 Final Fling 1.50 Boy’s On Tour 2.25 Endeavour 3.00 Superior Command 3.30 Blue Kascade
Chepstow
12.55 Classico Dais 1.25 Vado Forte 2.00 Muffins For Tea 2.35 Gowiththeflow 3.10 Red Rising 3.40 Daklondike 4.15 Good Boy Bobby
Kempton
4.40 Espadrille 5.10 Bubble And Squeak 5.40 Light Relief 6.10 Lady Of Aran 6.40 Alqamar 7.10 Our Kim 7.40 Casemates Square 8.10 Warba
