Thursday’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Thanks for some very thoughtful and thought-provoking responses to the Charles Byrnes story on yesterday’s Talking Horses. The news this morning is that the Irish Turf Club intend to probe what happened at Roscommon on Tuesday night, despite the decision of the raceday stewards to take no action.
“We will look into it further,” said the Club’s chief executive, Denis Egan, “but the stewards on the night did conduct two improvement-in-form inquiries and examined videos of those horses’ previous runs and were happy with the action they took.”
Bop It (3.20), at Haydock, is the interesting runner today. Three times a winner from eight visits to this track, the seven-year-old is 10lb below the rating from which he won races in 2013 and 2014.
After a year with Geoffrey Oldroyd, he’s back with David O’Meara and went down by just a head in a big field at York last time. The blinkers are back on for the first time since September. When they were fitted for the first time, they helped him win this race 12 months ago. All in all, the stars are lining up nicely for this one, for all that it’s a competitive race. There’s 4-1 available.
A couple of short prices interest elsewhere. At Yarmouth, Luca Cumani’s Pacharana (3.10) ought to be able to follow up her course and distance success of a fortnight ago, just her second run in a handicap after soft ground had been against her the time before. She’s 15-8.
Frontiersman (7.20) is 11-8 but still appeals in a small field at Sandown tonight. A Dubawi half-brother to Australia, he makes his handicap debut off a mark of 90 after a convincing Newbury success. He was still green then, on his second start, and ought to have lots more improvement in him. He comes here instead of trying the rather more ambitious Great Voltigeur in a fortnight’s time.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Snap Shots 7-2
Goring 18-1
Moonlightnavigator 5-4
Tuesday
Project Bluebook 6-4
Master Dancer 9-2
Firmament 9-2
Wednesday
Cricklewood Green 12-1
Ralphy Boy 11-4
Little Voice 7-1
And our leader is:
Mulldog +8.25
… who had Little Voice AND Ralphy Boy as well as Firmament earlier in the week.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.30 Brighton, 3.50 Haydock, 7.55 Sandown.
This week’s prize is a pair of County Enclosure tickets to York for the last day of their Ebor festival, Saturday 20 August, when the Ebor itself is the feature race. As well as the famous old handicap, you’ll also see the Gimcrack Stakes for flying two-year-olds. It’s a great day out at one of our most popular tracks. 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 -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!
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
