Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
In case you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend this trailer for the forthcoming film Being AP, about our very own, recently retired champion jump jockey. It looks like being an absolute belter on the strength of this little preview. No release date has yet been confirmed but if any of you are expecting to be at the Toronto Film Festival next month, I gather it will be shown there.
This is one of those days where you have to guess the weather before guessing the horses. Weather warnings in place suggest rain may be “torrential” in localised areas as thunderstorms move north from France but most people are going to be luckier than that and get maybe 2mm or so during the day.
Salisbury was fast enough to produce a course record time yesterday, so I’m betting it remains on the fast side there by this afternoon. In any event, Kodi Bear (4.25) coped well enough with some give to run second in the Dewhurst and he looks the standout talent in today’s Sovereign Stakes, the Group Three highlight of Salisbury’s year, for which he is 5-2.
Kodi Bear took time to be readied this year but showed renewed promise in landing a Listed race at Windsor on fast ground in late June. On the back of that, he was stepped up to a French Group One but things did not work out well for him, as he ran too free after setting off in front with a couple of others. He still ran on to be fourth, easily best of those who were to the fore early.
He’s short of Group One class but closer to it than those he meets here and with the potential for better to come. Gerald Mosse, who has won a couple of Group Ones for Kodi Bear’s trainer, Clive Cox, has been fetched over to take the ride for the first time.
At 7-2 in the closing handicap, I also like Irish Hawke (5.25), who looks nicely handicapped if you allow yourself to consider the improvement he ought to make for a bit more experience and this step up in trip. He is nicely bred and comes from the Luca Cumani stable that does so well with stayers.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Gworn 4-1
Bishop’s Leap 4-1
Ingleby Spring 22-1
Tuesday
Scurr Mist 13-2
Sixties Sue 7-2
Clary 5-1
Wednesday
Journey 33-1
Peterhouse 5-2
New Strategy 6-4
And our leader is …
jakebuckfast +14
… even though he hasn’t had a winner since Monday. Jake can’t use the tickets on offer this week, so Knottlamag and Mai11 are sitting pretty in second on +3. No one found Journey, even though a John Gosden-trained daughter of Dubawi is never a bad option for a decent midweek prize.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.55 Salisbury, 4.25 Salisbury, 6.15 Lingfield.
This week’s prize, generously offered by Beverley racecourse, is a pair of Premier enclosure tickets for their weekend’s racing on Saturday 29 AND Sunday 30 August. The Saturday card features some of Britain’s fastest horses in the Beverley Bullet, while the Sunday is a laid-back occasion, featuring a beer and folk music festival, with funfair rides and face painting for any children needing entertainment. 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.
