Thursday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
The draw was made this morning for the Ayr Gold Cup on Saturday, the big betting race of the weekend and one of the most significant all year, with the mood towards high numbers as trainers received 60 seconds each to pick a stall for their runners.
Highland Colori was first out, with Andrew Balding opting for stall 19 for the 2013 winner of the race, a box which has provided two winners and a runner-up in the last three years, while the ante-post favourite Don’t Touch, unbeaten in four starts and successful off a mark of 96 at Ripon last time, emerged from the hat much later in the proceedings and ended up in stall eight. He was the first three-year-old to win the Great St Wilfrid Handicap for 16 years and remains the only runner at a single-figure price, but there will still be a great many very plausible alternatives to get the punter’s brains whirring ahead of Saturday’s race.
More immediately, the first day of Ayr’s Western meeting kicks off at 1.20, and Our Time Will Come (2.25) is the most attractive bet on the card at around 11-2. John Quinn’s three-year-old has won two of her three starts already this season but remains unexposed at 10 furlongs and could find enough improvement to overcome a 5lb rise for her latest win at Beverley.
Rocco’s Delight (2.55) and Majestic Manannan (4.00) also have strong claims at Ayr, while French Press (7.20) is the obvious pacemaker in the six-furlong sprint handicap at Chelmsford and could get his own way up front.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Spending Time 9-2
Great Expectations 12-1
Perfect Pastime 9-1
Tuesday
Willsy 100-30
Scoreline 9-1
Star Ascending 12-1
Wednesday
Threave 7-1
Talmada 7-2
La Superba 5-1
And our leader is still …
TheVic +14
… who had the 7-1 shot Threave yesterday. 23Skidoo, who also found that winner, is on +12.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.45 Pontefract, 2.55 Ayr and 3.30 Ayr.
This week’s prize is a copy of Paul Ferguson’s newly published Jumpers To Follow 2015-16, since we’re approaching the core jumps season. Now in its ninth year, the annual focuses on Ferguson’s 40 best prospects, with many additional features and a foreward from the trainer Jamie Snowden. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy 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.
