Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
Epsom’s clerk of the course reports that the Surrey track has missed the worst of the rain that has hit Britain in the past 12 hours. Andrew Cooper tweeted just before 10am that 5mm had fallen at Epsom, with some more to come this morning. He expects the going to remain good at the end of today.
Steady but not torrential rain @EpsomRacecourse since 8am has so far generated about 5mm. Looks more to come during the morning then easing.
— Andrew Cooper (@ACooperClerk) May 31, 2016
The forecast for that part of the world remains cool and damp for the rest of the week but no significant rainfall is expected. On that basis, the word soft will be nowhere in the going description for either Friday’s Oaks or Saturday’s Derby, which counts as bad news for the connections of Harzand and Algometer.
This looks a tricky betting day, partly because of the type of racing on offer and partly because going descriptions are all for fast ground just now – but there is plenty of rain around that could change things before early afternoon. So I’ve picked out just a couple of long shots who might run above their odds.
In the penultimate race at Leicester, Oeil De Tigre (5.00) is on offer at 25-1, having failed to win since the end of 2013, when he was trained in his native France. However, he hasn’t had that many runs since joining Tony Carroll the following summer, since when he has been dropped 22lb and runs today in the lowest value race of his career.
His effort to be third at Newmarket last spring suggested he can win from this kind of mark when things fall right and he would undoubtedly have needed his recent return to action. With Carroll among the winners lately, Oeil De Tigre is interesting. He needs the ground not to be good to firm, as currently described, but there is supposedly rain on the way.
In the very last race of the day, Eland Ally (9.10 at Wolverhampton) is 20-1, despite having won over the course and distance when he last raced at the track, in March. He has flopped on turf in his two runs since then but his overall record on turf has been dismal. If he can return to form now that he is back on Tapeta, with the promising Josephine Gordon aboard for the first time, those odds will look silly.
Tipping competition – a new week
Congratulations to 72luca, who won last week’s competition on a final score of +14.50, despite a winnerless Friday. Winners at 16-1 and 12-1 were found by a handful of people that day but all had been too far back to catch the eventual winner.
This week’s prize, kindly offered by William Hill, is a £50 bet on Saturday’s Derby!
To kick things off, we’d like your selections, please, for these races: 5.00 Leicester, 6.20 Lingfield, 7.50 Lingfield.
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.
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.
