11.30am Park back for Champions Day with aim to stay in training
Tony Paley: Andrew Balding is aiming Elm Park at Champions Day in October and has stated that his runner will be kept in training as a four-year-old next season.
Having won the Royal Lodge and Racing Post Trophy last season, he went into the winter as one of the favourites for the Derby and was not disgraced behind Golden Horn and Jack Hobbs in the Dante at York on his first outing this term.
However, he found the ground too quick at Epsom and Balding has given him plenty of time to recover.
“I’m really happy with him,” the Kingsclere handler told At The Races. “He’s doing his two four-furlong canters a day and when we get a drop of rain we’ll get him on the grass and go from there. I would have thought he’d be ready mid-September. He’s got a couple of engagements on Champions Day [Champion Stakes and the QEII] and that will be the aim. I think, for sure, he’ll stay in training. He was a Group One winner at two and we haven’t even scratched the surface this year, so I think there’ll be every chance he’ll stay in training next year.”
Tuesday’s best bets, by Tony Paley
Serenity Now! Serenity Now! Fans of the programme Seinfeld will recognise Frank’s plaintive cry from the famous The Serenity Now episode. For a long time the connections of Serenity Now (the horse) were getting very little of what Frank craved. However, the excellent Brian Ellison has seemingly found the key now and his charge is running better than ever. Going up 4lb for his latest victory at Southwell is unlikely to stop Serenity Now (6.45) at Nottingham tonight.
In the next race on the Colwick Park card, Desert Law (7.15) has been found an ideal race to regain winning ways. The selection will love the fast conditions and has been in excellent form of late in tough handicaps.
Tipping competition, day two
Our winners so far:
Monday
Gworn 4-1
Bishop’s Leap 4-1
Ingleby Spring 22-1
And our leader is ...
jakebuckfast +20
… being the only person to pick Ingleby Spring and now possessed of an 18-point lead over the 13 of you who had one or other of the 4-1 winners.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.50 Carlisle, 6.15 Nottingham, 6.30 Ffos Las.
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 -3.
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.
