Wednesday’s best bets, by Greg Wood
It was only about a week ago when this evening’s Punchestown Gold Cup was expected to be the race of the season.
Since then, Don Cossack, the Gold Cup winner, has suffered a potentially career-ending tendon injury while Vautour, the Ryanair Chase winner, was re-routed to Tuesday’s two-mile chase, which leaves it looking very open for Cue Card, the sole remaining member of last week’s Big Three, to sweep through County Kildare and add another £100,000 or so to his career earnings.
Cue Card is priced at around 8-15 for the race, and while there are some decent chasers lined up against him, they all have second-tier chances that depend on something going seriously wrong for the favourite.
Last month’s Gold Cup apart, Cue Card’s fencing has always been reliable, and though he has had a long season, there is no obvious reason to think that he has had enough racing for now. He beat Don Poli by a comfortable nine lengths at Aintree last month, might well be unbeaten in five starts were it not for his fall at Cheltenham and Cue Card (5.30) can be relied upon – as much as you can ever rely on any horse – to give his running. The one slight concern is that he ran a little below form in this race 12 months ago, but he is a much better chaser all round this season and should set himself up for another campaign towards the Gold Cup later in the year.
The main race at Punchestown is a good deal less interesting than it promised to be, but the three-mile Grade One for novices is a fascinating contest which pits Harry Whittington’s Emerging Force (4.55) against Bellshill, from the Willie Mullins stable, and several more excellent novices.
Whittington, who lost his recent Grade One winner Arzal to an injury on Tuesday, stands every chance of adding another Grade One to his record, while Moon Racer, last year’s Champion Bumper winner at Cheltenham, makes his first start since in the card’s Grade One bumper. An intriguing field lines up against him, including the unbeaten Aspen Colorado (6.05), who is trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by his daughter Sarah. Moon Racer is favourite but he is a short price for a horse without a run this season and Aspen Colorado could be the one to back.
There is a good Flat card at Ascot this afternoon, where C Note (3.55) is well worth a bet at around 11-2 in the Pavilion Stakes. Martyn Meade’s colt does not leap off the page in the manner of Washington DC, the obvious favourite from the Aidan O’Brien stable, but his recent win at Leicester was a very decent performance on the clock and after two runs, he should have plenty more to come. GM Hopkins (4.30) loves this track and trip while Suegioo (3.20) is a fair each-way bet at around 12-1 for the Sagaro Stakes.
Tipping competition, day three
Our winners so far:
Monday
Funding Deficit 7-1
Fort Del Oro 13-8
Weetles 3-1
Tuesday
Good Luck Charm 7-2
Maoi Chinn Tire 16-1
Zabana 7-2
And our leader is:
goodfellow1 +22.13
… who has had four of the six winners so far, including Maoi Chinn Tire and Zabana. In a high-scoring week, here are some other fine efforts so far: chris1623 +21.50, dlk1107 +21.50, AndieAndson +19.50, GForce1 +19.50, kmill68 +19, Geoff Staddon +19, DrClaw +19.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.20 Ascot, 4.15 Pontefract, 4.30 Ascot.
This week’s prize is a belter. It’s a copy of Timeform’s latest annual, Racehorses of 2015, a 1,000-page brick reviewing every horse trained in Britain that ran last year, with extended essays on the best of them, lavishly illustrated with photos and sure to be an item for any racing fan to treasure. If you don’t win, you can buy it here … for £79!
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 -6.
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.
