SLIGO

Is it just the one reader from Sligo or are there more ?, i see you lurking in n out but rarely say owt..so i just thought thought id say HI ;-)

Race Card and Musings from Sandown..

Having highlighted a few elsewhere over on the FB page i thought i should have a little update and post a brief Card here and i would like to say Hi to my Nascar regulars from the good ol US of A as we do have a handful of regulars from across the pond..so to all you Yanks , Howdy ;-)
Sandown in Brief....

RACE 1
BACK - HOT SECRET - UNP
EW - VECTIS - UNP
LONGSHOT - N/A

_______________________________________________
RACE 2

BACK - IRISH BOY -
EW - TOM SAWYER - 1ST @ 4.78
LONGSHOT - LIBERAL LADY -

_______________________________________________
RACE 3

BACK - RANGI ** -
EW - HILLSTAR -
LONGSHOT - HAVANNA BEAT - 2nd @ 58.80 ( beaten a HD )

_______________________________________________
RACE 4

BACK - SPACESHIP -
EW - INAUGURAL -
LONGSHOT - LIONHEART - 3rd @ 7.55

_______________________________________________
RACE 5

BACK - POSTSCRIPT - 1st @ 4.0
EW - DEVDAS - 3rd @ 7.50
LONGSHOT - NEWTON LODGE** -

_______________________________________________
RACE 6

BACK - MERRY JAUNT -
EW - SHAWKA -
LONGSHOT - FULNEY - 1st @ 4.20

_______________________________________________
RACE 7

BACK - RHAGORI - 1st @ 3.55
EW - KAAFEL - 2nd @ 9.74
LONGSHOT - OPERATION TRACER -

_______________________________________________

Supporting my great German Friends ;-)

by Black Forest Games

 Offenburg, Germany 

 Video Games

• Embed

Jump, dash and twirl through a dual dreamscape and warp it at will. For PC.

• Launched: Jul 30, 2012
• Funding ends: Aug 31, 2012
• Remind Me

PLAY OUR DEMO!

Subtitled version of the Kickstarter video on YouTube (EN/DE/FR)

Gameplay video on YouTube

Visit us on Facebook!

Project Giana is the grandchild of The Great Giana Sisters, a Super Mario Bros clone made by the now-deceased founder of our company in the eighties. Of course, Nintendo didn’t like that, and the sisters got pulled off the shelves. That’s ancient history now, and, in an ironic twist, a legit Giana game was released for the DS in 2009. That was a pretty awesome move from Nintendo, and we’re grateful!

Project Giana derives its name from our protagonist, a little girl stuck in a dream world. The “Project” part is a placeholder – the final title will be determined during the final stage of our kickstarter, and will take your feedback into account. Our game will initially be released on PC, with later releases on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

So… why does this new project exist? For Giana’s twenty-fifth anniversary, we wanted to do something of our own, with full creative control and no “dumbing down”. Publishers tend to avoid titles they can’t groom for risk and profit, which is fair enough for a business, so we had to finance Giana ourselves.

We’ve stuck to the classic core gameplay, but we’ve also expanded it with something new. Don’t worry – it’s not a random idea out of the blue, but builds on the central theme of our heroine transforming from “cutie” to “punky” within a dream world. You can now switch between both forms at will – any time, anywhere, and each form has its own abilities.

But that’s only half of the story… whenever you transform, you’re actually warping the entire dream world! Cute Giana likes it spooky, thank you very much, and can lightly twirl over obstacles and enemies as long as the dream is sufficiently morbid. Flip to her candyland nightmare, and angry Punk Giana takes over, smashing anything fluffy that dares bar her way. The dream and nightmare worlds look, sound and behave differently, and morph between each other in real time, enabling all kinds of tricky maneuvers and bonus puzzly bits for secret areas.

Chris Hülsbeck’s classic soundtrack seamlessly transitions to Machinae Supremacy’s Giana homage and back again as you switch between dream and nightmare. Check them out in the gameplay video!

You can flip back and forth at will – there is no cooldown or cost.

You can dash or twirl even if you are in the wrong dream. If you do, the move will transform Giana and the world automatically.

Some elements radically change through twisting, allowing you to exploit them with clever timing.

Project Giana is nearing completion – we’ve got a running engine, smooth controls, twisty objects and monsters galore, and a bunch of finished levels. We’re currently designing, implementing and dressing more levels, tweaking and polishing completed ones, adding new enemies, objects and bosses, fixing bugs and finalizing the interface.

If all goes well, we’ll be releasing the game in October. But if things go really well, the release will take place one month later...  with lots of extra content! You won’t have to wait that long to try out the game, though – we’ll also be providing you with a playable level or two in August!

These reward previews are close to the final look. Some details may still change along the way.

As our pet project, Giana is being developed by a small, dedicated team. Project Giana doesn’t have a publisher, so the rest of the studio is taking on contract work to keep the ball rolling.

So, who are we? What does a company named Black Forest Games have to do with The Great Giana Sisters? Well, not too long ago, we were still called Spellbound. Spellbound was founded by a man named Armin Gessert, and that man made the original Giana game. Unfortunately, Spellbound went belly-up a few months ago, but we’re back on our feet with a new name. We're self-run now, with the most senior members of our studio at the helm (and that’s not just the management – we’ve got our top programmers and artists there too!)

On a brighter note, the composer of the original Giana music, Chris Hülsbeck, has joined us for Project Giana. With the support of the composer of the Giana Sisters DS music, Fabian Del Priore, he has been co-producing a special two-layered mirroring soundtrack together with the chiptune-centric metal band Machinae Supremacy. You can visit them underwww.huelsbeck.com, www.delpriore.de and machinaesupremacy.com.

The kick-off concept art for Project Giana was made by Pikomi, who was also part of the Giana DS team. Check out his awesome artwork atwww.pikomi.de!

Back in the day, we set aside a large chunk of our savings for Project Giana, but that took a hit from the insolvency. We had to re-buy most of our old assets, and we haven’t released a game as Black Forest Games yet that could cover the running costs.

The first thing we did was to head over to Kickst– wait. Actually, the first thing we did was to square our chins and approach a publisher, but the conditions weren’t... favorable. We could cut content, but to be honest, the game would be too short. We were about to shelve the game, hoping to complete it after releasing a paid project or two, but then the thought struck us – maybe people would already be interested in playing the game, and willing to pitch in? Project Giana’s budget would normally be too high for crowdfunding (barring the Kickstarter superstars), but we’re nearly done and would only need a fraction of the total to complete the game.

Worst case, if our project doesn’t reach the funding goal, you won’t have to pay your pledge and we’ll release Giana some other day, if we find a publisher with good conditions or save up enough money. But… should we hit our goal, we can afford another month of development right now, and complete the basic version of the game.

The basic version would give you:

A giant kraken boss in addition to the existing two, for a total of three.

An additional animated armor/skeletal owl enemy. The armor keeps watch and charges at you, while the skeletal owl keeps its distance and pelts you with bones.

Another missing enemy: the googly eye/spiked coffer. Flip the eye over and transform it to create a platform. Transforming back regenerates the eye! This would bring the number of enemies up to nine.

An enemy upgrade: owl helmets up the challenge and enable new bouncing tricks.

A whirling fan interactable object for extra-high twirls (and a total of a dozen interactable environmental elements).

Plus time attack mode and a total of sixteen levels.

We’ll be upfront: $150,000 is the minimum amount we’d require to complete a basic version of the game. The full version that we want to make would require a total of $250,000 to complete. That’s a sizable sum, but we think the game has what it takes for a chance of reaching this stretch goal.

Here’s what you’d get in the full version:

A new boss: the pirate/ninja owlverlord, for a total of four bosses

Two of the four new twisty creature pairs below (bringing the count up to eleven):

Watch out for rising bees and falling beetles when you twist! Exploit their different movement patterns to access new areas.

This fellow lurks on walls. The speedy gecko ups the challenge on wall jumps, while the slow, creeping slime has reach.

The snail's slippery trail and the spider's sticky webs… hazards or helpers?

The speedy skating penguin is difficult to hit and the slow, armored crab is nigh-indestructible… unless you catch them outside of their element.

Plus a geyser for explosive acrobatics, a hardcore game mode and a total of twenty levels.

We are very keen on getting the full version of the game done, so if we only reach the basic goal, we’ll poke publishers again to see whether they’re interested in investing after all. Chances are that thanks to the publicity you gave us, we’ll get better conditions this time around (like being able to keep our IP).

If we don’t find a publisher to close the gap, you’ll get the basic version as normal. But if we do, we’ll keep working on the game longer, and the full $250,000 version will be yours after all!

NEW - OUYA Version!

We've received a lot of requests about an OUYA port, and we can deliver! If we hit the stretch goal of $300,000, we will provide an OUYA version of Project Giana, to be released in the first half of 2013. More details as soon as we hear back from the OUYA team!

FAQ

• Will this game also be available for Mac, Linux or Wii?
• Will this game also be available on Steam? What about Steam keys for backers?
• Can I pledge if I dont live in the USA? What if I don't have a credit card?
• Will the game support the X360 controller?
• How many titles will the soundtrack have? How many from Chris Hülsbeck and MaSu? Can we get it in FLAC format?
• Is there a way to stop the music from switching? I prefer one of both music styles/find the transition jarring.
• I've already pledged for an exclusive tier, but you've added digital rewards to lower tiers! Can I get those as well?
• Can I get a second copy of the game? I'd like to make a gift to a friend/family member.
• The preview levels only worked with XInput (e.g. Xbox 360) controllers. Will that be the case for the final game?

Ask a question

Dont miss the Winners PART 11

Todays NAP of the day and race in focus Wins @ 8.20...BoooooooooooooM!!

Clint Smith

NEW FALCON : New Approach filly running in a very weak looking maiden at Epsom , lto tired in the final furlong after running well , that was 1m this is 7f and against very modest opposition should be in with a great chance today and at 10.0 is worth some ew fluff ;-)

 ·  ·  · 2 hours ago

Dont Miss the Winners Part 10

1 bet and 1 winner for today when i Napped the following.. Clint Smith

HEERAAT is my EW NAP for today...;-)

 ·  ·  · 4 hours ago

• 
  

 . and BooooM under an inspired biscuit ride from Adam it creaks home at 4.50 ;-)))

NEWFANGLED R.I.P

Newfangled put down

• Last Updated: August 25 2012, 8:49 BST

Newfangled, next year's ante-post favourite for the 1000 Guineas, has lost her life after sustaining a serious injury at York on Thursday.

Newfangled: Suffered serious damage to her pelvis

• Related Content

• Live horse racing results
• Racecards and form
• Latest non-runners
• Latest video replays

John Gosden's filly, who was owned by Princess Haya of Jordan, broke down badly in the Lowther Stakes on Thursday and was found to have suffered serious damage to her pelvis.

The daughter of New Approach had won both her previous starts, a maiden at Newmarket and in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, but had to be put down on Friday.

Equine specialist Gary Witheford, who had assisted with Newfangled since she had been taken to the vets on Thursday night, tweeted: "Sad to report Newfangled was put down today as her pelvis wasn't going to heal sufficiently."

Good Morning Peeps .:-)

Firstly let me start by saying if any of you follow me at all on Twitter i have now cancelled/deactivated that account as it got hacked and i couldnt stop it , basically someone else was making posts and sending them as though it was me when patently it wasnt so rather frustratingly that has now gone and for now i have no plans to start a new one.
This week at York has been both disappointing and frustrating with some good winning bets made along side some poor Lay bets and a few that just didnt run to expectations but this is not an exact science and if i could get it right all the time i would be a gazillionaire!!.
Today we have Day 3 of the York festival which includes the Nunthorpe stakes among others on another tough looking day this is being ably backed up with a nice Newmarket card with some very interesting maiden races the sort of races i feed on ;-).
So lets start off today by looking at York...

YORK

RACE 1
BACK - EXPERT FIGHTER - UNP ( hit 1.52 from sp of 19.5 )
EW - JOHN BISCUIT - UNP ( Hit 11 from 21 )
OUTSIDER - WARLU WAY - UNP ( hit 23 from 65 )
*This is an ideal race for the Pinstickers as it is wide open and any number of horses could win , keep bets a minimum in this....this is tough.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 2

BACK - HEAVY METAL - 2nd @ 12.5 ( hit 1.16 )
EW - PEARL ACCLAIM -
OUTSIDER - ODOOJ -
*This is a tough looking Gimcrack puzzle to solve with so many having similar speed ratings and others likely to improve and i must admit to being slightly puzzled as to why Fahey has decide to run Euxton Hall here instead of Flyman which had previously beaten Odooj ( as he feels Euxton Hall may not be quite upto this level ) that is a puzzle in itself?.
Morawij appears to me to be the least likely of the favoured three to step up as i feel this still has a bit to find and will be left out of the equation along with Blaine who ran a respectable race fto but will have to improve by around 15lbs to get involved here.Lewisham is left out as i am not entertaining a maiden in this and Cay Verde which has looked a bit one paced towards the end of his races so that leaves just three left and in all honesty i cannot split their chances so have used the ratings system to place them in their slots.
*Blaine did improve and ran well to win off a slow pace.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 3

BACK - DUBAI PRINCE - 1st @ 5.54
EW - TAZAHUM ( EW NAP ) - 3rd @ 8.58 ( Betfair pay top 3 )
OUTSIDER - FURY -
*Fury ran way below what he can lto when well beaten by by Dubai Prince but on better ground and a return to normality i would expect the form to be reversed but DP did win very comfortably that day and patently didnt stay 1m4f lto so is given another chance back over his favoured trip whilst Tazahum could surprise all and looks laid out for this race after just going down by a length and half behind Green Destiny in last years renewal.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 4

BACK - ORTENSIA - 1st @ 4.64
EW - BATED BREATH -
OUTSIDER - SOLE POWER -
*Now we move onto the Nunthorpe and it doesnt get any easier with another typically ridic hard renewal , here is the list of horses i like or think will be involved ,
1.BATED BREATH -
This is the undoubted class in the race and is close to the top of the UK's sprinting tree on a good day is as good as anything around and simply cannot be left out of any equation ( other than E=Mc2 as that is not relevant ) and it showed with its run in the Temple Stakes that when it all clicks this can be lightning fast and should all things considered be making the frame.

2.SOLE POWER -
Lightning fast and with speed to burn coupled with ( for a sprinter ) a majestic amount of consistency this is a super sprinter and just looking at its last 5 races tells you how good placed in all won none but beaten sh hd / nk / nk / 1&3/4L and 1& 3/4L....This has broken track records and will make the winner of this race pull out all the stops im sure but could burn himself out...EW bet?..probably not win or unplaced in this i feel but its own consistency argues against my thoughts but i dont feel this will be winning today.

3.ORTENSIA -
This is just another typically brilliant OZ sprinter and i was really really impressed with the way it won the Gordons King George stakes lto in a very quick time after looking a bit weary out of the stalls it cruised thru the 2f-4f sections before steaming home ( http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/results/03-08-2012/goodwood/result/514910/gordons-king-george-stakes-group-2/video ) this one seriously impressive run and i think this could be the answer again today if the ground stays on the firmer side of good i think it will win if its softer after the rain then " Houston we have a problem ".

4.TIDDLIWINKS -
Another from our stable friend Guy Reed and this owes me nothing so i have no complaints but this is expected to run a big race and should it win it will not come as a surprise although my personal opinion is two folded in 1) i dont think its good enough and 2) i think its better over 6f+..so today i will be leaving this alone , but good luck Guy.

5.PEARL SECRET -
The ( not so much ) Unknown Quantity in the race  this 2 time CD winner has done everything asked of him and could be anything but in all honesty on both occasions it has run and won over CD its speed ratings and times would leave it unplaced against most of these and it will have to run the race of its career just to figure let alone win, personally i feel at this current time its a step to far and imo will be unplaced.

The remainder of the field are made up of old favourites and veteran campaigners and most will no doubt run big races but i simply cannot see past the big guns.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 5

BACK - WENTWORTH - 1st @ 2.55
EW - BRAVE COMMAND -
OUTSIDER - FORGING THE PATH -
*Fahey ( check Fahey tab ) has stated for the record that he thinks a great deal about Forging the Path and is one of the stable stars ( certainly for the future as this will be its first run ) and generally when he makes statements like that you should sit up and listen as just week he spoke in glowing terms of a couple and they won at 12/1 and 25/1 so dont let the price put you off even at 48.0 ( on Betfair ) this could be a very interesting runner today.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 6

BACK - BURNING BLAZE -
EW - MAJESTIC MOON - 4th ( Betfair paying top 4 ) @ 5.0
OUTSIDER - MITCHELL -
*Majestic Moon is Fahey's £25EW charity bet for today.
_____________________________________________________

And then a Few at NEWMARKET.....

RACE 1

BACK - N/A
EW - N/A
OUTSIDER - N/A
*NOT COVERING THIS RACE AS IT IS FOR HCE GOLD MEMBERS ONLY.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 2

BACK - MISSED CALL - Unp ( Missed the break , slow away , always working hard to stay pace, needs 1m2f min )
EW - FLAWLESS BEAUTY -
OUTSIDER - MUSIC CHART - 1st @ 11.4
*This is a stable runner ( IDK ) and is highly regarded , this cost £75,000 , is well bred but holds no future entries, Ian has suggested that this is a bit of a fishing exercise, could easily hose up ( showing up well at home ) or could be eased and put away...this will one to watch , work out and enjoy.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 3

BACK - HUNTING RIGHTS -
EW - QUINTILLIAN - 2nd @ 5.6
OUTSIDER - N/A -
*
_____________________________________________________
RACE 4

BACK - LAZARUS BELL ( NAP ) - 1st @ 2.10
EW -N/A -
OUTSIDER -N/A -
*
_____________________________________________________
RACE 5

BACK - HUFF AND PUFF - 3rd @ 14.10
EW - MARIAS CHOICE - 2nd @ 9.45 ( hit 1.10 )
OUTSIDER - CLASSIC PUNCH -
*Classic Punch is interesting here and is worth one more chance now racing at a mark 16lbs lower than when he won over CD last August.
_____________________________________________________
RACE 6

BACK - RAWAAFED -
EW - CAPACIOUS -
OUTSIDER - SPRING TONIC -
*
_____________________________________________________
RACE 7

BACK - AL WAJABA - 3rd @ 11.22 ( Betfair paying top 3 )
EW - MISSISSIPPI -
OUTSIDER -
*
_____________________________________________________

So we have a few placepots to consider alongside some interesting multis...just need to decide which way to play ;-)...Good Luck everyone.

Morning/Afternoon all..

Well its a funny ol Tuesday after a quite spectacular Monday ( for winners at least ) and days like yesterday although great dont happen that often sadly enough as just about everything i did paid off and every race was pretty much run as i expected a very purple day indeed.
The thing is or rather a key component is staying true to your beliefs and staying true to your thoughts dont be swayed or tinker when its not working or running bad as this is a long game and one that consists of many peaks and troughs i have had some very bad days to equal out the very good days and thats how it is and for me its just about staying in front and making a solid profit every day even on the bad days and when you scoop big just enjoy the moment and get a treat or two but dont accept it as the norm because it most certainly isnt, that all said the " Focus " races have been incredibly good why? , tbh im not sure maybe that bit of extra time spent analysing and reading helps, that 5% extra concentration and reviewing? who knows but i dont feel im doing anything different to my work-a-day races but there is obv a trigger there somewhere? whatever it is i can only hope to continue in the same vein.
Today i will highlight some races and horses that interest me for differing reasons and i will highlight the " focus " race ( s ) , lets see what we have for today...

13:30 GOWRAN PARK - TWILIGHT ZONE -4th
This is AOB's 2nd string ( although that often means little ) and on breeding ( an area in which im both keen and strong ) i much prefer with this being a half brother to the very classy Thomas Chippendale ( a horse which did improve significantly for stepping up in trip but fto over should have won but was badle hampered ) and is currently 5.0 which i feel is a very good price as there doesnt appear to be anything else in the race that stands out , the Fav and stable companion Battle of Marengo ran quite an average race fto but is entitled to improve is likely to be in the mix but Dam wise they all look rather average and i feel people quite often just see Galileo and stop reading!, this is well worth taking on regardless at 2.44 aside from this you have Bunreacht and Flameseeker who both look more likely to make decent 3 yr olds than being precocious at 2, so for me with little to tackle i feel this at 5.0 is bang on the money for being a superb EW bet.

15:00 GOWRAN PARK - CHRYSANTHEMUM -unp
On what looks a very good days racing at GP this is probably the weakest of the days listed events as both Soon and Twirl have been bitterly disappointing this term chucking in absolute dog runs in between the odd excellent run and although either could win if on a going day neither can be trusted at all which also applies to Devotion ( all 3 AOB runners ) and the remainder look average or below group 3 so i think that a good break for Chrysanthemum which was probably needed as she ran very flat when 3rd in the Victor Mcalmont ( over C&D ) after 2 very tidy wins in Listed company will give her the edge.
When winning the Lodge Park Stakes she looked like a filly with a big future and a certain Class 1 winner  and i think today should be the day that she regains that winning thread at 3.65 she is currently just beneath the threshold ( 5.0 ) for an EW bet so i will wait to see how the market performs before making my final decision although if the price remains low i will probably make this a BTL ( 2.12 and 1.22 ) .

14:35 YARMOUTH - MIAKORA - 2nd @ 23.80
This is a dog dont get me wrong but in a race full of hounds at 1m.14 this sherbert has the quickest speed rating on offer and it was also achieved in its last race which was also over CD the overall profile for this race screams " leave me alone " but at 20.0 this looks a cracking EW bet as all the more favoured sorts would appear to need a good bit further trip wise to be seen at their best and in a very poor race that wont take much winning this seems quite an attractive bet.

16:05 YARMOUTH - ALDERMOOR -4th
This is not one that i have heavily analysed but has come from the Owner direct who states " this is a trappy little race but with Browns allowance we have a good chance " and with so many doubts concerning the others i feel at 8.8 this is worth an inclusion into the EW Multis at the minimum...

17:05 YARMOUTH - SIBERIAN BELLE - 1st @ 7.40
This is an oddity in that personally i dont think this has any chance whatsoever of winning but and its a big but...why would Fahey Travel 250+ Miles to Yarmouth with one horse in the last race for his stable app to ride with just about the days lowest prize money?? and at 7.6 i just dont know , i would feel better if i was getting 10-16 for this so may wait.....but there is something rankling me about this...it has plot written all over it...Hmm...

Hmmm Quite an un inspiring day tbh and Ireland looks to hold all the cards for the days best racing  so until this evening this will be it...good bets are thin on the ground today....
Maybe a nice little £2.50 EW Super Yankee with some singles...i would say at a pinch Twilight Zone and Chrysanthemum are the two that interest me the most and are the two that only just qualify as Focus selections...
So not the stellar day that we have been experiencing but still a healthy level stakes profit ;-)

Dont miss the Winners Part 9

The only horse in focus for the evening meetings was Cap o Rushes and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM 1st @ 5.06....Superb ;-)).

Clint Smith

The EVENING horse in focus is CAP O RUSHES ( by New Approach ) which has a very strong bloodline with a good mix of speed and stamina and is related to 8 previous winners including polytrack victors so this looks a good bet for me tonight .