Showing posts with label Grand National. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grand National. Show all posts

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Aintree - DAY 2

Evening All ( or morning / afternoon whenever your reading , delete as applicable ) , had a solid opening day and very happy with a few of the results with most races panning out as i had expected although truth be told PRP suffered 3 losses from 5 bets yesterday , our worst run yet ;-((...some crazy shit afloat!!...so will probs roll back to 1 a day to steady the ship.... buoyed by the over spilling of profits i think i tried to accelerate it further but instead  took a £400 Loss...Still well on for the £1500 per month target just got a bit of catching up to do.
Looking forward to Day 2....Here we go......

*******************************AINTREE*******************************

RACE 1Aintree 14:00 
Tangle Teezer Top Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2)
£50000.00 added, 4yo plus, 2m 110y, Class 1
BACK - DARLAN - ( NAP ) - 1st @ 2.81
EW - VULCANITE -
OUTSIDER - THEATRE GUIDE -
*A good looking race to start the day off with the field packed with Quality and none more so than DARLAN a horse whose form figures really should show 11111 as he looked the most likeliest winner when falling 2 out ( 2 runs back ) and was an unlucky 2nd lto in the Supreme at Cheltenham , A well bred sort that travels supremely well is generally a solid , fluent, quick jumper this will take all the beating.
I expect Agent Archie to be a lot more involved after running well till tiring 2 out behind Darlan lto along with the other 2 Hendo Runners.
Of the others Prospect Wells is a horse that flatters to deceive as it races like a winner in every race and finds little although i feel different riding tactics may be employed today,Vulcanite is quite Interesting as this was quite a talking horse before it had even seen a race course, ran well when comfortably taking its Novice entry then ran ok in splitting All the Aces and Montbazon ( still leaves it a bit to find on form lines ) and then totally emptied between the last 2 in the supreme i would think there is more to come from this.
So having had a good look at the field and adjusting their ratings i can see no logical answer other than the Fav DARLAN.

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RACE 2Aintree 14:30 
John Smith's Mildmay Novices' Chase (Grade 2)
£75000.00 added, 5yo plus, 3m 1f, Class 1
BACK - CHAMPION COURT -
EW - JOIN TOGETHER -
OUTSIDER - N/A -
*A small turnout for this Novice Chase but ultra competitive and hard to split the 5 runners although strictly on  pure form Champion Court looks the answer and Solix has no chance what so ever although the form of the Ryman Chase gives Join Together the upper hand , Silviniaco Conti will get outstayed and Yes Tom looks like its tilting at windmills!!.
So my Answer here would be...Champion Court to just beat Join Together.
For betting reasons i would suggest a round lay on Solix and split the laybet 50/50 on a free dutch with the two mentioned.
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RACE 3Aintree 15:05 
John Smith's Melling Chase (Grade 1)
£175000.00 added, 5yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
BACK - FINIANS RAINBOW - 1st @ 2.82
EW - ALBERTAS RUN -
OUTSIDER - N/A -
*Interesting..Hmm..Now although the Fav Finians Rainbow has won over the Distance ( 2m3f110yds in the T-Bar @ Ascot 2010 ) this has always been thought of as an out and out 2 miler and having spoke with the team this morning this was confirmed , they are guessing as to whether or not it will truly stay a strong run 2m4f , over 2m this would be 1.6 or less after beating ( although rather fortuitously imo ) Sizing Europe lto this extra distance makes it a puzzle in a field that is a tad low on quality but full of confirmed stayers will there be something to come from the pack that can out stay FR on the long run in?.....Albertas Run is a battler and will certainly make a race of it , Kauto Stone is no " Star " , Forpaddy' is finished , Wishful Thinking lives life likes its name , Poquelin is only half decent , and the rest are out of form, out of their depth and cannot be considered so i would suggest that FINIANS RAINBOW is the most likely winner even being a ?? stayer , personally i will be backing this and having some cover on Albertas Run and a RFC.
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RACE 4Aintree 15:40 
John Smith's Topham Chase (Grade 3 Handicap) (National Course)
£100000.00 added, 5yo plus, 2m 5f 110y, Class 1
BACK - TRIANGULAR -
EW - FABALU -
OUTSIDER - SUNDAY CITY -
*Now we move onto probably the toughest race of the day to call , a huge 26 runner chase over the National course!!...a mini national if you like as a few of these may have considered the National before this.
Im not interested in last years winner Always Waining at all , laid out , got ready blah blah...feck off!..it wont be winning this today.
The four i really like are ,
1.TRIANGULAR : A tough consistent sort that jumps really well is strong and agile , travels well and gets this trip really well on all ground types that are anticipated at Aintree today , at 12.0 this is a cracking EW bet.

2.SUNDAY CITY : Interesting as an EW bet to nothing , been racing most recently in Hunter Chases and lumping 12s6lb on its last outing in 2nd , now today on its return to " rules " it only has to carry 10s2lb that is more than an incredible 2 stone less!!....it will feel like it has no jockey on lol!! and at a mouthwatering 85.0 i think its worth an EW punt to nothing.

3.FABALU : From the McCain yard , this is obviously no Red Rum but still has enough in the locker to make a good go of it round here , solid jumper, stays all day, uber consistent and gteed a fair run and @ 21.0 is of a price that entertains me.

4. DOUGLAS JULIAN : Anything Sue Smith sends out lately merits respect as she is in very good form and her string is in top condition , this is no star by any means but does stay and more importantly is another solid jumper is in form having won its last race and again at 30.0 is worth consideration in a very tough looking race where jumping and staying will be key.
***Have to say well done to the connections of Always Waining, i could never have had that and wrote off completely his chance of a 3 timer...but my what a gutsy performance, i got it wrong.
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RACE 5Aintree 16:15 
John Smith's Sefton Novices' Hurdle (Grade 1)
£100000.00 added, 4yo plus, 3m 110y, Class 1
BACK - GULLINBURSTI -
EW - COTTON MILL - 3rd @ 7.64
OUTSIDER - HARRY TOPPER -
*And the day doesnt get any easier with a very tough and competitive Sefton , the First horse to mention has to be FINGAL BAY a horse that oozes class and is unbeaten this term and although it has yet to race this far i see no reason why it shouldnt stay the extra 1/2 mile my only reservation would be as to its condition after getting pulled out of Cheltenham ( could be a blessing ) as it had suffered a minor injury/setback , a tough call to make regarding this as this is a race jam packed full of talent.
COTTON MILL is hugely of interest as i had this down as the winner of the Bingham until it ducked out and unshipped and the winner of that race Simonsig makes a form line suggesting that there is little to choose between this and Fingal Bay.GULLINBURSTI  was pulled from the finale yesterday but had already been entered for this now interestingly enough this was always the main aim as this is a g'teed stayer and a smooth traveller , Emma feels that her charge will be bang there all the way and will outstay Fingal Bay and the rest from the last im on EW @ 15 and may have a bit more yet.
Finally we have HARRY TOPPER another G'teed stayer who is expected to run a big race today , this has form lines through Lovcen that give it every chance and another racing with an encouraging price at 18.5.
To summarise i will be going against the Fav Fingal Bay who at 2.62 is far too short in a race where it has questions to answer , yes i will be laying it , just enough to cover my EW bets with a bonus , if it does win this then i would start to look at the ante post market for next years Cheltenham Festival races as it will be a major force in everything from 2-3m.....but nonetheless it still has to prove it can truly stay , this will be its acid test.
**How disappointing was Gullinbursti..;-((...gutted....Great Race , but ultimately disappointing...
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RACE 6Aintree 16:50 
John Smith's Daily Mirror Punters Club Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
£40000.00 added, 4yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
BACK - BOURNE ( EW NAP ) -
EW - N/A -
OUTSIDER - CAPE DUTCH -
*Again a tough race but one in which if you took away the last run of every horse lined up would look completely impossible to solve , i will however give another chance to BOURNE from the McCain's , although 9th lto it only weakened in the last 100 yrds as was only beaten 7 lengths in a tough race at Cheltenham , a class animal on the flat and has shown to be quite classy over the sticks with a current price of 8.0 this is a solid EW bet in fact i am making this my EW NAP for the day , i really like this.
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RACE 7Aintree 17:25 
John Smith's Mares' Standard Open NH Flat Race (Listed)
£25000.00 added, 4-6yo, 2m 1f, Class 1
BACK - N/A
EW - CALL ME A STAR - ( PLACE NAP  ) -
OUTSIDER - N/A -
*Hmm , this is interesting as i have CALL ME A STAR absolutely miles clear and on ratings/form and stats should win this by a mile , but.....................actually there is no but lol , im lumping on this in the finale!! , what a fantastic " Get out of Jail Free " card to have after such a rough day!!..superb.
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What a fantastic day of racing awaits , enjoy , be lucky , be prudent ;-)...ttfn x

Grand National Week - Day 1


Yes its that crazy ol time of year the week of the Grand National and you may well see many a picture of a horse ( to the left ) on its back laughing after its managed to tip its jockey off!!...Seriously its a great few days off pretend racing  filling the void created by a lack of substantial flat action ;-))..arf arf!!.
Its a great Festival week with a host of big names coming out to play , some looking to cement their rank in the game , others wanting to make up for a disappointing Cheltenham and others that have been laid out for a specific race whatever the reason each and every race is keenly contested and will be competitive to the max!.
I will over the next few days issue a card for the big meeting only as its worthy of my time and consideration , i will try my best to highlight one or two winners and make this a profitable few days , if anyone has any generic or otherwise questions or advice then please just ask.
Also you will Note the You Tube type box in the right hand corner well thats actually an advert , from a new Viral Ad company may i ask you to " click click " the ad and help support the blog and increase the prize pool for future comps (* only click if its of interest to you ) ,
Onto todays Race Card then.

***********************AINTREE*************************
RACE 1 : Aintree 14:00 
BGC Partners Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1)
£100000.00 added, 4yo plus, 3m 110y, Class 1
BACK - BIG BUCKS ( NAP ) - 1st @ 1.26
EW - SMAD PLACE - Fell
OUTSIDER -
*Seriously....a fantastic way to open the week but why even try and look past this? , currently the best staying hurdler in the world and one of the best that has ever been , i see no reason to try and go against this. i will say however that from a betting perspective i feel backing Smad Place @ 1.5 for a place is a better bet than backing Big Bucks to win both look nailed on imo ( possible SFC? ).
RESULT - Amazingly Easy.
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RACE 2 : Aintree 14:30 
Matalan Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
£100000.00 added, 4yo only, 2m 110y, Class 1
BACK - GRUMETI - 1st @ 3.80
EW - PEARL SWAN - NON RUNNER -
OUTSIDER - GOTTANY O'S -
*A fascinating race with so many meeting again after the Triumph Hurdle including the winner that day Countrywide Flame and the market leaders and placed horses including GRUMETI , Pearl Swan , Dodging Bullets and Saddlers Risk.
Now there are a couple of potential Improvers in this race in Hinterland and Lyvius and a couple of unknown sorts but they all have it do to break into what i consider to be the Top Three in this race, the Three im most Keen on are GRUMETI , Pearl Swan and Countrywide Flame with the former my slight favourite as i feel that would have won the Triumph but for making a few errors and mistake feel today will take all the beating, That said im also a big fan of Pearl Swan , a beautiful looking horse packed with class and ability to match again with a clear round i fully expect it to be bang there then you have the reigning champ CF a horse with obvious ability, winning form , stays all day and has the gears although i do feel its not as good as the other two and will need luck in running to win again.
Dodging Bullets looks like the current 2nd Fav...That will not be Winning and i will be emptying my wallet to get this laid!!.
***Update ( 13:21 ) : Countrywide Flame is now the EW selection*** - 2nd @ 5.13
RESULT -
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RACE 3 : Aintree 15:05 
Betfred Bowl Chase (Grade 1)
£150000.00 added, 5yo plus, 3m 1f, Class 1
BACK - BURTON POINT - ( PLACE NAP ) - 2nd @ 5.0
EW - RIVERSIDE THEATRE - PU
OUTSIDER - MASTER OF THE HALL -
*A fantastic looking race and fascinating as well due to Hunt Ball , a horse that has risen from a rating last year of just 66 to an enormous 142 now!! has won 7 of its last 8 races and shown himself to be quite remarkable , remarkable it is its own grade as personally as much as i would love to see this win i simply cannot see it overhauling the Tank the is Riverside Theatre!.
Looking at the race it is not impossible that Hendo wont have a 1/2/3 in this as he has such a strong hand , i simply cannot see Hunt Ball winning this.

RESULT -
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RACE 4 : Aintree 15:40 
John Smith's Fox Hunters' Chase (National Course)
£35000.00 added, 6yo plus, 2m 5f 110y, Class 2
BACK - THE POLOMOCHE - ( 14.5 ) -fell
EW - SIZING AMERICA ( 130.0 ) - 6th ( went off at 90.6 , hit 32 in running , only beaten about 5 lengths, not far away )
OUTSIDER - PRESENTANDCORRECT ( 60 ) -fell
*WoW a ridic tough race...this is a pinstickers heaven!!, Gwanako is the obvious " class " in the race and at 5.3 is well worth an EW punt but i feel its erratic and unconvincing jumping will let him down here and with that im going look at some roughies.
Sizing America with the capable Alan Berry riding is worth a dabble along with The Polomoche and Presentandcorrect , these are it has to be pointed out a speculative look at trying to hit a decent EW against the favs and obvious.
RESULT -
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RACE 5 : Aintree 16:15 
matalan.co.uk Red Rum Handicap Chase (Grade 3)
£60000.00 added, 5yo plus, 2m, Class 1
BACK - SONG SUNG BLUE -
EW - ECHO BOB - 3rd @ 37.6
OUTSIDER - KUMBESHWAR -
*A nice 2m Hcap chase where again Hendo is mob handed and has a live chance with Tanks for That but i much prefer the look of a couple of the feather weights SONG SUNG BLUE and Echo Bob with the former of most Interest as its racing off a weight so low the horse will probably think its unbridled and racing round a big paddock!...With a no weight , a bit of fair form , decent yard and a price of 36.0 im very happy having a tickle with this along with Echo Bob @ 34.0 both of which look great for a trade , and with a 102% book and they are the rank outsiders shows how tight this really is.
The selections for this race are not based on Speed or TF ratings , these selections are my " fun " alternative choices in an otherwise wide open affair.
RESULT -
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RACE 6 :Aintree 16:50 
Betfred Manifesto Novices' Chase (Grade 1)
£75000.00 added, 5yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
BACK - PEPITE ROSE -
EW - AL FEROF -
OUTSIDER - CRISTAL BONUS - 2ND @ 8.40
*PEPITE ROSE looks the one to be concentrating on here imo , a solid resolute jumper with no known character flaws and will run well on all surfaces ( not concrete tho imo ) and will put the field to the sword a long way out.
Al Ferof is a superb animal and maybe a star in waiting maybe even a future Gold Cup winner but that is all ifs and buts, for now he has shown some very decent form but it is losing form albeit getting thrashed by Sprinter Sacre is no biggee as most horses would and the 4 length 3rd behind Somersby and Finians Rainbow is decent but i still dont think hes ready for this.
Menorah has all the class in the world but cant jump for shit and is a moody shite and will never carry my cash back or lay.
Alasi is racing way out of her depth imo and Cristal Bonus has it all to prove after a very lacklustre run in the Jewson although would be bang there if running to true form.
RESULT -
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RACE 7 :Aintree 17:25 
Silver Cross Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)
£45000.00 added, 4yo plus, 3m 110y, Class 1
BACK - GULLINBURSTI ( EW NAP ) - NON RUNNER - 
EW - OSCAR PRAIRIE -
OUTSIDER - TRUSTAN TIMES - 3rd @ 29.5
*A super tough 3m Hcap Hurdle to round the day off...excellent just what you dont want for a " getting out stakes " race..sigh...ok then if you have done your bollocks in at this stage what shall we do?....i really like the look of GULLINBURSTI and i have spoke to IDK regarding this and Emma wont hear of defeat nor Ian , they was convinced lto tho as well but felt that without the couple of errors it would have won and if im down at this stage im just going to lump the single here.
If im up and doing well then i m ay have a smaller Dutch with these as well , Oscar Prairie and Trustan Times.
RESULT -
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There ya go for today, not much in the way of quality value bets with Gullinbursti probably being the best as Big Bucks is predictably 1/1000 ;-0 , but some good big odds ew shouts and some great races to watch and enjoy , great looking day overall.
Have fun, enjoy, good Luck....keep supporting the Blog , Lets win ;-) 

Sunday, 8 April 2012

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has had a cracking weekend so far , weather aside its been great so far ;-) , had another solid day yesterday even after having my usual sat pre racing cidre's!!..All the big bets come in and the losing ones were minimal so very happy, got a bit of a Smörgåsbord with the racing today , so there will be no cards produced  and the PRP bet will be posted up shortly i will however highlight one from each meeting today including a special Info ( from idk ) horse from Longchamp...

1. Longchamp : 15:10 - EW - Kalahari Gold - 3rd @ 7.8 ( 11/2 ) - ( Ran a great race with the first four split by less than a length )
This owes us nothing as we have done well with this , a CD winner and previously a Listed Group 1 race winner ( Dubai Duty Free Stakes ' Newbury ) this horse had and has obvious ability and although 7 is still in very good heart and is currently holding its form very well and with the brilliant Jarnet taking the ride this looks EW Banker material.

2.Musselbrough : 13:50 - LOTD - Mad Jazz - 2nd - ( Easily beaten 5 Lengths ) @ 9/4
Just watched the re run of this race and yes it did swerve when the gates opened and yes it did try that extra bit to maintain a racing gakllop and stay in contention but the whip was out after just 2 furlongs , then at 4 was pushing and shoving and going no where whilst Vanessa ( races today ) was up front disputing lead and just losing 2nd spot nr the line, i can see no reason whatsoever as to why the form should be reversed and either of the newcomers would only need to be rated around 65 to see this off imo , Vanessa is the most likely winner but i feel the Lay on mad jazz is the bet.

3.Plumpton : 14:30 - EW - Wayward Glance - NON RUNNER - 
Now this was a toss up between having this in as an EW or Featherintheattic as a NAP ( 1st @ 2.72 ) , tough call Feather' really shud be winning his race but this at 6.0 looks a decent bet , rated as high as 83 on the flat and imo easily the best of these on the flat but it has shown to be very novicey / borderline poor at Jumping with plenty of mistakes per round , that said it still ran well enough to come 3rd lto only getting beat a couple of lengths after making errors at the last 2 hurdles , If Best has managed to iron out the jumping quirks then this must surely have a leading chance , The place only @ 1.82 looks skinny as i would want 2.02 or better so wait till that improves , but as an out and out EW bet looks good .

4.Towcester : 14:10 - WIN NAP - Vendor - 1st @ 1.18 ( Won as it liked )
Now i know @ 1.18 some people will say " whats the fucking point? " , well the point is look to have a keep bet at say 1.20-1.25 and a bit more on at 1.5 ( not that it will get matched imo )  this is buying money , you are effectively backing @ 1.18 that Vendor will complete his round of Jumping because thats all it has to do...put £100 on , Collect £120 then go and buy a few drinks or the mrs some flowers ;-).....This is an absolute certainty ( bar falling or bd ) .
* Backed at 1.20 and Place laid @ 1.06 ( falling cover ) For a £100 Profit or £0

5.Cork : 15:05 - EW - Shake the Bucket - Unplaced ( @ 8.86 , Traded for 4/5ths of the race at 4.2 so great trading opps and i did ok on the trade with the single making a fair profit , ruined my Trixies tho...oh well lets see what Kalahari Gold does )
The Key to this horse is the ground , good or better and it runs well, yielding or worse and forget it and this won at Tramore on its penultimate start over the sticks before pulling up lto on unsuitable ground , has been running really well thru the winter at Dundalk is super fit and fresh and this family owned, trained and ridden  beast should give a decent account.

6.Fairyhouse : 15:25 - EW - Please Talk -  NON RUNNER ( 13:11 ) - 
Carberry has deserted Tom Horn to ride this ( line thru mr murphy shows this to be a wise move ) and at 15.0 looks a seriously good EW .

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So there we are 4 x EW bets , 1 x NAP and 1 x LOTD , i will be laying the lotd , i will be emptying my wallets into Vendor and having a " fun " £5 EW lucky 15 and a £25 EW acca on the 4 EW bets , have a great day, chat soon....
*Got this in time so bet is now a £10 EW Trixie and £25 EW Treble....*

**Now my bet is Just fooked ;-( ( 2 Non Runners today ) ...Oh well..might see if i can find something to go with the other 2....

***Stuck Go Go Green in ( 14:20 muss ) in for the EW Trixie *** - 1st @ 13.5 ( Dead Heat , Grr...But did great on the single Trading the photo @ 1.5 ;-)) )

Good Profits all round today ;-))..roll on Tmrw...

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