It seems to me that the following favourites have a good call at Ascot tomorrow - particularly as none of these should be overly compromised by the rain-softened going. (Bet365 prices) 1. 1.25 Order Of St George (10/11) 2. 2.00 Harry Angel (5/4) 3. 3.50 Cracksman (15/8) 4. 4.30 Zabeel Prince (7/2) I'd be playing these as follows: 5.5 points double Double (5.5 points) 1 point Trixie (4 points) 0.5 point Yankee (5.5points) Total stake: 15 points Normal rules apply: I'm wrong more often than I'm right!
Quality racing tomorrow. Clyne is the bet of the day in the Welsh Champion. Receiving weight from The New One on rain softened ground. It's my idea of a maximum bet. Quiet Reflection interests me too in the Sprint.
Interesting call Fonzie. The New One has won once at Grade 1 level and six times at Grade 2. Clyne's highest level of achievement so far has been his handicap win off a mark of 140 and he races off 7 lbs higher today. But there was only a length between The New One and Clyne at Haydock in January and Clyne is 5 lbs better off at the weights today. But the big worry for The New One is that he seems a quirky sort, and he has a tendency to clout his hurdles at the business end of a race. To that end it can hardly be a help that he is amateur-ridden today having only ever been ridden by Richard Johnson, Noel Fehily or (mainly) Sam Twiston-Davies before. You'd have to question whether an amateur is the right choice for such a talented but quirky horse. So I couldn't disagree with your selection, although I think The New One's undoubted talent (assuming he still retains his ability) would be enough to stop short of a bet here. Quiet Reflection will like the ground at Ascot and she ought to go well after her win in Ireland last time. However I have to think that Harry Angel's form is superior by some way and we know that soft holds no fear for him after his Haydock Sprint Cup win. He's short, but if he turns up in the same form as at Haydock he wins for me. The negative for Quiet Reflection is that she is drawn in stall one and will therefore be racing well away from the likes of Harry Angel, The Tin Man and Caravaggio. Set the Sky+ box to record while we watch the Reds beat Hull!
I'm thinking abart going to bookies - primarily to put on a footy acca; but I've read with some interest your previous ramblings, sorry - I mean your educated reasoning with the gee gees but I'm intrigued - could you please enlighten me as to what is a double double and a trixie?
Yikes! I got lost in my ramblings there! Should be: 1. 1.25 Order Of St George (10/11) 2. 2.00 Harry Angel (5/4) 3. 3.50 Cracksman (15/8) 4. 4.30 Zabeel Prince (7/2) I'd be playing these as follows: 5.5 points double Double (5.5 points) 1. + 2. above (one bet) 1 point Trixie (4 points) 1. 2. + 3. above (3 x 1 point double, 1 point treble) 0.5 point Yankee (5.5points) 1. 2. 3. + 4. above (6 x 0.5 point doubles, 4 x 0.5 point treble, 1 x 0.5 point four timer) Hope that's clear. Sorry for any confusion!
Or, put another way: £5.50 double Order Of St George and Harry Angel 3 x £1 doubles, £1 treble Order Of St George, Harry Angel and Cracksman 6 x 50p doubles, 4 x 50p trebles, 1 x 50p four timer Order Of St George, Harry Angel, Cracksman and Zabeel Prince Total stake: £15 Or whatever multiple of those stakes you like to play at.
I think Clyne will be 100 percent spot on fit - TNO will have bigger fish to fry later in the season. He also jumps right more than I like. Plus the big weight in soft ground. Have you done any ante post plays for Cheltenham yet Orson? Samcro made his debut the other day, but after winning an egg snd spoon race he's 5s for the Neptune. Bit gutted I didnt take the 12s on offer a few weeks back.
Hmm! I make it £9.70 back for the two doubles in the yankee and Trixie against our notional £15 stake, so not too much damage done. The strategy was heavily focused on Order Of St George and Harry Angel, and it was the latter that disappointed. Clive Cox said that the Ascot ground was worse than at Haydock, and that that counted against Harry Angel. I was initially sceptical of that claim, not least because the going was officially heavy at Haydock, and only officially soft today. But the winning time for the six furlongs was 1 minute 16.78 seconds (4.38 seconds slower than standard) today, whereas the same six furlong trip was covered in 1 minute 13.9 seconds (3.4 seconds above standard) at Haydock. So it does seem that Harry's run flattened out as a result of the more testing ground. This demonstrates why I was so obsessive about the state of the going at York and Doncaster earlier in the season! If you went by the official going at Haydock and then Ascot today you'd assume the Haydock race was more of a test, but the times suggest the reverse was true. The stars of the show were Frankie and John Gosden, with two Group 1 wins on the day, but above all the magnificent Aidan O'Brien, who equalled the late Bobby Frankel's record of 25 Group 1 wins in a season, with good chances to take that record outright before the end of the season. He is quite simply the best racehorse trainer to have drawn breath, and a modest and likeable family man to boot. Onwards and upwards!
First 4 Iin Dewhurst last week points the way for next year. To those who follow the horses Ger Lyons Facebook page is an excellent read and the stable jockey Colin Keane is 5 clear of Pat Smullen in the Irish Jockeys title race.
