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later days

Well, tomorrow there are a couple I want to see - not bet on sadly.
The 2.09 at Windsor is an apprentice race, and I quite like Stone Circle in that, but I'm always less happy about having a claimer up unless it's one I think is very good .... if you get a really good lad up then the weight claim is pretty much pure bonus in my view, but when the claim is probably needed (and more besides) to offset the lack of experience then it becomes more of a red flag. Now in this case the guy getting the ride doesn't frighten me, but I think he's going to need a bit more experience before I'll risk cash.

The 5.53 at Bath I quite liked Vitalite, I'd like to see how he goes tomorrow, and I'd be interested to see if Havanna Goldrush does well, he's from Havanna Gold of course and that's a family that I got interested in via his son Havanna Grey, who is now a top sire himself. Havanna Gold died in February sadly at the age of 13 following an injury. This is of course hardly a major event, it's a class 6 over a mile so my interest is really more a sort of racing trivia thing, but I like it and will be watching how things go tomorrow.... just for fun.

I have one of mine going tomorrow, Beverley 5.13 Asdaa is in a class 5 over a mile+ (8f 100y), and is back down to a winning OR again, he won 3 out of 4 between 28 Dec and 12 Jan (2nd on the other run), adding 12lb to his handicap - having been on 62 for the first win. He was rated high 70's a few years back, but he's a little slower these days as a 7yo - to be honest I was starting to wonder if he was ever going to even place again, he has flat placings (career) of

71/8343/21261535506954522/52536488341418530867/856148658741-121754483

so you can see he tends to go rather a long time between drinks! He's been off for a few weeks as he picked up a slight injury, but is okay now. he's going to need the run almost certainly, and his form is better on the AW - on the flat he likes the going to be on the firmer side if anything, so tomorrow I'm expecting him to find the going less than ideal .... I suspect he might blow up before the finish, and while to run ought to do him good I think a place would be the best he will manage, so sadly no bet from me this time out.

Despite regular updates on Glynn suggesting he'd get another hurdles run in before the summer break and novice chasing next season it looks like time has run out. Nicky Henderson has found training him frustrating, basically saying he's a good horse who should have won a few decent races, but he suggests that every time Glynn works out that he's about to head for a race somewhere he injures himself - I've had a share in him for about 5 years now i think, and he's been recovering from something most seasons with everyone hoping he'll make it to the track at some point. He is 9yo and has won once, from only 8 races in his entire racing career, so early hopes that he was going to be a major player are now long dead sadly. I wonder if he'll run next season? I reckon he just likes the recovery and holiday bits of life as a jumps racehorse. Can't say I blame him....

Dave
 
Well that all sort of went off not a million miles from what I was expecting for a change. Stone Circle ran at the rear and didn't really feature - I won't blame the apprentice however as I think the horse tends to hang back a bit, he was actually beaten by the Timeform top rated (Stone Circle was 2nd top, and I looked at him because the jockey on the top rated looked to be VERY short of experience...,. suffice to say he's the chap who rode the winner and did quite a decent job of it).

Havanna Goldrush did very well - only just headed short of the line to go down by a short head... definitely a determined character, he tried to bite the winner about 50 yards from the post as he edged past!

Almost forgot, Vitalite was a close up third.

Asdaa's run was encouraging - he held third well until 2 out, when he ran out of steam - now we knew he was going to need the run a bit, it was soft going - which he does not like much - and there's a steady uphill rise over the final 2f, all factors that would be expected to make him find the last 2f tough going, as it proved. He was keen enough, he seems happy to race, and hopefully this has blown a few cobwebs away. I think his mark of 71 is fair, and a mile on better going on a galloping track could see him run well in the next outing or two.... so let's hope he gets the conditions he needs.

Tomorrow I might just actually have a bet - I fancy Kingmania in the 3.40 Nottingham. There are 6 runners, 1m 75y Fillies handicap, class 3 and she should be running most of it at the back. She changed stables before her lto, from Chris Wall to James Ferguson, who put Danny Muscutt up and returned her to a mile - she'd been running over 6 and 7f for most of the prior two seasons without making an impression, she also had a hood fitted for the race and won by half a length. She looks likely to be worth a few more lbs than that, and tomorrow's opposition does not look too tough.

Negatives - well it's mainly the running style. She tends to start slowly and race off the pace, (so running at 6 and 7f for the last 2 seasons was never likely to be ideal, you'd have thought), and at Nottingham what's likely to happen is somebody will kick too early off the last bend, the run in is very long and anyone starting to race that far out will probably find it hard to make the move stick, but if Kingmania is too far off the pace by this point she could find it hard to peg back those fighting up front. It should suit a closer, but maybe one who isn't too far behind at the 2f pole.

Hopefully she's in peak form currently, she's only gone up 3 for the win and the stable change, reversion to a mile, and the hood will hopefully all work their magic one more time.

Dave
 
ran in 2nd/3rd for much of the race, not pushed too much when all hope had gone. I'm going to back Trueshan tomorrow, but being a Trueshan fan I really ought to back Coltrane, as having my money aboard is proving to be the kiss of death these days. Not writing anything up, he's an obvious pick after all, and I'd back him most times out anyway unless I had serious worries. I hope he runs well, there is a bit of a feeling that maybe he's not quite the force he was, but hard to tell as he's had bad ground to deal with etc. So I'm hoping for a brilliant win from the chap!

Dave
 
Well Asdaa is running tomorrow night, he's back on his last winning mark, ran a decent race lto in less than ideal conditions after a slight injury caused him to take a short layoff so I'm very hopeful he'll do a good job tomorrow (Newcastle 8.45). There are 6 runners and he's quite likely to be able to take an early lead, here's hoping he can hold onto it if he does. 4/1 so I've put a small bet on, you have to back your own horses when they have a squeak after all.

Dave
 
Well I got here - York that is, rail journey was pretty quick compared to when my ex wife drove us here a few years back, and apart from having to lug a moderately packed backpack (the oldest teenage backpacker in town look) up 4 narrow flights to my rented palace for three nights - it's quite nice actually, roomy and private with a comfy bed and decent shower.... basically my needs in a nutshell - but apart from needing an hour flat on the bed to recover from 2 minutes effort all was well. Wandered about finding somewhere I fancied eating then an early night, ready to be up and exploring good and early.

So I had a long lie in instead, so sue me. A walk of maybe oooh that far or so put me into the ideal spot to sit down for a bacon roll and cuppa, got to feed the inner warrior don't you know, then a bit of shopping as I wanted a decent rain resistant coat to go over the jacket and tie required in the York county stand as the one I brought is a bit snug over all that gear, and I suppose a new pair of jeans was likely a good idea - as my backpack was a bit rammed already I figure I'll be using the M&S carrier for whatever won't fit going back......

Crossed one item off the todo list by walking through the Shambles for a look see, 2nd and longer item saw me walk to the rail museum - being old is a pain isn't it? I could have jogged that in 10 minutes once over, this time it was a slow walk for a good half hour, with a sit down on a convenient wall when I got near, and the first thig I did at the museum was sit with another cuppa and my Kindle waiting for the Earth to refill with oxygen or whatever it runs out of whenever I take any exercise that doesn't involve sitting down. A shufti round the gift shop sorted a couple of little gifts and, more importantly, a nice calendar for 2024 for writing appointments on, now I am so busy etc. It's got an art deco type railway poster picture for each month, and I really like that stuff. Which leads into the highlights of the engines - they have stands that let you get right up to the side of the cab for a look see, so I got a good look at the ones I was interested in and a quick gander at the rest.

Getting back to the art deco they had a Western Region diesel railcar, they were known as 'flying bananas' and really styled, the aerodynamic gains from doing this to a variety of locos usually didn't compensate for the extra weight hung on them, but they looked good. Top for that was one of the streamlined steam engines, Coronation class, Duchess of somewhere or other -Hamilton in fact - really great visually, although they took the streamlining plates off after WW2 as they were, as I said, pretty but pointless engineering wise. Mallard was also there and I had a good look at it, the Coronation class was ex LMS and covered the west of the country while Mallard and similar was LNER covering the east coast main line epress routes. I always preferred the former as I grew up in the ex LMS region, and I always thought the streamlined Coronations looked better than the Mallard type, whose streamlining was less ostentatious perhaps, and probably more darn use!

Another walk, an early meal so I can do my racing stuff for tomorrow uninterrupted, and then I tried to walk back to my room - after half an hour I decided the narrow, aged pathways in this bit of the city near the Minster, are magical and twist and change direction on you as you walk. At one point I had my phone showing a map that said the corner I was looking at didn't exist. The ACTUAL corner had a road name sign up on two buildings making a 90 degree corner of a crossroads, which ought to remove all doubt about a location - but it didn't exist on the map, both roads existed okay, they just didn't happen to ever get within a mile of each other. I walked on, and finally found signs that matched the maps, and staggered back here footsore six hours after setting off.

As a prelim to looking at Timeform I looked at how today went at York - boy am I glad I decided to only do Thursday, I need to get home Friday as my daughter and future son in law are visiting from saturday, so staying friday was never a plan, but I did consider doing the Wednesday at one point.... I find a day racing a bit knackering though, and decided Dante day was the better of the two. Looking at the results it looks like utter carnage, no winning favourites at all - the 2 shortest priced are about 7s, nothing else under ten to one. Most of my selections tend to be from the upper part of the market but it looks a bit like anything could happen.... so either lots of outsiders win or nothing except odds on shots to swing the balance back! I'll post here when I have a clue what I am betting on.....

Dave
 
Wifi is a bit ropey, I keep restarting the connection to regain contact with Earth, or Timeform at least. I'd like to claim that I've found a runner for each race that is head and shoulders ahead of the rest, but I'd be lying. I am not going to the course to watch horses run and not have a bet though, so my somewhat shakey list - carefully concocted with an eye to today's results - is as follows:

1.50 Handicap (4) 4yo+14 runners over 5f. This is going to be a cavalry charge, I've picked Designer who is a CD winner and should be around 7-8 to 1, I might well go EW on this one. One I'd cheer on, though I'd prefer him not to be heading Designer in the process, is Copper Knight - he's 9yo and I've enjoyed seeing him in a lot of decent sprints over the years. For a few years his OR bounced around the 105 mark, and was a fair though not generous one, and it is only really this year that the handicapper seems to be giving him a break - now down another 1lb to 88 it would be good to see this old boy turn in another good run, he's a multi CD winner from seasons past. 12/1 when I was checking the racecard, now 9/ so somebody likes him!

2.25 Middleton stks (Fillies) Gp 2, 4yo+ 8 run 10.5f This should be a bit more sedately paced than the opener, and it's the 2nd Gp 2 on the card, the Dante at 3.35 for the colts being the other. The winner for this gets a shade under £88k while the Dante is worth £109k. I'm in 2 minds here, which makes a change from the usual 6 or 7, Free Wind for the Gosden/Dettori team is an obvious pick, and as 5/4fav with net best at 9/2 (Aristia) I am beginning to think others may have twigged it as well. I am quite in favour of a gamble on Toskana Belle at more like 12/1, she won the german oaks as a 3yo, ran well at Aqueduct lto, and will be running for Roger Varian for the first time tomorrow. I also quite like the fact she's run fine on firmer going, and seems quite versatile. This could therefore be an EW lpongshot for me.... quite likely in fact, especially if the first race winner comes in at 50/1 or so to tell me that the fairies are messing the racing up for the second day running.

3.00 Handicap (2) 4YO+ 1 Mile 20 run. Strong pace expected and high draw not so good usually, so that steers me towards Northern Express who won a very similar race here at a similar point in the season on similar going. At 13/2 I probably wouldn't go EW and with 20 runners I may be a bit cagey with this race, a lot will depend on how the results have gone so far and whether I seem to be making a reasonable fist of picking the likely contenders or am really all at sea.

3.35 Dante stakes 3yo Gp 2 10.5f 12 run. Epictetus Gosden/Frankie again. Should be a strong pace and I'm going with the obvious favourite - the Appleby/Buick combo Flying Honours is just one of many that is fancied, so there's nothing cast iron here, I just fancy Epictetus more.

4.10 The forecast here is for an 'extreme' pace, so anything without wings need not apply! Westow stakes, Listed, 3yo, 5f, 11 run. The opener for the card, way back at 1.50, might provide a pointer here - it's a similar race after all, although for younger horses of a higher (just) class, so what's good for race 1 might well be good for race 5. Change of Minds is forecast to be 4/1, so hardly an outsider, but he looks like an improver with recent form and is likely to be flying early so I'm going with him.

4.45 2yo maiden stks class 2 6f 11 run. Oh boy, throw a dart at the racecard time. Just for fun, I will only stick a tiny bet on if I'm already awash with bookies money (fat chance) Emperor Of Rome ran okay for Aiden O'Brien in his only start so far, and surely he didn't bring him all this way just because he felt like a day out at the Jorvik viking centre? Others are more fancied, this race, it's pure guesswork.

5.20 Handicap (3) 0-95 3YO 12 run 12f and to round things off here's a fair old mix. I will at least stay to watch this, but I suspect I will enjoy the parade ring more than anything as there are some seriously well bred horses in this... considering the race is worth a bit under 13 grand to the winner and it's over 12f for 3yo's I think it is fair to say that this is a race for a dozen horses who did not turn out as good as their breeding suggested they might - sounds a bit like my school reports come to think of it. We have multiple representatives from Ulysses, Frankel, Footsetpsinthesand, Dubawi, oh just pick top racehorse and go look for one of his progeny in this group, you'll likely find one. I'm going with Rathgar at 7/2, won a race at Goodwood as a 2yo and grabbed a 2nd at Newmarket earlier this month off the same mark as today while a fair few here have won one of their last two times out (this year) and have been given penalties as a result - to me that gives Rathgar fair chance, and at 7/1 he's a reasonable price.

Right, that's my lot for tomorrow.... I must point out that confidence is not high, and 'how things are going so far' may cause a change in my picks..... if I've seen my picks flounder at the back for a couple I'll decide I picked badly and reconsider some I passed over.


One funny thing from today - a few hundred yards from the rail museum I had to walk through a tunnel (road tunnel, not rail I hasten to add). It was a good length and although there was lots of traffic over the other side of the barrier there was only one other person in the tunnel, about midway along it. I saw a guitar, a case on the ground, and as I had dreaded he started to strum and sing as drew nearer. I discovered (but not until I was past him by some distance) he was attempting 'Sweet Caroline', a song I dislike from a singer I also dislike, but as I got closer I had yet to work out what he was trying to sing. He was the worst busker I have heard in many years (topped only by an old guy in Greece a good 40 years ago). I dropped a quid into his case whilst saying, 'here's a quid to stop'. He replied 'doing well considering there's only 5 strings'.... believe me adding the missing string would not have helped - if you can miss playing 5 out of 5 then maybe hitting the 6th in the right place makes little difference. As I neared the exit a woman began to enter to go the other way, she looked at me, I said 'do you think he knows he can't sing?'

Dave

ps Quiet so far tonight, last night the couple in the (from the sound of it) room below mine were having some sort of spelling contest _ I assume that's what it was, she kept yellling the letters |O and R out anyway. I do hope they play something different if they are down there again tonight.
 
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mick mick Nothing from them last night, probably checked out this morning. Instead of that I got people revving cars with loud exhausts - one just did that in fact - there's a bloody original looking mini that sounds like a MacLaren F1 car fer pity's sake.... they spend more on the flaming exhaust than the car is worth. There was also the playing of drum music with windows down, as everyone knows it is really cool and clever to show off the way your parcel shelf needed to be reinforced to take the 1000W speakers, lots of drunken arguing....they all shut up about 3.30, I'd finally got off to kip when the bin lorry came round at 4.30. I bet this place was quieter when the bloody Vikings were still here.

Full fried sports breakfast, well I did have a 10 minute walk to the cafe so that's exercise right ? Taxi to the course, then it all started to go downhill sadly! My attempt at the Tote Jackpot only produced 2 winners and a third, so half of what was needed, do my £250 or so return didn't occur (2 quid ticket ) and the first 5 races produced one very short priced winner. Aiden O'Brien withdrew my pick for race 6 - probably just as well - and I really couldn't be bothered trying to leave at the end as I'd already had a few bumps from folk who didn't seem to think my white stick meant it wasn't okay to just cut right across my nose when they decided to change course.... it really gets my blood up when people just barge into me, as if being blind is no excuse for not dodging their brainless selves. It happens often enough when shopping so I suppose a racecourse is no different, people still wander round glued to their mobiles even in multi thousands of a crowd. Anyhow, I went back via a bus as it was about to head my way, had a sit down (Kindle out) and a pint at the station, eventually went for a burger in town, end of day out.

Now it is pack the bag time, my train is late afternoon so I have to figure out how to kill a few hours after lunch with a heavyish backpack to keep hold of - I suspect a pub might be the result of my efforts.....

Dave
 
davejb davejb as a child i recall my Grandfather using the White stick, less people and better manners in those days but had he have been bumped then said stick would have been given a secondary use. ! During the latter years of her life my Mum needed a walking stick and a relative braver than i actually started calling her The Stick as she was inclined to start waving it in a menacing manner when taking umbrage. :)

Re your own experiences then seriously such inconsiderate behaviours from what i hope remain a small minority of the public are disgusting. On a lighter note i like the look of those sword sticks, and if you acquired one in white then no need for fatalities but a swift jab to the Foot or Bum of a bumper would do it. :)
 
You are too kind by half mick mick - in my calmer moments I decide that a Taser (preferably fitted into the stick) would be the optimum, as Magnum revolvers are frowned on. I still use the thin white stick, this is for when you can still see a bit but want to alert others that you do not have full vision and need a bit of consideration....I have a full sized white stick sitting ready for when I need to swap to one, having duly been trained on it (mainly to so things I deem almost suicidal in a busy town - crossing the road where you listen until you cannot hear traffic strikes me as a strategy for starvation! The big stick has a golf ball sort of thing at the far end, for bumping along the ground etc. Perhaps if I could get it fixed to some sort of catapult inside the stick, with a retrieval winch for reloading, it might do the trick?

Today I only got bumped a couple of times, and they said sorry so no sweat - as I got close to York station (Having walked almost to the rail museum by mistake) I paused for a breather (I had a fairly hefty backpack on, youngsters get away with lighter loads I reckon but once you've got a dinner jacket, waistcoat and bow tie in with two or three changes of clothing for afternoon tea, a morning walk, relaxing in the bar and so on I find the weight begins to get a bit noticeable). Almost immediately a nice young lady (they're all young compared to me) asked if I needed help and escorted me until even I could see the trains. Passing a couple of hours in the station pub and a burger outlet I then staggered across the footbridge to my platform where my train had just pulled in. The conductor chap exited, checked I was getting on that train, and carried my backpack to a seat for me.... so today has gone some way to restore my faith that at least some good guys exist out there!

I see York's results include a few shocks, I shan't be attending the Dante meeting in future I don't think, I like to stand some chance of picking a winner! Well, time to get stuff ready, my daughter and son in law arrive tomorrow for a few days visit so it's time to get tomorrow's dinner defrosting - slow cooked beef with slightly chillied mixed beans and tomatoes and pasta.... tastes great I do assure you!


Dave

So I went into town for a bacon butty and a cuppa, then off to Sainsburys to get milk and loads of other stuff ready for my daughter's arrival (in an hour or so).... and a big smile for the lady who stopped her VW in plenty of time for me to set off across the zebra crossing - only to have a young woman blithely drive across right in front of me as I walked towards the middle. Come on, give us a chance for crying out loud - it's not on to do that, never mind the white stick I was carrying! The VW lady and I shared a bit of a look at that..... maybe forget the taser and just go for a bazooka?
 
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Oh sure,
sorry, I've been a bit more active in (dramatic chord) areas of the forum where only those who have passed the seventh veil of handicapping are given to meet, also I haven't had much worth saying!

I'm off to Haydock tomorrow, another chance to see Frankie and I was offered a lift so I thought I might as well, Haydock is a lovely course when the sun shines and oddly it's more difficult to get to this, my closest course, than it is to cross the pennines to York, by public transport.... York also has more to offer if I want an overnight stay.

I'm also spending more time sorting life out - working on a little bit of a social life, indulging in the odd hobby while my eyes still work well enough to do so. With the lovely weather of the past couple of weeks I've been getting out a bit more, enjoying the sun and fresh air (whilst trying to shelter from the ever present winds, this place needs a giant wind break around it!) No drama, I'll spend a bit more time on the horses at some point - I'll be working through the Haydock card for tomorrow of course and will probably put a few also rans up later.

Dave
 
Sorry to hear of the eye prob Dave , you did well to manage at busy York - there some ignorant twats about then add alcohol and stand well back - we don’t go to York for any busy meets anymore ( know a few that have similar opinion) just not worth the hassle. Cold wind yes agree was over your way recently fine but cold / same at home though. Keep the humour going where ever you post. Good luck
 
Cheers Mark,
off out shortly for a walk into town for a shop - probably throw a cuppa in as well. Everywhere is a problem when your eyes degenerate, it's all well and good having a white stick but a surprisingly large number of people seem to be unaware of what it means - I was gobsmacked to discover this, but it does explain why people often cross bang in front of me or collide whilst 'overtaking' with hardly an inch to spare. My fault for not looking blind enough I suspect - I don't wear dark glasses (I see little enough as it it without making it harder to do so) and as I carry the lighter cane type stick currently, leaving my heavier 'full stick with ball at end' for when I have to navigate by feel.... but then I could probably be in a wheelchair with an IV drip attached and people would still try to walk through me!

The crowd tomorrow will be a trial, but I can usually work out a routine that lets me do my stuff and get where I want to go, hopefully things will go okay enough.

Dave
 
Yep davejb davejb its bad enough when you can see now with bikes and those scooter things nearly running into you, also folk when walking have no idea that other folk exist i think is madness now out their. Anyhow take care!
 
Finished a fairly quick romp[ through the Haydock card for tomorrow's major expedition in search of the pie. I'm expecting a beautiful sunny afternoon, Good to Firm going, and probably more winners coming from the prominent racers rather than those needing to be held up. A mistake I am prone to making is thinking that this means front runners do well, which is not the same thing at all - I really want to be on something that will tuck in near the front for most of the trip but have a bit left to produce a quick burst to the front from 1-2f out and hold on to the line. I wonder how many, if any,winners tomorrow will fit that bill? Ah well....

I've really wanted to pick Frankie's rides, or at least one of them, for a bet tomorrow, but Ryan Moore has some good ones lined up I think while others who normally ride the track well also look to have decent rides, so he'll have to be at his best.

I don't usually try to go through the card, unless I'm going to the meeting in person - that doesn't mean that I bet on them all, I try to cherry pick them a bit, but I do like to see how my picks do in each race and a few winners will tend to make me chance my arm a bit while starting off with a couple of losers usually sees me pulling back and just watching unless I am convinced I've picked a good one next race. A day at the races is more entertainment for me than betting, really, as if I wanted (seriously) to bet to win on the day I'd sit at home watching it on the TV whilst looking for opportunities online.... when I'm at the course tomorrow I will not be watching ITV, so my usual number one method of picking horses - ie rule 1, Do not bet on anything tipped by Francesca Cumani, MIck Fitzgerald, or Luke Harvey - will be missing, as I can't avoid what I do not hear them tipping! I will probably see one or two of them, but it's probably a bit rude to ask them to mark my card with their selections so I can avoid betting on them....

On the other hand Jason Weaver often spouts a bit of sense, I figure he has his nose in the form book a bit and it shows.

Right, 1.15 Frankie is on Equilateral, and he's got a chance, having run a length 2nd here in the Temple Stakes in late May, behind Dramatised. He seems to be one who doesn't always fire, but is very good when he does - mind you over 5f it takes very little to put a horse behind with little hope of fixing the damage, so a run round at the back could be down to the jockey figuring all chance had gone before the first furlong marker and easing up rather than knackering the horse for next time just to grab 4th. Regional won well at York on Dante day, Clarendon House is yet another.... oh lor, I've got half the field in with a chance..... I;m going to go with Raasel. He's run well under James Doyle before, on similar going, and he tends to be mid pack which ought to be a decent place to kick on from.

1.50 Class 2 handicap 6f 14 run. Draw bias against middle it says here - strong pace expected. Mr Wagyu and Emperor Spirit (Frankie) look set to try to lead the race, from opposite sides of the pack (drawn 11 and 2) and an EW on Emperor Spirit might be more fun than trying to pick the likely winner. The money is likely to be on Mr Wagyu, who ran well in the Epsom Dash to come 3rd lto by 1.2l, he is down in the handicap compared to last year when he had a good season for wins, he's earned a quarter million quid so far and to be honest he looks the best one here - I'm just not convinced i want to bet in a 14 runner sprint handicap and only get 3/1 on my pick, so I might just watch this one!

2.25 Handicap Cl2 1m 4f ish, 10 run. Bias is against high draw, probably not be a lot of pace on which will favour those close up again. Live The Dream has been off for 609 days, but as the comment has it Saaeed Bin Suroor tends to have them fit, and id he is fit then he could romp this. On the other hand it IS 609 days off, and the race is actually 1m 4f ish while this chap is no stranger to races of 2m 2f, so I'm guessing this outing isn't one where the stable expect him to win, but want to blow the cobwebs away, give him a good run, and see how he has come out of the layoff. Assuming all of that I'm looking at Good Show with PJ MacDonald up for Keith Dalgleish. A winner at Hamilton lto on this going he's only up 3lb, and while the margin was only a neck it was a decent enough win - he was not raced a lot at 3, didn't run as a 2yo, has won 2 from his 6 runs in total and should be able to improve further this season. I think a probable improver with good recent form might be a decent bet in this.

3.00 Gp 3 12f ish 6 run. One of the two feature races today, Pinnacle Stakes (or the Lester Piggot stakes today) another with (probably) little pace, suited to a prominent runner, and no draw bias to worry about. The previous race being expected to produce the same weak pace (although this race is probably going to be even less strongly contested early on) from a smallish field over the same distance might well produce a few clues - this is another race where I like half the field! Ryan Moore is riding Time Lock for the Charltons, a new rider for the horse, who has won once with Sean Levy up from 5 starts - he usually has decent enough jockeys, Will Buick and James Doyle have both been on board, Will Buick having two almosts on him - the last three runs have been 2 seconds by a neck and a second by a length, one of those was behind Mimikyu, but she has since turned the tables with a second (Mimikyu 7th) 2 runs back. She's a daughter of Frankel who is probably improving still, has won 1 from 5 runs in total and always battles once she hits the front in the final couple of furlongs. She also won that once on the only run she's had on good/firm, so today's going should help.


3.35 Gp 3 7f 37y 6 run, v weak pace, no draw bias, another one for a prominent run like as not.
The other feature event, you might say, also being worth 42.5k as was the 3.00. Ryan Moore again for me on The Astrologist who is from darkest Australia, for Leon and Troy Corstens (who?) One presumes they looked Ryan Moore up online and offered him the ride, and as he was here already..... third favourite right now (take that mick mick, it's almost an outsider!) he ought to be in with a good chance provided whatever caused him to run like a duck at York has now been fixed, passed, or otherwise ceased to bother him. That was his first run in the UK, having come from Australia (winning at Ascot, Australia, over 7f in a group 3 6 months ago via Meydan where he ran the once, beaten a head in a group 1 over 6f. At York on Musidora day, in the 6f Clipper stakes, Ryan was also up and the horse moved up the field a bit before pretty much fizzling out - hopefully the sunshine tomorrow will liven him up, and the return to 7f and drop in class can't hurt.

That's it for the good stuff really - handicaps after 3.35, and they don't look too enticing. For completeness, and if by some stroke of fate I am winning all afternoon and determined to keep stripping wealth from the evil bookies, then....

4.10 another 7f 37y sprintish, this time a strong pace expected from 9 runners in a class 4 handicap. No bias, usual prominent runners stuff, and all I could come up with is Chartwell House who ran quite well behind Havanna Blue at Newmarket lto, 4th beaten 2l, and goes off the same mark today.

To round off

4.45 Class 4 handicap 1m 37y, 8 run, strong pace expected, prominent as usual, no draw bias. Throws dart at board and picks Venetian who ran well in 3rd behind the much more fancied stablemate Lion Of War at Musselburgh over 1f further a week ago (Venetian was 28/1 while Lion of War was 15/2). Billy Garrity gets the ride again, and I quite like him on a Johnston horse. Probably more of an EW chance, sadly not really at an EW price, but a consistent type who is maybe not quite fast enough at the end of the race most of the time ... tends to be at the front at the 2f pole, sometimes well before that, the issue is hanging on! Will win one day, tomorrow might be the day..... probably not with my money on, unless I've been doing well... chances are I'll already be on the way home before this one goes to post anyway!


Rumours of my sinking into my recliner never to be seen again are, I hope this shows, wide of the mark.
Dave
 
davejb davejb Re your above quantity - quality with a hint of humor certainly negates the rumours, although i do have concerns Re your intended punt in the 3.35 as i know the 3/1 will take you outside of your comfort zone but should betting at such speculative odds prove correct then think of how many Tea Cakes and Fry Ups your winnings will cover, although i pity the recliner. :eek:

Have a good day and safe journey and be sure to hang on to that Sun Hat. :)
 
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davejb said:
Right, 1.15 Frankie is on Equilateral, and he's got a chance, having run a length 2nd here in the Temple Stakes in late May, behind Dramatised. He seems to be one who doesn't always fire, but is very good when he does - mind you over 5f it takes very little to put a horse behind with little hope of fixing the damage, so a run round at the back could be down to the jockey figuring all chance had gone before the first furlong marker and easing up rather than knackering the horse for next time just to grab 4th. Regional won well at York on Dante day, Clarendon House is yet another.... oh lor, I've got half the field in with a chance..... I;m going to go with Raasel. He's run well under James Doyle before, on similar going, and he tends to be mid pack which ought to be a decent place to kick on from.
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davejb said:
4.10 another 7f 37y sprintish, this time a strong pace expected from 9 runners in a class 4 handicap. No bias, usual prominent runners stuff, and all I could come up with is Chartwell House who ran quite well behind Havanna Blue at Newmarket lto, 4th beaten 2l, and goes off the same mark today.
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WD with 2 winners davejb davejb (y)
 
Only one - Raasel was third, and Chartwell House was only 5/2.... so I'm glad I wasn't betting very much, I just put a few bob on with the Tote each race and left before the end. Actual losses were light, and almost eclipsed by the cost of everything else! The weather was lovely, and having set off in plenty of time so thankfully my friend managing to keep taking the wrong exit from a series of roundabouts as we got close didn't cause any significant problems. There were quite a lot of roadworks on the go on the M6 at the junctions north and south of the course, as we overshot each one I was driven to politely enquire whether we wouldn't have done better to take one of them. Then we left the M6 heading for the slip road to get back on to head for where we ought to be, ie a few miles further north, and we took the wrong exit and had to circle another roundabout and try again.... it did go on a little! (My driver is not somebody who takes mention of their navigational skills with equanimity, so I was very restrained about suggesting too much).

Anyway, we got there. Picked up our badges okay at the entrance, had a swift look around and so on. Funny thing with racecourses that took me some time to get used to, you buy tickets for the Grandstand and paddock, the general entry bit, or the County stand - when you get there of course you find there are three grandstands, and they are named after people, or horses, or famous races..... then they also have more expensive tickets for lounges where you get served food (at a fair old price mind - the cheapest option is the carvery, where you get somewhere nice to eat a carvery, but the ticket price increases to £130, which is quite a hike above the £22 (next wednesday's meeting, £32 or so for yesterday, so still a bit more than Toby charge!) There are helpful folk on the entrances making sure you don't go where you shouldn't, and they're always nice and will point you to where you want to be. County stand is usually the one at the end nearest the paddock and parade ring - I've not been to many courses, but I do wonder if the same bloke designed them all and got paid repeatedly for photocopying the same plan.

It being hot we got an iced coffee for the driver and a small bottle of cider for myself - over six quid for less than a pint, yup I said to myself, this is a racecourse alright! More wandering after a sit down on a bench to drink and cool down a bit, the el cheapo panama hat doing sterling service keeping the sun off my vulnerable neck - somewhat amusingly my recent haircut made it all too easy for the hat to sink onto my head and rest on top of my ears, I decided I was old enough not to care. Placepot picked and then back to put a few bob on Raasel for the opener, who pretty much set the script fore my afternoon - he was far from the only one I backed who seemed poised to win a furlong out but then couldn't make it stick, or couldn't quite get there - The Astrologist led most of the way but got caught in the final Gp 3, I suppose it made a change to see one of mine at the front at some point. Annoyingly my pal asked me what I was betting on a few times, and along with my own picks I would point out those I thought might also feature - Regional in the opener, and Jumby notably, and when asked about Sea Silk Road I said 'they're in with a chance' - I need to accompany myself and bet on the dangers I think! The one I spent least time on, and didn't back as I left early, Venetian came awfully close in the last, having led, been headed, and then fighting back to a short head second. Overall I was a bit annoyed to see several races going to horses I had considered significant runners but not as good as my picks - generally speaking it's a bit like after the event I had flipped a coin for each race and called heads or tails wrong repeatedly.

Nothing until race 5, which just meant I didn't lose very much - I don't mind the betting much, I never bet anything but pocket change these days, when I was young and poor a good day in the bookies meant a good week with a few luxuries, like lunch each day, and betting mattered. These days it just adds a touch of focus to a race and I bother less and less.

So, lovely weather, a bit hot - by the end (we left early, missed the last, which at least skipped losing on a race I couldn't care less about) my feet were sore and I was getting a bit too warm. The pie stand took a bit of finding, especially as I knew pretty well where it was, as it was sort of tacked onto the end of a bar and it was hard to spot. DIsaster struck, no steak pies! @We've got meat and potato' the lady on the counter said, as if a meat and potato pie was any sort of alternative to a steak pie. Pizza, sausage rolls.... I recoiled in horror and left. Outside we found a burger place, swapped almost a tenner for a chicken and coleslaw burger which was no substitute but filled a gap. I suspect it's an age thing but why has every catering option shrunk down to burgers? Why does a burger have to have cheese on (yes, I know you can usually opt for the slice of plastic to be removed) - I cannot remember burgers being a major item in my youth - when I was 18 I actually worked on Blackpool's Golden Mile, about 200 yds from the Central pier, at a cafe (during daylight hours only) which operated a burger counter once we pulled the roller shutter down about 6ish. I cooked and sold innumerable burgers, as did the burger stand right next door, and we put fried onions on them, not cheese. Back then that was the place to go for burgers - most places were chippies, and back in the normal bits of town it was chip shops sprinkled every quarter mile, not burger joints. I blame it on TV - they showed US TV shows, everyone decided that to be cool involved emulating the US, and the importation of millions of tons of processed cheese slices began. Go into a supermarket in the US and try to find cheese that isn't some form of cheddar..... good luck tracking down anything else. I consider the US influence on Europe and the UK to be worth legislating against. (That might be because I avoid cheddar most of the time for other, tastier cheeses, and cannot abide cooked cheese despite loving the uncooked alternative, I never said my opinions were not driven by personal bias).

Funny really, I don't mind paying money out at all, without me the local hospitality cafe sector would plunge into debt, but I do object to paying extra for food I don't really care for and drinks that seem to be marked up to the point of excess.... £2.45 in a supermarket for the cider I paid more than £6 for, I presume the concessions cost plenty so the profit is probably donated to the Jockey Club mostly. I'm just getting cranky in my old age.

The whole day was a bit of a mix, the sunshine helped tremendously to make it a better day than it might have been, although it probably meant that I got a bit tired and footsore - walking between the stands area to watch races and grab food and drink, and the parade ring to see the horses (which at one point included having Frankie ride past about 5 feet away , much to my pal's delight) did get a bit hard after a couple of hours. Sadly Mimiku was withdrawn from the 3.00 so Frankie's third and final ride did not appear - he scored 2nd place on races one and two, so my friend never did get to see a flying dismount. (Dunno why that was a hope for the day, but some people like it). Ryan Moore had 5 rides and struck out completely - 7 races with seven different winning jockeys. My tote placepot produced 4 placed horses (I did a pair of runners in two of the races, Live Your Dream was included in race 3 and came 2nd, I did The Astrologer and Jumby in race 5 to see them come in first and second, but by then I was out of it as legs 2 and 4 were single picks that came nowhere. Its worth £453.60 to have 6 placed so I felt I'd been close-ish.
I'd go again, given the option - I am looking at getting around a bit as I've mentioned, York was a sort of proving trip to check I can manage trips on my own, and I intend to try different stuff - so a coach tour or similar will probably feature at some point - trips I arrange like York will quite possibly be sorted to involve a day racing somewhere, I'd like to see a few different courses as there are plenty I have never seen, I even quite fancy an AW trip one day.

I will be watching Ascot this week of course, although I will pick and choose what as I find watching the whole thing beginning to end a bit energy and will sapping - I want to enjoy it rather than endure it.

Oh well, a day or two lay off before Ascot, no racing for me until then.

Dave
Dohh, make that 'watching Ascot in a week or so'... for some reason I thought it started Tuesday!
 
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