The Olympic Gold Shergar Blog

Well we're almost at the end of a fantastic Olympics where GB have won an almost unprecedented number of gold medals - mostly in sports that require sitting down.   Team GB's success has inspired me to attempt to emulate their willpower and dedication.....so I've been practising sitting down a lot more!  I have been totally glued to the TV to the exclusion of almost everything else.  When you've seen a man run half his 400m leg with.....half his 400m leg (his leg broke at around the 200m mark), a horse bouncing in time to the Dambusters tune and kids on bikes winning gold medals then I think we can consider ourselves well and truly entertained! 

Real !

At Chez Sandi, we have gold medal contenders for the following should they ever become Olympic sports:  BMX (Bloody Marvellous X-Rays - 3 armbreaks in one year is the current record held by my son!), Dress(your)age,  Shoe-do and Fridge Raiding (Nocturnal stealth category).  

Now Ascot are holding their own annual Olympics - the Shergar Cup.  I'm warming to this annual event, I have to admit.  For the uninitiated, top jockeys from across the world fly in to Blighty so that the Great Britain & Ireland team can beat compete against three other teams at Ascot in 6 races.   They are up against Europe, the 'Rest of the World' and for the first time......an all female team.  John McCririck will be having kittens!  Rides have been allocated randomly by draw and racing starts early at 12:55.  

I have it on good authority that the overseas jocks are being put up in the luxurious Cowarth Park Hotel with it's own equestrian centre and polo academy.  At least they have a bolt hole nearby when the 80's entertainment starts and before they get

rolled by Rick Astley.

  

The Ladies Hayley Turner (cpt) Chantal Sutherland and Emma Jane Wilson are the ladies and are rather predictably wearing pink silks.

The Rest of the World are in yellow and comprise of Yutake Take (cpt), Aaron Gryder and Matthew Chadwick.  

Europe are wearing blue and have Frankie Dettori (cpt), Cristian Demuro (Mirco's baby brother and 2011 Italian champion jockey) and Andreas Suborics.

Finally GB & Ireland are in green silks and are made up of Kieren Fallon (cpt), Johnny Murtagh and James Doyle. 


Tomorrow evening's noms shall be in honour of the winners, so if GB & Ireland win, it's fish & chips, Europe means pizza, ROTW a Chinese or indian and a Ladies team win means chocolate, Ben &Jerrys and a chickflick....come on girls!

I've had a good look at the 6 race card and because each race is so open, I have 2 picks for most (Dutching! That'll be on the Europe team then?) 

This is what I have come up with:

ASCOT
12:55	Stevie Thunder	Mull Of Killough
13:30	Lyric Street	Astral Thunder  e/w
14:05	Steps
14:40	Repeater	Rule Book  e/w
15:15	Ittirad	John Louis
15:50	Big Note	Lady Gorgeous  e/w

Well!  It was fun to watch anywau and it's Indian takeaway tonight.....

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was doing some housekeeping to my Outlook email folders and quickly scanning through my junk folder before emptying/deleting the contents, I spied a couple of emails from the Racing Post.  First email: I had tickets for that day's meeting at York WAHAY!.  Second email:  If we don't hear from you by 2 days ago, we'll offer them to another.....WAAAH!  

York is about a 2 hour drive, it was 07:30am and I have a fast car and a hat.  

So I phoned the customer services number provided (not really expecting a reply at stupid o'clock) and spoke to a lovely chap called Alastair who told me that yes indeed, the tickets had found a new home.  No matter, I thought as I swore at my over-zealous junk filter and I rattled off an email of thanks and apologies for my unintentional ignorance.  Monday morning, I received an email from RP asking for my postal address as they would like to send me Richard Hughes new autobiography to soften the disappointment.  Nice peeps so they are.

I have (like many) several horses that I will religiously back whenever they run.  Usually this is because of the 'potential' they showed when they were younger and despite never realising this potential, I daren't ignore a run as this WILL be the one occasion when they will win at big odds....even if the distance, going, jockey often is identical to that of previous losing runs!  These are known as 'cliff horses' (as in you would follow them over one) but can also be known by the names "Usain Colt", "Space War", "Boris Grigoriev" (running today at Redcar 15:100 and "Valery Borzov".  If I back any of these, then this is a sure fire jinx but I think I have a solution to this problem! I shall set up an alert to send an email to a friend whenever one of these are running and said friend will put on a bet on my behalf.  I'll let you know how this plan goes but I wouldn't hold your breath...

Sunday's Foolish Selections & Updates - 01 April

The first race of the flat season was won by 50/1 shot Norse Blues!  The last time this horse won was when he partnered up with James 'The Doyler' Doyle at Epsom last June.  James meanwhile was busy winning his first ever group 1 race on Cityscape in the Dubai Duty Free at Meydan.  He's had a productive winter in Dubai/Meydan and rode an excellent race today, improvising when he was forced to take up the running as the leader emptied quickly.  Cityscape broke the course record too!  Roger Charlton is becoming an even dabber hand at these international big purse races.

Racing for Change have announced some new plans in their ongoing drive to help horseracing appeal to a wider (and younger) audience.  There are plans to organise various themed events and race days throughout the country before the end of 2012.  Plans include a meeting with a sausage only food menu at Bangor in September, a Shakespeare day at Stratford, Viking day at York and (predictably!) a Robin Hood day at Nottingham .  Also planned is a meeting  at Beverley which will be staffed by students from local schools and colleges all named Beverley and (best of all I think) free admittance to Glorious Goodwood on the 03 August for anyone who takes along a carved or whittled piece of wood that they've created themselves.  


RfC have however abandoned following up on an (initially very well received) idea that a special charity race be added to the end of the card on the first day of Royal Ascot.  The idea was to demonstrate how little pain the whip really does inflict by having the jockeys 'ride' celebrities and encourage them along with their 'persuaders'.  The idea was abandoned when none of the jockeys would agree to 'ride' anyone other than John McCririck or Tommo - despite plenty of other well known names and good sports like Max Mosley offering their services.

Not a good start to the month (but the only way is up from now)  Loss of -7 

	Doncaster	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	13:35	Jeer UP

1/        Last years winner on a decent mark. One of the better jocks on board – who also has ridden him before (although not won). 

	Ascot	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	14:20	Arbeo UP
2	14:55	Prince Of Pirates UP
3	15:30	High Samana UP
4	16:05	Fix The Rib UP

Notes:

1/            Kings Bayonet would be of more interest at shorter – he hasn’t shown that he can last home even 2 miles to date!  Kruzhlinin is interesting but TD isn’t really firing at present (and Sam has an abysmal record round here 0/22) so I’m taking a chance with Arbeo sho looks as though this distance over a stiff course will suit.

	Limerick	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	15:40	Ballysteen

Nightly nap for tomorrow:

High Samana 

Ascot 15:30

(Samana is a city and peninsula in the Dominican Republic)

Richard Hills came out of the shortest lived retirement ever at Meydan when the Dubai Gold Cup was re-run at the end of yesterday's card.  He looked as though he was in with a chance too aboard Zanzamar, an 18/1 shot who eventually finished third behind Joshua Tree (2nd) and winner Opinion Poll.  That would have been a fairy tale ending but wasn't to be.  


Sadly Fox Hunt didn't have a fairy tale ending either, he very publicly broke down in the first running of the Dubai Gold Cup at 14:45 and had to be euthanised.  As it's a 2 mile race, it had to be abandoned as the remaining runners could not continue on the second circuit.  In a cruel twist of fate, Bronze Cannon was fatally injured during the second attempt of the race with Grand Vent also pulling up with an injured hind leg but he was taken to horsey hospital and it doesn't appear to be life threatening....update:  Unfortunately it was and he has also been euthanised.  Three horses lost in one race (albeit two runnings) - awful statistic.

Saturday's (Ascot & Haydock) Selections & Updates - 18 February

I picked up my new glasses from the opticians yesterday afternoon.  They took 13 days to arrive - hand made by fairies in the Far East is my guess and you'd be perfectly correct in thinking that I didn't order them from Vision Express.  Anyway, the very first horse that I picked while wearing them was Brunston last night at 11/1 closely followed by Samollie at an equally tasty 10/1 then An Saighdiur at 15/2.  I promise this isn't a whole load of the worst after timing you've ever heard but merely a demonstration of how lucky my new glasses are - honestly!


I love visiting Haydock (thought of going on my own in rain has tempered enthusiasm somewhat!) and have a fair enough strike rate there (28%) whereas Ascot is slightly better at 34.78% so these are the two cards that I'll be studying for Saturday....mostly!  


I've been tweaking and keeping records of the effects that different criteria have on a race and have now taken the tweaking to a daily level.  The day of the week really does affect it!  For instance, one glaring observation is that on a Saturday it is more important that the horse has had it's pipe opener (if it needs one) and the jockey booking is also more important....whereas looking for a "valid" reason why a Saturday runner may not have won LTO is bordering on pointless on a Saturday (make of that one what you will!)
  

Well that's more like it!  Profits of + 6.71 today and the nap won easily :)

	Ascot	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	13:50	Silvianico Conti UP
2	15:00	Riverside Theatre 1st
3	16:10	Balder Succes 1st

1/         Silvianico Conti and Bobs Worth are hard to split.  I would suggest that SC has the more assured stamina but will be having an insurance/cover bet on BW in case

	Haydock	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	13:35	Une Artiste 1st	Lexi’s  Boy (EW) UP (3rd)
2	14:10	Real Milan UP
3	14:45	Reindeer Dippin (EW) UP
4	15:20	Giles Cross 1st	Fredo (EW)  UP
5	15:55	Grand Vision (EW) 1st
6	17:00	Officier De Reserve UP

Notes:

1/            David Bass is here for this one ride on Une Artiste who has an impressively high quality record on the flat in France, won his hurdling debut easily by 12 lengths but has never raced in a field of more than a handful of runner (only neg)

2/            I like Thehilllsofuisneach a whole lot but not the penalty he has to haul around today. 

3/            Although the trainer says Featherbed Lane will get 3m, I’m not backing it at short prices with a question mark.  Reindee Dippin is taking a heck of a jump in class here but horse, trainer and jockey course form mean it’s not impossible.  Benny Be Good and Restless Harry (1st) are both tempting as well so it’s just a small each way in this for me.

4/            Not advertising but Paddy Power are paying first 4 places in this today!

5/            Another favourite!  Boring I know but it’s favourite for a reason – he’s on a good mark, has the stamina, unraced on softer than g/s but this shouldn’t be any problem on breeding and Tom O’Brien rides well here.

6/            ODR has only just recently left Sue Smith and his penultimate outing resulted in a 3^rd in a Class 2 at Cheltenham (Jan 2011).  Something presumably amiss after that but the ability is there

Since I've already picked three of the five Maguire/McCain runners above, I've put an each way Lucky 31 on all five - that's Lexi's Boy (13:35), Real Milan (14:10), Reindeer Dippin (14:45), Tornado Bob (15:55) - prob the least likely in my book and Empress Orchid (16:30)

Nightly nap is getting easier by the day, I swear ...and what's an "S" between friends:

Balder Succes

Ascot 16:10
1st  
Is it just my imagination or does that baby remind you of Choc Thornton (maybe my new glasses need adjusting?!)....it does now...that's a victory clench :)

Saturday's Soggy Selections & Updates - 21 January

Haydock inspected at 07:30am and it a go!  The wind and rain is not stopping a hardy Northern racetrack from putting on a great day's racing with the Peter Marsh chase.  The weather today will be throwing (literally in Haydocks case I think) a few big priced winners over the line first!


Even the lack of a single winner will not stop me from looking again at Meydan though.  Shafya spoilt the "Suroor/Cumani 11f tapeta" party yesterday by winning with his runner - nerve of the man spoiling my stats like that!  No matter, there's another 11f tapeta Meydan race tomorrow (14:50) so normal balance can be restored.  The Suroor runner is Tahaamah with SDS up (no Frankie at Meydan tomorrow).  Tahaamah was a bit of a monkey at the stalls on his last attempt at racing and was withdrawn so hopefully he can behave better this time out.  I may hide a few selections at the foot of this blog later.....


Just looking through today's racing and I cannot believe that Mon Mome has never won since the Grand National!  I'm amazed.

	Haydock	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	12:40	Cinders And Ashes 1st
2	13:10	Cotswold Charmer UP
3	15:30	Mount Oscar (EW) UP	The Sawyer (EW) UP
4	16:05	Glenwood Knight  UP

Notes:

3/            I’ve gone for a couple of the old boys here each way.  Mount Oscar hasn’t been seen on a racecourse since last Feb but on the 5 occasions he has returned from a long break , he’s won once, came 3^rd three times and failed once so an each way should bear fruit – more of a worry is the current stable form but they’re coming a long way just for this one race here today.  The Sawyer will love these conditions.

	Ascot	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	13:00	Royale’s Charter F
2	14:05	Kentford Grey Lady 2nd
3	15:10	Finian’s Rainbow 2nd
4	15:45	Zaynar UP	Surfing (EW) UP

Notes:

1/            Negatives for Triolo D’Alene is winning form is in tiny fields, Oldrik’s penalty

3/            Thought long and hard about FR (I do love Al Ferof) but despite some clever hack from RP worrying about going right handed after the dodgy jumping at Kempton LTO (despite winning here easily over hurdles!), there is no way that I think for one moment that he won’t have been schooled to within an inch of his life between then and now.

4/            Appears that Nick Williams has found a key!  Down in grade, course winners, distance winner, going winner so should be in the shake up

	Naas	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:15	Dylan Ross (nap) 2nd

	Wincanton	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	15:20	Kilcrea Asla (EW) UP

These are the hush hush Meydan selections (shhh!)

	Meydan	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:15	Grand Duchy (EW) UP	Maath Gool (EW) 3rd
2	14:50	Tahaamah 2nd
3	15:25	Street Act UP	Paschendale UP
4	16:05	Clasp (EW) UP	Trojan Nights (EW) 1st
5	16:40	Man Of Action  UP
6	17:20	Ip Man 1st

Meydan took me in to profit today with +7.36 (27.26%)

Here is a nice and easy (because it's the end of the week and our brains hurt)  Friday nightly nap:

Naas 14:15
Dylan Ross
2nd

I just threw some stale cake out for the blackbird and robin that always wait outside the back door at day break.  I forgot to crumble it and nearly took the robin's head off.....whoops!