Monday's Easter Holiday Blog & Updates (Profits) - 09 April

No more chocolate or Fairyhouse selections for me today....neither agree with me it would appear (I'll make an exception for the Irish National today of course!)  It would seem from yesterday's results that the best way to find a winner at Fairyhouse is to ignore the form and just look for what is being backed in the morning!  

Nine meetings today and we'll all be like kids in a toy and sweet shop - not knowing which way to turn.  I shall be concentrating on Huntingdon primarily as my strike rate there is a tasty 40.51% - selections up in the morning.

Six of Monday's meetings are available to watch free on At The Races with three only on RUK.  I knew there was a reason I cancelled my £20 a month subscription some while back!  Sorry RUK, but that really is way too expensive.

I was working away earlier on a tissue when I typed "perv huddled" instead of "prev hurdled".....much to the amusement of my daughter.  So everyone, rule #1 for novice hurdles is now that the selection must have been perv huddled!

Mikael Barzalona  - yesterday Longchamp today............Yarmouth!

My nightly nap has appeared on this blog before...and came 2nd.  He's dropping a class today,  has had a short break and running back at a more suitable (galloping) track, Huntingdon where he has raced twice in the past resulting in a win and a second:

Cry of Freedom

Huntingdon 16:05
2nd

Not at all bad a day with profits of +4.34 (+48.22%)

	Chepstow	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	14:15	Black Thunder 1st
2	16:00	Take Of Shoc’s 1st
3	16:35	Pantxoa UP

	Plumpton	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:30	Greyfriar’s Drummer 1st

	Huntingdon	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	14:20	Henry Hook 2nd
2	16:05	Cry Of Freedom 2nd
3	16:40	The Falklander UP

	Fakenham	First Choice	E/W or Forecast Choice
1	16:25	Emperor’s Choice 1st
2	17:00	Earth Dream 1st

Back to the one and only Fairyhouse race I'll be looking at today (fallen out and sulking after yesterday's abysmal results!).  The Irish National.  Having spent quite some time looking, searching, checking, researching etc, I really quite like the look of Four CommanderS.  Although he's never been around Fairyhouse before, his form at Thurles and Down Patrick shows that he has no problem with right handed (wouldn't be much of an Irish racehorse if he did!).  Certainly the distance won't phase him given his decent third over further at the Cheltenham Festival in the NH Chase.... and herein lies the question mark - whether he's had enough recovery time after such a marathon?  A couple of others that made my shortlist are Cross Appeal (slight concern over stamina especially since he's a flat bred horse) and Alfie Sherrin (stable going through an unaccustomed cold spell and AP has jumped ship to Groody Hill - although that one could do with the heavens opening overnight).  Finally Aigle D'Or got a lot of my perusals and time spent on it.  He's fairly versatile going-wise and although he was behind a couple of these lto (Cross Appeal, Groody Hill) the step up in trip should suit and the Henderson/Geraghty combo isn't often found with odds of 22/1 to be had!  

Bearing in mind that the majority of bookies are paying 1/4 odds on the first five (hang your heads in shame Hills, Coral, Ladbrokes, Betfred), I shall be a National tart and spread myself about these selections (each way):

1. Four Commander UP
2. Cross Appeal  UP
3. Alfie Sherrin 3rd 
4. Aigle D'Or  UP

Wednesday's Selections and Overdue Rant - 15 February

Nicky Mackay will be appealing against his 10 day ban for saving both his and his horses lives on Monday at Wolves - and the lives of a handful of bookies and spectators as well most probably.  His ride,Stars In Their Eyes ran so wide on the bends during a maiden that it was literally in danger of going through the rails.  Nicky used the whip 10 times and the stewards used their 'discretion'.  Sadly their discretion wasn't used to make the obvious and sensible decision that the 3 extra strikes were for safety and correctional reasons but instead handed out a 10 day ban since it was his second offence in 12 months. 


If the BHA overule this then I may just keel over in pure amazement.  One thing that the BHA do not ever do is admit they are wrong - never, never ever!  And herein lies the current problem with the whip rule.  They have messed up but cannot or will not backtrack and/or admit it.  Their sheer arrogance and refusal to admit their mistakes puts them up there with King Canute, Napoleon and Hitler.


If nothing is done before Cheltenham, there will be some very negative publicity surrounding whip bans as well as a severe lack of jockeys available for the week beginning  26 March!

Well First In Command was Seventh In Command yesterday.  Let's see if today is any better.


If your bet for Lookoutnow was placed with Paddy Power like mine, they paid out but otherwise the 3rd place meant not a jot!  Nap won today but overall down -4.19

	Kelso	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	13:40	Rhymers Ha’ (EW) 2nd	Taruma (EW) UP

Notes:

1/           I realise that Lyvius is supposed to be the second coming but I refuse to back a horse never seen on a racecourse over hurdles at this short price.  Rhymers Ha’ did very well over C&D on his first hurdles outing and Taruma has been seen in higher class company in France – if he’s settled in this country then he has a very decent chance. 

	Fairyhouse	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:05	Primroseandblue 3rd
2	14:35	Galileo’s Choice 1st
3	15:05	Mark Me Up 3rd	On My Own (EW) UP
4	16:05	Clashnabrook 1st	Lookoutnow (EW) 3rd Dsq

Notes:

2/            This selection is no sort of price but a good addition for a multiple!

3/            A trappy race which doesn’t warrant too much £££ investing in!  On My Own is just about an each way price and worth an insurance bet but Mark Me Up ought to win.

4/            If Lookoutnow is available at an each way price then I’d back this too – the handicapper hasn’t been too kind which is why I can’t see him winning.

Fairyhouse 16:05 
Clashnabrook

1st

Saturday's Too Cold To Snow Selections & Updates - 04 February

The two trainers with the best strike rate in the Lingfield 15:00 tomorrow are are Messrs Barron and Knight at 32% and 26% respectively.

Now for people of a certain age these names in the same sentence may strike a chord - they were a group who had a string of parody hit songs in the 70s!  Now we just need the two top jockeys in the race called Weird and Al - suggestions on a postcard.....!?

My Meydan picks were sadly without even a winner yesterday but the three from four Dundalk selections pulled something back.  
Tonight's nightly nap is running at Lingfield (in the very same race mentioned above) at 15:00:

Lingfield 15:00

Prince Of Burma UP

(That's an uncut ruby above worth 4.1 mill with the same name!)

Well a couple of winners today but Prince of Burma was a disappointment, not settling and pulling like a train so that at the business end of the race, he had nothing left to give.  The winner Amitola made all and for his first attempt at a mile this was impressive although looking at his breeding, he was always going to get it.

Even those two winners put the blog selections in profit though at +1.46 today

	Lingfield	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:00	Cut The Cackle 1st	Efistorm (EW)
2	14:30	Chjimes UP
3	15:00	Prince Of Burma UP
4	15:35	Status Symbol UP

	Wolves	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:40	Tamareen 2nd

	Fairyhouse	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	15:10	Clashnabrook 1st	Our Girl Lucy (EW) UP

Stupid mistake of the day!!  VC  (or as it's now know BetVictor) texted me with their offer of best odds on Prince of Burma between 10-12noon.!  Great - I'll pop a bit more on a ew odds!  Until my laptop (Laggy McLag Laptop) doesn't scroll fast enough down the screen and I click .....on Lockantanks. One click betting wasn't so clever this time.  Now if Lockantanks wins then some mysterious force is at work.........

Sunday's Lazy & Late Selections and Updates - 22 January

After a fun family night out (members of the Sandi clan unit from far flung outposts) I am up (very late!), caffeinated (but not yet up to my fully functioning level!) and about to look through today's (Good God, it's fairly busy for a Sunday!) racing!


Ascot are giving all their Premier enclosure customers from yesterdays 'Orange sticker' racing day a full refund.....I wonder who on earth thought that this could have ever been a good idea?  I've heard of companies and organisations being run by a bunch of little Hitlers but that was a (goose) step too far!!

Just the one short priced winner today with a place return making a loss of -4.55 today :(

	Fairyhouse	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	12:50	Lord Gale UP
2	13:50	Noble Prince 2nd

	Market Rasen	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	15:05	Mic’s Delight 1st

	Kempton	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	15:25	Shauna’s Spirit UP
2	15:55	Fire In Babylon 2nd

Here is a blast from the past which I just heard on the radio: