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

Sunday - No Selections Just a Nap

Only a nightly nap for Sunday as I'm away from racing, laptop, cyberspace etc.  

To while you time away in between Sunday fry ups, papers and coffee, take a look at Paddy Power v Ruby Walsh and see if you can't find some Cheltenham clues in there somewhere (if you've ever played poker then you'll know what a tell is !!!)

And yes, you will have to rewind it somewhere in the middle to check the question was as you heard it the first time!!

Tim Vaughan has finally taken himself off the colder than the moon list with his first winner in 26 runners....should be on a fast simmer by the 13 March then!


Simonsig is going to the Neptune...which is good because that's what my ap bet is for!  Now if that nice Mr McCain can decide to leave Peddler's Cross in the Jewson so that Al Ferof can beat Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle, then I may become an extremely happy punter like this one:

My Nightly Nap is Ballynonty in the 14:40 at Huntingdon tomorrow.  He's recently joined Ferdy Murphy and UR'd half way through his comeback run under an amateur.  He came within a whisker of winning here the run before that almost three years ago so when partnered by Alex Merriam who takes the ride again today and Alex's 3lbs adds to the already feather weight. 

4th - definitely one to watch out for next time out once Ferdy Murphy has had him a little longer and got him back into shape.

Here's a picture of the place that is Ballynonty courtesy of Peter Mooney Photography rather good horsey photographers (website is well worth a look!)

Thursday's Intermittant & Sporadic Selections - 23 February

It would appear that my caring sharing family have given me their germs (well one of them has - my son!) and so an "early-to-bed and late-to-rise" cure was called for.  


For this reason, I may not put up so many selections today (picking when not 100% top form is never a great idea!) so  I'll add any that I come up with throughout the day/evening.....


-0.86 down today 

	Huntingdon	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	15:30	Sydney Paget (nap) NR
2	17:00	Kahsabelle 1st

	Lingfield	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:50	Oscar Charlie 1st
2	15:20	Munich (EW) UP
3	15:50	Time To Think 3rd
4	16:20	Mirific UP

	Southwell	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	16:10	Greyfriarschorista 3rd

	Meydan	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	16:55	Invincible Ash (EW) UP	Prinzde Glas (EW) UP

Meanwhile, I am waiting in anticipation for my Cheltenham Festival Guide book (Wetherbys) which is published on the 24 February.  Please let it be on my doorstep on Friday and then my weekend reading is organised.


.......................19 sleeps to go!

Friday's Nap Only Singular Selection - 27 January

A (semi) day off today when I will finally get some study, research and cramming done before Saturdays Cheltenham trials day without distraction (the best laid plans etc!) but I've put my nightly nap below......

Almost as expensive as racehorse legs!

My Meydan selections weren't too clever yesterday, just one winner and a place.  At least the nap won - it was evens when I backed it (and put it up on here) on Wednesday night.  Fallon finally scored there after a long long spell of nowhere nears and De Sousa continues to impress.....he will surely be riding a whole lot more for Godolphin in 2012?  


I got home from collecting my car from it's main service (ou£h!) in the knowledge that I will very soon (as in before Cheltenham Festival) be needing two new tyres for it.  Thankfully I decided to take a quick look at the last three Kempton races and picked the winners for each which took me back into profits for the day (I tweeted them but it was too late to put them up here).

Nightly nap....one of those that's easy when you know it!

Huntingdon 16:10

Cry Of Freedom
2nd

46 Sleeps until the roar!

Friday's Selections & Updates - 13 January

OK, look at the calendar.  If you didn't know what day it was before then you know now - Friday the 13th which can only mean one thing!  It's an unlucky day for the bookie's!  


I've had my (or at least hubby has) Friday the 13th today - his car is a write off so some serious ££££ need to be won fairly soon.


Random fact - Venetia Williams has run 28 horses in chases at Huntingdon over the past 5 years but never won once!
UPDATE:  Well wouldn't you know that she chose today to beat one of my selections with Pentiffic!!

Just the one winner today and a small -1.63 (will get it back and more tomorrow!)


Not so many today as I haven't too much time and will be honing my selecting skills for Saturday.

	Huntingdon	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	13:50	Ericht 2nd
2	14:20	Problema Tic 2nd

	Lingfield	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:00	Lucky Royale UP

	Musselburgh	First Choice	E/W or RF Choice
1	14:10	Red Tanber 1st

Notes:

1/            I realise most of these selections today are short priced – perhaps some multis are in order?

Huntingdon 13:50 
Ericht

A fella came home from work, walked through the door and immediately his wife slapped him. 
"What was that about?" he cried. 
"I found a piece of paper in your pants from last night with the name 'Mary Lou' written on it," she said, fuming. "You'd better have a damned good explanation." 
"Calm down, honey," he replied. "Remember last week when I went to the races? Mary Lou was one of the horses I bet on, that's all." 
The next day when he came home from work, his wife slapped him again. "Now what?" he cried. "This morning, your horse called!"


.....ah, the old ones are the best!