Saturday, March 22, 2014

BBOTD - Saturday 22nd March

15.50 Lingfield: Anaconda @ 54/1 VC - 1pt win

Have this five year old gelding down on my list since his fine 3rd in a Listed race over course and distance back in February. Thought he ran a big race that day. He attempted to make all that day and set a rattling pace (pretty quick time compared to the average), yet he travelled strongly until turning for home and just got bit tired in the closing stages. Still a fine performance considering that was his first start since November. He was only beaten by a horse staying on from well off the pace and the eventual winner, Grandeur, who is favourite to land the Winter Derby tomorrow too. Grandeur is way too short tomorrow though and has a tough draw to overcome. Anaconda has a wide draw too but probably should be able with his gate speed to overcome it and to feature at least in a prominent position, which should give him any chance in the closing stages. I'm not quite convinced yet if he truly stays 10f, but his general record at Lingfield is impressive, his most recent performance was eye-catching and for that reason he is a way too big price.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

BBOTD - Friday 21st March 2014

18.35 Wolverhampton: Douneedahand @ 6/1 Bet365 - 2pts win

Douneedahand ran a very fine race at Kempton couple of weeks ago. She was up with the pace early on, pulled hard, had to be slightly niggled soon after, but travelled like dream for the rest of the race then, looking like the winner 1f out. She got a bit tired in the closing stages and finished only 4th but overall this was a strong performance as the winner is a very consistent 67 rated animal and she wasn't far off him. Interesting to see her now at Wolverhampton. At her only start here, she finished a head beaten as a two year. I feel she is down to a mark she can win from and with a very decent 5 pound claimer booked for the ride, she must have every chance to go close. The wide draw is less than ideal of course but I feel she has enough speed to overcome this and get a good position close to the pace, which would give her every chance to win this then. 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

BOTD - Wednesday the 19th March 2014

Orpen'arry ran a big race yesterday, finished 2nd but couldn't quite beat a strong winner.


20.40 Kempton: Appease @ 9/2 PP - 3pts win

Couple of interesting performances from Appease still generally lightly raced 5 year old gelding. He surly wasn't seen to best effect in his most recent start at Wolverhampton when he didn't really travell all too well and also wasn't in the best position. He was forced to turn extremely wide and got bumped coming around the final bend, while also coming from off the pace, which altogether is less than ideal at Wolverhampton. He was much better on his start before, also at Wolverhampton, but the first one since September. Appease travelled strongly throughout the race, but was not in the best position when the eventual winner - who had the run of the race and got first run on the field - kicked on from the front and got a break which made the difference in the end. Appease made ground turning slightly wider than ideal for home and looked extremely strong from 2f out, motoring home. He might got a bit tired inside the final furlong, and lost narrowly out on 2nd place but still was less than a lengths beaten by the winner. He was with the Hannon yard until last year, and back then he broke his maiden tag on the second time of asking at Kempton over 1m in really nice style, producing a lovely turn of foot. So dropping down in trip to 1m won't be an issue for him tomorrow and being back at Kempton neither. More so it probably will help him. Think he's a fair bit better than his current mark and while the draw is less than ideal, he should be hard to beat tomorrow.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

BBOTD - Monday 17th March 2014

15.20 Kempton: Orpen'arry @ 7/1 Bet365 - 2pts win

Very encouraging return to the racetrack for Orpen'arry three weeks ago at Lingfield. He was off the track for more than a year, changed yards and came down a long way in the mark, in fact was racing of a career lowest mark that day. He made all from the front while travelling very well and was eventually only beaten by a strong winner who came from well off the pace, while Orpen'arry found more when headed and severely under pressure to secure 2nd place in the end. He's two pounds up for this, but he could be still well in, as he steps up to 12f for the first time. Not so much on pedigree suggests he is particularly likely to get the trip, but the way he rallied last time was impressive. Also on paper there isn't an awful lot of pace in this race, so he might be even able to get a soft lead. Only real concern for me is the bounce factor. But I take the risk, as I feel his price is too big.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Cheltenham Festival - Photos!

RSA ChaseDunguibCoral CupChampion ChaseSin PaloBumper
BumperCheltenhamDenmanKauto StarUn AceThe Liquidator
Vautour in frontVautourSurpreme Novices HurdleSky KhanChampagne FeverCheltenham
Western WarhorseMa Filleule3rd race TuesdayBig Handicap CheltenhamCheltenhamHolywell

I spent two days at the Festival - on Tuesday and Wednesday. An overwhelming experience overall. I had my camera with me as always of course and got some lovely shots. Check them out on Flickr or on the Horseracing-International.com Facebook Page!





Outbid a nice winner - the third in March already!

Lovely win for Outbid. She got the vital early position close to the pace, didn't have to use too much energy thanks to her perfect draw and kicked on entering the home straight. She got a break on the field one furlong out and ran out a rather easy success in the end. All the better as her starting price was 5/1 in the end! 

She followed up nicely on Desert Strike's win last week, who won as I would have hoped from the front at Wolverhampton. That's now three winners this month already (from five bets) and four from the last six. It has to be said that after a rather horrible January we're very much back in the game and really making some nice progress. It definitely pays-off to go with the horses handy ridden around Wolverhampton, where horses from off the pace are seemingly without any chance at all right now. It's a huge track bias, very much down to the brutal kick back. Lingfield as always favours prominent horses too, due to the short run-in, but is in contrast still much fairer and depends "only" on the pace of the race. 

BBOTD - Thursday 13th March 2014

18.15 Wolverhampton: Outbid @ 9/2 VC - 3pts win

Outbid ran a huge race at Lingfield last time out, considering that she had everything against herself. She had a wide draw to overcome, was forced to race on the outside and as a result had to turn widest which cost ground and an awful lot of energy. Yet she finished the race in impressive style in a way of a horse ahead of the current mark. she usually is ridden closer to the pace, and certainly is an advantage at Wolverhampton. so her good draw today will be a big plus. If she can transform her polytack form to Wolverhampton, a course she didn't do well in the past, she is in with a big shout in this poor race.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

The Dude back to his best...

What an impressive performance by Game On Dude in the Grade Santa Anita Handicap yesterday! He dominated from the front and found more and more when put under pressure from his main market rivals. Much Mach Man couldn't keep up with the enormous pace and faded entering the home straight. Will Take Charge was always there though and put in a big challenge, but The Dude was too strong and pulled clear in the final strides of the race! His third Santa Anita Derby success - what an unbelievable achievement!



Saturday, March 8, 2014

Two Melbourne Cup winners go head to head...

There was some excellent racing in Australia this morning - Super Saturday at Flemington. The big highlight was the Group 1 Australian Cup, run over 2.000m. It saw the exciting clash of the two last Melbourne Cup winners, Fiorente and Green Moon! And it were these two that went head to head in a tight finish in the end. You can watch the outcome of the race in the video below.

On a side note: Former Irish St Leger winner Voleuse De Coeurs ran pretty well on her first start since the Melbourne Cup, finishing fifth here, while not quite getting the clearest of runs entering the home straight. She could be one to keep an eye on for the future as she should improve as a four year old anyway. Dermot Weld who trained her in Ireland, said last year, that Voleuse De Coeurs is potentially the perfect Cup horse - in 2014!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

BBOTD - Friday 7th of March

17.30 Wolverhampton: Desert Strike @ 9/2 Bet365 - 4pts win

Desert Strike seems poised to win in my mind. Two of his last three performances where absolutely cracking in my mind. Most recently at Lingfield he had a wide draw, the others went off quick and he had to settle further off the pace than he would like. He was travelling extremely strongly in midfield then, but didn't get a run when it mattered. So he approached the home straight hard on the bridle, still no room to go, eventually approaching the final furlong marker he could find space to start a challenge, but this ended fairly soon after around half a furlong out when he was again short of room, he quickened again in a matter of strides close to the line. I think a horse of this rather low class wouldn't be able to quicken twice almost instantaneously over a sprinting trip if not in good form. His penultimate start was rather disappointing for whatever reason, but before that at Kempton he was extremely impressive again, when he had to settle in rear first but tried to make some ground approaching the final bend, but got there badly hampered, jockey had to take a hard pull, and Desert Strike lost completely his rhyhm and stride, but he found it back and stayed on strongly in the closing stages. He's now down to his last winning mark of 69 - hist latest success came at Lingfield in January - and his record at Wolverhampton is decent enough, he won here over course and distance a couple of times in the past. A better draw and not too much obvious pace should help him to get a position in front of the field or at least close to the pace, which is a huge advantage at Wolverhampton at the moment.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

BBOTD - Thursday 6th of March

20.25 Kempton: Jewelled @ 4/1 Bet365 - 4pts win

Jewelled stepped up quite a bit in trip last time out at Lingfield when she tried 12f for the first time. She didn't seem to have any problem with the new distance though, but as a former 10f Brighton winner she was entitled to do so. She ran a big race that day, settling in midfield, travelling much the strongest but when she tried to make headway from 3f out to get into a good position turning for home, she got hampered and a clear run denied. This incident pretty much at the entrance of the final bend cost her dearly in the end. Approaching the home straight she had to fight for position and close the final furlong marker she finally got out and room and was also able to straighten up quickly enough in order to charge home and chase the leaders. She came close and finished extremely strongly, but it wasn't enough to catch the winner. The incident around 2f out cost her the win in my mind. Still a huge performance and she clearly demonstrated that of her current low mark she is more than capable of winning. She drops slightly in trip tomorrow, back to 11f, which shouldn't be an issue. The field is smaller, which should ensure a clear run in theory and I feel she has a couple of pounds in hand, also runs well on the All-Weather usually. She must have an outstanding chance of winning tomorrow.

Monday, March 3, 2014

BBOTD - Tuesday 4th March

Nice winner today - second on the bounce now! It almost worked out exactly as I would have hoped. There wasn't an awful lot of pace on early on, so that was the chance for Hillbilly Boy to cross over from a wider draw and race in a desired prominent position. He kicked on 2f out and held on to win nicely.


17.10 Southwell: Solarmaite @ 9/2 Bet365 - 3pts win

Solarmaite ran a cracking race here at Southwell last time out, back then over 7f. She led the field and set a quick pace, rather a good 6f pace in fact and had the field early on on the stretch. She travelled strongly and turned for home as the clear leader and surprisingly she didn't really weakened until very late, actually half a furlong out, when got finally caught. But she finished a clear second in front of the rest of the field. She drops in trip tomorrow back to 6f, which should very much suit. Her only win so far came over course and distance, of a 1lb higher mark than the current one. I think she ran better than 57 lto and therefore I think she has every chance to win this race. There doesn't seem too much pace on, I suspect if she wants to get the lead she'll get it.

BBOTD - Monday 3rd March 2014

15.20 Lingfield: Hillbilly Boy @ 7/1 VC - 2pts win

I was very impressed with his latest start at Wolverhampton when attempted to make all, setting a really quick pace. Soon after the start he put some lengths between himself and the field and travelled still strongly turning for home. Two in the betting more fancied rivals stayed on from behind in the closing stages though and caught him 1f out. Yet even then he rallied and was even able to defend the second place. He goes only one pound up for this effort and the more experienced Andrea Atzeni gets the leg up tomorrow, which can be only a positive. It seems like there aren't too many others in this race that would like to make the running so a soft lead is likely for Hillbilly Boy. That is usually an advantage around Lingfield, a track he performs well on. So plenty to like the chance of Hillbilly Boy.