Friday, October 13, 2017

Brief notes for the new season

Summer highlight - picking up a copy of R.M. Bevan's The Roodee: 450 years of racing in Chester from Fossgate Books in Fossgate, York.

The book contains a picture of a particularly young-looking Willie Carson which brought back memories of this Jak cartoon originally published in the London Evening Standard 10 June 1980 and which I saw printed in the Liverpool Daily Post at roughly the same time.

Holidaymakers may have taken a dim view of the late summer rains but the benefit to jump racing has been obvious; we've already seen a number of decent performers in action, in stark contrast to last season.

Much to my dismay I wasn't able to attend Ludlow's first October meeting but Bigmartre's victory in the novice chase catches the eye, with Mad Jack Mytton third and my fancy, Mick Thonic, unseating Brian Cooper three out when probably held by the winner.

Similarly Shantou Rock's all-the-way win in a Newton Abbot novice earlier today warrants close inspection.

Finian's Oscar makes his chase debut at Chepstow tomorrow but Market Rasen Summer Plate winner Alcala will be no pushover. Paddy Power offered 5/1 about Paul Nicholls' charge earlier today; at the time of writing 7/2 is the best price available. I'm not going to play but I prefer Alcala.

If you fancy a wager in the Paul Ferguson's Jumpers To Follow Hurdle (3.35 Chepstow) then a close look at the Fred Winter form from the Festival is de rigueur (Percy Street sixth, Dino Velvet eighth, Dolos thirteenth, Fidux nineteenth). I subsequently tipped Dolos to make amends at Ascot in April but So Celebre proved too good (Percy Street third). Before this race I fancied Dino Velvet with Alan King's yard in particularly good form but the current price makes no appeal.

In the Silver Trophy (4.10 Chepstow) I shall watch Alary with interest. On his first run for the stable in the Peter Marsh at Haydock last January he did not look good at all but connections clearly feel the talent is there. To my mind a number from the Tizzard yard are likely to come on for their first race this season and over the smaller obstacles this looks like a warm-up for the winter ahead.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My summer has been a struggle trying to make ends meet on the flat so I’m hoping this transition of codes over the coming weeks will initiate a change of fortune!

I’d priced up both Alcala and Finian’s Oscar at 5/4 so the early odds of 5/1 and 1/3 respectively looked skewed. The value still looks to be with Alcala but it is a race I’m happy to watch.

Alary’s French form over fences is head and shoulders above anything else on offer here but he has not yet shown that level form in this country and as you suggest this is likely to be a pipe opener.

I cannot resist an EW wager on Milrow at huge odds of 66/1+. An £8,000 purchase from Dr Newland after landing a Seller he has since ran well on both starts for his new connections and he might again be able to get in contention today off a mark of 125 plus the 7lb claim.

Good luck for the 2017/2018 season.

TW

GeeDee said...

Good luck, TW!