Weill I am fairly certain we can describe last week’s racing article as “successful” with a hat-full of winners (plus a loser or two), and I can only hope you all filled your boots and built up your war chests ahead of Cheltenham which is sneaking up on us at a rapid rate?
This week I only have one subject to discuss before we get down to the horses, so step forward The Jockey Club, smoking gun in hand after shotting racing in the foot and making life very difficult for everyone else involved in the industry. As the HBF and others have made intelligent moves to label horseracing bettors as skills based as opposed to the pure luck of the casino offerings with regard to the Gambling review, The Jockey Club announce, with comedy timing, that they have struck a deal to push slot machines bearing the names of famous racecourses races, horses and the like – you really could not make it up. As a would be businessman I do understand the need to maximise all revenue streams, and I suspect that behind closed doors they are as worried as everyone else of the possible levy impact of bet restrictions, advertising issues, race sponsorship and so on, but surely if they had someone with more than one brain cell, they could work out that now was not the time to make the announcement? It may make sense for that one part of racing to negotiate the deal (much as I personally find it outrageous), surely they could have kept it all quiet until after the review instead of, potentially, messing on their own doorstep, and the fallout over the weeks and months ahead won’t be pretty, and may well make all of our lives that little bit more difficult with half our arguments now up in smoke.
Saturday
2.25pm Newbury
Small fields have already seen me ignore all the Warwick card (odds -on jollies aren’t a lot of fun, and in small fields where the race can get tactical we regularly see upsets), but I have to cover some races, and the Betfair Denman Chase is worth of a second look. Clan Des Obeaux won this in 2019 at odds-on and looks to have the strongest chance in this field and on this ground, but we all know the Paul Nicholls team are not firing on all cylinders, and if you fancy backing him at Evens or thereabouts, you are a graver person that I am. Second last time out to Tornado Flyer at Kempton in the King George, he ought to be too good for Royal Pagaille here, but the truth is the race only gets a mention because of its importance, and not because I think he is a sensible betting proposition.
3.00pm Newbury
Just the four runners here but three joint favourites at the time of writing, suggesting this may not be too easy to solve. Hitman is yet to reach the heights expected and comes with the Paul Nicholls warning with his horses woefully out of sorts, and I prefer Sceau Royale for Alan King, the winner of this contest last year. There is a school of thought that his form tails off each season after a good start but he still looks the safest option here for those who feel they need to have a play in another small field, that may well see the formbook thrown out of the window.
4.45pm Newbury
Sadly I rather doubt the winner of the closing bumper at Newbury will shake up the Cheltenham markets, but at the prices I do feel that the Milton Harris trained Rosy Redrum could give us a good run at a double figure price. Her only race so far was a winning one at Wincanton when she travelled well throughput before being produced as needed to win with plenty up her sleeve. The form of that run is questionable at this stage but she could do no more than beat whatever was put in front of her, and as a four-year-old and a filly she gets 7lb or more from all her rivals, which will hopefully make all the difference.
9.10am Sha Tin (Hong Kong)
With so many small field to deal with in the UK I have been forced to look further afield this weekend and if Beauty Live can get away smartly in the seven furlong handicap ay 9.10am Saturday morning he may prove difficult to catch. An easy winner here last time out over C&D he has been stepped up in grade and won’t find this quite as easy, but bottom weight may yet balance out that minor issue, and if he gets a good run he should hit the places under the excellent Matthew Poon, for top trainer Frankie Lor.
6.15pm Wolverhampton
It must have been some decision to geld 480,000 Guineas purchase Deciduous, a son of Dubawi out of Black Cherry who looks the part on breeding. Trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, he will be ridden by Robert Winston, who seems to be enjoying life back in the saddle. Although unraced, he has been working well according to my scouts in Newmarket, and may well make a winning debut here in a race that may not take too much winning.
Sean’s Suggestions:
Beauty Live each-way 9.10am Sha Tin (Hong Kong)
Rosy Redrum each-way 4.45pm Newbury
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