27
Jul
Two today, one being Carmel Valley at Ayr, the other Lanespark in the Galway bumper. Plus why Saturday's run from Hout Bay is one to forgive.
25
Jul
One today, whose race I've had eyeballs on all week. A Stuart Williams filly who ran an almighty race on debut at Newmarket, with the form given a very nice boost yesterday.
23
Jul
Britain has lost dozens of racecourses — grand old places now buried under airports, housing estates and golf courses. Part one of a series: Gatwick's wartime Grand National, Alexandra Park's Frying Pan, Lincoln, Hurst Park and Lester Piggott's last ride at Manchester.
22
Jul
I'm jumping back in on the Bayside Boy angle today, with the Ollie Pears filly Bayside Way in a moderate-looking maiden at Catterick.
21
Jul
A mare who's tumbled down the weights, a huge price on recent form and vastly overlooked at Wolverhampton tonight. But I think they've all missed the vital clue — her need for a strong early pace, which she finally gets here.
18
Jul
The only bet today, on a seriously muddling day of it, is Jessica Harrington's handicap debutant Noble Honour at The Curragh, off what looks a seriously lenient mark.
17
Jul
Onto today, and from a fair chunk of runners roughed through, I'm left with two who I think are solid punts — Hot to Foxtrot at Down Royal and Angel Shared at Newmarket.
16
Jul
A quiet day of racing, but one at Chepstow gets the big plus I was looking for in the shape of a marked upgrade in the saddle. Another stab at taking on an odds-on favourite with a distinctly lacking record, at a price enticing enough to have a go.
14
Jul
The pub post-mortem is pace analysis done too late - here is the method that does it before the off, with a worked example and the free Pace Analyser that draws the map.
13
Jul
Suitably refreshed after a break in play, I've dodged a tough Ayr card and found three to aim at across Lingfield and Windsor — from a horse I keep chancing to a 50/1 each-way swing.
12
Jul
Almost every punter runs on gut feel — and gut feel keeps a crooked set of books. What a proper betting record reveals about where you actually win and lose, and how to keep one without it becoming a chore.
08
Jul
Possibly a glutton for punishment, today I'm hunting down a bet in an Apprentice Handicap at Kempton. These are races I'd ordinarily avoid, but when an odds-on jolly is screaming at you to take them on, it means you should be getting enormous value in the rest of the race, which I'm hopeful of here.
07
Jul
Not much doing from the tracker or the alerts today, but Pontefract's Fillies' & Mares' Listed has thrown up a mare who's already beaten a Listed winner and ran big in a $1.26m US feature — at 11/2, I think she should be about half that.
06
Jul
A later post after a heavy night, but two picks were locked in well ahead of the off — one at Ripon, one at Wolverhampton. Plus a word on why yesterday's Ouro Preto run shouldn't be written off despite the beaten finish.
05
Jul
One bet today — Iain Jardine's OURO PRETO at Ayr, a horse recruited out of France with three wins to his name and an encouraging run at Carlisle last time that was as much about the trip catching him out as anything else. Back down in distance and at 33/1, he makes plenty of sense.