Happy new year all! The racing for 2026 starts in earnest, with a bumper day of it to get stuck into. I’m off to the football today, so my watching of the racing will be done after the fact, with a cold Shanky’s Whip or four this evening.
There was ample to sift through and in the end there were seven who really interested me at the prices. A few years back we played something called the #35T, which is 35 Trebles. These were for small stakes, interests bets more than anything, but they started producing some great returns, and really caught on.
I think with the prices we play at, it allows for three or four to run no sort of race, whilst still paying out extremely handsomely if you can catch three or four right, even running places at big prices. We had one pay out just over £1,000 from £35 without even hitting a winner.
Shannon Royale 9/1 | 1pt WIN
13:25 Cheltenham
T: Ian Donoghue
J: Sean Bowen
Had began to look a bit of a lost cause, but eyecatching last time out and being sent over the Irish Sea for a tilt at Chelts, with an extremely eyecatching booking in Sean Bowen, I can’t not at 9/1.
The son of Walk In The Park, out of Shannon Rose who has produced winner after winner (one of hers runs in the Maiden opener at Tramore, Stede Bonnet 9/4, who is worth a watch), was in the process of running a huge race at Punchestown last time out and was in with every chance at the second last fence, when the ultimate winner jinked left on landing and all but ended his race.
It was a huge turn on recent efforts, where although pitched in fairly deep over fences when with Gordon Elliott, there had been precious little to shout about. Now with the very capable Ian Donoghue, whose runners tend to be in the mix when sent over to the UK, and has record a 3rd, a 2nd and a 1st from the four times he has linked up with Sean Bowen over here.
Result: unplaced – PU/8 -1pt
Didn’t always jump with fluency, in rear, rapid headway and prominent after 6th, dropped to rear before 12th, struggling when hampered by faller 15th, tailed off when pulled up before 2 out (vet said gelding bled from the nose) (SP 4/1)
Sahara Magic 33/1 | ½pt EW
13:55 Southwell
T: Mick Appleby
J: Harry Davies
One we backed last time out in a Novice, but she was given the single most obvious non-effort of a ride you’ll see. Kept out the back, given no ask and brought home under hands and heels, she looked capable of vastly better.
Before that day, her dam, Lisiere, had three of her offspring run at Southwell and they had recorded a 3/3;
- Hiroshima in 2019 when it was the fibresand surface, who slapped up by 6 lengths to win at 3/1 on second start
- Dreaming Princess in 2022, who eased in by over 4 lengths to win a Class 6 Handicap at 11/2
- Sahara Magic, our filly here, who won despite having good excuse not to, on debut at 28/1.
Now dropping into a handicap off of what looks a very workable mark of 72 and Harry Davies taking over in the saddle who has 7 wins from just 30 rides for Mick Appleby on the All Weather… I think we’ll see a far bolder show.
Result: unplaced – 7/8 -1pt
Midfield, weakened inside final furlong (SP 50/1)
Pallas Lord 17/2 | 2pt WIN
16:35 Newcastle
T: Donald Whillans
J: Sean Kirrane
One I’ve been waiting for the right race before betting again, and this looks very likely to be it. This is a hideously well handicapped horse for Donald Whillans, who just needed to find a race without too many wanted to race prominently.
Here, he will quite likely get an uncontested lead, or at worst will only see Sherlock go with him, who is 0/16 and has been well beaten every time he has gone forward.
Sean Kirrane should be able to really dictate the pace from the front here, and could run them amock if nobody does indeed go with them. If he doesn’t win this today, it’s hard to see him ever getting a better chance.
Result: Placed – 2/11 -2pt
Led, headed towards finish, just held (SP 10/1)
Other notes…
Playing a #35T for the first time on the new website. These were a popular thing back in the day and they allow for a fair amount of wiggle room whilst still paying out well. I play them for very small stakes, just for an interest on all those I have taken a serious look at, basically. For today these are played as 50p EW Trebles, so 70 bets totalling £35.
- Ring O Roses @ 25/1 – Windsor 12:59
- Shannon Royale @ 9/1 – Cheltenham 13:25
- Sahara Magic @ 33/1 – Southwell 13:55
- Fivethousandtoone @ 40/1 – Southwell 14:30
- Inappropriate @ 12/1 – Newcastle 14:59
- Chemistry @ 16/1 – Southwell 16:15
- Pallas Lord @ 17/2 – Newcastle 16:35
Elsewhere, if you’re having a go at Mussellburgh you’d be wise to keep Paul Nicholls’ army on side. 32 winners from 97 runners for a 33% strike, they don’t go up there for the scenic drive. The run Falls Of Acharn in a Juvenile Hurdle (12:30, 9/4), in which they have run 9 andf won 5! They run five today, priced at 9/4, 11/2, 11/2, 11/2 and 2/1.
Best of luck with your punting today,
What does "each-way" mean?
An each-way bet is two bets in one — a Win bet and a Place bet, each for the same stake. So 1pt each-way means 1pt to win plus 1pt to place: 2pt total out of the bank.
The Place part pays out at a fraction of the win odds (usually 1/4 or 1/5) if the horse finishes in the places — typically the first 3 or 4 depending on the race. Each-way is the right call when the price is generous enough that the place return alone covers the stake. Full guide here.
How do I follow this bet?
Best route is Oddschecker. It pulls every UK bookmaker's price into one screen so you can grab the top of the market — and crucially it shows the place terms, which vary by firm. One bookmaker might offer 11/1 paying 3 places at 1/4 odds; another might offer the same 11/1 paying 4 places at 1/5. Maximum win return vs hedged each-way return — your call which serves the bet better.
If the price has shortened since I advised it, judge it on the case in the prose. Rule of thumb: I'm generally happy down to about two-thirds of the advised price — 14/1 down to 10/1, 8/1 down to 5/1. Below that it's marginal and probably worth passing. Keep an eye on the price in the last 20 minutes too — short prices often drift back out as the off approaches, especially on outsiders. Bet with bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed and you're covered either way.
What if the price has shortened by the time I get to it?
Judge it bet by bet. The cleaner the case in the prose, the more decay I'll tolerate. Rule of thumb is about two-thirds of the advised price — 14/1 down to 10/1 is still in, 9/1 down to 6/1 still fine, anything below that is marginal.
Worth knowing: short prices often drift back out as the off approaches, especially on outsiders. Keep checking in the last 20 minutes — you may get back to the advised price or close to it. And always bet with bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed so you're covered if the SP comes back bigger.
Why are some bets win-only and others each-way?
Three things decide it: confidence, race shape, and the betting market.
If I think a horse has an outstanding win chance, I'll back it win-only to maximise the return — even at a bigger price, where each-way would normally be the safer call. If the win case is more speculative but the place case is strong, each-way carries the bet.
Concrete example: Almanack at Kempton, 2 July 2014. Advised at 22/1 win-only in the morning. The price shortened to 16/1 SP and he won by a short head on the line. Win-only on a confident shout at a generous price is where the real returns come from — when the case is right, you back it to win, not to hedge.
New to this? Read up on: Turf vs All-Weather · Each-Way Betting · Win-Only Betting
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