Tag: Charlie HIlls

Chester Wednesday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chester’s May meeting revives happy memories of my student days and regular visits to the Roodeye. The tight turns ensure that the action is fast and furious with the draw an ever-present consideration to unravelling the form.

The meeting starts with a tricky two-year-old race with the best horses on form typically drawn widest of all. That could hand the advantage to the David Evans pair who are both handily drawn in stalls 1 and 3. Perhaps foolishly, I am going to take all four of them on with the maiden Magical Memory. The grey is trained by Charlie Hills who will be keen to emulate his father, a great supporter of this meeting.

Magical Memory was favourite at Newbury for his debut and ran well for a long way before weakening. Stall 7 is not ideal but he should be able to sit close enough to land a blow in the home straight. Hills also has a chance in the Cheshire Oaks with Brown Diamond who caught the eye at Newbury when running on into third. She was also fourth to Taghrooda in one of the best maidens of last season.

This looks a fascinating contest with Psychometry and Bright Approach both having enormous potential. I like the Stoute filly but almost all of his horses have needed a run to put them straight this season.

Mubaraza is starting to prove expensive for his followers but it’s hard to knock him after solid efforts in the Ascot Stakes and Northumberland Plate. He looked sure to win first time out but was just pegged back by Angel Gabrial. I expect him to come out on top with a 3lbs pull and a good draw. It does not look a good quality field this year so maybe this is Mubaraza’s turn.

Lucky Beggar can continue the good work for Charlie Hills in the conditions race at 4.25 after making all to win at Newbury. He beat better horses there than he meets tomorrow, providing he does not get drawn into a mad early dash by Trinityelitedotcom.

I had a good hard look at Lovelocks in the last as well but have decided to pass her over in favour of Storm Force Ten. Lovelocks got no run at all last time out and can be rated a lot better than her finishing position suggests. The hood is fitted tomorrow but Storm Force Ten has the one stall and may be hard to pass.

Magical Memory 1.45 Chester at 11-2 Bet365

Brown Diamond 2.15 Chester at 15-2 Paddy Power

Mubaraza 2.45 Chester at 5-1 Bet365

Lucky Beggar 4.25 Chester at 5-2 Coral

Storm Force Ten 5.00 Chester at 7-1 Bet365

Haydock and Newcastle Preview 6th September

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is proving difficult to predict the runners for this weekend’s big ante-post races, let alone forecast the winner! Earlier in the week it seemed that Al Kazeem was destined to swerve the Irish Champion Stakes but Roger Charlton is now doing a rain dance in the hope of a bringing a deluge on Ireland through Friday night. If that devious plans works, his stable star will renew rivalry with York conqueror Declaration Of War. John Gosden’s The Fugue could beat them both if the rain stays away but with “definite possible” now an accepted quote from trainers we will have to keep our powder dry until the weekend.

For most of the summer I tend to avoid maiden races but at this time of year there are some cracking bets to be had. Two-year-old races at Newmarket, Newbury and Goodwood can throw up some really eye-catching performances and the form often stands up on lesser tracks. Haydock does not really fall into that category but I will be supporting Coral Mist in the 2.30 on Friday after her fine debut run at Goodwood recently.

Trained by Charlie Hills, she was sent off at 33-1 in the race won by Valonia. After settling towards the rear she flew up the near rail in the closing stages to finish third and looks a decent filly in the making. She would be odds-on but for the presence of Merletta who was not beaten far by Lucky Kristale in the Lowther Stakes at York. That was a Group 2 but may not have been the strongest renewal and Merletta was having her third start. I’d prefer to go with the potential of Coral Mist and she rates a decent bet at anything better than evens.

Breeding is a funny thing isn’t it? Imagine you were given a filly by Galileo out of Ouija Board. You’d be thinking about winning the Oaks perhaps? Wrong. Try the Happy 30th Birthday Michelle Stevens Handicap at Yarmouth off a rating of 59! Filia Regina will ever scale the heights of her illustrious parents but she took a small step in the right direction when winning that event last time, and she did so “pulling a cart” (not literally of course).

Jamie Spencer had to take a pull on her three furlongs out and just about ricked his neck checking on his rivals before shaking the reins to win by eight lengths. Her rivals may not have amounted to much but she runs at Newcastle tomorrow with just a 6lb penalty. I’ll be taking whatever price is chalked up early and hoping to land a nice double to fund the weekend betting activity!

Coral Mist

Filia Regina

Chester and Sandown Preview 31st August

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chester racecourse has fond memories for me having been my local track many moons ago! Saturday’s card has attracted some decent animals with the feature race being the Chester Stakes at 3.30.

I fancied Sun Central for the Ebor until he was left on top of the handicap and then the going and draw turned against him. Not surprisingly William Haggas pulled him out (oh, the joys of ante-post betting!). He has been diverted here where the going is currently reported to be just on the soft side of good. That has to be a worry with 9st 13lb to carry.

Montaser seems to have lost his way this season and is another with a marked preference for fast ground whilst Handsome Man has always been a rule unto himself. Star Lahib is a typical Mark Johnston beast that runs week-in, week-out and continues to surprise. I thought she was a fortunate winner of a slowly run Old Newton Cup but she has since bolted up in the Shergar Cup and run well in the Galtres Stakes at York.

John Gosden’s Tempest Fugit is returning after a lengthy absence and almost all of his horses need a race to put them straight. Savanna La Mar put up a career-best effort when fourth at Newbury last time but looked very one-paced whilst Alta Lilea suffers from a similar lack of toe. By process of elimination that leaves the hugely disappointing Guarantee who ran his best race for some time in the Ebor. He was hampered in his run but stayed on perfectly well to finish a closing seventh and he could be value at 9-1.

Es Que Love turns out yet again in the seven-furlong handicap and is almost certain to be up at the head of affairs early on from stall two. I can see him running a big race here but Alejandro could just have his measure in receipt of a stone. His Goodwood run behind Magic City looks pretty useful after that won came out of the clouds to follow up last weekend.

I’ve got a lot of time for Newbury and Newmarket two-year-old races as horses that run well three are almost always up to winning their maiden elsewhere. Charlie Hills runs My Painter here on Saturday after a fine debut at HQ when just run out of it in the closing stages by a useful couple of fillies in Night Song and Casual Smile.

Guarantee 9-1 Ladbrokes

Alejandro 8-1 Boylesports

My Painter Evens Betfair

Ascot Victoria Cup Preview May 11th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After the tight turns of Chester we are back to a straight seven furlong contest at Ascot for the feature event on Saturday. The Victoria Cup is a competitive handicap with a maximum field of 29 runners with the bookmakers going 10-1 the field on Thursday.

The obvious market leader is Newbury Spring Cup winner Haaf A Sixpence. He tracked front-running Dream Tune through the first seven furlongs before going on to grab the spoils. The race looked top class with several of the Lincoln runners finishing behind him and it was a game effort. His style of racing suggests that the drop back to seven furlongs won’t inconvenience him. He has been given a 5lb penalty for that success and looks sure to run well although he may find Dream Tune harder to pass this time.

Dream Tune has been tried over a variety of distances from six to ten furlongs by Clive Cox but that latest run suggested seven furlongs could see him at his best. He has been drawn in stall two so you would expect him to bounce out and race prominently as he did at Newbury. Ryan Tate has been booked and takes off a handy five pounds, putting him 10lb better off at the weights with Haaf A Sixpence. He only weakened in the closing stages at Newbury and lost two places in the final 50 yards so it is not difficult to imagine him playing a prominent role over a shorter trip. At 16-1 he must have each-way claims.

Another leading contender is the progressive four-year-old Tartiflette who ran out an impressive winner at Haydock without her rider having to resort to the stick. She had Cape Classic and Highland Colori behind her that day and she looks capable of confirming the form despite a 6lb rise in the weights. Charlie Hills is making a good job of stepping into his father’s shoes and was unlucky not to win the 1000 Guineas last Sunday with Just The Judge. He saddles Glen Moss who ran on well at Kempton on the all-weather last time and looks capable of picking up a decent handicap this season.

With the draw certain to be a factor, it may be worth hedging your bets with a runner on each side and I’m keen on the chances of Ascot regular Lightning Cloud. Kevin Ryan’s consistent grey ran at this venue four times last season including when fifth in this race and a close third over the same trip in October. He runs particularly well for Amy Ryan and looked a certain future winner when finishing a close third at Thirsk on his seasonal debut. He looked to have plenty of ground to make up turning for home but was flying at the finish and would have got up in another couple of strides. He should be spot on for Saturday and 14-1 looks an attractive each-way price.

There are plenty of dangers including Jamesie who ran well in a couple of big handicaps last season and will have been sharpened up by his head defeat at Dundalk. I shall stick with Lightning Cloud and Dream Tune against the field.

Lightning Cloud (each-way) 14-1 Bet Victor
Dream Tune (each-way) 16-1 Skybet