Tag: Horse Racing

Horse Racing Preview 25th October

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The curtain may be coming down on the flat turf season but there are still some good quality cards on offer this weekend at Doncaster and Newbury. Although the going will be on the slow side, both courses are flat galloping tracks with very few hard luck stories for beaten horses.

I recently tipped Richard Hannon’s Tea In Transvaal despite the fact that she was still a maiden after four attempts and she bolted up by six lengths. The same colours are carried tomorrow by Bon Voyage who has been beaten in all four starts to date and I am anticipating a similar result. The stable have always held this colt in high regard and he has been battling away well in valuable sales races. He will find Friday’s company a lot easier to deal with and should represent value at odds of around even money.

Betting in handicaps at this time of year is a risky business but there are some tempting propositions at both flat meetings. The Artsign Handicap at 4.20 features three progressive types in Zain Eagle, Ajman Bridge and Squire Osbaldeston. Zain Eagle cruised home at Doncaster before flopping at Chester under a big weight whilst Ajman Bridge was slightly disappointing at Newmarket last time out. Preference is for Squire Osbaldeston who won comfortably at Lingfield and has the scope to make a group horse next season. I don’t expect the 4-1 with Ladbrokes to last too long.

My bet of the day at Newbury is John Gosden’s sprinter Blessington who put up a promising seasonal debut when second to Intibaah at Ascot. He was racing off a light weight that day but beat off some seasoned campaigners and must have every chance of going one better on Friday. William Buick is in the saddle and he should pick up this prize on the way to better things next season.

It promises to be an exciting weekend with The Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster and The Cox Plate in Australia.

(Doncaster) 2.40 Bon Voyage

(Doncaster) 4.20 Squire Osbaldeston 4-1 Ladbrokes

(Newbury) 5.10 Blessington 5-4 Coral

Carlisle Thursday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Although the National Hunt season is only just getting into its stride, there are few trainers in better form than Charlie Longsdon. The victory of Long Lunch at Plumpton on Monday was his thirteenth winner in twelve days including five winners on a single day. Those sort of stats are usually reserved for the likes of Nicholls and Henderson so it illustrates just how quickly Longsdon is moving up the ranks.

Tomorrow he introduces one of his most promising young chasers for the season in Pendra, now in the colours of leading owner JP McManus. The Irish-bred gelding was always going to make a chaser so his three wins over hurdles were something of a bonus last season. The chestnut won at Huntingdon and twice at Plumpton before being upped in grade at Sandown for the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle.

Going to the last it looked as if he may get the better of Melodic Rendezvous but he eventually had to settle for second place under Noel Fehily. The winner is very highly regarded and the run of Pendra drew the attentions of Ireland’s leading National Hunt owner JP McManus. His first run in the famous green and gold silks came in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham festival where he was sent off a well-backed 6-1 favourite under Tony McCoy.

Not surprisingly, he found the hustle and bustle of that huge field too much to handle and was eventually allowed to come home in his own time after suffering interference. Longsdon is wasting no time in putting him over a fence and he lines up at Carlisle tomorrow with the champion jockey aboard.

He faces a decent rival in Nicky Richards’ Eduard who was not disgraced at Aintree last season after some consistent efforts. He is quite closely matched on his second to Melodic Rendezvous at Cheltenham in December and is certain to have been well schooled. He also knows his way around here having won a novice hurdle in February at the northern track and is a respected rival.

It could be a good day for McCoy who rides four fancied runners for Jonjo O’Neill but I’m siding with Pendra to land the nap.

Pendra 2.20 Carlisle

Geelong Cup Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There were some long faces in Lambourn when Forgotten Voice missed out on his intended engagement in the Caulfield Cup last weekend. Plan B was hastily put into action with the nine-year-old now set to go in the Geelong Cup on Wednesday.

Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose performer will have to produce something special to get a penalty large enough to get into the Melbourne Cup but he does look to have an outstanding chance of success. He is well known in England for being a much better horse on good ground so it is of some concern that the going is described as “dead” at Geelong with showers forecast.

From what I can understand, dead equates to no worse than good to soft in the UK which would make it a borderline decision whether Forgotten Voice will handle it. With the bookmakers in Australia offering only around 6-4 about the English raider, it is certainly worth holding off until you know the going at race time.

The Geelong Cup has become an important trial for the Melbourne Cup with Media Puzzle, Americain and Dunaden all scoring here on their way to Flemington. Last year, the former John Gosden trained Gatewood won this race in a last ditch attempt to qualify for the Cup. Others on that well-trodden path are Tanby, Brigantin, Ibicenco, Polish Knight and Moudre.

The trouble is that it is very hard to make a case for anything against the favourite. All of his rivals have been running poorly of late with the possible exception of Crafty Cruiser. He is the only one to have put in a half-decent effort when finishing fourth behind Araldo and Sea Moon at Flemington. He had previously won on heavy ground and would be an automatic choice if the heavens opened.

Forgotten Voice has a good draw in stall 6 and Brett Pebble should have no problems in holding him just off the pace. He has won on a variety of tracks and is currently rated 110 in the UK, 5lbs higher than the peak achieved by Verdant in his European racing days.

Provided that the rain stays away, Forgotten Voice should have too much class for this field. But keep an eye on the skies!

Forgotten Voice (Geelong Cup) 6-4 Sportingbet

Cox Plate Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The sad news that Atlantic Jewel has suffered a career-ending injury ahead of Saturday’s Cox Plate may have detracted slightly from the race but it is still a high class event. The bookies have reacted by bracketing leading Melbourne Cup hopes Fiorente and Puissance de Lune with Its A Dundeel at 7-2 and the value could lie with the latter.

I have the greatest respect for both Cup horses but this race is over six furlongs shorter and that must surely give It’s A Dundeel a big advantage. He narrowly defeated Atlantic Jewel on his most recent outing before a minor injury interrupted his campaign but recent track work has confirmed his well-being.

The snag is that he has drawn stall 12 but Fiorente is still outside him in 14 and Puissance de Lune will be produced late from stall 7. Providing there isn’t a strong pace it should not be too difficult to overcome the wide draw and swamp his rivals for speed in the closing stages.

European observers are baffled by the build-up of the Cup horses with the likes of Fiorente racing at seven furlongs and a mile in preparation for a two-mile race. Last season Green Moon was strongly fancied for the Cox Plate but ran poorly only to bounce back and lift the Melbourne Cup next time out.

Fiorente ran a super race in the Turnbull Stakes last time out and is currently favourite for Flemington. Presumably he will be produced with a long run up the straight again here and it will then be all systems go for the Cup. I have to side with proven form over the distance and 7-2 looks a decent bet for It’s a Dundeel.

There is no better rider in these races than Craig Williams and Andrew Balding has snapped him to partner his globetrotting Side Glance. The six-year-old gelding has been fourth in the World Cup and third in the Arlington Million this year so is certainly earning his keep. I’m not too sure whether the one stall will help as he invariably runs just behind the pace and Williams will have to be careful not to be swamped by horses on his outside if taking him back early on.

Mull Of Killough has improved out of all recognition over the past couple of seasons but ran disappointingly at Arlington park. I think he just ran too freely there and found himself in front with four furlongs to travel. If we put a line through that run, he could run better than his odds suggest but this looks a tough assignment.

It’s a Dundeel 7-2 (William Hill)

Melbourne Cup Ante-Post Update

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

I tipped Dandino at 33-1 over two months ago and his price has now contracted to as short as 6-1 after his excellent run in the Caulfield Cup last week. I feared the worst when he was drawn in barrier 19 but Craig Williams rode him in a very similar way to 2012 winner Dunaden, refusing to panic in the early stages and making relentless progress up the home straight.

There is no question that he put in a first rate prep for the Melbourne Cup and I wouldn’t swap my 33-1 ticket for any other horse at the moment. That run came off the back of a game success in the American St Leger following a light campaign over shorter distances in Europe. Trainer Marco Botti has already shown that he knows how to prepare one for the Cup with Jakkalberry grabbing a place in the frame 12 months ago.

I also put up Irish hope Simenon at 25-1 and he has also shaped encouragingly with an excellent third in the Herbert Power Stakes. A victory there would have guaranteed him a place in the starting line-up but he now requires seven horses to drop out. You would have to be optimistic that he will get his chance and he is now a top-priced 20-1. Having finished second in the Ascot Gold Cup in June, he will relish the step up in trip and will hopefully get a strong gallop to bring his stamina into play.

I’m happy with both selections at this stage and will not be adding to them, at least until the draw is made. The one I fear most is former Sir Michael Stoute galloper Fiorente. He also ran a fantastic trial and seems to have had the perfect build up for the big race. Mount Athos is quite short at 10-1 but he needs everything to go his way whilst Puissance de Lune has drifted out to 11-1 after a run of defeats.

Verema, Voleuse des Coeurs and Tres Blue are all going there with the potential to cause an upset and it promises to be a great race. If you’ve taken the 33-1 Dandino, keep your fingers crossed that he gets to the race in great shape and is given a better barrier draw at Flemington.

Dandino 33-1 “16th August

Simenon 25-1 Bet365

Horse Racing Saturday Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

In their wisdom, Channel 4 has decided against covering the opening meeting of the season at Cheltenham. Instead, racing fans have to suffer half an hour of waffle between the five Group races at Ascot’s Champions Day. This is a slap in the face for the many national hunt fans that already have to make do with virtually no midweek racing for much of the winter.

I’ll start with Cheltenham’s card and I’m particularly interested in Alan King’s Balder Succes who took to fences with aplomb on his chasing debut last week. He beat a couple of potentially useful sorts at Chepstow and turns out again quickly to tackle the big Cheltenham fences. He is priced at second favourite behind the Paul Nicholls-trained Dark Lover.

Balder Succes won his first three races over hurdles before falling in the Triumph Hurdle and then unseating his rider at Aintree. He has lost his form since then but looked happy in his new sphere and I’ll take him to go in again. King also saddles Handazan who won a handicap hurdle on the same Chepstow card. Sametegal was second in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and Irish raider Bayan is on a four-timer so this will take more winning.

There are plenty of star names at Ascot tomorrow but the soft ground and the fact that this meeting comes so late in the season dents the confidence a little. The logical form selections are Estimate, Maarek, Cirrus des Aigles and Dawn Approach but things are rarely that simple. All four have been backed down to relatively short odds but there could be better value elsewhere.

The French dominated the Arc meeting with only Maarek avoiding a blank for GB & Ireland. Whatever the fate of Cirrus des Aigles, they must go close with Dalkala and Maxios. Christophe Soumillon lifted Dalkala’s head in front on the line in the Prix de l’Opera but she did not have a particularly hard race. She would have been better suited by a stronger pace and the step up to a mile and a half will help her cause.

Maxios slammed Olympic Glory by five lengths last time out but both horses are priced at around 9-2. If Dawn Approach is feeling the effects of a long season, Maxios must have every chance of landing the spoils.

Balder Succes (5.00 Cheltenham) 9-4 Totesport

Dalkala (2.55 Ascot) 9-2 Boylesports

Maxios (3.30 Ascot) 9-2 Paddy Power