Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Ffos Las seems a good quality track and has put on reasonable racing with generally very good trainer/jockey feedback.
It seems inevitable that they will lose some fixtures, but perhaps the level of cuts to their calendar does seem a bit harsh and unwarranted however.
As a radical, and potentially ‘interesting’ answer, could they come to an arrangement with Horse Racing Ireland to host a number of Irish fixtures?
I’m not sure on the ‘legality’ of such an arrangement, but given the location of the course and the participation of a number of Irish trainers for jump racing there which already exists, this could be worth a try out – especially given the general over subscription for maiden and mid-lower grade hurdles contests in particular…
Is superglue a feasible answer? Or really strong magnets? If the jockeys had magnets as well, it might drastically reduce the number of unseats….
For me, Lilbourne Lad isn’t especially progressive, and being a bit of a speed-figure fan, isn’t very fast in the context of this race.
His racing suggests that 6f or maybe a little further is going to be ideal, and from front running in the early part of the season, he has been struggling to get free in front recently as he’s stepped up in class and as the season has gone on. It’s worth noting he’s quite an early (early March) horse…
Personally speaking, in a field of this quality over this trip, he’d be one of the first I would strike through, particularly as I think he might struggle to keep up if a decent pace is set, but obviously that’s just me… I certainly wouldn’t describe the likely 11/2-ish odds as offering value though…
It’s a pretty sad state of affairs, but realistically, as much as some of us love it, non-turf racing in the UK (and Ireland) is very much treated as the exception rather than the norm.
With so few tracks and, during the summer at least, so few races on dirt or polytrack, it is inevitable that some decent horses who are specialist on these surfaces will find themselves lacking opportunities…
Perhaps the answer would be the UK/Ireland and France to get together and organise some kind of AWT mini-festival over a couple of days towards the autumn which might have a few build-up races beforehand.
I’d suggest the US as the obvious option, given the amount of polytrack installed over there, but anything over 1m1f is a bit of a rarity there, so that wouldn’t be any good either (and of course it doesn’t help you get to the races, which is presumably part of the point)…
I don’t think that imagining a doubled pool size would be far out… and potentially more with half-decent promotion.
The decision to include the non-covered arab race is costing them thousands of pounds each time…
And they do the same on Dubai World Cup day… unbelievable, and a placepot pool of (wait for it) just under £16k. Well done chaps!
1:30 – Zakander 100pts win
2:05 – Nearby 200pts e/w (BANKER)
2:40 – Bobs Worth 100pts win
3:20 – Carruthers 50pts e/w
4:00 – Sericina 100pts win
4:40 – Qaspal 100pts win
5:15 – Nomecheki 100pts wincheers!
1:30 – Noble Prince 100pts win
2:05 – Kayf Aramis 100pts win
2:40 – Hey Big Spender 500pts win (BANKER)
3:20 – Grands Crus 100pts win
4:00 – Edgbriar 100pts win
4:40 – Far More Serious 100pts wincheers!
Day 2
1:30 – Arabella Boy – 50pts e/w
2:05 – Oscars Well – 400pts win (BANKER)
2:40 – Time For Rupert – 50pts e/w
3:20 – Woolcombe Folly – 50pts e/w
4:00 – Trenchant – 50pts e/w
4:40 – L’Eminence Grise – 50pts e/w
5:15 – Knight Pass – 50pts e/wthanks!
Thanks for the competition Armchair!
Day 1
1:30 – Cue Card – 100pts win
2:05 – Realt Dubh – 100pts win
2:40 – Chief Dan George – 50pts e/w
3:20 – Khyber Kim – 100pts win
4:00 – Freneys Well – 100pts win
4:40 – Banjaxed Girl – 100pts win
5:15 – Glenstal Abbey – 200pts e/w BANKERcheers!
Tuesday – Champion Hurdle
1- Khyber Kim
2- Peddlers Cross
3- Clerks Choice
4- Thousand StarsWednesday – Queen Mother Champion Chase
1- Woolcombe Folly
2- Somersby
3- Golden Silver
4- Master MindedThursday – World Hurdle
1- Grands Crus
2- Fiveforthree
3- Restless Harry
4- AshkazarFriday – Gold Cup
1- Imperial Commander
2- Carruthers
3- Albertas Run
4- What A FriendGood luck everyone and thanks for the competition prize
P. Nicholls: 2-1-4
D. Pipe: 2-2-3
A. King: 0-2-2
W. Mullins: 1-1-1
N. Henderson: 1-1-2
P. Hobbs: 0-2-1thanks!
Total Entry = 28
Sticky going (figuratively speaking, in reality it’s nearly always standard of course) lately…
Down to 3 runners, the
5:20 at Wolverhampton
still looks quite interesting, with the likely odds-on favourite Desert Strike possibly one to take on…
Of the three, Desert Strike would appear the least ‘pacey’ and has done really well pouncing off decent speed. The scenario tonight that is most likely is that Galpin Junior leads Steelcut with DS at the back, and a moderate gallop. At five furlongs, that could be curtains for the favourite, and the other two are perfectly capable of an ‘upset’ if it pans out that way.
I’ll be
laying Desert Strike
here.
Great to see this thread still running – well done chaps! Having been away from TRF for a while, it’s been very interesting to flick through the 90-odd pages here, with some very good moments!
I’m kicking myself over Everymanforhimself yesterday having backed him against Dubai Hills the time before when I thought he might have had a chance of shaking up DH, and then talking myself out of backing him in yesterday’s heat…
Hope it’s ok to chip in with bits here and there. Today’s thought for the day has been around the woefully out-of-form Grayson yard… He seems to have been running horses left, right and centre (and mostly rear) over the last few weeks, and occasional glimpses of something resembling ‘improvement’ have been evident. With a yard now full of horses handicapped so well on their best form (or rated so lowly that any remaining or extant ability will see them getting competitive), there must be a very real chance of a winner at some point soon…
RENESMEE
in the
2:50
at
Wolverhampton
at the huge price available.
This doesn’t look a strong race even for this moderate grade, and the likely favourite, Shutterbug, might not be as suited by this 6f, so I might also look at Scommetrice and Torteval as interesting runners here.
Thursday 13 Jan 2011
3:20 Catterick – 2m Hcap Chase
One horse here looks to me as though it is simply the wrong price at the moment. This looks a race with plenty of chaff and a paucity of wheat, and, with the inconsistent
Heavenly Chorus
looking the most ‘reliable’ option, it might not take a lot of winning.
MONSIEUR JOURDAIN
has put in two fair efforts on his two chase starts so far, showing a reasonable proficiency over fences and should have conditions to suit. The mark of 112 allotted looks workable, and whilst he might not win (obviously), I’d have expected him to be around 13/2.
At double those odds (14/1 in plenty of places), I’ll take him each-way.
£3 each-way – MONSIEUR JOURDAIN.
Sun 09 Jan 2011
(yes, not 2010 this time!)
2:45 Southwell – 7f Hcap
Dubai Hills
is the obvious one here, but while he has posted some excellent speed figures, he has been beating some pretty unexciting sorts, and this is a lot harder. At odds-on, he looks worth taking on if possible.
The most interesting rival for me is
EVERYMANFORHIMSELF
. He is one from one here, having showed plenty of grit to beat the very much in-form Silaah in a really good time two runs ago, and should pose the favourite a much sterner test than The Lock Master has been doing. There is a slight question about whether this trip will suit as well as a furlong shorter, but Kevin Ryan’s horse has been shaping as if it should be fine in recent starts, and the return to fibresand should be ideal.
Available at 8/1 in places, I’ll be taking the 7/1 on offer with Bet365 with stakes returned if he finishes 2nd.