Quiet Boxing Day

Plenty of meetings today but with the ground riding heavy at almost all meetings and the markets looking tight for the horses I was interested in there is no selection today.

P&L for 2012 -13.56

Nice Start To Month

Nice start to the month yesterday with Scotsbrook  Cloud winning at Hereford to make it three of winning selections in a row over the past couple of weeks and four out of the last five. With limited National Hunt racing at the moment and small fields opportunities are limited and it is a matter of finding value bets in small fields like yesterday. Moving on to today there is one meeting at Sedgefield and again one selection.

P&L for 2012 -3.44

Sedgefield  5.30  Louis Ludwig 1PT WIN @ 9/4 Betfred (4th 5/2F)

Having missed the winning gamble on Louis Ludwig last week I’m still going to put him up here to follow up as he won last week at Stratford in a canter. I had noticed he appeared to be returning to form in his previous race and the booking of Richard Johnson (only ride at the meeting) replacing an amateur jockey looks significant and that connections are expecting the horse to follow up under a penalty.Weak in the market throughout the day. Held up and never really looked threatening.

One For Today

A quiet few days on the betting front but I am back with one selection at Sedgefield this evening.

P&L for 2012 -7.82

Sedgefield 4.40 Flying Doctor  1PT WIN @ 5/2PP (1ST 11/4F)

Flying Doctor returned to form with a very comfortable win at Cartmel on Thursday evening and bids to follow up under a 7lb penalty, which still leaves him well in based on some of his previous form. With the stables horses running well and the jockey one of the most experienced in the fieldI expect  Flying Doctor to be able to defy the penalty. Responded well to pressure and outstayed runner up after the last.
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Back With A Winner

Nice to return with a well backed winner yesterday in Grumeti and with Gullinbursti being a non runner it was a 100% return for the blog. There are two National Hunt meetings today at Aintree and Sedgefield and there is one selections at Aintree.

P&L at advised prices since 24/8 = +17.92 2012 = -1.46

Aintree 3.40 Little Josh 1/2PT E/W @ 8/1 Bet 365 (paying 5 places)Unplcd (6/1F)

Little Josh caught my eye on his seasonal debut in a Grade 2 chase at Cheltenham in January, where he was travelling as well as the winner Midnight Chase at the top of the hill ,but clearly did not stay the extended 3 mile trip. He has subsequently run in two Grade 1 race where he has been out of is depth and today returns to handicap company off a mark 9lb lower than Cheltenham and 1lb lower than when he won the Paddy power in 2010. If he takes to these fences then I think he has a serious chance. Seemed to take to the fences, but didn't jump as well as he could and clearly not as good as he once was when finishing 7th.

Losing Streak Broken

It was nice to break the losing run yesterday with Invictus travelling and jumping well for a comfortable win at Plumpton after a fantastic piece of race riding by Choc Thornton spotting and going for a gap on the inside of the hanging leader on the home turn. My second selection Annas Arch drifted badly in the market and always looked to be struggling on the soft ground and eventually finished 4^th. So a 1PT profit on the day. Two meetings today at Fontwell and Sedgefield. I was interested in Brackloon High who makes his novice chase debut in the 1.10 at Fontwell after an eye catching run over hurdles at Cheltenham last time, but not at the price available given I read somewhere the Noel Chance stable has not had a winner for over a year.

P&L at advised prices since 24/8 +28.42

There are three meetings today at Huntingdon, Lingfield and Sedgefield and after no selections for the few days I am back with two selections today.
P&L at advised prices since 24/8 +11.97


Sedgefield 2.00 1PT WIN Flinty Bay @5/2Various
This is a little very competitive novice handicap chase for the course and Flinty Bay is the one I fancy. He was very progressive over hurdles winning his final two races and was in touch when unseating his rider on his chasing debut at Carlisle last month. He then went to Aintree a fortnight ago and ran very well behind the promising pair of Edgardo Sol and The Cockney Mackem and I feel this should be within his capabilities, with the main danger being Going Wrong who made a pleasing comeback last time after two years off.


Lingfield 3.10 1PT WIN Renard @9/4 Various
I was kicking myself last Thursday after watch Renard winning at Chepstow as he was a horse I failed to note down in my list to follow next time after catching my eye at Carlisle on his previous run – so a 10/1 winner was missed :-(.  Based on his Carlisle run and his win last week I feel the 7lbs penalty won’t stop him and he looks like the typical Venetia Williams horse who is ahead of the handicapper and will run up  a sequence for wins over the coming weeks.