Monday's Meetings Bath Flat 7 Races 1:00-4:31p.m. Beverley Flat 8 Races 1:10-5:15p.m. Kempton Park N/H 7 Races 1:15-4:45p.m. Windsor Flat 8 Races 1:21-5:21p.m. Curragh Flat 8 Races 1:30-5:25p.m. Down Royal N/H 7 Races 1:40-5:05p.m. Warwick N/H 8 Races 2:05-6:00p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Place a bet in the Virtual Betting shop here Good Luck
SCEPTRED ISLE 10/1 Windsor 4:51 Very low mileage so a good possibility of more to come. Had a quiet seasonal debut over an inadequate trip and should step markedly up on that with conditions to suit. Double figures with just one bookie and I expect will go off shorter.
Beverly 2.56 Christmas Night CD winner of 11 lb lower 2 years ago. 7lb lower than when 4th at Beverly on latest turf run. Obviously needed comeback run at Newcastle last time out.Will be suited by todays going. Stable had 2 winners and 2 placed last 14 days. Cam Hardie was placed 3 times from 6 rides for Ollie Pears. A good run for each way purposes seems likely.
Michaels Choice 211 at bath , returns to the course of all his wins (3) , won first time out last year , i did tip it then iirc , with yard in top order , this looks a good time to catch him 3/1 now .
Bath 1:00 Tanqeeb Course winner with a promising comeback run last time out at Leicester when 3rd (2nd fav that day). The Ian Williams yard still in good form and Franny Norton with a 21.21% strike rate when riding for the yard. Looks worth a bet to start the racing day.
Well thanks a ****load Charlie Appleby. He had said Yibir was going to the Chester Vase and in the end it is Wirko who goes there. Yibir is still entered in the Dee Stakes but the trainer had explained that Yibir was going to the Vase because he needed a longer trip. I really thought Yibir would run and start shorter than the 4/1. Sorry chaps. The next we will hear is that Charlie Appleby paid for Boris Johnson's flat revamp.
In the 4.51 at Windsor I went with a horse who has had just about every trick in the book tried at an early enough age. Eaglesglen has only has seven starts but has now been gelded, had wind surgery, wears a tongue tie and also a visor. Perhaps a lucky rabbit foot and white heather will yet be tried but he's not really had a chance to see if all the rest has worked yet. He was second last time when favourite and he seemed to idle in front that day and got caught. Perhaps he needs finessed as well as all the other aids but I feel he has a chance at a fair price today in the hope that he won't bomb and be running in stockings and suspenders next time we see him. Noble Masquerade was hampered last time but like many "unlucky" horses he is short this time. Sceptred Isle and Torbellino also have chances, although the latter is on a losing run of 15 and may be a forecast/tricast pick. 4.51 Windson Eaglesglen 8/1 Eaglesglen/Sceptred Isle/Torbellino 6 X combined Tricasts for a donation to Ladbrokes.
Looking forward to seeing Queens Speech in the next at the Curragh, she looked a bit special on debut and although its a tough assignment taking on a proven G1 miler on your second start, she is getting well over a stone in weight and if she is to be up to winning the Irish Guineas she will need to go close here. Betting suggests Champers Elysees probably not tuned up for today, 11/8 opening show and now 5/2 on betfair, so I think Queens Speech is worth chancing at 11/4.
Another majorly disappointing run from a Ballydoyle horse, Queens Speech finished 2nd last, about 6L clear of Obriens other runner in last, dangerous game backing his at the moment.
Not great from Queen's Speech today but her maiden win was on heavy ground and it hadn't worked out at all well. Quite an ambitious starting point for her with a 115 rated filly in the race, albeit that she was getting plenty of weight. Champers Elysees was a bit disappointing in 4th but if we look at the 3YO fillies rated 102 and 99 filling the first two places on their 6th and 7th starts, it doesn't say much for Queen's Speech six and a half lengths behind the winner at level weights. Earlier Quick Suzy lived up to her name and slaughtered her field by more than five lengths. Runner up to the Donnacha O'Brien trained Caravaggio filly Elliptic last time Quick Suzy paid a nice compliment to the winner of that Tipperary race who is thought to be Royal Ascot quality by connections. In my Windsor race Grey Fox came bursting through to win like Nijinsky and the Handicapper will be having a word about the 63 rated horse who had never been better than 5th before. I had the unique distinction of a fun tricast finishing in the last three spots. Eaglesglen and Sceptred Isle were prominent early but faded badly and Torbellino also had a bad day at the office. Never bet on Mondays I was told.
Id be willing to forgive most of these Obrien horses that have bombed recently tbh, its quite obvious a lot of them are not right, they didnt all just go from very promising with elite pedigrees to being absolutely hopeless in the winter, you can expect that with a couple every year but I think the sheer number who have completely collapsed suggests there is an issue. Certainly wont be writing off horses like Battleground, Van Gogh and Queens Speech as they are better than we are seeing just now.