Tuesday's Meetings Curragh Flat 8 Races 12:40-4:40p.m. Catterick Flat 8 Races 1:00-4:55p.m. Chepstow N/H 8 Races 1:20-5:20p.m. Bangor-on-Dee N/H 8 Races 1:38-5:30p.m. Newcastle(E) A/W 7 Races 4:00-7:10p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
I like Honour Grey in the 3.05 Chepstow on his second handicap run. Last time out at Sandown last season there was a bit of market support (lost its left fore shoe during the race). Has shown promise before that run. Stable going well at the moment so looks worth an each way bet.
Two bumpers today so I thought I'd have a bit of a look at them, just for a bit of fun and interest on a slow day at work : 1. Chepstow 5.20 Cazoo NH Flat Race (Conditionals/Amateurs) An additional fact to consider here as this bumper is for conditionals and amateurs only, so we also need to think about the level of assistance each horse will get from the saddle when assessing the race. There have only been 4 renewals of this race and all 4 have been won by trainers within 50 miles of the course - Paul Nicholls (twice) Ed de Giles and Fergal O'Brien. Nicholls and O'Brien both have runners and Ditcheat inmate Henri The Second is an obvious starting point, given his trainer took both bumpers at the recent Persian War meeting. He is a half-brother to the yard's Enrilo and a couple of other winners so clearly warrants respect. Currently 3/1 fav but easy to back this morning. Next in the betting is Letthetruthbeknown who won a mares bumper at Cork before changing hands. The bare form of that win doesn't stand out though. Fergal O'Brien's horse Moot Court was 2nd in a point but the winner has shown virtually nothing since in 7 races and is officially rated 96. I was very taken by the way Hillfinch won on debut at Market Rasen but her 7lb mares allowance is negated by the penalty here and that didn't look the strongest of heats so she may find one too good here. The 11th richest man in Wales likes to have winners here obviously, and his Deere Mark is the one my pin has landed on. He is by new sire Pether's Moon out of an unraced mare who has winners in the family. His trainer Sam Thomas' bumper record in 2021 reads 2001133114 so he clearly knows what is needed in this sphere. The yard have had a couple of good winners recently (Stolen Silver and Before Midnight) and Jack Tudor is clearly a very capable young man. At around 6/1 I think he can go well here. 1. Deere Mark 2. Henri The Second 3. Hillfinch 2. Bangor-On-Dee 5.30 Trick Or Treat Open NH Flat Race 8 runners here with the Newland runner ruled out on a self-cert. The top 2 are the only ones with rules experience and Latitude is a good starting point. He won an Aintree bumper in May (going similar to today's) with the front 3 pulling miles clear. That was possibly a weak contest (although the 3rd placed horse subsequently finished runner up) and he may struggle to defy the penalty against some nicely-bred types. Gentle River finished a half-length second over C&D last November but that was on soft/heavy and the winner has done nothing for the form since. We are then into the rules debutants, although some have experience from the pointing scene, notably Tom George's Great D'Ange and Donald McCain's Largy Reach. Great D'Ange won a point on his 3rd attempt but the form has not really been tested. Largy Reach was 3rd in a point and the winner that day, Ree Okka, ran a race full of promise on Sunday when 2nd to Gelino Bello at Aintree. Current favourite is Olly Murphy's Dr Seb but I think that is due mainly to his price tage and the trainers record in this sphere, rather than the horse's pedigree. Cuddly Duddly makes some appeal on paper as he comes from a nice family and the yard do very well in bumpers. However, that bit of point form behind Ree Okka has made me plump for Largy Reach. 1. Largy Reach 2. Latitude 3. Dr Seb
Hi Oddy. You never fail to cheer me up! Quite a bumper pack of verbosity there! Oh! And if this is ‘a slow day at work,’ what’s a fast day like ?
As Oddy has made the effort - 5:20 Sires ( all by % wins in NH Bumpers ) Hillfinch - 3 from 7 Pageant Material - 14 from 76 Henri The Second - 10 from 60 Lethetruthbeknown - 60 from 615 Moot Court/Nivlac - 46 from 492 Trainers Nicholls 207 from 898 Moot Court 74 from 478 Nivlac 31 from 232 Deere Mark 9 from 84 Hillfinch 11 from 103 Pageant Material 38 from 358 Jockeys James Turner 1 from 2 Lorcan Williams 6 from 36 Liam Harrison 5 from 34 Isabel Williams 1 from 10 Caoilin Quinn 1 from 11 Jack Tudor 4 from 52
5:30 Sire Dr Seb 6 from 21 Cuddly Dudley 30 from 180 Great D'Ange 15 from 98 Horacio Apple's 2 from 15 Rockinastorm 59 from 493 Lattitude 60 from 615 Trainer King Arise 8 from 33 - NR Dr Seb 43 from 180 Cuddly Duddly 11 from 57 Latitude 5 from 26 Largy Reach 119 from 756 Great D'Ange 53 from 396 What is interesting is Gentle River trainer is 2 from 8 at course with bumper runners. Largy Reach yard is 15 from 97 a their local track
Afternoon all, Quite a few I fancy at Catterick today but with the extra places available I’ve gone to the place market with Skybet. My main selection today is MYBOYMAX 6/4, 4 places to make or break my day. Two runs at Catterick have yielded a 1 and 2 and I feel off bottom weight with a 7lb claimed on board he will at least run into the places.
Don't have that much interest to go into such incredible detail on Bumpers, but compliments to the impressive amount of work put-in in the last few days or so by our very knowledgeable members. Well done, indeed! So, for silly old me it will be Great D'ange in the Bumper at Bangor (17:30). Like the Tom George yard very much over all NH races, and the stable's very capable regular jockey, Jonathan Burke, takes the ride. Best price at around 15/2 at time of writing. Regardless of the eventual outcome here, will be looking at Bumper results with great interest over the next few weeks.
Close but no cigar is the summary, with both selections coming second. At Chepstow the late vibes told for the Nicholls horse - he stood out in the paddock and there was late support for him. Deere Mark was well supported during the day and looked to be going well as he challenged 2 out but he was ultimately outstayed and well beaten by the Nicholls runner. First 2 in the wrong order for me and Hillfinch, who ran a strange race, stayed on for 4th, At Bangor, Largy Beach drifted like a barge before the off but looked the likely winner 2 out. However he tired badly in the closing stages and was easily out-stayed by Gentle River, who had finished a good 2nd over C&D of soft/heavy a year ago - perhaps the ground was more testing than advertised? Dr Seb didn't look the easiest conveyance but ran OK in 3rd Horacio's Apple caught the eye staying on into 4th.
Two good seconds, Oddy, you certainly are in top form at the moment. Whatever the stats indicate, Bumpers are notoriously difficult to predict? Stick's title of Bumper King is well-deserved as, as I just said, they're bloody hard!
So it was trainers for courses at Bangor with Ali Ralph having the winner and the big Don having the second. Haven't seen the races yet, because just like when I go racing, I was too busy making for the early exit!