The first Sunday in October is the traditional date for Europe's middle distance Championship race, the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Run at Longchamp over a mile and a half (2400 metres if you prefer) the race invariably cements the reputation of a champion elect or elevates the status of a hitherto underrated contender. […]
They're pretty subtle; you'd be forgiven for missing them. Unless you had seen our twitter feed... First full day of operation for our new 'go faster' stripes indicator, highlighting horses to have been marked up sectionally... ...and they flag a 43/1 exacta from just five runners on the day sporting the Fast Finisher badge! […]
As they say, prediction is difficult, especially about the future; and what better frame upon which to overlay such haphazard clairvoyance than three 25-runner straight track sprint handicaps? Today and tomorrow, Ayr continues to host its Western meeting which, among many enticing puzzles, features the Ayr Gold Cup and its *two* consolation races, the Silver […]
That's a tempting carrot being dangled as part of geegeez' latest racehorse syndicate. Shares are available now in this handsome three-year-old gelding purchased at the Goffs Spring Store Sale in May. A strapping son of Black Sam Bellamy, he is eligible for the £100,000 Goffs Sales Bumper in March and his trainer was keen to […]
It's not yet the end of July and yet here we are again, about to embark upon another ten months of kicking and screaming courtesy of the only round ball game that really counts (with obvs apols to fans of other, less count-y, round ball games). I loves me footy and, though this is a […]
Tote Review Pool betting is a particular love of mine, for two main reasons: fun, and value. Whilst these are not mutually exclusive, they are not necessarily mutually inclusive, either; which is to say, sometimes I bet for the hell of it - a placepot for a bit of interest, let's say - and sometimes […]
One of the biggest weeks of Summer festival racing is upcoming, with both Galway and Goodwood hosting multi-day garden parties featuring Pimm's and ponies next week. The action on the track will be as heady as many of the next morning hangovers off it, and in such busy circumstances it can pay to revise ahead […]
There have been many 'horses to follow' lists manifesting from Royal Ascot 2022, aggregated via a typically eclectic array of approaches to the handicapping puzzle. Given the level of quality on display last week, it is more than reasonable to expect a glut of subsequent scorers emerging from those 28 races. Winners, alas, do not […]
The fourth of five days at Royal Ascot, Friday, has a 'get set for the weekend' vibe about it, and the weather is forecast to be joining in, too. Bring your sun lotion and some shades, then, to enjoy seven more top tier tussles headlined by a brace of Group 1's for three-year-olds only, the […]
Thursday, day three at Royal Ascot, Ladies' Day, features the signature race of the entire week, the Gold Cup, first run in 1807. The Ribblesdale Stakes, Group 2, further bolsters an exciting seven race card with three impossibly difficult handicap puzzles, a two-year-old Group 2 sprint and a Group 3 for the Classic generation completing […]
Day Two, Wednesday, at the Royal Ascot meeting sees the quality decibel level eased just a soupcon. But there's still the magnificent Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes around which to build a sextet of supporting skirmishes, in particular a trio of Group 2's, the Queen Mary, Queen's Vase and Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. Add […]
Barely has the dust settled on Desert Crown's Derby and racing's roadshow is hotfooting it thirty miles west northwest to Berkshire's jewel in the crown for day one of Royal Ascot 2022. Just ten days separate the fourth British Classic of the season and the Royal meeting this year, so it's a tight turnaround for […]
In some ways, it's an odd time to be updating on the progress of our racehorse syndicates. Why? Because currently they're all National Hunt horses and most of them are on summer holidays! Most, but not all, as we'll get to. And there is one share available in one horse, as we'll also get to, […]
This week's Gold Nuggets is given over to a look at Epsom's Derby weekend card. Particular focus is on how I set up, the tools I use for different races, and the importance of overlaying draw and run style in the context of the course configuration. Full running order looks like this: 00:00 Introduction, Course […]
This weekend, Epsom Downs will welcome the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in the absence of both Her Majesty, and his majesty. The former is a late scratch and we all hope and trust she is generally well; the latter, Lester Piggott - in whose honour the Derby will be run - passed just days before […]
