Uttoxeter U-Bends

What a thoroughly enjoyable racecourse Doncaster is! I was a little bit apprehensive about taking a 120 mile round trip rail journey to Doncaster yesterday for so few runners but the day turned out to be a super one. The weather was lovely, the Yorkshire folk dead friendly, a couple of winners and I couldn’t ask for more.

I  was very impressed with the bus shuttle service from Doncaster station to the course and back. The inspectors and the drivers were great fun and very helpful. As a complete newbie to Doncaster I thought the whole experience was superb. Perhaps Haydock could take note and try and re-instate the bus shuttle service which appears to have now been dropped? It’s a real trek from Newton-Le-Willows station up to the course and sadly people don’t have bottomless pockets for taxi’s back and forth these days.

After the racing and catching the shuttle bus back to near the railway station, I had a hour to kill before my connection. I happened to stumble upon a pub called the Tut N Shive just across the road. What a great little place it was! Real Ales and a popular CAMBRA place I was told. I got chatting to a nice mother/daughter combo who I thought had been to the races as they were glammed up, but apparently they were just on a night out in Doncaster from there home town of Goole (which they didn’t like). “Are you on your own? You can come out with us” was the offer, as sadly my watched ticked towards ten minutes before my train. Such is life!

It was nice to come home and find that I’d made a fantastic start at Perth yesterday. A 7/2 & 10/1 in the first two races was good news.

Today’s fancies are at Uttoxeter:

2.20 Uttox- Cygnet (win), small e/w Behindcloseddoors.

2.40 Uttox- Points Of View (e/w).

3.15 Uttox- The Fox’s Decree & Delgany Gunner (e/w).

3.50 Uttox- Spirit Is Needed & King Brex (e/w).

4.25 Uttox- Nicky Tam (win).

5.00 Uttox- Red Jester (win).

5.30 Uttox- Crack At Dawn & Diddley Dee (e/w).

Tut, tut, tut!

Let’s shive some money off the bookies today!

Perth Festival (Day 3)

I do hope this works because for the very first time ever I’m doing a scheduled post. I’m putting my faith in WordPress to publish this post at 10.00 am on Friday morning, so all being well it’s happened and you’re reading it.

The reason for not being here is I’m off to Doncaster races (*also for some respite ). I applied some time back for some Racing For Change freebie tickets and Doncaster was the nearest location, hence I’m off there today

Congratulations to Chelnut (Nigel) who managed to get the Perth placepot up on Thursday and I know he included several of the selections that I also put up yesterday too so it was MEGA-BOOMS! all round.

The final day of selections from Perth:

2.20 Perth- Coolbeg & Definite All Star (e/w).

2.50 Perth- Pokfulham & Latin Connection (e/w).

3.25 Perth- Catch Bob (e/w).

4.00 Perth- Quito Du Tresor (win).

4.35 Perth- Saphire & Sammy Spiderman (e/w).

5.10 Perth- Stow (e/w).

5.40 Perth- Tear N Turn & Mack Milan (e/w).

God Save The Queen!

Having a spanking great Royal Wedding if you’re getting involved!

Perth Festival (Day 2)

The Elliot stable was unexpectedly out of form on Day 1 of the Perth Festival. When eventually they did have a winner, they had to turn to their plan B to  get Plan A home. There was a nice winner on the card too for the Bu, Scu & Ru team with Blenheim Brook.

It was excellent to see old flat racing boy Fremen winning yesterday at eleven years young, apparently his last season in training. What a wonderful horse he must be to own and train.

Today’s selections are naturally from Perth:

2.20 Perth- Sounds Of Thunder (e/w).

2.50 Perth- Posh Bird & Flying Squad (e/w).

3.20 Perth- Vallani & Auberge (e/w).

3.50 Perth- Safari Adventures & Door Boy (e/w).

4.20 Perth- Dix Villez (e/w).

4.50 Perth- Shammick Boy (e/w).

On Safari !!!

Bang those betting drums!

Perth Festival Day 1

I hope plenty of you found the early booms at Sedgefield last night and I was reliably informed that a reader in Hereford had a nice touch with Bocciani which won @ 7/1. Not a lot of feedback on Twitter last night about Sedgefield as most people seemed pre-occupied by Manchester United. Now there’s a surprise!

With the start of the Perth Festival today spare a thought for the family and friends of the sadly deceased Doug Fraser. Doug was a regular and popular commentator on the commentary circuit in the Scotland and the North of England, and a familiar voice to those race-goers in the area. Doug provided accurate and informative commentary in his distinctive Scottish tones. I for one will always associate his voice with the Perth Festival from way back in the days of working in an audio only betting shop as a teenager.

Here’s are today’s fancies from Perth:

2.10 Perth- Pyjama Game & The Portonion (e/w).

2.45 Perth- Rain Stops Play (e/w).

3.20 Perth- Eight Is My Number (win).

3.55 Perth- Nine Stories (win).

4.30 Perth- Tout Regulier (e/w).

5.05 Perth- Brooklyn Brownie & Yabora (e/w).

5.35 Perth- Seven Is Lucky & Samizdat (e/w).

I should be so lucky

Hoping your numbers come in today!

Sedgefield Slammers

Congratulations this morning are to Nina Carberry who won the Irish Grand National yesterday on Organisedconfusion (12/1), the youngest horse to take the prize since 1973.

I do recall once saying I wouldn’t bother doing a full Irish card again and I wish I’d taken heed as I only picked up a few scraps yesterday. I was pretty chuffed by the run of my old Irish favourite- A New Story who managed a creditable fifth place. It’s always very tricky picking winners at such fixtures when everybody is related to everybody else

Todays fancies are for this evening at Sedgefield:

5.35 Sedge- Scriptwriter (win).

6.10 Sedge- Bocciani & Odins Raven (e/w).

6.40 Sedge- Hollo Ladies (e/w).

7.15 Sedge- Matmata De Tendron (e/w).

7.45 Sedge- Dikler’s Oscar (win).

8.15 Sedge- One For Luck & Granwood (e/w).

Slippers congratulates Nina

Hopefully no confusion today!

Fairyhouse Fancies

It’s the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse today, so I’ll do a whole set of selections from the entire card.

I’m in somewhat of a rush so I’ll keep it short and sweet….

2.35 Fairy- Gimlis Rock & Stonemaster (e/w).

3.10 Fairy- Clan Tara & Kerb Appeal (e/w).

3.45 Fairy- Dare To Doubt (win).

4.15 Fairy- Tackmaster (e/w).

4.55 Fairy- A New Story, Deal Done & Caim Hill (e/w).

5.30 Fairy- Gentle Alice & Kilflora (e/w).

6.00 Fairy- For Bill & No One Tells Me (e/w).

6.30 Fairy- Classic Frontier & Hangover (e/w).

Cross Country Champion

Come on old boy!

Towcester Totes

Wow, wee, woo! What a great day it turned out to be on the punting front with 4/7 winners at Sandown and a 21 pts profit overall.

I was actually out all of Saturday afternoon and came home to a pleasant surprise to say the least. For those of you who didn’t see the closing stages of the Bet365 Gold cup, here it is:

From last to first – Poker De Sivola lifts the Bet365 Gold Cup

Today’s fancies are at Towcester:

2.25 Towc- Galiotto (win).

2.55 Towc- Nobby Kivambo (e/w).

3.25 Towc- Great Esteem (e/w).

3.55 Towc- Jacarado (e/w).

4.30 Towc- Dancing Dude (win).

5.00 Towc- What Of It (win).

5.30 Towc- Gumball (win).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCCAQWIE2a4

Happy Easter!

Whitbread Gold Cup

It may now be called the Bet365 Gold Cup, but for us traditionalists it will still always be the Whitbread in the back of our minds. I’ve always been a fan of this race since my Granddad put a bet on Lean Ar Aghaidh for me in 1987. Ridden by Guy Landau and trained by Stan Mellor, this impressive horse finally bagged the big race it deserved. It was also around this time I became hooked on National Hunt racing

Today’s fancies at Sandown’s mixed card are:

1.30 Sand- Sanctuaire (win).

2.05 Sand- Sunley Peace & Tobago Bay (e/w).

2.35 Sand- French Opera (win).

3.05 Sand- Exmoor Ranger, Maktu & Poker De Sivola (e/w).

3.45 Sand- Music Show (win).

4.20 Sand- Kings Gambit (e/w).

4.50 Sand- Fremont & Gunner Lindley (e/w).

5.20 Sand- Super Duplex & Swift Chap (e/w).

How!

Good Friday Smoker

With no racing today I’m just going to advise a single flutter on Chennai Super Kings (2.26) in the Indian Premier League this afternoon (starts 3.30pm GMT).

No dockers please

See you back here on Saturday morning!

Ludlow Ludo

One avid reader emailed me yesterday to say she got lucky by following my Hereford selections when she put them in eachway doubles & Lucky 15′s. Well done on her! In fact, I’m sure she dragged a few more quid back than myself so even better.

Small fields at both today’s jumps fixtures will make good prices hard to come by so I’ll proceed with an air of caution today with “sensible” stakes.

Today’s fancies are at Ludlow:

2.20 Lud- Mutab (e/w).

2.50 Lud- William Hogarth (win).

3.20 Lud- Buck Mulligan (win).

3.50 Lud- Sunday City (e/w).

4.20 Lud- Three Ships (e/w).

4.50 Lud- Royal Riviera (e/w).

5.15 Lud- Almaydan (e/w).

In your Easter bonnet ...

Have a good Easter if you’re away!