Monday 1 June 2009


2.15 BET WITH LADBROKES ON 0800 777 888 MEDIAN AUCTION MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 6)(2yo) Winner £2,730 12 runners 5f

SINGEUR (86) recorded a good enough speed figure to suggest it will be a major contender on its second run. With so many unknown quantities in the race I will be looking to back E.W. if I can secure 5-1 or better.

2.45 BET AFTER THE OFF AT LADBROKES.COM CLAIMING STAKES(CLASS 6)(3yo+) Winner £2,047 14 runners 7f

Nothing ticks enough boxes to consider playing in this race. CAP ST JEAN (90) FLORES SEAS (90) IMPRIMIS TAGULA (87) the three top rated. The laters rating being recorded at Lingfield and my records suggest it unlikely to live up to this figure over 7f. OBE ROYAL should be respected in this company will be giving this race a wide berth.

3.15 PLAY BINGO AT LADBROKES.COM HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(3yo 0-55) Winner £2,047 14 runners 7f

Again perhaps a race that should be left alone with previous winners thin on the ground but TOP FLIGHT SPLASH (86) appears to have a speed figure far superior to its rivals. Its 2yo starts over this trip are no recommendation but its only 7f start as a 3yo on the turf would suggest improved stamina in line with its breeding.

3.45 BETTER PRICES, BIGGER WINS AT LADBROKES.COM HANDICAP (CLASS 5)(3yo 0-75) Winner £3,412 14 runners 7f

To tight a contest to consider a playing. CHEAM FOREVER (86) AVOIR CHOISI (85) ARACHNOPHOBIA (84) KISS A PRINCE (84) are my top rated but to many negatives with the draw and Kempton or Lingfield 7f form not translating well to Southwell’s 7f.

4.15 CARLSBERG HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(3yo+ 0-60) Winner £2,047 14 runners 6f

Similiar to the previous race. OUTER HEBRIDES (89) MUKTASB (87) ROSIES SAY NO (84) being the key protagonists but no outstanding propositions.

4.45 LADIES DAY AT SOUTHWELL 16 AUGUST HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(4yo+ 0-60) Winner £2,388 14runners 1m4f

JACKIE KIELY (90) WORLD OF CHOICE (90) GREENBELT (89) are my top rated but DEBDENE BANK (82) last outing on the all weather over 8f. Has since ran very close on turf over 11f. Breeding would suggest that 12f is the upper limit of stamina but could be one to take E.W. if the price is right.

5.15 SOUTHWELL RACECOURSE FOR CONFERENCES HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(3yo 0-60) Winner £2,047 12 runners 5f

Top rated ROCKET RUBY (88) FASHION ICON (87) SIMPLE RHYTHM (86) appear clear of the opposition. Of the top three, ROCKET RUBY has my preferred draw with FASHION ICON to her outside but is coming back in trip as is SIMPLE RHYTHM. I am confident that one of the three will win but see no advantage in playing in this race.

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Horse Racing - Trip Down Memory Lane

As there is no AWT racing until Monday 13th I decided to do some research and while thumbing through some old racing books found an old page from Raceform which bought back a great memory from my past carefully folded within the pages.

How attractive a proposition was Pipssalio. Still a Maiden after 4 outings, its 3 outings as a 2yo read beaten 16 lengths in Class 5 3k Novice, beaten 16 lengths in a Class 6 2k Maiden, Beaten 14 lengths in a Class 4 3k Maiden. 1 outing as a 3yo beaten ½ length in a Class 4 4k Handicap. Looked to be way out of its depth being entered in a Class 3 14k Handicap. Pipssalio was 10lb out of the handicap and the jockey (Francis Norton) was putting up 2lb over weight.

My speed figures told me a different story. In fact I can remember being so bullish I was nailing my colours to the mast on all the forums and to the Raceform. This for me was the outstanding bet of the following day, the outstanding bet of the week and of the month. I went to bed unable to sleep with anticipation for the following day fully confident I would be making a lot of money. As soon as I got up on the day of the race I started checking the prices to ensure the tissue given the evening before was correct. Pipssalio was still 20-1.

The time of the race had arrived and in horror I watched as Pipssalio fell out of the stalls. By the time they had reached half-way in the 1 mile contest it was flat to the boards well adrift of the rest of the field with Franny Norton rowing away and beating the horse to death!

My feelings at the time were partly embarrassment due to the comments I had made on various forums , partly anger and all confidence in my ability to create meaningful speed figures gone in 60 seconds but being the eternal optimist still a slither of hope.

With 2 furlongs to go Pipssalio started to reduce the gap. With a furlong to go the rest of the field started to paddle and Pipssalio appeared to have sprouted wings and was closing on the leaders at an unbelievable rate. As they flashed passed the post Franny Norton had driven Pipssalio between the two leaders to make a three way photo finish. Even though I believed Pipssalio had got there it was going to be on the nod. Pipssalio got the verdict beating 2nd Everest by a short-head who in turn had beaten 3rd Tumbleweed Tor by a short-head.

That is the margin of winning and losing. The difference between the feeling of abject failure and believing you can walk on water.