In situ for Gold Cup Friday

Getting to see this place during festival times more than lived up to expectations.. Few pints, Thai dinner and tucked up by midnight nice and fresh for today!
 
Big Buck's was tremendous yesterday and really showed why he was favourite over GC.. Thought ruby was brilliant too, using reins not whip to power that huge horse home 
 
1405: Ski Sunday e/w for no reason other than I won with him at kempton park in January and I think ap is on board (not 100% sure about that).. Also a small stake on Dirar TBP

Triumph: grandouet to win - got 25£ on this at 11.5 with a tbp saver on him and Sam Winner (nicholls)

Gold: Denman: Definitely going to strengthen my position as the day progresses and I get more excited.. I have backed him and really want him to show he still has it in him after finishing tired and severely weighed down in a gallant performance in the Hennessey last November.. Kauto Star also has a chance to redeem last year's fall and show that it was just a respiratory matter that prevented him from gaining that fifth KG VI title at Kempton back in ice-cold winter weather at Kempton Park. I will go for one of the 8-10 yo horses too but will make my mind up at the track

Not sure what happened to Peak Rider in the last but if he does run, I'm on

Looking forward to getting in amongst it in the tattersalls! If you're in there and fancy a pint, tweet me @planey2k

Day 2 recollections and Day 3 Lookings..

 

Day 2 P&L: Horse Racing: £125.44 | Tote: |  Total P&L:  £125.44

Now I have got over the disappointment, neigh, depression of seeing Time for Rupert perform so badly today, and convinced myself that my Queen Mother CC 1-2-3 makes up for it (all individual bets, I hasten to add, not a tricast or owt like that) I have had a chance to look at tomorrow.. and I must say, I’ve not made many decisions yet other than to get to Cheltenham as soon as possible after work and enjoy the St Paddy’s Day celebratay

Have backed Blazing Tempo at 4.9 TBP since I lost a £4 antepost bet on him yesterday in the Arkle (a race in which he was never entered!).. 2m 4f is a distance that he enjoys and I heard something good about him on the Betfair preview vids.. so that’s my only punt so far, other than the bets I have previously placed:

Think I will also go for Kayf Aramis (trained and ridden by a Twiston-Davies) TBP in the 1405 and Albertas Run E/W in the 1440 Ryanair Chase..  and will then probably strengthen on Big Buck’s and hope that he will take out our collective revenge on the bookies for today.

Looking.

Push for the Playoffs

One more thing for today - Orient went all the way up to Monkey-Hanging Hartlepool and came away with 3 points, a clean sheet and retained optimism for the playoff trip to Old Trafford.. I am going away to Brentford on Saturday on the way back from the festival and hope that the boys don't use up all their luck backing winning horses this week.. well done Orient.. Up the Os (no apostrophe required)

Chelts Preview

I had such a good Saturday morning.. Having watched some of the Betfair preview vids and leafed through my Chelts guide, here are a few musings in advance of this week’s National Hunt festival o’ with space below for comments and Thurs / Fri left for a later instalment!

Monday

Looking.

Tuesday

Nov Hurd – LAY Cue Card / BACK Sam Winner TBP (might back this on Paddy Power at 16/1 rather than BF as they are refunding all losing bets if CC wins..)

Cha Hurd – arguably the race of the festival – so many contenders .. well i wrote that before Binocular was withdrawn L difficult to call but without Binoc I’m going to leave Menorah and H-Fly alone and BACK Peddlar’s and Oscar Whiskey E/W

Arkle – Medermit is the favourite and Ghizao (with Timmy Murphy on board) / Starluck provide temptation but I will be BACKing Rock Noir (who JP Mc has backed) and Dan Breen (Pipe) TBP and Blazing Tempo is available today at 55s  / 15s so I’ve got him TBP too

Wednesday

Nat Hunt Chase – Chicago Grey TBP – he was runner-up to Time for Rupert last time I backed TFR and likes Cheltenham

RSA – BACK TFR  – can’t see anyone else beating him – Timeform ratings have him a long way clear and I have just put £12 on AiteenThirtyThree TBP at just shy of 3s to keep me entertained with the rest of the field

Champ Chase – for some reason this is suspended on BF at the moment,

Thurs

World Hurdle – Big Buck’s .. backing this horse just for the apostrophe! ;) in all seriousness this horse is astonishing! although I know Paolo has got inv with Grands Crus, where there may be some value, but as drip will tell you, the real value is in backing the winner, and that winner is BB.

Fri

Triumph Hurd – backed Grandouet before he won the warm-up easily at Ascot and have decided to PIBE on laying off depending on how the first three days of the festival go..

Gold Cup – had back luck backing Time for Rupert on the AP market a while ago so lost before I even started on this! PIBE hard as the week goes on but would love to see Kauto Star bounce back and put Long Run back in his box

Specials

LAY Ruby Festival Jockey – the guy has just come back from having an ex-fix on his leg for months, he fell a couple of weeks back, badly, and his price is short. LAY.

Cheltenham 2011 Day 1 thoughts

Mixed fortunes today, especially winning nothing in the Arkle, but got my Cha Hurd E/W bets to pay out, won big on the Nov Hurdle and the mare in that grade 2 sort of meant losing £40 on Definity at the end of the day wasn’t a “mare”..

looking to tomorrow..having now backed Captain Cee Bee in the Champion Chase and Rock on Ruby in the Novice’s Hurdle

I also found myself thinking about Denman for the gold cup – he was so good at newbarry in November, carrying oh so much weight, that in a non-handicapped race, he must still stand a very good chance and at this price is worth a look.. / looking. Having already backed Grandouet on the nose, and not wanting to lay him off, I also placed a TBP bet for Friday and strengthened on Big Buck’s, who has come out a bit from the price i originally backed him at...