Punchestown Day 3: Decisions, Decisions..

It is not often a choice I find myself mentally wrestling with, but today the turmoil inside my cranium is clouding everything else around me: guys or girls?  If it's a straight-up brawl between two adults, I would normally say the guy would win, although I hasten to add I do not in any way condone this kind of violence.  If it was a case of me being presented with one of each for an hour of rolly-polly in the bedroom, I would side with the fairer sex - a girl - although again, if you prefer guys, that's absolutely fine.  Today, over three miles in the Ladbroke's World Hurdle, though, I'm being forced to choose between Solwhit and Quevega, and I just don't think I know what to do.

Solwhit has eight grade 1 victories to his name and is relishing the longer distance races, having been upped in trip from around the 2m4f mark to 3m at the Cheltenham festival.  Three weeks after festival success in the west country, he went on to claim another festival title, this time at Aintree.  And as Sprinter Sacre demonstrated almost flawlessly on Tuesday, it is not impossible to go over to Punchestown and achieve a hat-trick of national hunt festival titles in exactly six weeks.  Not impossible, but surely improbable for Solwhit when you consider the counter argument.

Quevega has won this race at each of the past three renewals.   She has an outstandingly impressive five Cheltenham Mares' Hurdles under her belt.  And that belt can be tightened ever so slightly more than Solwhit's today as she will carrying a not inconsiderable amount less around her midrift than the rest of the field, receiving as she does an allowance of 7lbs on account of her being a "she".   She is also slightly bigger in the outright market - currently 3.0 on Betfair compared to Solwhit's 2.46.

On top of that, there is Holywell to consider amongst the challengers, himself a festival winner and a very game looking runner-up to Solwhit at Aintree earlier this month.  Reve de Sivola has been tipped by Paul Kealy in the Racing Post on account of the conditions at Punchestown, as has Zaidpour (by Longshot Ed Quigly).  In a race paying only two places each-way, though, the exacta looks the bet to me.  But which way round?  I'm going to go heart over head and say Quevega from Solwhit.  The price in the outright market appeals more too.  If only Big Buck's was over there... this puzzle would be a hell of a lot easier to piece together!

 

On top of this Grade 1 today is the 6.40 Ryanair Novice Chase and I was delighted to see Tom Segal (after his success at Epsom yesterday with Area Fifty One) pick out Alderwood, who had earlier appeared in my Inbox courtesy of the At The Races "Tracker" service.  I got the 7/1 with Coral this morning so hope he can get the better of Benefficient - ridden by the man I was waxing lyrical about just yesterday - Bryan Cooper.

Yesterday could have been a lot better - the solitary bit of Punchestown profit on the P&L report below came from laying Ballycasey, but the subsequent lay of Sir Des Champs was extremely misjudged.  The multiple returned a reasonable amount back, with Kie winning at Perth, Gassin Golf narrowly missing out at Punchestown and First Lieutenant making the places in the Gold Cup, so I was reasonably satisfied with the consolation that the payout could have been much bigger with a spot more luck.  I'll keep sniffing them out and hopefully one of them will come in soon... but until then, I'll just rely on Tom Segal to save my bacon with big priced winners on the flat like Area Fifty One.  Out of this world stuff, Tom - our very own punting X-File.



 

 

 

 

Punchestown Day 1: Go Bigg on the Gigg

One of the seriously serendipitous side-effects of this chest infection I’m currently suffering is the sleeplessness associated with consistent coughing.   Couple that with anticipation for the beginning of this year’s Punchestown Festival and you get the perfect recipe for early-morning blog writing. 

St G: Character on a Horse

With only next weekend’s Ultimate Celebration Meeting at Sandown remaining on this year’s national hunt agenda proper, it’s almost time to reflect on another exciting year in the sport of kings and queen.  Despite the overpowering patriotism felt at Palphabet HQ today though, on this day of our patron Saint George (himself an accomplished horseman by all accounts), it is vital to keep the emotion of Englishness at bay when looking at this afternoon’s big-race card in Ireland.

Boasting three opening day Grade 1 races, Tuesday 23^rd April looks very much geared up to be dominated by home-trained horses, with the notable and hugely exhilarating exception of English raider Sprinter Sacre.  Nicky Henderson’s superstar travels overseas for the first time, where he is sure to continue answering questions on the track with an exuberant arrogance unparalleled by his peers at present, and a disdain that eclipses even the way in which Jeremy Paxman asks the questions on University Challenge.   

So let’s hope, at the gong, that we can get a few answers ourselves.  The first race of the day is the 3.40 three-mile chase:

Zest for Life at 5/1 isn’t a bet I would be hanging today’s gambling hat on.  The soft ground doesn’t appear to be particularly in the favour of the 2010 winner of this race, whose trainer and track specialist Enda Bolger (19% success rate here from 83 runs) admitted prefers quicker conditions.   At the price though, and with a 7lb claimant on board, Zest is preferred over favourite and stablemate Near Perfection, who is nearer 5/2 in the betting.

4.20’s Grade 1 two-mile novice hurdle sees a mouth-watering rematch of Cheltenham’s Supreme Novice Hurdle.  Winner Champagne Fever and third-place Jezki are back on home soil and looking to take advantage of the absence of My Tent or Yours, runner-up in March and subsequent winner in the lower class novice hurdle at Aintree earlier this month.  

Festival Fillip

Mullins and Walsh got my 2013 festival off to a cork-popping flyer with a 6/1 fillip but I’m going to desert the dream duo today and side with Davy Russell’s Gigginstown House Stud mount, Rule the World at 9/2.  A four-length defeat at the hands of The New One in the 2m 5f Neptune Novices’ Hurdle was form-franked in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, Rule the World only has a few pounds to find on the two market leaders here, and has beaten an off-colour Champagne Fever in Ireland before.  Ted Veale, a big priced Palphabet winner of the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, is rated 10 pounds lower than Rule the World so I have to rule him out. 

It's worth pointing out at this stage, that BetVictor.com are giving punters their money back if your horse finished 2nd to a Willie Mullins winner.  Could prove a useful insurance policy here and in the 6.40.

 4.55 Handicap Hurdle:  Looking down the weights at another horse owned by the GHS, Beef to the Heels is my meaty selection here.  Priced at 43/1 on Betfair, 25/1 with Bet365 and Paddy Power (who pay five places each-way in this race) and intriguingly only 20/1 with magic sign firm Ladbrokes, who are renowned for their Irish knowledge, I’ll be getting the knife and fork out on this slice of betting beef.  Trained by Gordon Elliott, this course and distance winner is ridden by Miss Jane Mangan, who is 2-3 on him and 6-9 when booked by Elliott.  In a competitive handicap like this, the jockey’s knowledge of her horse is nearly as important as her 5lb allowance.  Nearly.

Still got £12 of this bet unmatched

5.30 Champion Chase:  I see no reason not to follow up the exacta from the Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase with the same bet here.  Sprinter Sacre win, Sizing Europe next.  Could be a similar procession, but Sprinter Sacre has not been treated to the same break as his nearest rival here, so a 20-length demolition job may not be repeated.  Sacre continues to deliver though so who knows – the gap between these two might be even bigger!

Swerving the bumper, where Mullins’s Moyle Park is strongly fancied, the 6.40 Champion Novice Chase is the final Grade 1 of the opening day and Ruby Walsh looks to have a huge chance to extend Back in Focus’s winning run to five races.  Pricewise has selected Dedigout, and with two of my earlier selections adorned in the iconic maroon and white star of the aforementioned Irish racing powerhouse, the Gigginstown House Stud (owned by shrinking violet and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary), who am I to disagree?  If you read this before 8.30am today, wait until then, when you should be able to get a better price than the 5/1 or 11/2 available right now (some bookmakers agree to hold the price at which Tom Segal tips his horses for about 15 minutes from 8.30am and Dedigout was put up in today’s Racing Post at 13/2).

With a "powerful three-horse assault" on tomorrow’s Punchestown Gold Cup, this could be a big week for the Gigg – they are represented by Sir Des Champs, First Lieutenant and Quito de la Roque in Wednesday’s fascinating contest.

*** 

A final word for this fantastic festival - the timings of the races are excellent and more or less allow full enjoyment without the risk of being sacked for diving into a betting shop every half-hour.  Even if I wasn't off sick with this blasted chest infection, I'm still confident I would be able to tuck in with almost weekend-esque abandon.  Enjoy!

 

Aintree Day 1

To watch the BBC’s News at Ten this evening, you would be forgiven for assuming that a real and formal threat from nuclear-weapon wielding North Korea towards the United States of America was something to be concerned about as we head into the downhill half of our weeks.

 You might be wondering if you fit snugly into one of the seven new classes defined by sociologists at the beeb: “Oooh am I an emerging servicer or an established technical elitist?”

It's easy when you lie on the survey

 
Whatever. Here comes the sport. Oh, some non-English sides are competing for the major honours in European club football.  Whoopee.  Does it not seem strange to you that, with three days of premium National Hunt Racing ahead of us, all the major news channels are focusing on the banal and benign?

 
Sprinter Sacre is stepping up in trip; Flemenstar is back and out to prove the Casey camp aren’t all as mad as a box of frogs; Overturn has a disappointing Cheltenham from which to bounce back; Silviniaco Conti, nose still wet from that nasty festival fall, needs to dust himself down and rekindle the fiery confidence that has seen him so impressively answer the questions posed by large, bristly fences up and down the country; and Palphabet favourite Soll, having made mincemeat of the Sandown railway fences a few weeks ago, has this evening made the cut in the greatest steeplechase the world has ever known – the John Smith’s Grand National.


I’m sure if Kim Jong Un knew all of these varied threads were being woven into the great colourful tapestry of jumps racing as he spoke (undoubtedly in a rather menacing fashion, on the subject of world domination), he would pause for a moment, pick up the phone to Dennis Rodman and meet in the most mutually convenient of locations tomorrow afternoon: Aintree.

 

Isn't it easy to picture this very scene in a luxury trackside box at a Merseyside racecourse?

I, for one, would look forward to meeting him there, going for a curry and preparing for Ladies’ Day, followed by a night out in Liverpool, Grand National Saturday, and then another night out in Liverpool.  It's the home of The Beatles, KJU, all you need is love.. and a couple of decent-priced winners.
 

Now, as Tom Segal says in tomorrow's column (yes, I've bought an ipad with the RP app, very elitist I know): "Aintree always provides a tricky conundrum for punters". Namely: stick or twist. You either stay faithful to the Cheltenham pocket-liners like Sprinter Sacre, Flaxen Flare, The New One, Alderwood and Solwhit or you look for that kind croupier of the turf and hope he's going to deal you a better hand in the north west than he did down in the south west.  Celestial Halo, Overturn, Dodging Bullets, Conti, Countrywide Flame, Captain Conan, all capable of reversing form or improving on a totally different track. Of course there are those nags who we never even saw grace the festival floor to consider too. There's so much to think about I honestly do wonder why the general public care so much about some 17-year-old kid selling an app that seems to provide little more than the info you get when you click "news" on well-known search engine site google.com.  

The RP iPad app - wow, just wow.  Infinitely better than that 17 year old kid's one..

 
Here’s a few picks for Aintree’s Thursday card to hopefully line our collective pockets ahead of the weekend’s action:

2.00 – Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle


Not too sure why Far West isn’t lining up for this £56-grand, 2-mile opener for four year olds.  Nicholls is sending stable companion Irish Saint, thinks the track will suit and the bookies go 3/1, marginally larger odds than Henderson’s Rolling Star, who had the better of the Saint at Cheltenham in January.  It’s stick or twist time guys.  At 31/1, carrying £40 of my festival funds, Flaxen Flare was one of my Cleeve Hill heroes, having been tipped by Segal earlier that day before winning the Fred Winter in notable fashion.  Currently 5.9 on Betfair, I don’t want to be twisting on trainer Gordon Elliott any time soon.  He’s 6 from 19 in the past fortnight and his whole team are flying. 

Flaxon Flare was a real Festival Fillip

 

2.30 – Betfred Bowl Chase
 

Another Grade 1 with a stellar line-up of staying chasers to behold.  Silviniaco Conti is a shade of odds-on at 5/6 to triumph around Aintree, where he romped home by 13 lengths last year, and it would be foolish not to have him in your accumulator or lucky 15 for the day.  First Lieutenant steps back up in trip after being beaten in the Ryanair Chase over 2m 5f and is the preferred alternative under multiple festival-winning jockey Bryan Cooper.

 
3.05 – Aintree Hurdle.. another Grade 1

Zarkandar is given blinkers for this race, which is over a distance 25% longer than the Champion Hurdle in which we last saw him.  He was beaten by Countrywide Flame that day and that is reflected in their prices being 5/1 and 4/1 respectively.  Willie Mullins’s grey Thousand Stars appeals at 9/1 as he is a two-time runner up in this race (in both instances losing out to 11/2 shot Oscar Whisky) but I think I’ll side with Countrywide Flame and pick Raya Star as my big-priced each way outside at around 28/1.

 
3.40 – Fox Hunters’ Chase

Here we go, a juicy handicap with amateur riders to break the monotony of the day’s impeccable line-up of grade 1 superstars.  I always look for “The Dentist” in races like these – Mr Sam Waley-Cohen, who likes Aintree having been runner-up in the 2011 Grand National, and who saddles up on Cottage Oak at around 6/1.   Not a huge price, but has place claims so will put him in an each-way acca of some kind.
 

In the 4.15 – Red Rum Handicap Chase, the 4.50 Grade 1 Novices’ Chase and the 5.25 Handicap Hurdle card-closer, I am going Rebel Rebellion for Ruby Walsh and Paul Nicholls; Captain Conan who should go better than when fifth at Cheltenham on good-to-soft last month; and Ericht to complete the first-day double for Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty.  Will probably perm these up with that Waley-Cohen mount in the Fox Hunters’... in fact, I have!

 

 

With other decent looking cards at Taunton (where Hunt Ball and Aaim to Prosper catch the eye), and Thurles (with Toner D’Oudairies stepping out for red-hot Gordon Elliott under the jockeyship of shunned-by-the-BHA champion Irish jockey Davy Russell) it really is time to prise ones finger off the warheads and hit the nuclear betting button.   Boom!

Part 2: Memories of the National Hunt 2011-12 Season...

Last weekend’s stag-do involved a 6am flight to Tenerife, and then three monster nights out following the same pattern of: gentle trot at Oasis Bar to “Call me Al”, stepping up to a gallop at Joyce’s Bar with “Strings of Life” and finishing at a canter on stage at Linneker’s with the occasional veering off the beaten track to Voodoo Gentleman’s Club.

The afternoons were spent (when not evacuating one’s organs) munching Tabasco-topped toasties and supping San Migs in Leonardo’s Bar, watching the FA Cup Final or the 2,000 Guineas, gambling easily and steadily via the pub’s first-class free WiFi facilities.  Opposing AP O’Brien’s winning horse, Camelot, on the Saturday was a mistake.  Not opposing fairer-sex stable companion Maybe on the Sunday, another mistake.  Stag parties are expensive enough without doing your brains on iBetMate, but it certainly beats sitting under that roasting ball of plasma around which the Earth inexorably orbits.  Brains Done 1-0 Skin Cancer. 

At the risk of being somewhat out of date, I’ll quickly round up my memories for the 2011-12 National Hunt season, so we can put that to bed and focus on the summer:

January

After the jubilant scenes on Boxing Day with Kauto, and even with Adrian Lewis defying wasps, wafts and Wade at Alexandra Palace, 2012 hadn’t started well.  Despite some successes, I was spreading myself thin and showing no signs of focus.

Had a bit of luck with one of my At The Races “Tracker” horses Bronze Angel, partnered on the all-weather a few times over the winter by the gorgeous Hayley Turner, as I stuck him in an each-way £20 quick-fire double with Dr Richard Newland’s jumper Act of Kalanisi.

The Victor Chandler chase saw Henrietta Knight’s Somersby break his Grade One duck at Ascot while I sided with Nicholls grey Al Ferof, who finished in third place with Finian’s Rainbow nestled in between.  Elsewhere that day at Haydock a fillip came in the shape of a horse who would end the season as an Aintree fatality, the likeable According to Pete.

February

It was difficult to stay fully focused during this month of distraction: Valentine’s Day, a trip to Dublin for an engagement party, the postponement of Newbury’s newly named Denman chase to a Friday where I had to work in Glasgow meant the build up to Cheltenham was somewhat punctuated by dissatisfaction.   Whilst in Dublin, I was buoyed again by the way in which racing, and gambling thereon seems a more acceptable line of conversation than it does back here in the UK.  I also got a tinge of excitement as Chance du Roy went close at Ascot, heading the pack 4 out before falling away on soft ground.  Setting off for the 3m challenge at 16-1, some compensation was found as my stake lay was snapped up by greedy backers before CdR made a mistake 2 from home.

Brief interruptions of joy came in the shape of Oh Crick’s win at Chepstow, Portrait King’s win at Newcastle and Tom Segal picking Medermit for the Ryanair after I had already placed a bet on the same selection, thus beating the inevitable price-crash. 

Paul Nicholls inexplicably “favouriting” one of my less interesting tweets, despite ignoring all previous attempts to catch his web-roaming eye also lifted the spirits.

March

Cheltenham’s ‘Black Wednesday’, where my tip of the festival, Soll, fell over and I lost nearly a grand overall, was a real low.  Big Buck’s provided a stratospheric high, and the Gold Cup was particularly special for many obvious reasons that I have already documented elsewhere on the blog.  Sprinter Sacre’s performance was breathtaking and Hunt Ball etched himself further into the hearts of horse racing fans, defying top weight against a field of 20 when winning the 2m 4f Novices’ Handicap Chase.   

At the track on the Friday, after receiving a tip for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, I stuck ½ a point e/w on Countrywide Flame at 45-1 on Betfair.   With figures of 113123 going into the race, John Quinn’s consistent competitor beat my antepost fancies Grumeti and Dodging Bullets and returned me to [near] financial parity for the festival. 

The week after the festivities was emotionally cloudy and difficult to accept until Chance du Roy triumphed at 9/2 in a 2m 4f handicap chase at a good-to-soft Haydock Park on the 21st. 

A fantastic rollercoaster of a month!

April

At the Aintree meeting, Grumeti got his own back on Countrywide Flame, I got my own back after ignoring decent prices about Simonsig and Sprinter Sacre for Cheltenham by pairing them up in a winning odds-on double, and Liverpool got its own back on my liver, by poisoning me with horrid shots bearing my name. 

The Grand National aftermath led to racing public emotion, general public outcry and many public house discussions. 

Mates of mine whose love for the sport was initiated by spending formative years watching the National with their parents were suddenly questioning whether or not they would, or could ever watch the race again.  Some pundits, with far more experience than I, argued that people should just accept it.  Paul Nicholls snapped during an interview that people needed to “grow up”.  More considered devotees of the turf suggested further changes were required but yet many were not able to put their finger on exactly what amendments are appropriate.  Watch this space.

It's great to be ON!

My Luck was in! Palphabet meets his hero

A great view of a formidable obstacle

Finishing the season on a dreary day at Sandown Park gave some of the great horses of the year a chance to be paraded in front of the crowds, who treated the rain with the contempt it deserved.  Somehow, however, I managed to miss it! 

I did enjoy one my favourite jockeys, Brendan Powell, earning a place on board Act of Kalanisi.   Read more about the lad here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/16396736  

With Ruby Walsh in Ireland for the delayed Punchestown showpiece, Grand National winning jockey Daryl Jacob was put atop Sanctuaire and many were worried that this nutty horse would be too much for Nicholls’ second-string jockey to handle.  Dazza promptly blew away the field in the 2m chase, including that group one winner mentioned above, Somersby.  Sanctuaire can be backed at 14.5 on Betfair for the 2013 Champion Chase if you reckon he can outclass Sprinter Sacre.

Particular pleasure was also derived at Sandown from Joseph O’Brien’s unorthodox and savvy ride of Imperial Monarch as the jumps gave way to the flat, although I had sided with unfancied Thought Worthy for this four-horse race.  Trained by John Gosden and ridden by the jockey I’ve backed for the Flat Championship this summer, William Buick, I’ll keep an eye out for Thought Worthy this season.

***

The Palphabet National Hunt 2011-12 Gongs go to...

Horse – Chance du Roy – picked because I liked the name, stuck with because I enjoyed the returns.

Jockey – Brendan Powell (7... or is it 5) – big future ahead for him.

Trainer – Alan King – great stable of loveable beasts and top quality jockeys.

Bookmaker – Paddy Power – eye-catching offers and hilarious adverts.

Tipster – James Pyman – considered analysis, painstaking number crunching and insightful articles.

Track – Newbury – fell in love with racing here and my 30^th birthday sojourn was splendid.

Owner – Anthony Knott – Bugger the Cows! Need I say more?

Moment – Kauto Star at Kempton Park.

Memories of the National Hunt 2011-12 Season..

As the 2011-12 National Hunt season had the curtain brought down through sheets of rain at Sandown Park on Saturday, the damp weather did not dampen my spirits.  The heavy ground was not reflected in my anything-but-heavy heart and the grey clouds could not displace the sunshine glow in my soul.  For, dear reader, I have memories of the 2011-12 jumps season that will live on for a few furlongs yet and whilst some occasions have caused me to mourn, shed a tear or descend into borderline depression, there aren’t many things I would have changed.  So, without getting too bogged down in detail, and really only focusing on moments that I personally had the opportunity to enjoy, let us (well, me) reminisce...

October

A year had passed since I went from being a casual observer of horse racing to an aspiring writer, broadcaster and semi-pro punter on the sport.  Having really only hooked on it watching Denman carrying top weight at Newbury in the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup, I was busy organising my 30^th birthday party for the same meeting in 2011. 

The flat season came to a joyous end at Ascot’s Champions’ Day (http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/from-newmarket-nightmare-to-freaky.html), which provided an almighty emotional and financial fillip following a dreadful day’s betting at Newmarket a week earlier, where we celebrated my grandmother’s entry into the octogenarian club: http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/enjoyment-is-eternal.html

The traditional curtain raiser is the Cheltenham Open meeting in November, but in October Albertas Run gave AP McCoy and Jonjo O’Neill a win in the Ascot Old Roan Chase.  These two racing legends would sadly end the season in the headlines for more sombre reasons.

Pricewise (back when he was tipping winners) tipped up Weird Al in Wetherby’s Charlie Hall chase and I was on at a decent price – that night led myself and a few Palphabet pals to a West Bromwich Albion pub in Hackney, where the night descended into intoxicated chaos!  It was also that night that I started hearing positive whispers about a horse from the Mullins yard named Soll.

I love this photograph from October, and have a mind to enter it into the IJF’s photo competition for their 2013 calendar http://www.injuredjockeys.co.uk/

November

The aforementioned 30^th birthday trip to Newbury was quality.  Big Buck’s duly returned at about 1-5 (I had a £5er on him for a laugh), Rock on Ruby landed the shorter-distance hurdle race, and Caruthers brought an air of significance to the sponsor’s Gold Cup.  But for me, backing the Philip Hobbs trained Chance du Roy at 10-1 and subsequently adding him to my ATR Tracker list gave me most pleasure on the day.  Chance du delivered profit on a couple of other occasions as the season rumbled along, posting impressive figures of 125412 from Newbury to Aintree’s Topham Chase.

On the same day, up in Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth hurdle, laying Binocular proved the right decision.  Screaming “screw you Binocular!” at the TV screens from the Newbury bar was a less-measured judgement as Jason Maguire powered Overturn home.

The week before this, at Haydock, I had backed Kauto Star at 7-1 to win the Betfair Chase – the three cheers for Kauto, Ruby’s beaming smile and the sight of Paul Nicholls blanking Nicky Henderson in glorious Channel 4 HD gave a real thrill, and a premonition towards what just might be on Boxing Day at Kempton Park.

December

The Becher chase was hosed up by Alan King’s West End Rocker and I immediately backed him antepost for the Grand National, thinking the trial alone was evidence of his undoubted supremacy over the formidable Aintree fences.  Hmmm.  It also kick-started my penchant for "Wayne-King" -   http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/wayne-king-is-good-for-you.html

Sportingbet’s generous offer for the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown refunded punters’ money if Sizing Europe proved victorious.  Henry de Bromhead’s 2010 Arkle and 2011 Champion Chase winner did the business, and my stake of £50 on Wishfull Thinking was immediately reinvested on Kauto Star to regain the Christmas crown: an unimaginable fifth King George VI Chase at 4-1 before the race, with a 6pt top-up at 11/4 on the day.

Denman retired, I appeared on 5Live – Kauto bounced back and paid for the yuletide season, sending shivers down spines & leaving very few dry eyes in the packed tattersall stands.   

Happy New Year to all! 

***

January - April will be posted next week (as I'm off on a stag-do tomorrow!).. along with my 10 to Follow for the flat season... which includes my 2000 Guineas tip of Born to Sea and an antepost stab from last year, Trumpet Major, on whom I have had speculative stakes at an average of 55.5 on Betfair for Saturday's first Classic of 2012...