Cheltenham's Final day Tips

 There's been some good racing this week, let's hope that the final day gives some more excitement and hopefully a few surprises. I'm looking forward to the Gold Cup very much and I think it will be excited. 

1:20- For a bet to win I would pick Tritonic. But as an outsider I have to go for the 50/1 shot Talking About You. 

1:55- As an each way bet I'd have to go for Petit Mouchoir with weight being taken out by using the 7lb claimer, this will only be to the horses advantage. I also really like Champagne Gold, it's really hard to bet against Rachael Blackmore after her form this week. 

2:30- Here I have the 16/1 shot that has come in from 25/1 from Paul Nicholls yard- Threeundertrufive. But favourite Stattler will be hard to beat. 

3:05- I hope that Al Boum Photo continues his winning streak from last year. However, Champ does have a fair shot.  

3:40- Chameron although he's not close in the betting has a chance of being placed alongside Salvatore.  

4:15- I think the favourite Elimay will be a tough one to beat but I can't offer any outsiders for a worthwhile bet. 

4:50- I would love to see a female jockey win here- this being either Page Fuller on First Lord De Cuet or Millie Wonnacott with Fabulous Saga. But again here I am not too sure. 

Chelts picks Wednesday and Thursday

 These are my Chelts day two and three picks- again we have some small fields but I'm sure that there will be some exciting races. The ground has gone even softer which I'm sure will benefit some horses. For Wednesday and Thursday I do not have picks for every race, however I do have horses who do not think will win. 

1:20- In this I find it hard to see Bob Olinger getting beaten. Team of Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore should put up a great competition on day two. I clearly see Rachael at least winning one race this Cheltenham. 

1:55- Again this is a race for the favourite's Monkfish is going to into this off strong form and near perfect performances. But this does make it bad for betting. 

2:30- For this I do have an outsider he's a 16/1 shot- Thomas Derby. A recent dip in form shouldn't count him out and I do see him being placed. To strengthen his chance he is a course winner.  

3:05- Politologue for me is a no brainer in this race everything seems to me is in his favour and I am very confident that he will be placed. 

3:40- In this race I'm not too sure on what the winner will be but I can only say that I do NOT think that Tiger Roll will win. His recent form has been anything but great- this makes me less than confident in him. But I do think it will be an interesting race to see if he has his normal skill back. 

4:15- Again in this race I'm not sure it seems like a narrow race between the two swirling favourites of Sky Pirate and Embittered. In this race I can see there being an upset to the the favourites. 

4:50- Super Six is a fairly big outsider but the lower weight should work in his favour. The ground will be getting sticky at this point which shouldn't bother him. 

Thursday- This is the edited version due to horses being pulled. 

1:20- Envoi Allen doesn't look beatable here but the odds aren't for betting. 

1:55- There's two horses in this that I am really surprised by their odds. I think Champagne Platinum and Brinkley both have a shout in this race. The bigger field means that both these horses can get cover and more surprise outcomes will happen. 

2:30- Min should be tough to beat but as an outsider I would go for Kalashnikov. He will give you a nice each way bet. 

3:05- I have a good feeling about Flooring Partner who should benefit from the ground changing form and by this point a little bit tacky.  

3:40- I think Two Taffs will be a wild card this year. His form and distance wins only add to my belief he will be placed. Here the Shunter should be hard to beat ultimately.

4:15- My picks for this one seem a big peculiar being Allavina but this is alongside second favourite Roseys Hollow.   

4:50- Again I'm not too sure here nothing is screaming out to me in this- not a betting one for me. 

My Cheltenham Day One picks

 On the first day of Cheltenham the fields have me rather disappointed. There's a desire to increase the number of races but there's races with only six horses in. It's not as exciting as normal but it doesn't mean the quality of horses and the racing isn't top notch. 

1:20 - For me it really is a two horse race being between Appreciate It and Ballyadam. These two have great form and even love the ground. I think this will give the audience a Supreme Novices' Hurdle to remember. 

1:55- For me I struggle to contemplate Shishkin not winning this. The betting isn't great with Shishkin but the odds show how strong of a competitor he is. 

14:30- In this I have picked out a wild card, this bet is an outsider. Vintage Clouds has reasonable form on this ground. Also after a recent wind surgery he seems to have picked up his form and after his prior wind op the performances picked up. My other pick would be Alnadam for the Skelton partnership. The softer ground should be in his favour. 

15:05- It seems like Goshen and Honeysuckle will both be near favourites and they will pose a huge threat to the rest of the field and will be hard to beat. For an outside bet Sharjah from Willie Mullins yard. This horse should suit the ground and the distance and I think the two favourites will set the pace Sharjah needs to come through horses to win. 

15:40- Here I think that My Sister Sarah really has an opportunity, it's clear that the distance won't be a problem for her. Her trainer Willie Mullins has notorious form in the Mare's Hurdle and I think it will be one of his mares to win this year too. 

16:15- Balko Saint not only has the form, he has also performed well at Chelts before, this little bit of experience on the track is only to his advantage. Houx Gris might go favourite but has more than a fair chance with consistent form and you can't go far wrong having Harry Cobden riding.

16:50- I have two picks here Remastered and Soldier Of Love both of these are outsiders so could easily be each way bets. Remastered should do well as long as he can finish strong and Soldier Of Love has the jockey-training combination of Paul Nicholls and Bryony Frost- they will be tough to beat.  

Have any picks that you think I should know about let me know! 

Impressive Female Flat Jockey's

 Reflecting on the last season and seeing as the Lincoln is less than 40 days away (I'm very excited already), I decided to look at some of the current female jockey's that have or are going to change the racing game. 

Hollie Doyle - She is changing the game for so many positive reasons. Last season she continued breaking records having the most wins by a female jockey in a season, had a 15% strike rate, alongside Championship day wins and a five-timer at Kempton. These are feats not achieved by many. Alongside this, she continues to push the boundaries of racing and is bring it to a whole new platform being placed third at the Sports Personality of the Year awards. For this next season, I can only see her extending her accomplishments. 

Hayley Turner- She was the first female champion apprentice in 2005 and a first female jockey to ride at the Dubai World Cup in 2012. Often Turner is deemed to be a jockey who has paved the way for many other females. 

Laura Pearson- A 5lb claiming apprentice who since changing her agent has taken the racing world by storm. Currently, she is having a two-month break ahead of the up-and-coming season. She already has had a 21% strike rate. I can see a bright future for this apprentice and perhaps Pearson even becoming Champion Apprentice. 

Joanna Mason- Another 5lb claimer before taking her apprentice license out, she had much success as an amateur jockey and she even took the title alongside Serena Brotherton in 2015. This has stood her in good stead with lots of knowledge on race-riding, this shows in her riding.  

Georgia Dobie- She is another apprentice (5lb claim) who has caught my eye with a 14% strike rate last year and her nomination in the Lester's apprentice jockey of the year award in which she narrowly lost out in taking the prize. Having experience riding abroad in Australia this can be seen in her riding ability and her strength in the final furlongs.

Saffie Osborne- In 2020 she suffered what appeared to be a bad fall in which she broke her arm and some ribs. Before this she was beginning to make a big name for herself having an 11% strike rate, this comes after she has competed internationally and nationally in youth eventing. Her father Jamie Osborne has given her a grounding in racing and I think she has much more to show already being an accomplished rider. I am excited to see what wins she will produce next season. 

Are there any up-and-coming jockeys I should know about? Let me know in the comments or tweet.

Reasons to vote for Hollie Doyle for Sports Personality of the year

 Hollie Doyle has been nominated for BBC sports personality of the year and these are the reasons why you should vote for her tonight when the voting opens. You can vote by clicking here. I tipped Hollie Doyle on a previous blog to be one to watch this year. 

In the last year, despite Coronavirus Hollie Doyle has been breaking records. This season Doyle has had 146 winners, this exceeded her own record from the previous year. Additionally, these race wins include her first group one on Glen Shield, she had her first win for a female on Championship day, a Royal Ascot winner (only a few women have achieved this feat) and she had a five-timer at Windsor in August. Her wins are unmatched by any other female jockey.

Doyle has also put so much hard work into getting where she is today. She started off in pony racing riding a really unruly pony but has gone on to ride horses of all different calibres and win. While she was an apprentice she was told that she wasn't strong enough. Doyle took this and worked on it, to get to where she is today. When she's not riding winners, you will find her in the gym working on the fitness that gives her the winners.  

Hollie Doyle has done so much for the sport of horse racing, she's opened people's eyes that both genders can be equal in terms of riding winners. Also, she's encouraged other women to get involved in the sport and is inspiring by giving girls a role model. 

This year Doyle is the only female nominated, despite all of the women who are at the top level in sports. There is a lack of representation in Sports Personality of the Year of women, proven by the last female winner was 14 years ago being Zara Philips. Doyle is defying norms if she wins. 

These are my reasons why I think you should vote for Hollie Doyle- let me know if you have any other reasons. Vote tonight!

Nottingham Races

 A surprising journey to Nottingham races came from ditching going to university for the day. With some of the cracking races, it was well worth it. The race day had nine races, the first two being tricky as they were maiden races with the runners being two-year-olds. My highlight again went to Fantasy Master, who won by a length backing up his prior win on course. 

The second race had Ryan Moore win for Sir Michael Stoute. Noon Star the winner was very clearly going to triumph, the willingness to continue to fight back either to chase or to go on to lead. Ocean Road and Mrs Fitzherbert were big outsiders and slowly away, struggling to get into the race but once they found their feet were away and in the final stages showed promise. First place was Noon Star by 3 1/4 lengths, the second was Ocean Road by 1/2 length and third was Mrs Fitzherbert by 5 1/2 lengths. 

The listed race of the afternoon, the Rous Stakes saw the favourite take the glory. Wonderwork led the way initially in the sprint. With Dakota God, Alijady close up. He was tracked by Tis Marvellous and a lot of the horses were in the middle of the field- not having much impact. At four furlongs out Dakota Gold took over the lead, Wonderwork did give chase as did most of the field moving forward. With three furlongs to go Alijay was pushed along and went on strong. In this race, many of horses appeared to hang and struggle. Dakota Gold, in the end, could not be caught, he went to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Second Alijay was 1 3/4 lengths clear of third, who was Wonderwork by 3/4 lengths.  

Additionally, we must give Hollie Doyle a shout out as yet again, she's breaking records (this time however it's her own). In back to back years she has upped the record despite, the current Covid situation. The new record is 117 and I am sure this will be built on greatly. 

Nottingham races

 Yesterday I attended Nottingham Races for the first time this season, despite the lack of atmosphere and the true spirit behind racing it was not too bad. I had a really lucky day and picked a winner or a place in every race. The first two races were tricky as many were unraced and young horses. Only one favourite won on the day. 

The first race had an 80/1 shot under the unstoppable Tom Marquand win! Prospect led the race, chased by High Security, Harworth and Jennivere. There was a few dwelling at the start including Fantasy Master, Strangerontheshore and Rosa Bonheur. Fantasy Master struggled in the early stages and stumbled, having to be pushed at three furlongs on. At two furlongs out, Fantasy Master made headway as did High Security and Jacattack. At one furlong out, Fantasy Master stumbled again but Prospect was having to be pushed along. High Security and Harworth struggled for room if they had enough space next time they might be ones to watch. But it was Fantasy Master who managed to get the win by 1/2 length, the second was Prospect and third by 3/4 lengths was High Security. 

The 2.20 Inhaler was a little ahead of Jadwal with Mishal Star and Vedute tracking the leaders. Temple Bruer lacked for room but at two furlongs out when he had space he went on. Vedute and Muay Thai were running on strong with Bhubezi who went to lead. At one furlong out the lead changed again was briefly Vedute before Mishal Star took keen hold. Tempel Bruer tried to challenge, however, didn't have enough to compete. First place was Mishal Star by 1 1/2 lengths, the second was Temple Bruer by 2 3/4 lengths and third was Vedute by a neck. 

A new blog will be out soon, this will discuss how more and more jockey's keep testing for cocaine metabolites and the question mark over the outcome of Oisin Murphy in France.