Kilbeggan
5.25 Do Ya Feel Lucky 4/1
5.55 Chase The Favorite 7/2
7.25 Mickelson 8/1

Downpatrick
2.35 Celtic Cailin
3.05 Zerashan
4.05 Wall Street Wally NR

Kempton 3.30 New Falcon 13/2

Ballinrobe 6.00 Mudaffar 8/1

Imperial Wave 6.45 wolves..

Trip will suit and looks very well handicapped for a shrewd outfit..

That Kempton nursery seems to be the race everyone is drawn to today, and I'm not surprised HT plumped for Walter White, but I was slightly interested in Unidexter, the outsider of the bunch. Outpaced and never involved on debut, he then finished all but tailed off at York, before the vet came a knocking. His final run at Carlisle was an improvement, not by a lot, but by enough to think he has some ability to work with, all be it minimal. As had been the case on his first two starts, he was woefully outpaced early, one of the first under pressure and well towards the rear at halfway, before plugging on past beaten horses to finish a fairly respectable fifth. His dam barely beat a horse home in her short career, but she has produced winners and it's worth noting none of her offspring were much cop over sprint trips, needing in most cases seven furlongs or a mile to find their feet. His sire, Guineas winner Footsetepsinthesand, has a good strike rate on the all weather, and I just felt that the step up to a mile, and the switch in surface may just allow the Channon charge to get a bit more competitive than he has done to date. He's up against some better bred types, who have shown more than him, or look capable of more than him, but at 22/1 with nine going to post, and the surface unlikely to have bedded in yet, I thought it wouldn't be the biggest shock if he made the frame, especially if there is a burn up for the lead.

Totally agree DB, I thought he was very interesting in here, I think that Carlilse maiden was above average for the track and he looked to be crying out for a trip, at one stage it looked like he should have been pulled up but he was strong at the finish and wasnt beaten far. That for me was a big improvement on what he had previously shown, and if your backing Channon horses, your better backing the outsiders. The only filly in the field being by New Approach may have played a part in my selection process But I do think she has some solid form, she stumbled badly coming out of the stalls last time and the one that beat her looks half decent, the slow pace wouldnt have been ideal and a strongly run mile should suit. Its a hard little race, wouldnt be too quick to write any of them off.

In other news, Clare Balding announced the new lead for c4 racing team, I think I might just pack it in tbh, Nick Luck was an absolute no brainer for the role. He can run the show just as smoothly as Balding but he actually knows his stuff and comes up with opinions and questions that are relevent to the punter. The wider public once again coming before the hardcore racing fans. Terrible news imo.

Godolphin seem to have been reduced to a gambling stable in handicaps this season
Quintilian was an eye-catcher in the maiden Estifzaaz and Disclaimer ran in, having raced on his own on what appeared the most unfavoured part of the track at the time, yet still in contention two furlongs out. His performance back there was so bad though, that I was wondering if he was flattered, but obviously he wasn't because he has given them a head-start and still blown them all away. It's just a shame the rest of the card is now in for a thirty minute delay waiting for my selection to cross the bloody finishing line.
I wonder if it is possible to geld him again

I tend not watch the terrestrial coverage, because you've got Willie Carson making up his own horse names and coming out with statements like 'Sea The Stars was impressive in the 1000 Guineas' on one side, and Cattermole drooling over Spencer in between countless adverts on the other.
They could get Nick Griffin to present for all I care, Nick Luck would have been wasted in such a role because both coverages are more than happy to push horse racing to the back, despite the fact it is supposedly a horse racing programme.

That went well We got the reverse forecast up, last and second last. If I had 5 goes I wouldn't have picked the winner, godolphin horses are going well just now tbf.

Whitford another one for the form students, thats what your up against, not that I had a bet in the race.

The Stewards held an enquiry to consider the apparent improvement in form of the winner, WHITFORD (IRE), ridden by Andrea Atzeni and trained by Chris Dwyer, which had never previously been placed. They interviewed the trainer who stated that the colt suffered interference in running on his last start and benefitted from a more positive ride. Having heard his evidence they forwarded his explanation to the British Horseracing Authority so that the previous performances of WHITFORD (IRE) could be reviewed. The Stewards ordered WHITFORD (IRE) to be routine tested

I notice that Lupin Pooter bids for redemption this evening, up at Thirsk. It would appear neither Gibbons or Barron could muster an excuse for his prior no-show and clearly nothing arose from routine testing, or he wouldn't be running seventeen days later. I suppose you can argue that that was in fact his second poor effort at York, and I think you can forgive any horse a poor run at that venue, so are you in a forgiving mood Joe? Interesting that blinkers are now reached for.

I shall be off to my beloved Salisbury for their mini-festival in a few days time; the two highlight races likely to be headlined by Emirates Queen and Aljamaaheer. The latter will probably gain compensation for Goodwood, but the former I'm interested in opposing with the game Opera Gal. The Cumani filly went very close at York and it's not hard to see why she will be popular, but she was never going a yard that day and if it's the same case on Wednesday, she won't get away with it round this track nearly as much as she could do on the Knavesmire.
Opera Gal was second in this very contest last season, having gone off very hard early and it's worth remembering that the winner, Primevere, broke the track record in getting the better of the Balding filly. She is a very tough opponent when allowed to dictate and left alone on the lead, and looking through the entries, I can neither see anything that will challenge her for it, or indeed want to. Fortune knows his way around Salisbury, and Balding loves winners at this track, and this meeting, so if there are any chinks in the likely favourite, which I think there are, my money is on Opera Gal exposing them.
Elsewhere on the card, I had a very big bet on a horse called Monopoli last time, and she was desperate not to win. Given it was an evening card at Epsom, she may not have been spotted by too many people, and as such, hopefully won't be over-bet. Tomorrow is forecast to be largely dry, with light showers on Wednesday, so I would hope the ground won't deteriorate past good at worst, and if that proves true, I'm convinced this filly has plenty more ability than her mid-sixties mark and indifferent profile suggests. Beckett, another who likes a winner at this track, and this meeting, appears to have found her a great opportunity to get off the mark, providing Crowley can keep the filly out of trouble this time around.
The final mention, should he run, would have to be for The Gatling Boy. I saw him at Goodwood and he was really nice type, big, strong and very scopey, but carrying condition and far from ready. He didn't make much impact in the race itself, but was given a soft introduction and did come down the hill notably well. That maiden featured a nice collection of horses, so while the strength of the race has yet to be proven, I suspect it was above average and should the son of Tamayuz get the green light (Hannon has five entered currently) I think he could well step forward drastically.
(Gilded Flame also holds an entry at present, another from that race, another that I liked beforehand and one who ran with plenty of promise in the end. Not as imposing, or as scopey as Gatling though, and while I think he has races in him, and certainly more ability than purchase price and breeding suggest, may be more a handicap prospect)

I can always forgive a horse one bad run, I was of the opinion that is was just too bad to be true last time, I thought he was ahead of his mark of 79 and I have to give him one more chance to prove it. I had been a bit concerned that Barrons had went off the boil after being on fire around about the time Lupin won at Newmarket, but hes had a couple run well and Tickle Time won the other day so who knows.

If anyone is interested, a couple of local teams at the Junior level are playing tonight, EK Thistle vs Cambuslang Rangers, I happens to know someone who plays for Thistle and he assures me they are red rotten, they lost most of there good players to Rangers and they are struggling for goals. Glens and Camby Rangers are the two best in the league.

Mcbookie.co.uk - 8/13 Ek Thistle 12/5 Camby Rangers

£50 max

could be a fair bit of value in that price even though this is a step up from schoolboy level.

Into 2/1 now, I think they were 3/1 earlier

http://www.mcbookie.co.uk/mcbookie?acti ... t=Football

If anyone was mad enough to get involved, Camby are 1 up at halftime, hopefully they see it out in the second half, I will post the final score.

Mudaffar held on in the end, wasnt expecting much when I seen it had went out to 11s on Betfair but they like to leave it late over there and landed a bit of a touch, I thought he would improve for the step up in trip, the fav was given a bit of a shocker.

Just heard the sad news that Apollo passed away at Ballydoyle he showed great promise as a 2yo last year winning well on debut
he passed away an unbeaten horse RIP Apollo

Final score EK Thistle 1 - 2 Cambuslang Rangers

EK equalised with a pen with about 10 mins to go, Camby scored an 89th minute winner.

Job Done, as if it was ever in doubt.

only really looked closely through wolverhamptoon card so far, and although racing isnt great think there may be a few good things early on , sojoum is a gd eway bet in the first for Channon and the very talented martin harley, just a pound should break his maiden tag at the third time of asking in the second and i strongly expect prince alzain to beat universal in the 4th, i fully understand johnston and de sousa for that matter are in red hot form, but 8-11 for me seems extremely short against a horse thats won both of its only starts at wolverhampton

Form not great but hoping these will run well:

Mister Marc- 6.20. worth noting he made Dawn Approach pull out all the stops at Naas a few starts back and on these terms he should go very close. Group class maybe although anyone of 4 promising juveniles could land this.

Selfara- 8.20. Caught close home over 6f showing lots of speed lto..drop to 5f will suit and looks well enough handicapped at present..

Both at Notts..

There is also a Hamdan Makhtoum horse trained by Marcus Tregoning called Ebtisama who runs in a class 6 at Yarmouth! Cost 500,000 as yearling..talk about dissapointment. If money comes he is of interest on his hcp debut.