Author: Joel Roberts

There were scarcely believable scenes at Punchestown on Wednesday as our 5/1 selection Al Boum Photo was booked for Grade 1 victory before his jockey, Paul Townend, appeared to panic approaching the last and attempt to steer him around – around – the fence, taking out Finian’s Oscar in second…

Punchestown hosts its annual bonanza this week with almost all of Ireland’s finest jumpers out in action. This year, like last, sees Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott battle it out for the training championship and it’s safe to assume the two will dominate the many Grade 1s throughout the week.…

Flat racing is back at Newbury with the Greenham Stakes – which so often produces Group One winners – the feature race on Saturday’s card. Favourite Expert Eye flopped at Newmarket when odds-on at the back end of last season and connections aren’t giving out positive noises about his chances…

BRAQUEUR D’OR looks well handicapped and will appreciate good ground in the 14:20 at Ayr on Saturday, while his excellent trainer Paul Nicholls, who farms these late season races, seems very confident having saved him for the race. He was an excellent fourth in Newbury’s Ladbrokes Trophy – a top-class staying…

We should have good ground for the Scottish Champion Hurdle, a race we won a couple of year’s back by the re-opposing Ch’tibello, who carries top weight this time and looks very much in the grip of the handicapper. There must be so many well handicapped good ground horses thanks…

DAME ROSE has gone up with nothing returned twice this season but she’s just not got home on desperate heavy ground. We have spring ground at long last at Cheltenham this Friday and I fancy her to bounce back to form back against her own sex. The form of her Newbury…

We’re backing an old favourite today in ROBIN OF NAVAN, whose gets his optimum trip of nine furlongs and is proven at Newmarket. Good to soft ground should be no issue – though the nice weather may see that dry out to good by post time – and he has the…

Black Op got closest to Samcro at the Cheltenham Festival, but was a clumsy jumper and the gap from 2nd to 1st possibly flatters him. He runs over two-and-a-half miles in the Grade 1 novices’ hurdle on Aintree’s Grand National card and is up against Nicky Henderson’s much hyped On…

Sam Spinner and Wholestone re-oppose in the Aintree Stayers’ Hurdle after placing 5th and 3rd in the Cheltenham Festival equivalent, and they both have something to prove turned out again 30 days later. The ground will be similarly soggy – unseasonably so for this time of year – and those…

I’m a big fan of TOWER BRIDGE, who runs for Joseph O’Brien in the three-mile Grade 1 novices’ hurdle, the penultimate race of Aintree’s Friday card. He was a good fifth in the Albert Bartlett after clattering the last and would have hated the ground that day, so there are plenty…