Haydock Sprint Cup winner Twilight Son is arguably the class horse in this six-furlong Group Two at York. That Group One success saddles him with a 5lb penalty which, also considering this is his first run of the season, is asking an awful lot. The favourite is therefore Magical Memory,…
Author: Joel Roberts
1pt win Ch'tibello @5/1, 14:10 Haydock, Saturday
We backed CH’TIBELLO for his 8/1 Scottish Champion Hurdle success last month and I’ve no interest in abandoning him in this two-mile Haydock handicap hurdle. His success at Ayr came after a winter break, so he might have been lacking in match fitness and I reckon he can improve for the run.…
1pt win Usherette @7/1, 14:25 Newmarket, Sunday
A really strong renewal of the Group Two Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket, with Group One winners Amazing Maria and Arabian Queen making their seasonal debuts. Neither are favourite though – that accolade goes to John Gosden’s Jazzi Top, who looks ridiculously short in the betting considering she’s not had a…
1pt win Lumiere @6/1, 15:40 Newmarket, Sunday
Aiden O’Brien’s Minding sets the clear form standard for this year’s 1000 Guineas – the female equivalent of the 2000 Guineas over the same mile trip at Newmarket. Yesterday his heavily-backed Air Force Blue got turned over as an odds-on favourite and Minding fits a very similar profile. They were…
1pt each-way Massaat @14/1, 15:45 Newmarket, Saturday
On the same day Punchestown rounds off a stellar jumps season, Newmarket kicks off the flat season proper with the first Classic and first Group One, the 2000 Guineas. In case you don’t know, it’s the mile version of the Derby and open only to three-year-olds, the Classic generation. Horses only…
1pt win My Tent Or Yours @2/1, 17:30 Punchestown
The highlight of Friday’s Punchestown Festival card is the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle, where six go to post in an interesting renewal. Due to injury and fatigue, there’s no Faugheen or Annie Power, who have dominated the division the past two seasons, so Rich Ricci and Willie Mullins have rerouted…
0.75pt each-way Baden @16/1, 16:20 Punchestown, Wednesday
Zabana continued our fine recent form when scoring at 5/1 on Tuesday’s Punchestown card to go along with recent winners Ch’tibello (8/1), Wolf Of Windlesham (9/1) and Up For Review (9/2). The theme of Tuesday was short-priced Willie Mullins favourites getting turned over, with the unbeaten Yorkhill not even placing,…
Brain Power, 16:20 Punchestown, Tuesday
Day one of Punchestown Festival 2016 sees Neptune and Mersey winner Yorkhill attempt to score a rare hat-trick of spring Festival wins in this Grade 1 novices’ hurdle. He was awesome in the Tolworth at Christmas, even more so at Cheltenham when turning over a supposed dead-cert in Yanworth, and…
1pt win Zabana @5/1, 18:40 Punchestown, Tuesday
Willie Mullins’s Outlander has got to be taken on on the opening day of this year’s Punchestown Festival. He’s 11/4 for this Grade 1 staying chase after falling at the Cheltenham Festival and, ten days later, having come second in Grade 1 company to Kylemore Lough at Fairyhouse. Visually, I’ve…
0.75pt each-way Dodging Bullets @16/1, 15:35 Sandown
A fantastic season-ending card at Sandown today, with Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls out to scoop the biggest prizes and claim the British trainers’ championship. The race of the day has to be the Grade 1 Celebration Chase won last year by Special Tiara, who has instead opted to go…