Author: Joel Roberts

The race looks to be around Paul Nicholls’s Irving and All Yours. Stable jockey Sam Twiston-Davies chooses the latter after his Grade 1 success at Aintree, yet his trainer has sounded caution over the deteriorating ground and the former is a dodgy jumper so neither can be backed with confidence.…

As a seven-year-old, Bobs Worth was good enough to win the Hennessey under a big weight on his seasonal reappearance, but he was a shadow of his Gold Cup-winning self last season and, now aged ten, his best years are surely behind him. However, such has been the impression left…

It might be worth sticking a few quid on Quest For More in the Melbourne Cup at huge odds. Despite his car park draw, he’s far too good for his 100/1 quote and has this season already beaten second and third in the betting for this, on similar terms. An unsuccessful preparation…

The first horse in 37 years to win America’s triple crown, American Pharoah (10/11), is all the rage in both the media and betting for the $5m Breeders’ Cup Classic. Except he was defeated last time out by Keen Ice – a horse he’d beaten in all three classics – who…

A top-class race at a very tricky part of the National Hunt season. The big guns are still making their seasonal bows and the form is clouded by lack of race fitness and future targets. Menorah won this last year in fine style but doesn’t get his ground today, and…

Bookmakers report 95% of all bets on the final Group One race of the British Flat season, the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, on John Gosden’s Foundation. The market is so often a strong guide to these two-year-old heats but I am surprised to see Aiden O’Brien’s Johannes Vermeer, beaten favourite for…

The jumps season begins in earnest this weekend with HQ’s first card of the season. Course form counts for plenty at Cheltenham and Long House Hall looks to be a potentially top-class novice chaser ready to make his mark this season. Already off the mark over fences having notched at Bangor…

Order Of St George is the only real superstar in the stayers division and his absence bodes very well for the horse that chased him home in the Irish St Leger, Agent Murphy. Consensus is he’s most at home on good to soft ground – check – and he should improve…

A full twenty runners will contest the now Group-One Champion Sprint Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. Whilst the ground is good to soft, Ascot’s straight sprint course is up on higher ground and is often dryer than the official going suggests, which gives all the market principles a chance. It’s a…