It’s getting increasingly difficult to tell between exhaustion, alcohol poisoning, and some ghastly virus passed on by an itinerant back-slapping, celebrating Irishman. I was, on Thursday, surrounded, (trapped would be a better word), in just a situation. Sat in the confines of The Cheltenham Automobile Society’s on-course HQ, one chap had bought a “lucky dip”…
Continue readingCheltenham Day 4 – Staying alive, staying alive
1.30 TRIUMPH HURDLE ALLMANKIND 2PTS WIN A WAVE OF THE SEA 1PT E/W 2.10 COUNTY HURDLE ADJALI 1PT E/W STOLEN SILVER 1PT E/W OAKLEY 1PT E/W 2.50 ALBERT BARTLETT HURDLE HARRY SENIOR 1PT E/W THYME HILL 1PT E/W LATEST EXHIBITION 1 PT E/W 3.30 CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP CLAN DES OBEAUX 3PTS E/W BRISTOL DE MAI…
Continue readingCHELTENHAM 2020 DAY FOUR – Quick and Dirty from The Pharoah of Galway
I am hoping that lots of you followed my advice on day one and none of you on day two – the outcomes were very different…. Here goes for today: 1.30 MARSH NOVICES CHASE SAMCRO 2PTS WIN MASTER FISHER 1PT E/W 2.10 PERTEMPS NETWORK FINAL HANDICAP HURDLE THIRD WIND 1PT E/W SKANDIBURG 1PT E/W THE…
Exhausted. Surely this punishment can’t go on. Together with some 50,000 of my closest friends, I have chosen to self-isolate this week in a marquee or two at Cheltenham, where I am drip-fed Guinness, white and red wines of varying qualities and have to eat food to which only a very grumpy gourmet might turn…
1.30 BALLYMORE NOVICES HURDLE Envoi Allen is the favourite and probably will win. But I don’t like that price in a race like this at Cheltenham. I think SPORTING JOHN is worth a punt. He has done everything he has been asked to do and looks progressive. There are a number of interesting e/w angles…
Well, a tough first day, where we really can’t make any excuses. The Pharoah of Galway suggested decent performances from KILDISART – HONEYSUCKLE – IMPERIAL AURA – RAVENHILL and Capt. Kneesup had a few places. I hope you made some sense of it all. As for today’s selections, like a bunch of Cistercian monks, whose…
Continue readingDAY 2 WEDNESDAY – CHELTENHAM: CHAMPION CHASE DAY
1:30 SUPREME NOVICES HURDLE A great race to start the festival with some very exciting novice hurdlers to choose from. Many future stars such as Altior are listed among recent winners but only Douvan and Vautor have gone off as favourites. Clearly this is driven by the fact that many are unexposed and are still…
Continue readingCheltenham 2020 Day One – The Pharoah of Galway returns
Over the last 96 hours, I have sacrificed the remaining parts of my working anatomy to your collective cause. I have dined with Nicky Henderson and Nick Luck; I have sat with Haggas, Jarvis, Beckett and Balding and then remembered they weren’t a firm of National Hunt solicitors. I have drunk a huge amount of…
Continue readingCheltenham 2020. Surely we’re sunk if the future is cinq.
The most novel thing about COVID-19, is the extraordinary speed with which the brutish symptoms of the associated #MEFIRST culture have spread. Aided by 4G, 5G and WiFi, people everywhere have been able to tell us every moment of their illness. Unless you’re in China. Apps tell you when you’re nearing an infected address in…
Continue readingCoronavirus, Corvid19, and Saturday’s TV Racing – All you need to know.
Working on the Cheltenham stats, so just tips today. A profitable day last week, but I have done some work on today’s card and think I have a couple of decent winners. 1:15 KEMPTON Betway Pendil Novices’ Chase (G2) Cl1 (5yo+) 2m4½f 7 runners SOUTHFIELD STONE – ERIK LE ROUGE 1:50 KEMPTON Adonis Juvenile Hurdle…
