KEMPTON PARK RACES 2017 -- WEDNESDAY NIGHTS #13 31st MAY

Our thirteenth meeting of 2017 here at Kempton Park and as the flat turf season has already seen it's first Classic winners the Derby is only a few days away now we know there are still plenty of Wednesday nights to be enjoyed too.

We sadly dropped a point last time (got the Lay bet up though) so we find ourselves behind by -5.0 points to level stakes at SP. We have time to turn this around though starting tonight. 

As always our focus will be on the handicap contests for each meeting but will occasionally include a feature listed or conditions event too.

Keeping records of our endeavours to a 1pt level stake at SP, naturally we will personally be looking to get better odds but for the purpose of these results we record to SP.

We will keep up with our occasional lay opportunities of short priced favourites too, as always we will keep these results separately from the handicap figures. 

This week is our thirteenth meeting for 2017 and we are expecting a seven race card tonight with five handicaps for us to delve into so we will be busy tonight. This evenings action will commence at 18:20 with a Class 6 Apprentice handicap over an extended 10 furlongs (well 1m 2f 219yds to be precise). 

Here's a link to this Wednesday's race card; 

EVENING RACECARD

The going on the polytrack surface is described as 'standard to slow' and the current weather forecast is for much warmer but humid day with a max temperature of about 22C when the meeting gets underway and looks likely to remain muggy throughout the evening.

Here are our selections for this evenings 5 handicap races;

18:20 -- 1m 2f 219yds Apprentice Handicap.
Trainer Gary Moore saddles the top two here and is a yard well known for bringing along some decent apprentice jockeys. So backing both IBALLISTICVIN [6th 4/1] / HALLINGS WISH [3rd 5/1] could be the option here in a race that I wouldn't personally get too heavily involved. 

19:50 -- 7f Handicap (3yo).
Thirteen three year olds line up for this handicap and are headed by John Gosden's GYMNASTE [2nd 5/2] who won her maiden at Chester and should be forward enough for this after a couple of weeks break. 

Jamie Osborne does well here with outsiders and has a lively one with BLAZE OF GLORY [10th 40/1] who has raced on the AW and won a Lingfield contest so could be there at the finish. 

20:20 -- 1m Handicap.

Eleven declared for the mile event now, LASTMANLASTROUND [2nd 12/1] has won at Thirsk and Brighton and been placed over the mile, so has more chances than most. 

Top weight BALLARD DOWN [5th 11/4] a course and distance winner would be the other selection against the field in this open contest. 

20:50 -- 1m 7f 218yds Handicap.

Stayers handicap time now and will just side with a couple of big price outsiders that I at least know will appreciate the trip. These are GOLDEN JUBILEE [7th 33/1] and SEE AND BE SEEN [4th 16/1] both of which are about 20/1 or higher. 

21:20 -- 7f Handicap.

And the finale sees a field of 14 up against the starter. Trainer Gary Moore can end the meeting with another winner in MULTITASK [11th 14/1] a course and distance winner who is paired with another CD winner SALEH [Non Runner] against the field.

Staked -- 10 points.
Returns -- 1 point.

Results will appear later tonight, hopefully we can wipe out the current deficit of -5.0 points that we bring forward to this round of racing here. No joy tonight sadly, few places, few near places and one non runner so loss of 9 points tonight making it -14.0 for the season.

Still plenty of the season to come.

Lays -- Currently stands as 5 from 8. 
No selections for tonight. 



We now have a few regular weeks of AW meetings and as such will be back at this course on 7th June.

FA CUP FINAL WEEKEND. SATURDAY [27th MAY 2017]

ARSENAL 2 - 1 CHELSEA
Sanchez (5)        Costa (76)
Ramsey (79)

Kick Off 5:30pm Live on BBC1

The greatest domestic cup competition in the world gets the full treatment from the BBC this weekend as we turn back the clock to how the day used to be ... even though the kick off is 5:30pm and not 3pm where it traditionally should be but never mind. This season is the 135th FA Cup Final and we are being treated to a London Derby, Chelsea having already secured the Premier League title will be aiming for a double in Antonio Conté first season in charge. While Arsenal are looking for their 3rd success in this competition in the last 4 years and their 13th overall. 

If you can remember when there was life before the Premier League and the FA Cup was THE final game of the season it used to go on all day, Mastermind, Question of Sport, watching the team coaches head to the old stadium, the twin towers and hoards of fans walking down 'Wembley Way' from the station. 


12 Noon
We start our FA CUP Saturday with FOOTBALL FOCUS, Dan Walker presents the weekly magazine programme live from Wembley Stadium ahead of the FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea. 

13:15
After a break for the lunchtime news it's POINTLESS CELEBRITIES. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a special celebrity FA Cup edition of the general knowledge quiz in which four teams try to come up with the answers that no-one else could think of. Featuring Eni Aluko and Guy Mowbray, Kevin Kilbane and Mark Chapman, Dan Walker and Mark Lawrenson and Rachel Yankey and Kelly Smith.

No "Top of the Pops" special this year, I guess there's only so much Chas and Dave you can enjoy every year (though personally I love em). 

14:00
Two more hours of FA Cup build up before another break for the News at 16:00. Then it's time for the main event where Gary Lineker takes control at 16:15 and the match kicks off at 17:30. You can use that boring couple of hours to get the beers, nibbles and then the pizza's in the oven sorted. Crack open another beer, put the cat out, banish the kids to the in-laws and hide the remote control. 

The line ups are confirmed as follows ready for kick off. 

ARSENAL Team News;

OSPINA

MERTESACKER (cpt)   MONREAL   HOLDING

BELLERIN   XHAKA   RAMSEY   OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN  


OZIL    WELBECK   SÁNCHEZ

SUBS -- CECH,  COQUELIN,  PEREZ,  ELNENY,  GIROUD,  WALCOTT,  IWOBI)

CHELSEA Team News;

COURTOIS

AZPILICUETA   LUIZ   CAHILL (cpt) 

MOSES   KANTE   MATIC   ALONSO

PEDRO   COSTA   HAZARD

SUBS -- BERGOVIC,  ZOUMA,  AKÉ,  FABREGAS,  WILLIAN,  TERRY,  BATSHUAYI


My best bets are Eden Hazard to score any time (4/1) and a penalty to be awarded in the match (7/2). I suppose you will get good odds on Arsenal winning this but you have to think Chelsea are here to win the double and they have been more ruthless overall throughout the season. 

Latest Odds (from William Hill)

ARSENAL - 3/1   /  Draw - 5/2  /   CHELSEA - 10/11

PONTEFRACT HORSE RACING SYSTEM -- 2017 TURF SEASON -- PART FOUR

PONTEFRACT SEASON 2017

Friday 26th May (evening)

Welcome to this our fourth meeting racing in Yorkshire. 

Time for our fourth meeting here in West Yorkshire for Pontefract Racecourse. Coming a little break on the back of  a good win where we are now +21.55 points ahead for the season which is great and hopefully a sign of things improving, early days though plenty of the season to come. We will look forward to getting underway on Friday evening where the first race will be off about 6:30pm.

As always we count ALL results for this meeting returned to a level stake at SP, and will also show any forecast results too in the daily results but these do not count for the profit / loss figures.

The forecast going is currently reported as 'Good, Good to firm in places' the weather for Friday evening is for a generally sunny day with a forecast maximum temperature around the 24C mark.

Here are our selections for the 7 races on Friday evening, remember it's a very simple selection process of stalls 1 and 2 in every race;

6:30 1m 6yds Handicap.
(1) -- ROCKLIFFE [Non Runner].
(2) -- MON BEAU VISAGE [WON 11/4].

7:00 1m 4f 5yds Handicap.
(1) -- SCOTTISH SUMMIT [11th 14/1].
(2) -- TORREMAR [4th 16/1].

7:30 6f Conditions Stakes.
(1) -- SQUIRRELHEED [Non Runner].
(2) -- CITY GUEST [Non Runner].

8:00 5f 3yds Handicap.
(1) -- FIRST BOMBARDMENT [7th 7/1].
(2) -- MUSHARRIF [6th 10/1].

8:30 1m 2f 5yds Fillies Handicap.
(1) -- LA HAVRESE [7th 16/1].
(2) -- LIVELLA FELLA [2nd 7/4].

9:00 6f Maiden.
(1) -- ROMANTICISM [Non Runner].
(2) -- HARWOOD [5th 7/1].


Staked -- 12 points.
Returns -- 7.75 point. [Winner and 4 Non Runners]

Our results from the last meeting here was a successful day and we are now back in the black and showing an overall profit of +21.55 to carry forth to today. Just the single winner tonight and a lot of non runners but meant a loss for the evening of -4.25 points thus taking our profits for the season down to just +17.30. 

Our next meeting will be an evening card held on Monday 12th June. 

Keep following us throughout the season. 

SANDOWN PARK RACES -- THURSDAY 25th MAY (Evening)

The best evening race card of the season takes place at Sandown Park on Thursday 25th May. This meeting features two Group Three races on it's six race card, the HENRY II Stakes run over 2m and THE BRIGADIER GERARD Stakes which is run over a distance of 1m 2f. 


This is a meeting that I attend each year as it falls close to my older brother's birthday, so we will make a night of it with some of his boys, and finding a few winners would be nice. 

A link to the evening race card can be found here;
 -- http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/sandown-park/25-05-2017/fast-cards


Praying that the weather is good, and the beers are better than that recently served up at Ascot. So here are the evenings races and my selections; 

6:00pm -- THE CARDINAL WOLSEY HANDICAP STAKES 
(Jockey Club Grassroots Flat Middle Distance Series Qualifier) 1 mile 2 furlongs.

A big field of 17 runners declared here, and when we were at Ascot earlier in the month the man to follow was Silvestre De Sousa. He's riding NUCKY THOMPSON [11th 7/1] who had reasonable placed form last season and might still have something to offer now aged four. 

It is a wide open betting contest but we will chance a massive priced selection with THE MAJOR [4th 20/1] who at 100/1 for Micheal Bell also has plenty of place form last year but must be spot on for this debut outing to score. Not a race to stake too much on though there are better events to follow.


6:30pm -- THE NATIONAL STAKES (Listed Race) 
(2yo only) 5 furlongs. 

Just the five line up now, still not easy to pick and could be run at a false pace too. FROZEN ANGEL [2nd 7/4F] landed a punt at big odds at Ascot three weeks ago, I'm sure Bob will be on again but it's interesting that the jockey change has been made, this could come too soon. I aim to take that on with HADDAF [3rd 10/1] as that is forecast about 14/1.


7:05pm THE HENRY II STAKES (Group 3)
2 miles 78yds.

A 2 mile race now with 7 declared runners, The market is headed by BIG ORANGE but appears a bit short in the betting for me so will take him on with ELIDOR [6th 12/1] which could be another winner for De Sousa. 

There's an interesting mare lurking at the bottom of the weights here getting all the allowances SHE IS NO LADY [3rd 17/2] could be interesting too at 12/1.


7:35pm THE BRIGADIER GERARD STAKES (Group 3) 
1 mile 2 furlongs.

The feature race of the evening now, with a field of eight declared making EW options interesting as long as they all stand their ground. Frankie is on SO MI DAR (Non Runner) and that looks the one to beat with impressive form from her 3yo campaign which included good wins at Epsom and York. 

CHAIN OF DAISIES [6th 11/4] could be the best of the "place" bets and the one to follow the fav home.


8:10pm THE HERON STAKES (Listed Race) 
1 mile 14y.

While I've no idea who KHAFOO SHEMEMI [WON 5/1] is or was it is the most interesting selection with Ryan Moore riding for Richard Hannon. The likely danger is Frankie Dettori riding RODAINI [5th 8/1] for ex Godolphin Simon Crisford.  

8:40pm Whitsun Cup Handicap
1 mile 14y.

And our finale for tonight is a trappy affair but we side with a pair who are both chasing a hat-trick of wins they are LAIDBACK ROMEO [WON 8/1] / FORCEFUL APPEAL. Available at decent prices probably because of the Ryan Moore mount MAKZEEM. 

Couple of nice winners at the end makes a profitable evening here. Hope you enjoyed it bruv.
Have a fun evening and Happy Birthday Graham. 

KEMPTON PARK RACES 2017 -- WEDNESDAY NIGHTS #12 24th MAY

Our twelfth meeting of 2017 here at Kempton Park and as the flat turf season has already seen it's first Classic winners the Derby is only a few weeks away but we know there are still plenty of Wednesday nights to be enjoyed too.

We sadly dropped a few points last time we were here so we find ourselves behind by -4.0 points to level stakes at SP. We have time to turn this around though starting tonight. 

As always our focus will be on the handicap contests for each meeting but will occasionally include a feature listed or conditions event too.

Keeping records of our endeavours to a 1pt level stake at SP, naturally we will personally be looking to get better odds but for the purpose of these results we record to SP.

We will keep up with our occasional lay opportunities of short priced favourites too, as always we will keep these results separately from the handicap figures. 

This week is our twelfth meeting for 2017 and we are expecting a seven race card tonight with five handicaps for us to delve into so we will be busy tonight. This evenings action will commence at 18:10 with a Class 5 Apprentice handicap over an extended 10 furlongs (well 1m 2f 219yds to be precise). 

Here's a link to this Wednesday's race card; 

EVENING RACECARD

The going on the polytrack surface is described as 'standard to slow' and the current weather forecast is for much warmer but humid day with a max temperature of about 18C when the meeting gets underway and looks likely to remain muggy throughout the evening.

Here are our selections for this evenings 5 handicap races;

18:10 -- 1m 2f 219yds Apprentice Handicap.
Opening contest for apprentices is tricky to call, RAIL DANCER is the obvious form call and jockey is decent, but up 20lb for recent wins and while in good heart who knows where the limit will be. Hard to say what the best opposition is but both BOYCHICK [2nd 9/4] and TRANSMITTING [6th 7/2] could be worth pairing up in a low grade beginning for tonight. 

19:40 -- 1m 2f 219yds Handicap.
Just the 8 declared and it's JACOB CATS [3rd 16/1] that has already won for us in the past and can score again under Jim Crowley.

REGICIDE [2nd 5/1] has had a month break since winning a Lingfield maiden and has also placed here so another to side with off a low weight. 

20:10 -- 1m Handicap.

Tricky mile handicap now, and when in doubt will often stick with the top weight so we have joint tops tonight so dutch both WIND IN MY SAILS [9th 20/1] with DUBAI'S SECRET [11th 7/1]. 

20:40 -- 7f Handicap.

Yet another tricky handicap in the low grade of class 6. The likely fav (Broughtons Fancy) looks too short and many of these only win about once a season so it's a guess when to pick them. 

So we do chance the pair HELFIRE [WON 7/2] and WELSH INLET [Non Runner] in a contest that could easily be missed and not bothered with. 

21:10 -- 6f Handicap.

A field of 11 for the finale, where ARCTIC ANGEL [2nd 3/1] / DEEDS NOT WORDS [WON 5/2] can give us a better than average chance of success here. Not the greatest of cards but a winner or two will send us home happy.

Staked -- 10 points.
Returns -- 9 points.

Results will appear later tonight, hopefully we can wipe out the current deficit of -4.0 points that we bring forward to this round of racing here. Couple of winners and a successful lay bet too but still a loss of 1 point on the evening so down -5.0 sadly.  

Still plenty of the season to come.

Lays -- Currently stands as 5 from 8. 
One for us tonight which was successful;

20:40 -- OLYMPIC DUEL (Lost 12th 7/2).



We now have a few regular weeks of AW meetings and as such will be back at this course on 31st May.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2017

Mental Health Awareness Week is a national campaign aimed at removing the stigma around mental health issues and encouraging people to talk about their problems. There are many aspects to this campaign and it's something that has affected me over the years. Obviously there is a huge social media push for people to open up, seek help and not hide away which can often make issues worsen. 

Channel four are doing their bit throughout the week and that will include the likes of guest celebrity continuity announcers, including Mind charity’s President Stephen Fry, who will take turns to take over Channel 4’s airwaves to mark Mental Health Awareness Week from Monday 8th May. High profile figures joining Stephen Fry in the Channel 4 continuity announcer takeover include Mind ambassadors Ruby Wax and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell, along with former football manager Alan Pardew.

A host of other Mind ambassadors and celebrity supporters of the charity will join the week-long mic announcer take over. They include SB.TV founder Jamal Edwards MBE, Designated Survivor actor Natascha McElhone and former professional footballer Clarke Carlisle. They will tell their own personal stories or outline their support for Mental Health Awareness Week on Channel 4, E4 and More 4 and encourage viewers to join in the conversation on Twitter using #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

Support is available too at the following site;
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

If you are struggling with issues or know of someone who might help to have someone to talk too please consider that the best way to support them is to be their friend, listen and not ignore them whatever the situation. Everyone is different and we all have our own issues, sharing and supporting them is the way forward. 

ENJOYABLE DAY OUT AT ASCOT RACES

Wednesday went out to Ascot racecourse for an annual meeting close to my birthday, thought I would write up a short retrospective of the day and add a few new photo's too from the afternoon. As usual despite it being a midweek fixture it was a busy and well attended meeting, plenty to look at (if you follow me) and good quality racing too. Sadly didn't have the funds this time to follow either the action on the track or the action at the bars but enjoyed what was on offer all the same. 

It was very very cold there today, so much for the prospects of a warm week off that I was told by the liars at the Met Office. Not put off we arrived about 2 hours ahead of the first race only to find no seats and a busy bar already. The first round of "Windsor Knot" wasn't too bad, but it was a choice of that or Stella. Not sure what the ladies next to me were drinking but they seemed well sloshed already and we'd hardly started. Still more of that bit later...first we will have a look around the parade ring ahead of the opening race. 

Having spent a few minutes checking all the horses out it was clear that the odds on fav was not looking great and very feisty, was correct to Lay that one but failed to find the winner FROZEN ANGEL 12/1 backed down from 20/1 and not surprisingly picked out by my Bob. Lucky so and so.

Missed a winner at 33/1 over at Pontefract while all the action was happening at Ascot, beer was not getting any better although the fillies were certainly very frisky today and in abundance, oh to have had a wing man today. (Vince, Mark) 

Despite the lack of success though we did pick out both Sweet Selection and Tabarrak in the latter races but overall it was not the greatest of days here at Ascot though we came home happy enough but with sore feet and an empty wallet. 

There will be other days, other opportunities to give the bookies a spanking and who knows what the future brings. Sandown Races is only about 3 weeks away and we tend to do well there...here's hoping for a good end to May.