KEMPTON PARK RACES 2019 -- WEDNESDAY NIGHTS #18 14th August

Continuing with the next instalment of what I hope will prove to be a more productive second half to the year throughout 2019.

Mid August now and not sure where summer has run off too. Plenty of racing on still plus the new football season is underway and The Ashes too. We will still look to have a bit of fun here at Kempton. The Football League One season is into it's second week and AFC Wimbledon lost their game on the weekend with Fleetwood 2-1 while next weekend will see the visit of Accrington Stanley to Kingsmeadow for the Dons, and we hope that we can put some points on the board early this season to settle everyone down.

Did not have the best of meetings here last time but will continue to focus on the all weather horse racing now while the lights still shine brightly here at Kempton Park throughout this year. We are hopeful of better season than we experienced last year but it's just some fun and excitement to mix up the week we have found it hard and are more than a little behind to SP though it's something I will keep persevering with through to the end of the year. 

Let us continue with this our eighteenth Wednesday night of 2019, and will continue to focus on the handicap contests for each Wednesday evening meeting though we will also occasionally include a feature listed or conditions event too if there is one available. Keeping records of our endeavours to a 1 point level stake at SP, naturally we will personally be looking to get better odds than this but for the purpose of these results here we simply record SP returns only. Following our last meeting the deficit is currently on -45.855 points to SP returns overall. We continue to battle hard to reduce this and thankfully there is still plenty of time to get this back on track. 

Throughout the year we will keep up with our occasional lay opportunities of anticipated short priced favourites too. Naturally we will keep these results separately from the handicap figures we have been fairly successful with our selections so far and last time got another selection beat which means we are now 18/26 we will continue with this through 2019.

This Wednesday will be meeting number eighteen for the 2019 AW season and we are expecting a seven race card tonight we have three handicaps and a pair of 2yo Nurseries to review which should keep us plenty busy enough. The action which will now commence at 17:40 with a the first nursery handicap contest over seven furlongs and the card ends around about 20:40 with our final handicap contest over just shy of a mile and four furlongs.

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

Going and Weather -- The going on the polytrack surface is described as 'standard to slow' and the current weather forecast for this Wednesday is for a lot of cloudy with more than an average chance of rain showers a top temperature will be about 21C by the time the meeting gets underway.

Here are our handicap selections for tonight;

17:40 -- 7f Nursery Handicap (2yo).

Our opening event a 2yo Nursery event over seven furlongs and a field of 14 have been declared for it. Richard Hannon knows how to prepare a 2yo and so BACCHALOT [3rd 9/2] goes into the mix with plenty of racecourse experience maybe handicap company will pay off [yard also runs Premium Bond but looks held in this company]. 

Mick Channon can also get one ready and his NOW I'M A BELIEVER [11th 10/1] is interesting with a low weight and good jockey booked while her form in three maidens is nothing to shout about will probably not find a better chance at two.

18:40 -- 6f Nursery Handicap (2yo).

Our second nursery handicap is another 2yo event over six furlongs, and has only attracted a field of six runners headed by Mark Johnston's ONE HART [2nd 5/2] who won his maiden at Hamilton and then sent off favourite at Doncaster, a return to this track and small field might pay dividends. 

Richard Hannon appears to have another strongly fancied selection with ENDOWED [Won Evens] but I will be picking on HUBERT [3rd 6/1] a winner at Ffos Las after being placed three times at Windsor.

19:40 -- 1m Handicap (3yo).

This time it's the three year olds turn over the mile trip, a field of nine line up headed by the hat trick seeking DARGEL [2nd 10/11f] from the Clive Cox yard who has had recent wins both here and at Chepstow and sets the standard. 

Will have to take that one on though and look for an alternative at a nice price, the Marco Botti trained RAMBALDI [5th 10/1] is a course and distance winner and then won at Nottingham so should be worth a chance. While IMAGE OF THE MOON [WON 14/1] is still a maiden this filly has gone close on the all weather several times (including here) and will give her another crack at the win. Nice one.

20:10 -- 7f Handicap.

This seven furlong handicap has a field of eight and the weights are headed by the pair of RECTORY ROAD [7th 5/4f] (Andrew Balding) as well as FRANZ KAFKA (John Gosden). The former is a course and distance winner and might not be stopped by the burden of top weight, another course and distance winner is TIPPERARY JACK [8th 13/2] who is lightly raced and could be well in running in his first handicap proper.

20:40 -- 1m 3f 219y Handicap.

Our finale tonight is a near mile and half contest where fourteen are declared to run. CROESO CYMRAEG has course and distance form although top weight of 10st is a but of burden, so will drop to the lower end of the handicap and pick HOOFLEPUFF [3rd 9/4f] from James Fanshawe has shown improvement for the step into handicaps and now going further might bring out a bit more. While KAYLENS MISCHIEF [8th 9/1] is proven over the trip and has won twice recently with a good 5lb claimer helping things considerably.

Staked -- 10 points.

Returns -- 15 points.

Results will appear here later during Wednesday evening. We are currently on a deficit of -45.855 points to SP returns for the season, five months of the season to go though. Nice winner tonight means we have a profitable evening for a change, +5pts therefore on -40.855 for season.

LAYS -- 18/26. Another successful short price lay bet last time around and will see if we can find one or two short priced selections and will post here if we have any for tonight. They were BOTH beaten tonight an evens fav and a much bigger price than was forecast for the other, I cannot pick the prices, just the lays. Still means we are 20/28 now.

Tonight's Lays;

18:10 -- AFRICAN SWIFT [7f Fillies Novice] LOST 2nd Evensf.
19:10 -- SERENADING  [7f Fillies Novice] LOST 7th 22/1?.

Our nineteenth meeting for this year will be held next week on Wednesday 21st August so hope to see you then and throughout the rest of 2019 too.