KEMPTON PARK RACES 2020 -- WEDNESDAY NIGHTS #1 8th JANUARY

It's a new dawn, it's a new life it's a new day (and I'm feeling good). Happy New Year all, we are back for a new year here at Kempton Park Racecourse. The regular meetings under the lights on a Wednesday evening and having had a little break with the King George meeting we return to life on the all weather flat track again. All being well 2020 can be a good year for us.

The least said about last season the better I guess, but we should just acknowledge that it wasn't good, and improvement is needed. So we will start with a clean slate for the year, but we are fully aware that more is needed plus a bit of luck perhaps. The Lay bets went well though and they will also continue and recorded separately. Let us move onward with this our FIRST Wednesday night of 2020, 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. The feature event tonight is going to be the 18:15 Conditions Stakes a Class 2 contest over 6f which was won last year by Keystroke trained by Stuart Williams. 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.

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 had been fairly successful with our selections throughout last year managed to get plenty of favourites beat so we finished on 40/54 (74%). We reset the counters for 2020 and will be continuing this throughout the year again.

This Wednesday is meeting number one for the 2020 AW season. Tonight we are expecting an eight race card now (6f Handicap has been divided into two, so we end later tonight) during which we will have six handicaps and shall also include the Class 2 Conditions contest at 18:15. The action will now commence at 16:15 with a seven furlong Handicap and tonight's card ends around about 19:45 with our final handicap contest over a six furlong trip. 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 weather with some scattered showers anticipated the best we expect the temperature to reach is around 12C by the time the meeting gets underway. January chill brrrr.

Here are our handicap selections for tonight;

16:15 Racing TV Handicap

(Class 7, 7f, 14 runners)

Our opening event has a max field of fourteen and is the lowest grade available, so not one to get too heavily involved. SHERELLA [12th 9/1] is only rated 46 so won't find many events easier to get involved with wasn't beaten too far at Chelmsford last time and one to consider, with a good jockey doing the steering (David Probert). While N OVER J [10th 13/8f] started life with a rating in the mid 70s slowly lowered to current mark of 45 and has place form off higher so while not one to get too excited about this is at least a level that he should be up to.

16:45 32Red Casino Handicap 3yo (Div One)

(Class 6, 6f, 10 runners)

This sprint has been split into two divisions, a lot of fillies in the first division to consider. Top weight Miss Thoughtful [Won 6/1] has claims having been runner up here but will oppose with the pair INEVITABLE OUTCOME [4th 10/1] (David Simcock) along with the bottom one STAR OF ST LOUIS [3rd 7/1] (Denis Quinn) who was well backed last time out and given one more opportunity here. Sweet Serenade deserves to go off favourite but is too short for us tonight in an open 3yo handicap. 

17:15 32Red Casino Handicap 3yo (Div Two)

(Class 6, 6f, 9 runners)

The second division has nine declared and HM The Queen is represented by SOUND MIXER who is fancied to make a winning handicap debut after showing promise on two of his three starts so far. While much bigger odds we can have both MALMESBURY ABBEY [WON 11/4] (Ed Walker) and TILTILYS ROCK [5th 33/1] (A Crook) against the fav.

17:45 32Red.com Handicap (3yo)

(Class 5, 7f, 9 runners)

Another race for 3yo's only over seven furlongs and the nine are headed by William Haggas' QASEEDA didn't seem to be the easiest of rides last time and still might need some more experience so am looking at the pair of COLLETTE [8th 16/1] (Hugo Palmer) and also LEG IT LENNY [7th 8/1] (Robert Cowell).

18:45 32Red.com Conditions Stakes
(Class 2, 6f, 6 runners)

The best race on the card is included tonight and is worth over £15k to the winner. Just the six declared tonight and HARRY'S BAR [3rd 9/4] has won here for us before, should be ready again and in a small field the draw is not an issue. SOLDIERS MINUTE [4th 2/1f] is another course and distance winner to be interested in having won here couple of times last term and also picked up a big field handicap at York so not just an AW specialist and looks solid in this company. Straight Right represents top owners King Power Racing and has won of marks in the 100s, while Junius Brutus and Silent Echo might prefer a slight ease in the weights and pick up a nice handicap somewhere. Only the bottom one PENARTH PIER looks completely out of it (100/1 shot) even though is the only one here getting any weight allowance but with prize money offered down to 8th (only 6 here remember) she'll still go home with something more than her bus fare home - now reported as a Non Runner.

19:15 32Red.com Handicap

(Class 6, 1m 7f 218y, 11 runners)

A field of 11 stayers for our penultimate event here tonight, headed by the 5yo Adams Park who doesn't strike me as a proven stayer so will be opposed here. JAMACHO [Non Runner] however is a bumper and hurdle winner so will certainly stay this but will they be able to settle better, chance if they can. 

PERCY'S PRINCE [7th 7/2] is a course and distance winner (when trained by Sir Mark Prescott) which must be considered in a race of this nature, didn't run up to form last time out which is a small concern but that was at Lingfield and has run much better here and with question marks about most of this field I think this one is a sure fire place bet at least.

19:45 100% Profit Boost At 32RedSport.com Amateur Riders' Handicap

(Class 4, 6f, 10 runners)

Our finale tonight is a race for amateur riders and there are some nice form choices here, bottom weight TOP BOY [5th 8/1] is a 10yo having his 98th race !! Won twice last summer so is not yet ready for the retirement paddock has little weight and a good claimer in the saddle so considered. While HASSAAD [3rd 5/1] represents the trainer / jockey combination that took this race last year with the well backed Choice Encounter, so market support would also be interesting tonight, they'll be my pair against the field.

Staked -- 14 points.      Returns -- 4.75 points.

Results will appear here later during Wednesday evening. This season we start afresh and will try hard to stop going well behind but all results are accurate and recorded to SP returns to a 1pt win stake only and updated each meeting. A disappointing start to 2020 with just one winner creating a loss in #1 of -9.25, results to SP we will need to improve. 

LAYS -- We had a good season last year with the lays, aiming at favourites and not afraid to take on short odds on shots too. The plan will be for at least one or two each meeting and we will keep those results separate from the handicaps. 1/2 tonight, both favs, wasn't far away.

Tonight's Lays;
17:15 - SOUND MIXER (6f Handicap) LOST 2nd 2/1 .

18:15 - RAINING FIRE (1m 3f 219y Novice Stakes) Won 5/4f.

Our second meeting for this year will be held in a couple of weeks time on Wednesday 22nd January hope you can join us.