Talking Horses: Latest racing news and best bets
11.25am Wincanton on as Leicester and Market Rasen fall to weather
Tony Paley: There was some good news for jumps fans on Thursday as this afternoon’s meeting at Wincanton defeated the threat of frost and goes ahead as scheduled. Clerk of the course Barry Johnson delivered the good news following a second course inspection at 10am. Overnight temperatures fell to minus 5C, but the situation has improved throughout the morning.
Johnson said: “We’re going to have a crack. It’s warming up all the time, it’s 1C now and due to rise a bit more. “We’re 95% raceable at the moment so racing goes ahead.”
However, the other two scheduled National Hunt meetings both fell by the wayside. Leicester clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson announced a second inspection at 10.30am but the ground was still found to be unfit for racing. Overnight temperatures dipped to as low as minus 6.2C.
“We needed that sun to come out, but it’s just not happened,” said Stevenson. “It’s not going to warm up enough in time, so we’ve had to call it a day unfortunately.”
Earlier, Market Rasen was also abandoned due to a frozen track. Officials at the Lincolnshire circuit were left with no choice but to call off the jumps fixture after overnight temperatures dipped to a shuddering minus 5C.
Clerk of the course Robert Bellamy said: “The course is frozen. We hit minus 5C overnight and there is nothing positive about the forecast to suggest the situation is going to improve enough throughout the day.”
Thursday’s best bets, by Tony Paley
My tipping has been going well on here of late but all good things must come to an end. My regular reader may have even noticed that I have refrained from moaning about the dearth of good midweek racing during the winter, a topic Lee Mottershead covered well in Monday’s Racing Post if you’re interested by the way.
He said: “Aside from last week’s Newbury fixture and the Peterborough Chase, what else is there to get excited about midweek? There are the Fridays that precede Cheltenham’s two principal winter fixtures, Sandown’s Tingle Creek card and Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle, plus the Haldon Gold Cup Tuesday at Exeter and Morebattle Hurdle Wednesday at Kelso.
“Newbury’s decision to bolster its midweek action [last week] is a positive sign. Things could also improve next year when jumps tracks are expected to divert a significant proportion of increased prize-money pots into the midweek jumps meetings that were hit hardest when Levy Board funding was drastically reduced.
“It must also be hoped that a new Racing For Change-led committee looking into further ways of promoting jump racing can, under its chairman Ian Renton, at least look at ways of improving a midweek menu that rarely whets the appetite. As one Saturday ends, there is invariably nothing to look forward to until the following Saturday. We can do better than that.”
Meanwhile, the current situation with regard to all-weather racing cannot go without a mention as the action on the sand is in an even more parlous state with Southwell having been temporarily closed down owing to flooding and Wolverhampton having troubles with the surface. I reported from the first all-weather meeting ever held on these shores at Lingfield in 1989 and urged the racing authorities not to let this branch of the sport become neglected and populated by mostly mediocre runners. Unfortunately, not much has changed.
The selections have been going well at Lingfield of late and the best suggestion this afternoon there is Mezzotint (2.25). He has a break to overcome so the market will be a clue but there must be every hope that he can continue to improve on the Polytrack surface.
At the only surviving jumps meeting at Wincanton, Frontier Dancer (2.10) should go well in the Silver Buck Handicap Chase. There is no dobubt that he goes well after a break and he will be ideally suited by the cut in the ground.
Tipping competition, day three
Already in the lead, Yossarian24 put himself in a great position to win this week with two winners yesterday, Master Of The Sea (4-1) and Commanche (7-2). SussexRH, his nearest pursuer, had Master Of The Sea and Nodform Richard (9-2), a double also achieved by WalthamstowLad and BernardSumnersCat. John987 had Nodform Richard and Commanche.
This week’s prize is a copy of the Racing Post’s annual, now in its second year and a really good-quality offering that any fan of the sport will enjoy, with masses of lovely pics and contributions from Tony McCoy, Richard Hughes and Willie Mullins. If you don’t win, you can buy a copy here.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 2.55 Lingfield, 3.25 Lingfield, 3.40 Wincanton.
You’ll see that we have a new presentation format for comments in the sports section of the website, below. Apparently, a bug means that you can’t display more than 50 comments on the same page, but they’re working to fix this so that you will, once again, be able to display all comments at once.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today but you will start on -6.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
Standings after day two
Yossarian24 +14.83
SussexRH +8.83
FinsburyPark +6
WalthamstowLad +4.50
BernandSumnersCat +4.50
john987 +4
captainconan +3.83
Lameduck +3.33
slackdad38 +3.33
aj111jackson +3.33
TwoChainz +1
GForce1 +1
waltersobchak -0.50
xwireman -0.50
CorvusFrugilegus -0.50
DrKelso -0.50
no1octoberfest -0.50
jaygee1 -1
Mulldog -1
orso -1
melonk -1.50
chris1623 -1.50
shears39 -1.50
Ellandback -6
ToffeeDan1 -6
brendandanger -6
CheeseAndWiiiine -6
goofs -6
glavintoby -6
JahLion -6
moidadem -6
NYStadium -6
72luca -6
wiggy12 -6
hegman -6
Ormrod76 -6
millreef -6
Flossnme -6
Copshaw -6
GeorgeWTaylor -6
tanias -6
factormax -6
BearRides -6
stee33 -6
Dangalf -6
William36 -6
TheVic -6
MrWinnersSonInLaw -6
Blitzwing -6
sangfroid -6
diegoisgod -6
SmokingGun1 -6
orinocofitzh -6
chiefhk -6
sandiuk -6
Lindsey6677 -6
Shrewdette -6
lasramblas -6
Harrytheactor -6
mmmdanish -6
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