After a early start, I set off to Cheltenham, aiming to get there 3 hours before the first race. This gives me time to walk the course, check the going and then update this new information with the research I did last night. The ground was very heavy, although firmer in some places. You don't realise how steep Cheltenham is until you actually walk the course, and is very deceiving to the human eye from afar.
Once this had been done, I managed to get a spot inside, with a good view of the course and away from the loud noises of the other punters. On that note, the crowd was fantastic at Cheltenham today and they were entertained by some thrilling racing.
Can I also say thanks for checking the blog out today, we had a fantastic hit rating today of 700 views in 24 hours. That shows people are tuning in and are interested in the news I provide!
JH - 26/01/2013
On to the first race I analysed.
12:40pm: Here, I had two Each Way bets on Sizing Santiago and Bennys Mist, and a straight win bet on John's Spirit. I thought all 3 horses had a lot of potential and had proven in previous races that they were more than capable of beating the competition today. Sizing Santiago never really got going and I could tell that the ground was the main issue for this horse today. Had the race been run on better ground, I have no doubt that SS would have run better, and finished in a better position. Bennys Mist also run a poor race. Her previous runs indicated that he did well on his previous start at Taunton, winning the race, and it was on similar ground to today's race. An error on a fence on the back straight cost him a position and he never looked like he was going to come back from that.
John's Spirit ran a decent race and I was pleased with him for the majority of the trip. However, he had a blunder 5 from home, which really lost him momentum. He didn't seem to handle the pressure at all when coming down to the home straight and finished a low 6th.
The Winner - Vino Gregio. Funny enough, I said that this horse had no chance yesterday! Shows how much I know. He had a good race and traveled well in these conditions. Like his previous start at Ascot, he does seem to like these conditions and handles all pressure well. Noted.
VERDICT - We were really unfortunate in this race. John's Spirit and Bennys Mist both made bad mistakes which lost them vital places at important times in the race. I am not disappointed and upset that I made the wrong choices, because I still thing this was the best move. I think I underestimated the eventual winner, but I was right about Rajdhani Express, in that I didn't think he would like this change of circuit, which did play against him.
1:15pm - Here I backed Shoegazer, Bless the Wings and Bold Sir Brian, Each Way. Again, I thought we were really unlucky. Shoegazer was travelling excellently before making a crucial mistake 4 from home. I think this trip may be slightly too long for him as he was declining in speed as he made his way towards the finishing line. If he hadn't made that mistake, I think we could have had a E/W prospect on our hands. Bless the Wings and Bold Sir Brian were both early favourites for this race this morning. BSB fell at the last which didn't help things and BtW looked comfortable when chasing the leaders towards the end, but again, a drop down in trip may have been preferred.
The Winner - Katenko. A horse which I should have studied better last night. He stayed on well and looked secure in victory. I underestimated his ability on these testing conditions, and have learnt for next time.
VERDICT - I was annoyed at myself for this race. I should have paid more attention to the eventual winner who always looked like he had the ability to win the race. Although Shoegazer ran well, I think a drop down in trip for the selected horses would have been preferred.
3:35pm - Here I backed Walkon for the win and Reve De Sivola each way. Obviously, it was a shame that I didn't back the latter to win, but I did make my money back at the end of the day. I fancied Walkon, as he really impressed me last time out at Cheltenham on similar ground and over the same distance in a very competitive race. He was never travelling today, and I guess that's just racing. He did really well at Cheltenham before and this was followed up by a more than poor effort. Reve De Sivola won the race in fine form, only just beating Oscar Whisky. I thought this horse was a certainty for an E/W place and I was relived when he passed the winning post in pole position.
The Winner - Reve De Sivola. Always looked like a horse with the ability to win and did so in this competitive race. I fear that on better ground, Oscar Whisky may have performed better and may have beaten RDS, but thankfully it wasn't that day today.
VERDICT - I was happy with this race. I was right to oppose Oscar Whisky in my preview and the selection of Reve De Sivola was a sensible one. Walkon, however, was disappointing and I expected a much better race from him today.
OVERALL VERDICT - Overall, a frustrating day. One or two things went against us with crucial mistakes made and this led to a fairly disappointing day. That's not to say that next week things can change and we can get back to winning ways. The last race was a positive for sure and we should carry all those things into next week.
Once this had been done, I managed to get a spot inside, with a good view of the course and away from the loud noises of the other punters. On that note, the crowd was fantastic at Cheltenham today and they were entertained by some thrilling racing.
Can I also say thanks for checking the blog out today, we had a fantastic hit rating today of 700 views in 24 hours. That shows people are tuning in and are interested in the news I provide!
JH - 26/01/2013
On to the first race I analysed.
12:40pm: Here, I had two Each Way bets on Sizing Santiago and Bennys Mist, and a straight win bet on John's Spirit. I thought all 3 horses had a lot of potential and had proven in previous races that they were more than capable of beating the competition today. Sizing Santiago never really got going and I could tell that the ground was the main issue for this horse today. Had the race been run on better ground, I have no doubt that SS would have run better, and finished in a better position. Bennys Mist also run a poor race. Her previous runs indicated that he did well on his previous start at Taunton, winning the race, and it was on similar ground to today's race. An error on a fence on the back straight cost him a position and he never looked like he was going to come back from that.
John's Spirit ran a decent race and I was pleased with him for the majority of the trip. However, he had a blunder 5 from home, which really lost him momentum. He didn't seem to handle the pressure at all when coming down to the home straight and finished a low 6th.
The Winner - Vino Gregio. Funny enough, I said that this horse had no chance yesterday! Shows how much I know. He had a good race and traveled well in these conditions. Like his previous start at Ascot, he does seem to like these conditions and handles all pressure well. Noted.
VERDICT - We were really unfortunate in this race. John's Spirit and Bennys Mist both made bad mistakes which lost them vital places at important times in the race. I am not disappointed and upset that I made the wrong choices, because I still thing this was the best move. I think I underestimated the eventual winner, but I was right about Rajdhani Express, in that I didn't think he would like this change of circuit, which did play against him.
1:15pm - Here I backed Shoegazer, Bless the Wings and Bold Sir Brian, Each Way. Again, I thought we were really unlucky. Shoegazer was travelling excellently before making a crucial mistake 4 from home. I think this trip may be slightly too long for him as he was declining in speed as he made his way towards the finishing line. If he hadn't made that mistake, I think we could have had a E/W prospect on our hands. Bless the Wings and Bold Sir Brian were both early favourites for this race this morning. BSB fell at the last which didn't help things and BtW looked comfortable when chasing the leaders towards the end, but again, a drop down in trip may have been preferred.
The Winner - Katenko. A horse which I should have studied better last night. He stayed on well and looked secure in victory. I underestimated his ability on these testing conditions, and have learnt for next time.
VERDICT - I was annoyed at myself for this race. I should have paid more attention to the eventual winner who always looked like he had the ability to win the race. Although Shoegazer ran well, I think a drop down in trip for the selected horses would have been preferred.
3:35pm - Here I backed Walkon for the win and Reve De Sivola each way. Obviously, it was a shame that I didn't back the latter to win, but I did make my money back at the end of the day. I fancied Walkon, as he really impressed me last time out at Cheltenham on similar ground and over the same distance in a very competitive race. He was never travelling today, and I guess that's just racing. He did really well at Cheltenham before and this was followed up by a more than poor effort. Reve De Sivola won the race in fine form, only just beating Oscar Whisky. I thought this horse was a certainty for an E/W place and I was relived when he passed the winning post in pole position.
The Winner - Reve De Sivola. Always looked like a horse with the ability to win and did so in this competitive race. I fear that on better ground, Oscar Whisky may have performed better and may have beaten RDS, but thankfully it wasn't that day today.
VERDICT - I was happy with this race. I was right to oppose Oscar Whisky in my preview and the selection of Reve De Sivola was a sensible one. Walkon, however, was disappointing and I expected a much better race from him today.
OVERALL VERDICT - Overall, a frustrating day. One or two things went against us with crucial mistakes made and this led to a fairly disappointing day. That's not to say that next week things can change and we can get back to winning ways. The last race was a positive for sure and we should carry all those things into next week.
Thanks again for checking the blog out, we had a fantastic hit rating today of 700 views in 24 hours. That shows people are tuning in!
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