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Record of the blog selections

Between March 2010 and April 2017, this blog recommended wagers on 520 individual races on Jump Racing in the UK, resulting in a PROFIT of £1,525.39 on cumulative stakes of £5,726 - this is equivalent to a Return On Investment of 26.60%.

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Tuesday 29 May 2012

Maybe you can light my (bon)fire

The 487th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

This weekend we having the running of "The Derby" at Epsom. Of all the horseracing run on the "flat", this race epitomises the peak to which all those connected with the sport hope to aspire. As I write, there are only 12 declared for the premier classic race this Saturday, the market being headed by the 8/11 fav from Ireland, CAMELOT. This horse is being claimed to be a world beater, and I must admit being highly impressed with his win in the 2000 Guineas earlier this month. However, having seen Nijinsky win the race - beating fewer rivals – at odds of 11/8 back in 1970, and Nashwan (another Guineas winner) win the 1989 Derby at 5/4, those odd look too short to me. I won a fair wedge on BONFIRE when he won the "Dante" at York and, at odd of 5/1 with Ladbrokes, with more "depth" to his stamina already proven he looks the better value. I can see him starting the 7/2, 2nd fav this weekend.

Due to work commitments, I am not able to put as much form research into my racing these days which (I suppose) is a good thing for me personally in these recessionary times. As a result, the blog has suffered in recent months with sporadic bursts of activity punctuating the lapses. It is not really possible for me to produce daily selections in the time I have available during the flat season so, over the coming months, I am going to focus more on general racing issues with the occasional race review when time is on my side.

My abiding love is with the jump racing scene, and I will be producing and updating my personal alert list over the coming months so that I'm ready to hit the ground running and take advantage come 1st October.

I noted that Aidan O'Brien still has SO YOU THINK entered for the Queen Anne Stakes which is the opening race of the Royal Ascot meeting, and that could lead to a head-to-head encounter with FRANKEL. Strictly on the formbook, So You Think has little chance if being able to hold Frankel, but this is horseracing. If so You Think does drop to the mile trip for the Queen Anne, then I expect connections will take the race to him and challenge Frankel for the lead from the start, thereby making full use of the stamina of So You Think. Throw-in the tenacious temperament of the older horse, and Frankel could be eye-balled for the 1st time in his racing life. Will he relish the challenge, or will he wimp-out? This, for me, is a much more realistic challenge for champion miler Frankel, than meeting the Australian "wonder-mare" BLACK CAVIAR over a mile in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on 1st August. Black Caviar is a 6-furlong specialist, and an extremely quick one at that. She would very much be the underdog having to meet the champion miler (and possibly the best miler since Tudor Minstrel in 1947) over his optimum trip. Thankfully, the Australian connections have seen sense and put that idea to bed, and are aiming the mare at Royal Ascot after which she will return "down-under".

Any wagers that I am contemplating today will be posted via my twitter account: @wayward_lad

Good luck & thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Wednesday 23 May 2012

BHA "Jump" Ratings

The 486th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

No success for the blog yesterday, tho' events were outside the realms of foresight for the writer. The evening selection CRAIGLANDS was a late non-runner. I was fairly right about his odds as when I last looked he was at 13/2 and, given the way the race panned-out, I reckon he would have gone close. Not sure why the going was given as a reason for him being a non-runner as I thought it was perfect for him. As for my afternoon selection at Brighton – WELSH INLET – I'm not sure what happened. The horse was going well enough until veering violently across the track and was pulled-up. Again, given the way the race panned-out, I'm fairly sure that she would have been involved in the finish and had a better than 9/2 chance (her SP) of winning.

For me, this is what the stewards are there for. The horse was the 9/2, 3rd-fav having been supported in from 11/2 so punters who had money on deserved an explanation. What we got was silence. If nothing else, the stewards should have asked the jockey for an explanation and an examination of the kit should have been done and reported on. Finally, the horse should have been examined by the course vet and, again, his findings should have been reported. If there was no discernible reason for the action of the horse, then other scenarios could be considered – was the horse "spooked" by an object or noise? Still, I suppose the stewards had a nice seafood luncheon accompanied by a decent bottle of Muscadet as they wiled away the hours on a sunny summers day.

Racing this afternoon is poor, and I'll probably be looking at the evening jumps meetings at Sedgefield and Worcester for any wagers that I may play. As we are expecting more sun and high temperatures today, which will affect the going, there is a high likelihood of non-runners - so not much point in reviewing those evening meetings just yet.

Yesterday, the 2011-12 NH Ratings were published by the BHA and they make interesting reading. The first "issue" I have is why (after a dismal season) LONG RUN is still rated OR178? As the Racing Post's Steve Mason (who produces the Racing Post Ratings) writes in today's paper "was LONG RUN's win in the 2011 (Gold Cup) race really a stone (14lb) superior to Synchronised?" I said LONG RUN was over-rated after he won the 2011 Gold Cup, and I have maintained my stance ever since. Finally, it seems, more prominent judges than me are coming to the same conclusion. The horse "got lucky" in the spring of 2011, meeting (and beating) a much under-the weather Kauto Star and – in Denman – a horse who was a shadow of his former brilliant self.

One horse I am really looking forward to lumping on the next time he runs, is CUE CARD who has an OR157 rating. For me, CUE CARD is thrown-in off that rating as I'd have him about 6lb light of Sprinter Sacre, and I'd have the "Arkle" winner on 172. Off that rating of OR157, he can win the Paddy Power at Cheltenham this November and go on to take the Ryanair (if he doesn't go for the Gold Cup) next March at Cheltenham.

Good luck & thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Tuesday 22 May 2012

Land the gamble

The 485th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

I really don't like Mondays. Looking back thru' my records, I nearly always lose on Mondays and yesterday was no exception. I had targeted a race at Newton Abbot – the 4:20 which was a 2-mile chase – and I had narrowed it down to 2 horses in the morning, Great Kicker and Dean's Grange; both of which looked well handicapped and at decent odds. With the morning favourite Mon Chevalier being a non-runner, and subsequent morning gamble Twyford going the same way, I really thought the couple I'd selected looked decent value, especially as I did not rate Nicky Henderson's Tornado D'Estruval and the new race fav Temple Lord is a right "monkey" and unreliable. Where I went wrong was I thought Dean's Grange would need the run, having been off for 218-days since last October, and so I lumped all my hard-earned wedge onto Great Kicker. I quickly knew my fate. Great Kicker was being ridden-along at halfway and weakened quickly, eventually being pulled-up. Dean's Grange travelled well thru'out, led 3-from-home and, tho' he was driven on the run-in, he won a shade cosily. I hate Mondays.

Some fairly ordinary horseracing again today. My local "flat" track Brighton hosts a meeting and this is a course specialists dream. Brighton is a real "marmite" of a course – horses either like it or loathe it. That said, the opening 5-furlong handicap could throw-up some value. The race fav is Cut Across, and that's what he's going to have to do having been drawn 10 of the 10 runners in this race. He's only had the one race, which he won on the AW at Lingfield in February. So, he's inexperienced, he's drawn widest of all, and it's his 1st run on turf and it's at the tricky track of Brighton. He may well end up a rated a lot higher than his rating today of OR67 but he could need about 10lb in-hand to take this. He has to be opposed, and I'm looking at C&D winner WELSH INLET. This mare has only won twice, but both wins have come at Brighton and she will handle today's going. At 11/2 (Corals) she looks fair value.

The only other race I'm looking at is at Towcester tonight, and that's the 3-mile handicap chase at 7:15. The fav for this race will be Jolly Boys Outing and, given he is in good form and won over C&D in March, that is no surprise. But, he's up 11lb since that last win to OR108 and so he meets the horse that was 2nd to him that day CRAIGLANDS on 11lb worse terms. CRAIGLANDS is a safe jumper who goes well racing right-handed and, on this improving going, this prominent runner could well take advantage of the weight he receives. The worry is that he can be a bit one-paced as he's gone 17 races since his last win (October 2009) and he's been 2nd 4-times, and 3rd 5-times in that period. However, at 8/1 generally (he's 17/2 with Vic Chandler) that's fair value. Personally, I can see him starting at about 6/1 for this tonight, and maybe a point shorter if there is a non-runner or two. He is 12.0 on Betfair and, as he's a prominent runner, there should be plenty of opportunity to trade-out and secure a profit in-running, if not going on to land the gamble.

Finally, I gave readers a great winner on Friday in ARABIAN STAR who was available at 13.0-14.0 just prior to the off and virtually made-all. I wrote that he would trade at under 5.00 in-running, and that he certainly did and, for those who traded-out their stake and then let it ride for a no-risk wager, well done you!

Good luck & thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Friday 18 May 2012

Bonfire comes alight

The 484th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

Not the best day of trading for me yesterday. Neither of my selections – SET TO MUSIC & COMMON TOUCH – ran with enough verve to give me an opportunity of trading out at a profit. I was particularly disappointed with SET TO MUSIC but, in hindsight, perhaps the trip of 1m3f was a bit on the short side and if she steps up to 12f that should bring about improved form. I did something I know I should not do yesterday, and that was chase my losses. After SET TO MUSIC went down, I looked at the "Dante" which was the next race on the card. I really did like the look of the favourite BONFIRE for this race, mainly as I believe that AP O'Brien sends his better 3yo colts to Newmarket for the Guineas and to the Chester "May" meeting. As such, I did not think much or his runner Ernest Hemingway. As it happened, "office" money poured onto the O'Brien colt causing his odds to shorten and so pushing-out the odds on BONFIRE from 2/1 in the morning to an SP of 3/1 (I was able to get some money on at 4.20). It was only a small wager, but I was able to recover the money lost on my earlier trade on SET TO MUSIC. Then, I had a ½pt trade on COMMON TOUCH, and so ended the day a half-point in loss.

There is a huge amount of racing today thru'out the country and well into the evening. Too much racing for the average punter, but if you are selective – as I try to be – then you should be able to spot a few nuggets amongst the dross.

I'm looking at trading opportunities again, and I think I've found 3:-
York 2:00, WARLU WAY
Newbury 3:45, ESHAAB
Newmarket 5:05, ARABIAN STAR

All 3  are prominent runners who should trade at shorter odds, hopefully half of SP, during the race. WARLU WAY stays the 12f trip, will handle the going, and has the ability to quicken from the front. He's 12/1 in the RP betting forecast and I reckon this John Dunlop horse should be shorter than that, so the 23.0-24.0 on Betfair as I write is huge. There are a lot of hold-up horses in this race and there could well be a lot of unlucky stories. I can see him trading at <6.00 in-running, if not shorter.

ESHAAB has proved his fitness and well-being when winning LTO at Pontefract and that was in a good time too on heavy going. He's currently trading at 13.0-14.0 and that looks an attractive proposition given he's at 8/1 in the RP betting forecast. Again, he's likely to be able to lead these a merry dance, and I'll be happy getting out at <6.00 in-running.

Finally, ARABIAN STAR may not have run since winning last September, but he looks reasonably treated in this race and I'm hopeful that trainer Andrew Balding will have his horse fit to run to his form. This race is dominated in the betting market by Garde Cotiere who returns from a near 2-year break for Jeremy Noseda, but I am a "bird-in-the-hand" man when it comes to punting, and I'd rather be on ARABIAN STAR at 12.5-13.0 than take a chance at 3.30 with Garde Cotiere. ARABIAN STAR is 8/1 in the RP betting forecast, and I can see him trading at <5.00 in-running, most likely he'll trade shorter than that.

Good luck & thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Thursday 17 May 2012

Fahey has the COMMON TOUCH

The 483rd edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

The 2 trading opportunities I identified yesterday did well enough. First up was AREA FIFTY ONE and, as anticipated, he was in the leading pair till the 3-furlong pole. That's when he appeared to struggle, but he battled back into contention inside the 2-fulrong pole (never looked like winning) before fitness told and he faded. As such, I was lucky to get out - with not all my stake, but most – at 6.40. It was an encouraging run, and he's one I'll be looking out for when he next runs. The 2nd trade was on The CHEKA and what a performance, as he went down by just a head. I was on at 13.0 and traded-out at 6.20, and he actually went under 2.10 in-running. Connections thought he was unlucky not to win, and I agree with them as about 300 yards out the leader (at the time) Bogart "wobbled" under pressure and caused THE CHEKA to check, costing him at least half-a-length if not more.

Today, I'm looking at York again and in the Middleton Stakes at 2:00 we have a solid field of fillies contesting. I'm looking at a trading opportunity again – this flat season I am going to try and keep away from straight wagers as the form (I find) is too unreliable – and one that looks attractive is SET TO MUSIC. This progressive filly is a course winner over 1m4f so this extended 10-furlong trip is well within her scope, and she should handle the going. I also like that she's usually "prominent" and I'd expect Jamie Spencer to make full use of her stamina in this race. She could well win, but I'm going to be happy to trade-out at 3.10 in-running as she's currently trading at 7.20-7.40.

The next trading opportunity is in the 3:00, the Hambleton Handicap over a mile. This race looks very competitive and whether or not I play in it depends on whether I've been successful with SET TO MUSIC earlier on the card. I say the race is competitive, but the pace early on could well be a bit sedate as there does not look a lot of front-runners in the race. As such, I'm opting for a local runner that loves York (3 wins from 4 runs, 0 from 3 elsewhere) and has looked very progressive – COMMON TOUCH. This is a speculative selection, so I'll probably trade to half-stakes; but he's currently trading at 15.0-15.50 and I would expect him to trade at <5.0 in-running if he's as good as I think he is.

Since 1st January, I've only been trading on Betfair and I've done exceedingly well. I've increased my "bank" 8-fold (ie, I started with a 10pt bank and now I'm on approx. 85pts) and I only wager with bookmakers nowadays.

Good luck & thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Wednesday 16 May 2012

THE CHEKA can surprise

The 482nd edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

The trading opportunity I identified yesterday was INSIDE DEALER in the 3:10 at Wincanton. He was the only horse in the race with potential to improve on what we'd seen to date and came into the race in good form. He was 4/1 in the morning, which I thought was decent odds for trading as I hoped to obtain about 5.40+ before noon, but there were a few non-runners "early doors" and his odds shortened to just 2/1 (approx. 3.20). As he had been prone to being "unlucky in running" that was too short for me for trading (I was planning on a back-to-lay strategy) and so I swapped my allegiance to the 2nd-fav Plein Pouvior as I was able to get-on at 5.80 before the off (started with an SP of 4/1). Unfortunately, INSIDE DEALER ran away with the race and Plein Pouvior made some costly jumping errors. I quickly realised that he would not win unless the leader fell so, when he flattered to deceive at about 4-out, I managed to lay-off my stake in-running at 6.20 and finish the race level.

Better to run away and live to fight another day, that's my motto.

Today, we have the opening day of the York "Dante" meeting. This has been a great meeting for me in the past but this year, I'm not so sure with the weather having upset a lot of horses racing plans. The opening race, a 1m2f handicap, looks a cracker to get stuck into. I noted that RP's Pricewise (Tom Segal) has gone for Space War; well, good luck to him. I've followed Space War for the past couple of seasons and I gave up on him a long time ago. There have been a couple of non-runners, so only 1-2-3 pay for the place. There is likely to be a good pace on and I'm going to trade on this race. Richard Fahey has AREA FIFTY ONE, and this was bought by Dr Marwan Koukash for £85,000 last October and has his 1st race for his new connections in this race. He's a prominent runner, and I expect him to be thereabouts inside the 2-furlong pole at which point he'll be trading around the 5.00 mark and may even go <4.00 before the final furlong. Will he win? Possibly, but front runners usually set this race up for a finisher and there are plenty of those in this race. That could mean AREA FIFTY ONE can steal an advantage if allowed a soft lead. Of those "hold-up" horses, I like the look of MIRRORED who is 36.0 on Betfair as I write. He will be coming with a rattle late-on, so (if you are brave) you could buy in-running at 40+ and place a lay at something like 10 to recover your stake, with another lay at about 5.0 to secure a profit.

The Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes over 6-furlongs at 3:00 is an interesting race. There are not many in this with the ability to win it, and a line can be put thru' most of the remaining 13-runners (Definightly is a non-runner). I think THE CHEKA could give the market leaders something to think about in this as he's only raced once before over 6-furlongs and that was when winning LTO beating Mayson into 3rd.  With a combination of speed and stamina (has won 3 times at 7-furlongs, and stays a mile) I can see this one finishing in the 1st-3, and so - at 13.0 on Betfair – this is another great trading opportunity.

Thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Tuesday 15 May 2012

If in doubt, don't bet

The 481st edition of the Wayward Lad blog.

Selections for the blog have been a bit thin on the ground lately, but horseracing on the flat – especially when the weather is as bad as it is, resulting in soft/heavy going – is not my bag. And you can tell that the racing is not cutting the mustard when the Racing Post is printing substantial updates on the Derby and the Oaks which are not going to be run for another 3-weeks and we have yet to have the valuable "Dante" meeting at York.

It is disappointing for me as this time of year, from the Guineas thru' to Royal Ascot, is my favourite part of the flat racing season. Normally, I'd have been pouring over the results from the early Newmarket meetings and putting together my horse's to follow lists but this year – given the rain softened ground – it is very likely that the formbook will be turned upside down when the sun eventually starts to shine.

So, what I've been doing personally is "trading" on the exchanges, looking for horses at odds shorter than they are worth to lay, and for horses at odds between 8.20 – 12.0 that are likely to run prominently and show enough potential in-running to trade at half their odds or shorter. I found a suitable candidate at Redcar in the 2:30 yesterday in Little Jimmy Odsox. He was attempting 7f for the first time and, having not raced as a 2yo, he was clearly unexposed. He'd shown himself to be a consistent performer last season winning 3 times from 5 starts and finishing in the places in the other 2. His seasonal debut in April suggested he was in need of the outing, and I expected him to strip a lot fitter yesterday. There was not a lot of pace in the race and I expected him to be close-up thru'out, and he was. I obtained average odds of 10.60 (his SP was 17/2) and I was easily able to trade-out in-running at 5.30 as he was beaten only a head by his stable companion (No Poppy) having held every chance inside the final furlong.

There is plenty of racing today, but very little of it makes the heart race. As such, I've identified another likely trading opportunity at Wincanton this afternoon, tho' - having just looked at the market – I may have to look elsewhere.

Thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.



Thursday 10 May 2012

Be careful out there

The 480th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.
No selections yesterday, and of the 3 races I looked at (at Chester) there's no way I could have found the winner in any of them.

The Chester Cup was started using a flag as the stalls could not be moved into position due to the rain-sodden ground. As such, the draw in that race was immaterial. Personally, I thought the jockeys did well getting away in a fair manner considering many will have had no proper experience of a flag start.  The horse I liked in the Chester Cup - HARRISON'S CAVE – was dropped out to the rear early on, while the eventual runner-up - Overturn – blazed a path up-front. HARRISON'S CAVE made significant progress in the 2nd-half of the race before his jockey realised that his position was hopeless. Even so, this was an eye-catching run and, as I wrote yesterday, I reckon he'll end the season rated 105-110 which is well about his current OR94 rating. Definitely one for the alert list.

I managed to make a successful trade on the 3:05 on LEXI'S HERO. I managed to get my stake on at 8.20 and was able to easily trade-out at 3.90 in-running as the horse ran his usual prominent race up to the 2-furlong marker.

Today, the rain has continued falling and with flag starts predicted for several of the races at Chester, I reckon it is a meeting to give a wide berth to. All the other meetings today are this evening (Goodwood has been abandoned), and with rain falling heavily around the country it is near impossible to predict which horses will run (there are lots of non-runners) never mind which will win.

So, the recommendation is (with a line from NYPD Blue) "be careful out there".

Thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
The blog takes a lot of effort to maintain and I hope that readers of the blog get enjoyment from it too. If you have had a successful wager on the back of what you've read here, then please make a contribution as an expression of thanks. Feel free to tell those who you think may find the blog of interest and value and, if you are a regular visitor, please add the blog to your list of favourites.
Remember!  Betting on horseracing should be a pleasurable experience - never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Thanks from Wayward Lad.






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Wednesday 9 May 2012

Chester May Meeting

The 479th edition of the Wayward Lad blog.
There's been no blog for a week or so, mainly as I've been lacking the motivation to write one. Today tho' see's one of the highlights of the flat racing season – the Chester May Meeting. Despite the rain and soft going, it should still be a worthwhile event. Looking back to this day last year, I advised paying particular attention to any runners sent over from Ireland by AP O'Brien. I recall he sent over 6 of which one was a non-runner and the other 5 all won! This Chester meeting is one of his favourites and the 3yo's that he sends to it are (generally) the best of this year's crop. Having taken both the Guineas races at the weekend perhaps this week's runners from his stable will be a little below his usual standard but, even so, they cannot be ignored.

He has 3 runners today, and the one I am most taken with is in the Chester Cup at 2:35, HARRISON'S CAVE. This well related 4yo colt made great improvement last autumn and comes into this race on a handy mark of OR94. He will handle the "give" in the ground, and should also stay the trip well. He would be a "win" wager today if he had a better draw than 15 (it still has an effect, even over this trip) and at just 8/1, there is no value in his odds. He should finish on the premises and, with luck, he could well win as I reckon he'll end the season rated 105-110; but odds of 8/1 represent no value at all. I'd be looking for 12/1 or longer and I may be tempted to wager in-running.

Next on the card at 3:05 is a 5f race which looks very competitive. An inside draw in such races is a must at Chester, even on soft going, as is a runner which has the pace to be prominent thru'out. Drawn 5, LEXI'S HERO who is a winner at Chester and always a prominent runner should be up to winning this at 7/1 (Bet Victor). He should be capable of matching strides with those drawn on his inside, none of whom have the greatest of form lines, and those drawn on his outer have a lot to do.

Finally, at 4:15, we have another 5f race in which the super-consistent NOBLE STORM has been drawn 3. He should blast out of the stalls and make-all from this draw, and only has to fear Addictive Dream (drawn 1) but he should have too much natural speed for him. Odds of 3/1 are available generally, and look fair.

This Saturday, the 3rd round of the Greyhound Derby takes place at Wimbledon dog track. Unfortunately, for London and all sporting fans, it looks most likely that greyhound racing at Wimbledon will cease within the next 12-18 months. Wimbledon is the last greyhound track in the capital. Even in my memory, I remember White City, Wembley, Harringey, Catford, Walthamstow. It will be a very sad day for the sport if Wimbledon is allowed to close. That said, a week or so ago, I advised a list of 10 dogs that I thougt would be worth following thru' the competition.

They were:-
BUBBLY PHEONIX (Apr10) - the 8/1 co 2nd-fav
TAYLORS SKY (Mar09) – the 8/1 co 2nd-fav
JAYTEE PEDRO (Mar10) – 14/1
BOWTIME SYKES (Mar10) – 66/1
RAZLDAZL JAYFKAY (Nov08) – now the 3/1 outright fav,
DROOPYS LORENZO (Feb10)  - still 50/1
BOHER PADDY (Oct08) – 14/1

And these 3 who have been eliminated:-
JAZZ APOLLO
JAYTEE APACHE
RIO TORINO
My selection for top-honours was DROOPYS LORENZO who is still @ 50/1 for the competition but, with only 48-dogs left in, this young dog still has a fair chance of reaching the final.

Thanks for reading this blog to all new visitors.
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