An exciting weekend of jump racing lies ahead, with the opening meetings of the season from premier tracks Cheltenham (Friday and Saturday) and Aintree (Sunday), as well as supporting meetings at Kelso (Saturday) and Wincanton (Sunday). Let me remind you that there is no hurry to get involved with a wager - there is plenty of racing so pick and choose your wagers, and, with that in mind, the educated punter holds the advantage.
Time constraints prevented me from posting a blog last Saturday, but the suggested wager which I posted on twitter and on this blog, very nearly came off. It was an eachway double on CORONET at Ascot, and LE PREZIEN at Ffos Las and both horses came home in 2nd placed which meant the place double was successful. If you had placed a £5 eachway double (£10 staked) you would have left the bookies with over £28 in your hand. When considering an eachway double both of your selections must have a realistic chance of winning. I really thought that CORONET was the strongest horse in her race and she ran bang to form; I rate her a solid OR110 horse, very consistent, and that's what I reckon she ran on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Aidan O'Brien trained Magician managed to transfer her form over a mile to the 12-furlong trip and that was something I did not anticipate.
LE PREZIEN is another consistent performer, and although seen over fences last season, he has improved in stature and I thought he was on a lenient rating for hurdles, but he met a well-handicapped rival in the 5yo Silver Streak.
Back to racing on Friday, and the meeting at Cheltenham offers few wagering opportunities unless you fancy taking a chance on the several novice races on the card. The 20-runners handicap hurdle over 2m5f looks particularly tough to solve. What's interesting is that only one winner in the past 10 years was older than 6yo; all the other 9 winners were 5yo or 6yo. Also, the market has been a good guide, with no winner at odds longer than 12/1. Currently, only the 5yo First Assignment @ 8/1 and the 6yo Christmas In April @ 10/1 fit those criteria, and the unexposed FIRST ASSIGNMENT looks an interesting runner.
The amateur riders handicap chase at 4:55pm run over 3m1f is a race that I usually have a wager in, but this years race looks wide open. There will be other days to have a wager.
Keep your powder dry.
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