Worcester Sauce!

A really solid meeting at Worcester tomorrow (Sunday) and there look some good opportunities.

There are not many full brothers to a Guineas winner jumping hurdles, but one is PETROGLYPH in the 1:50. He's a full brother of Irish Guineas winner Indian Haven and started of his racing career with Saeed bin Suroor as a 2yo, but missed his entire 3yo season before being sold for £30k. He took his time to take to hurdling but when he did he rattled-off a hat-trick. He's won over 24f before, so should stay this trip. When he completed his hat-trick he beat Rebecca's Choice giving that horse 14lb. Rebeccca's Choice went on to win NTO and is now running off OR116, which is 29lb higher than when it was beaten fair'n'square by PETROGLYPH. Could this mean that a fit and well PETROGLYPH is possibly OR125+? If so, that makes his current rating of OR108 very lenient. This race looks a weak class 4 handicap (as most Class 4 handicap hurdles over 24f are), so PETROGLYPH holds a decent chance at the weights.

At 3:20, there's a beginners chase. Its choc-full of horses that have found winning novice chases difficult in the past 12 months, but there are two that catch my eye. The first is I'm The Decider who was a very progressive hurdler during the latter half of the 2008-09 season. He's having his debut chase and market confidence in him would be significant seeing as his stable-companion beat the other interesting horse in this race MONT PRESENT. That was Sunnyhillboy who went on run 2nd at the Festival and is now rated OR139 (up 12lb). MONT PRESENT was raised 3lb (to OR120) for that run. Next time out, on his first attempt at 24f, he was tenderly ridden and arrived too late to trouble the eventual winner that day. Up another 2lb (to OR122), he then didn't stay 25f at Ayr; so the drop in trip to 23f for this should suit him and he's dropped back to OR120. The presence runners from Paul Nicholls, Jonjo O'Neill and Charlie Mann should ensure some value in the odds for MONT PRESENT.

I've been waiting for SAFARI ADVENTURES to run at this time of year as he loves the better going (preferring Good-to-Firm) and he sun on his back - but he's never been placed in 7 tries at trips beyond 18f, so I'm not hopeful of his success at this trip of 20f 110yards. However, seeing as some of these seem to find winning very difficult despite their "talent" (Nikos Extra, Kew Jumper, Good Company, Battlecry) SAFARI ADVENTURES may be worth an ew punt at what could be generous odds.

Let's get out of a jam with our favourite girl

Interesting 6f handicap at Redcar at 4:00, and there's already been money for the one I want to be on - FAVOURITE GIRL. Last time this ran at Redcar as a 2yo it was 2nd (btn a head) in a Listed race over this 6f trip. Rated OR104 on that run, she's struggled as a 3yo and runs off OR78 today. Ran well in reappearance this month from winter break, she'll get the pace she needs from Tangerine Trees and should make her class tell. Even so, you have to play the percentage game and I would not want to take less than 9/2.

At Hereford, MANJAM looks to have a winning opportunity in the 2:50, a 20f handicap hurdle. Now with Rebecca Curtis, he’ll relish the likely decent pace from Mayor Of Kilcock and pick him off after the final flight. There are stamina doubts about many of these and a decent pace won’t help them.

For England and St George!

Most interesting racing in UK is this evening with meetings at Bangor, Chepstow and Newton Abbot.
I am very tempted to go for a real long-odds ew double on the only 2 horses running from Charlie Tizzards stable INTAC @ 25/1 in the 5:55 at newtoN Abbot and WASN'T ME @ 11/1 in the 6:45 at Chepstow - but those sort of bets only come off in your dreams.

In the Chepstow race - which is 27f - you will need a proven horse at this marathon trip and FOURPOINTONE @ 4/1 looks the value.

At Bangor, I was going to give you PRINCE LOUIS in the 6:05 as he won for me LTO at Plumpton - and now I've seen that he's 4/1 too, I think I'll side with him.

Also at Bangor, in the 7:40 runs WIZARDS DUST. He's a bit of a monkey as sometimes he runs well and sometimes he chucks in the towel early-on. He is a better horse with the sun on his back and good or quicker going and I think today will be a going day and he is proven at 24f+; he's 11/2 (was 13/2 this morning).

Its the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown abd can DUNGUIB recoup Golden Ticket losses? Me thinks not, and I am also against Hurricane Fly (who i think is over-rated). PUNJABI has won this race and was beaten on-the-nod last year by Solwhit after hitting the last flight with the race at his mercy and losing momentum on the soft going that favoured Solwhit. PUNJABI is the form horse in this race and 8/1 looks an ew snip.

So that's the ew Friday yankee.

FOURPOINTONE
PUNJABI
WIZARDS DUST
PRINCE LOUIS

Punchestown 22/4/10

Plenty of runners in the races there (as always) so competition is fierce on paper, but these races can be reduced to a handfull as most are no-hopers. One I have been banging on about since it won here at last years festival is TRUCKERS DELIGHT. It ran a cracker that day in a competitve 2-mile hurdle, winning in a fast time that would have put it close to pushing Hurricane Fly in the race half-an-hour earlier. He loves this track and the going on the "fast" side of good will suit him. He was given a break over winter to miss the soft going but before his lay-off he won a decent chase at Stratford last November. He's had a pipe-opener in the last month to bring him right and ran well behind Psycho (who is 3rd fav for the 2-mile chase on todays card behind Riverside Theatre and Captain Cee Bee) and he could do the biz today in the 4:15 handicap chase. He's 8/1 but those odds should lengthen.

Later on the card at 6:40 RIVERSIDE THEATRE runs. He hated the undulations of Cheltenham, but rallied strongly from the 2nd-last to be 5th in the Arkle. That's top class form with Mad Max, Somersby and Osana confirming the form at Aintree. Riverside Theatre can take this today on a course and going that will suit him best and with the Irish money going on Captain Cee Bee, RIVERSIDE THEATRE is a healthy 7/2. Let's relieve them of their cash - they'd only spend it on Guiness!