No joy at Limerick in the sole tip race yesterday on a day when the main talking points would have been 100/1 and 150/1 SP winners on the AW at Lingfield. We will be looking at AW more closely very soon but out of interest, I always like to look at that sort of winner and see if analysis may have picked it up. The 150/1 one had literally no form but the 100/1 did if you look specifically at some old Course form. The one aspect of AW we need to fine tune our thoughts to is that often th... [Read More]

The sole tip ran very well yesterday to finish 2nd at 18/1 justifying the confidence of the analysis, and I'd rather focus on one confident one like this than throw numerous arrows more in hope than anticipation. Finally we have some rain in parts, sadly we have some frost and snow in other places but hopefully by the end of this week, we'll at least have "soft" in the Going description regularly, and a return to some competitive racing and competitive fields. Carlisle faces a frost an... [Read More]

It's sometimes best to refrain and consider opinions and views after the sort of day we had at Cheltenham yesterday, and things are amplified x 000's when it is in the full glare of Live TV and especially when that LIve TV has a tendency to over dramatise to fill in time between races. The one hard fact is that 3 gallant horses lost their lives yesterday, two to respiratory failure and one to a crushing fall. Our thoughts as always in such circumstances should be with all of those connected... [Read More]

A few places yesterday and I'll review the 3 days at Cheltenham and a couple of days at Navan tomorrow with a look ahead too. There are some great races today, at Cheltenham and Navan but one of the most eagerly anticipated Irish Autumn Chases has frankly been destroyed once again by the complete domination in terms of Entries by one Yard. We love and passionately support Irish Racing, in so many ways it is better than UK racing and gets far more right than wrong. However when a marquee Han... [Read More]

Both Grandpa Ger and Klassman ran well enough at Punchestown yesterday to place and the 22/1 win of Robindevidastar was not a complete surprise as the analysis suggested he ticked many of the right boxes. No joy at Cheltenham where the winner of the tip race is clearly progressing at a rate of knots. It's Paddy Power Gold Cup day today and like many races at the moment , held on Good ground, without the great leveller and shock maker that is mud, it does look likely to be "market dominated"... [Read More]

I think that in the context of the weather and ground situation that we are fortunate that the opening day of The Open Meeting at Cheltenham is bookended by a couple of big field handicaps. We will focus on the opening race today as the closing Novice Handicap Hurdle looks like a minefield.  There is also a 21 runner Handicap Hurdle at Punchestown for Sean to attack, and as we do these days at Cheltenham, we will split tips between UK and Irish based runners in the tip races. [Read More]

A win for the favourite Jagwar was not unexpected as we had suggested in the sole tip race yesterday but sadly the big priced each way pokes on this occasion could not find places or enhanced places. The ongoing lack of rain and the subsequent firmish ground has seen the Card at Thurles abandoned today and also means that Cards at Market Rasen, Sedgefield and Taunton are impacted with really only a couple of races with double figure field sizes. AW at Chelmsford offers no viable opportuniti... [Read More]

A nice confident analysis and a nice confident winning tip from Sean at Fairyhouse yesterday with Whatsavailable, advised at 12/1 and a winner at 10/1 SP.  Whilst Michael could not follow that up with a winner in the later tip race it was a timely reminder from Sean of what he is capable of, and if we look back at the 2023/2024 NH season in Ireland, the sort of confident winning analysis that became the norm rather than the exception. Hopefully a sign of some positive spells ahead. The... [Read More]

There are 3 National Hunt meetings today in the UK and one on the AW. The Huntingdon Card has a sum total of 40 runners in 7 races, Hereford have a couple of races with decent fields and we looked long and hard at the 12 runner 3.00 Handicap Hurdle but it looks very likely to be dominated by the top 4 in the market with around 7/1 the rest of the field and we also looked at the 1.35 Handicap Chase at Lingfield with a field of 12 also, but once again, it looks very likely to go to a hor... [Read More]

There were very decent runs at nice early and SP prices from Dusautoir and Hi Riko at Ffos Llas yesterday, both have gone into the Tracker and will hopefully be paying their way very soon. It wasn't a great surprise to see Lady Harriett pop up to win at 9/1 SP, especially if you read the analysis of the race but sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. There are small fields and very few punting options over the Jumps at Carlisle and Kempton today, nothing pops up in the TRACKER... [Read More]

Thank you for the kind messages during my absence. I'm on the mend slowly and have some blood tests lined up on Friday of this week; and hopefully there is no long term problem and a change in hydration habits can cure the kidney stones and infection. It's certainly a frustrating time waiting for some substantial rain to arrive, paradoxically, this time last year it arrived and barely stopped until Christmas. It can happen that it's either abnormally wet or dry at this time as we've witness... [Read More]

Some decent runs yesterday even if a winner proved elusive with Dequaill and Lady Hamilton competitive at Hexham and Sunninghill and Zodiac Star both placed (one enhanced 4th) at Exeter. There is some good NH action at Aintree and Wincanton today plus over in Ireland at Gowran Park and up at Kelso. The Turf flat season in the UK closes at Doncaster, paradoxically on the sort of Soft ground, that the Jumpers are desperate for.  We'll target The Grand Sefton at Aintree, a very compe... [Read More]

With the main tip Game And Glory being a non runner it was a very quiet day yesterday.  There are AW Fixtures at Dundalk and Newcastle this evening but with three NH Fixtures at Exeter,Fontwell and Hexham, we have tasked our NH experts with finding their "best value" selections at each of the three meetings and despite field sizes once again being a concern, hopefully they have found us some winners and nice e/w placed options. [Read More]

An excellent Gavin Sheehan ride saw Hedera Park come home the winner at Chepstow at 22/1 SP having been advised at 18/1 and that followed up a decent 3rd place in the previous race for The Midwife at 15/2 advised at 11/1. The unusually dry spell means very little in the way of betting options at Newbury and Ludlow today, nothing really catches the eye on the AW at Southwell, Newcastle or Chelmsford, and it's not a great Irish Card at Clonmel either. [Read More]

A runner up effort from Lenebane at Sedgefield yesterday and a mid-placed finish for Felton Bellevue. Meanwhile in Ireland the result at Fairyhouse again suggested that the Going at many venues there; is akin to genuine summer jumping ground still, so I think all we can do is to tread ever more carefully until some substantial rain arrives in the Emerald Isle, hopefully this weekend. We've an assortment of Turf Flat; NH and AW Racing today and by far the most competitive Card would app... [Read More]

The NH Meetings are all on "Good ground" today and the most up to date Going Stick readings suggest they have been well enough watered, so we'll attack a 16 runner Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse. At Sedgefield and Warwick, with smaller fields we have tasked our Northern Expert and RJ respectively, the task of finding a Meeting "e/w banker" a horse they think is the most likely to price at a half decent each way price with a chance of a win should things fall perfectly. This is something we will t... [Read More]

Good Morning A decent run to place from Positive Thinker in the first tip race at Cork yesterday, where the third rated (reserve) Sphagnum won nicely. In the other race, the summer jumpers evidenced how "Good" the ground was, although the confidently fancied Garcon Deux did claim a runner up place. In Ireland we are seeing a lack of rain and after a very wet late September and early October, we are now seeing a lack of rain really impacting on National Hunt fields, with barely&nbs... [Read More]

"It was a surprise to hear of the passing of Alastair Down a few days ago, not that we didn't know he was ill, rather the fact he'd seemed in decent form at Cheltenham last weekend, when the Press Room was named after him. As an avid reader on many topics; I always found Alastair's articles, initially in the Sporting Life and then in the Racing Post to be wonderful exposes of our Sport. He had a rare talent with words in that you did not need to be there to imagine the scene or the exp... [Read More]

The veteran Two For Gold ran a cracking race despite just missing a place at AScot in the big Handicap Chase yesterday, prominent throughout, he stayed on when looking tired over the final two fences. Hopefully they can find a race for him before the end of what they have suggested may be his last season. Flegmatik needed softer ground but got in a very good blow. We'll certainly be waiting and watching when he next appears on any ground with "soft" in the Going description. In the pre... [Read More]

A poor day yesterday when Tommie Gun particularly was most disappointing, and nothing really delivered on expectations. The weather has decided to hit a sustained dry spell it seems; just as the NH season really kicks up a gear, so we will tread cautiously at Ascot today. I think in these early skirmishes it's best we keep the number of selections per race to minimal levels and look for well analysed bigger priced pokes and as the ground turns more Autumunal and field sizes pick up, to turn... [Read More]

A routine win for a horse advised at 7/2 at Stratford and a couple of nice places at Bath but clearly on reflection if you are going to have a couple (or more) pokes in 11-12-13 runner races you really need to find the winner or all the available places. So, we'll fine tune and more strictly control the clear tips advice in those sort of 11-13 runner fields and only stretch them in rces with 16 or more declared or where literally every Bookie is going to be enhanced to 4th place in fields of 14 ... [Read More]

Velvet And Vine advised at 16/1 clinched a widely available enhanced 4th place at 11/1 SP at Dundalk yesterday and may be one to keep an eye on at Dundalk next time out as he was staying on nicely up the Straight. There is Turf Flat at Bath today, NH at Stratford and Newcastle and a couple of AW Fixtures, Thurles has been abandoned due to Firm ground which seems crazy given the rain we've all had recently. We'll focus on a couple of interesting handicaps at Bath where conditions are so... [Read More]

A nice win for Robin with Chancycourt at Bangor On Dee was the sole winner yesterday, that and the lack of placed horses was disappointing but at least ended a long spell without a winner on days when I have delivered the selections, a pure coincidence, but we all have our superstitions, so hopefully my hex is broken! The logic of looking at race fitness in early season NH races is far less relevant than it once was but still has merit on occasions but didn't work out this time for RJ at Ch... [Read More]

A decent enough run from Visitant runner up at 22/1 yesterday on a day when the other speculative punts didn't quite match the wily old veterans efforts. There are some very decent and competitive early season fields over the jumps at each end of Wales today on ideal early Good to Soft ground and we'll attack long distance chases at both Bangor on Dee and Chepstow. A Sprint race at Catterick is in the sights of our Northern Expert too.  Although we don't prescribe Staking any... [Read More]

A poor return from Ireland for us yesterday and with Galway running on Heavy ground on the Flat today and nothing really of note at Wexford, nor on Heavy ground at Leicester, we'll have a look at a couple of Handicaps, one over the Jumps at Ayr and the other on the flat at Redcar and some significant confidence from the respective Tipsters in some bigger priced pokes. The website is back online and appears to be stable finally, I'll update it with today's information after around 10am; and ... [Read More]

Good Morning; Firstly, a big thank you from Ian for the kind messages which were passed on when I returned home yesterday.  He's going home today after being re-hydrated. Some issues he had with kidney stones in 2022 and Gout a few months ago are now linked to his kidney functions and he was already awaiting some Blood tests on the 15th November to check on those, which have now been done early. Knowing him as I do very well, he simply doesn't drink enough (no or very little alcoh... [Read More]

Good Morning; Sorry but there will be NO TIPS service today. Yesterday morning just as we were preparing to set off to Cheltenham races, Ian was taken ill. He has a Kidney infection.With Jonathon not back in the UK from his half term holidays until mid afternoon today, it won't be possible to send tips out. Jonathon will take over from tomorrow, so there will just be a 1 day outage. Sorry for the inconvenience. [Read More]

The first day at Cheltenham this NH season, some competitive Flat action at Doncaster and some decent NH at Sligo in Ireland are our focus today. As I'm on my travels and currently in a Hotel on route to Cheltenham, just the tips and a brief analysis today. We'll be back to normal service from tomorrow and once I'm back at base we'll get the website back on as it seems all the server issues are resolved and we'll get all of the historic tips and analysis we've not had chance to put on ... [Read More]

A nice win from Earth King in the sole tip race yesterday, that proven fitness saw the price fall gradually from 17/2 down to 7/2 by start time.  We looked a bit outside the box at the opening Maiden Hurdle at Fontwell for some selections today but it does look like quite a deep race in terms of some nice types from big Yards and the same applies to another one we considered, the closing race, a 2 year old Nursery Handicap at Newmarket, but once again a race stacked with some nice look... [Read More]

A very nice win if you were on Kilcumin at the advised 25/1 or the opening show of 22/1 at Plumpton yesterday. The horse was very well backed On-Course into 12/1, most likely due to the Yard having a winner in the opening race on the Card. Great to see Robin back tipping and seeing the small print perfectly and finding the winners again. With Soft Going at The Curragh today we'll leave that Flat Fixture alone, not much to enthuse over on the AW at Newcastle, smallish fields at Yarmouth... [Read More]