Close to having a winning hand

We came close to having a good day yesterday as both selections ran as well as I expected them to, but both met an improving and better handicapped rival who beat them into the runners-up spot. RENARD ran his usual, solid race, he never seems to run a bad one, he’s very consistent. Unfortunately, he met a good one in Ballygarvey who seems to have found his trip at 2-miles despite having won 2 of his 4 previous chases at 2m4f. This was his best yet by a long way and he won with plenty in hand. He was already on my alert list after winning at Lingfield in a good time, but he should be on everyone’s now and looks a 150+ chaser in the making. Still, RENARD earned the place money and won’t be raised more than a couple of pounds for this effort.

At Kempton, ROLLING ACES very nearly won the day. Firtst tho’, Wyck Hill and I’ve been a supporter of this horse since he won his 2^nd-chase as a novice and he’s won me good money, but as I wrote yesterday, he looked weighted-up to his rating on OR142. He’s reported to have cut a hind leg but, I think he’s going to want soft/heavy to show his best as they were going too quick for him and putting his jumping under pressure a long way out.  As I wrote yesterday, ROLLING ACES looks a star in the making, and this run confirms that his form so far is top-class.  I rate yesterday’s run at 155 which puts him on the fringes of being a Gold Cup horse. He met and beat the winner yesterday. Opening Batsmen, on Boxing Day by 11 lengths so, on 9lb worse terms (12lb if you include his jockeys 3lb claim on Boxing Day) then he should still have held the winner – just. However, since that Boxing Day meeting, Opening Batsmen has run and won at Wincanton over 2m5f, and that run probably brought him on a couple more pounds.

On the day it was a 0.85pt loss on the 2pts staked, however followers of my tweets had a grand time as I sent out 2 tweets recommending wagers on SAFRAN DE COTTE at 12:08pm and GRANDIOSO at 12:14pm.

For SAFRAN DE COTTE, I wrote: “I’m surprised SDC has drifted to 5/2 for the Chepstow 2:10 as he was too short earlier to include as a tip on my blog”. Regular readers will know I do not recommend wagers at odd less than 9/4 and when I wrote my blog SAFRAN DE COTTE was 15/8 and I expected him to start at 13/8 and win, so I did not write about him on my blog (time is my editor-in-chief). SAFRAN DE COTTE duly won at 11/4 (remarkable) by 4-lengths!

For GRANDIOSO, I wrote:  “If someone offers me 9/4 about Grandioso for the Kempton 2:40, then I’m going in with a maximum wager”. Sure enough, the weight of money on the fav Molotof pushed the odds on GRANDIOSO out to 9/4 and he became a 2pt (maximum) wager for me.  Sure enough, he won this race well holding a clear advantage at the final fence and staving-off a late challenge.

I know twitter readers made the most of these selections as some have made a donation from their winning wagers. As they were not posted on the blog, I won’t use them in calculating my profit/loss for the day – but, as I wrote here this week, my integrity is my most valued possession. I make no false claims, what you read here is what you get. If you don’t want to donate, that’s entirely up to you, but don’t expect this blog to be here forever.

Those who have donated for the Cheltenham Bulletin should receive a handicap update in the next couple of days based on the entries posted on Friday. Weights are released on the 28^th February.

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