The Student Punter

Set at one of the picturesque tracks in the country, Glorious Goodwood is one of the highlights of the flat season for me, both from a viewing and punting perspective and there's one I'm chancing a few of my pennies on the first day of the meeting. Unibet Handicap (Goodwood, 13:50) The progressive Setting Sail  is likely to prove very popular here after an excellent second in the John Smith's cup at York last time out. However, at current odds of around 7/2 there's not enough juice in that price for me in a race of this nature. Instead I'm looking at an option, although far from solid, who looks to offer a nice bit of each-way value. Plutonian  has some pretty serious questions to answer given he hasn't beat a single horse home in either of his last two starts, but I think he's had potential excuses and a return to this track can also be seen as a big positive. Charlie Hills' gelding ran a belter on seasonal reappearance when finishing fifth ...

This week could hardly have started better with a 10/1 winner and as much as I was keen to kick on from that, I didn't want to force a bet for the sake of it so I have been patiently waiting. The card for day two of the July meeting looks a tough one but I've found one at a decent price who looks worth a small each-way bet on Friday. 16:45 Newmarket Breathtaking Look  is the obvious starting point here, Stuart Williams' charge has a progressive profile and having had just five career starts so far, there is obviously plenty of scope for further improvement. However, he hasn't been missed in the market as 4/1 favourite and a couple of firms are offering 4 places each-way here, so I'll be looking at alternatives. The one I have landed on is Medieval   for Paul Cole and P J McDonald. He has fallen to a very attractive mark now after some quieter runs of late, but having won off marks as high as 86 in the past, today's mark of 79 certainly looks to give h...

Quiet week on here but I managed to find some time on my journey back from the Isle of Wight to look at Monday’s cards. I’ve only had the chance to do a write up for one of the selections. 2:30 Ayr Perfect Swiss 14/1 - 0.5 Points Each-Way 19:10 Ripon A 4lb rise looks harsh on the face of it when looking at Ascot Week 's most recent performance but when you delve into how that contest has worked out since, he still looks interesting here at around the 6/1 mark. John Quinn's charge fared best of those who were held up in a contest which suited those who raced up with the pace. The horses who were  held up in that Ayr contest couldn't have done much more to advertise the form. Jackhammer, who was sent off favourite, has gone on to win 3 of his next 4 starts (beaten just a neck in the other). The fifth placed horse, Edgar Allan Poe, has won two of his three subsequent starts. Even the eighth placed horse Restive who was also inconvenienced by the pace bias has won a...