The Student Punter

Some great racing all around the country on Saturday, notably the £1million Ebor at York, but I'm off to Goodwood and have found one in the seven furlong handicap there who looks worth a bet to me. 15:15 Goodwood Kimifive  endured a luckless passage in the Stewards Cup last time out but when the gaps appeared he rattled home late on. The run suggested this return to seven furlongs should be no problem at all and the form of the Stewards Cup looks pretty solid with a few horses following up with big runs in top handicaps. Joseph Tuite's charge has the all important course form in the book here too, he won going away over track and trip off a mark of 88 back at the beginning of May and has been far from disgraced in some top quality handicaps since. His run off today's mark of 92 at Haydock three starts back reads very well now, finishing second beaten a neck by Beat Le Bon who is now rated 9lb higher and contests the Group 2 Celebration Mile earlier on the card here...

Keeping write ups fairly short this weekend but hoping to continue the blinding month we've had so far. 15:15 Ripon I think one of the biggest bits of advice I usually give people when it comes to betting on racing is that there is no time for loyalty, just because a horse wins for you it doesn't mean you have to follow it the next time. Having said that this is one of the occasions where that goes out the window, because I think Lahore (who did us a favour earlier this month) has a good chance of following up his course and distance success in the Great St Wilfrid on Saturday. I made the case previously that he was starting to look well treated and he duly obliged off a mark of 90, he's only be nudged up 3lb for that and I suspect this race may suit him better. There's plenty of pace on here and he's well equipped for the forecast soggy conditions, granted luck in running he should go close and with firms paying 6 places each-way he looks a cracking ...

Just the one selection for Friday's action. I'm off on holiday for a week now but will be keeping an eye on York, so there's a chance I may have some selections next week. 19:30 Thirsk Al Erayg  is a very consistent performer when there is a bit of cut in the ground and with forecasts suggesting a damp afternoon at Thirsk, he is certainly a horse I want on side tomorrow. Tim Easterby's charge comes here off the back of a huge run at Haydock last Saturday, finishing second to Mikmak who was a selection on this blog. The pair finished nicely clear of the third who has won subsequently and with a strong pace looking likely again today, this could be run to suit. The son of Oasis Dream has run well at Thirsk before, finishing an unlucky never nearer fifth in a class 2 handicap over seven furlongs. That was off a mark of 84 and he is 4lb well in today after his recent Haydock effort, so gets in off just 74 for this class 4 contest. The favourite, Spiorad , will like...

15:50 Salisbury Anyone who has read this blog before will know it is very rare that I ever back one at a short price but I am very surprised that a John Golden filly has opened up 15/8 here. Fanny Logan  is a good way clear of her rivals on official ratings here and with the 8lb weight for age allowance also in her favour it is difficult to see her getting beat if she runs to form. The daughter of Sea The Stars took a nice step forward when landing a listed contest at York, the combination of a return to better ground and a drop in trip certainly seemed to suit as she ran out a comfortable winner. She accounted for some higher rated rivals than she is facing today when winning last time and is unexposed over this trip on better ground so further improvement is not out of the question either. Henry Candy has won 3 of the last 5 renewals of this race so has to be respected. The pick of his runners is probably Queen Of Time  but she is rated 9lb inferior to the selecti...

It's rare that I have a bet on Sunday racing but one of our NR's from this week is out on Sunday and has opened up at a nice price. 15:50 Leicester Lorton  was a non-runner when put up on Thursday and, although this race looks tougher, the odds more than compensate for that. She finished behind Dominus  and Princess Power  at Newmarket last time out but was at a big disadvantage being held up in that contest and did well to finish as close as she did after meeting trouble late on too. Julie Camacho's filly never got the chance to get involved in that race and previous to that it was another hard luck story. At Ripon she found herself stuck behind a wall of horses in a race which Bossipop dictated from the front, once she finally found the room to race it was already too late. She looked to finish full of running that day, so after being beaten three lengths off a mark of 87 that day she should have a good chance off 3lb lower here. Aplomb  looks a big play...

13:55 Haydock Young Fire  is the potential fly in the ointment here on his first start for David O'Meara, my knowledge of French form isn't amazing but judging on what I can see and RPR's there is a chance this mark of 88 could underestimate him. Any money that comes will be a good indication of what is expected but I am looking for an each-way alternative at the current prices. I thought  Mikmak  had been laid out to win the Thirsk Summer Cup for a second year in a row but despite running a big race he could only manage third. He looked the winner a furlong out but was headed late on after possibly hitting the front too soon. His penultimate run when he finished second at Ripon has worked out incredibly well, the winner subsequently landing a listed contest, the third went on to be placed in a valuable Galway handicap and the fourth and sixth have both won since. He seems to be suited by big field handicaps and will appreciate the dig underfoot, with some firms o...

Having to post this from my phone so apologies for the shorter write up, one bet for Thursdays action. 15:00 Haydock Lorton  has been running much better than her recent form figures suggest and she may find this easier than some of her recent assignments. She never had a chance to get involved from off the pace on the July course last time out, indeed she probably did well to finish as close as she did. Prior to that Julie Camacho's filly got stuck behind a wall of horses at Ripon and looked to finish full of running only beaten three lengths. She has been dropped 3lb for those two runs and prior to those she had been running consistently well and looks to have the ability to win off this mark of 84. Lorton 9/2 - 1 Point Win

Well I think it is safe to say we are on a roll at present! Three selections so far this week, with all three obliging at odds of 6/1, 9/2 and 11/1. There was plenty of races to get stuck into on Wednesday but unfortunately the quality isn't the greatest. However, just like yesterday, I've found one at 11/1 I'm going to take a small chance on each way. 15:50 Pontefract This looks a very weak handicap where the three year olds near the top of the market don't look up to much and the other horse challenging for favouritism, Newmarket Warrior , is better on the All-Weather. That said, he is now 2lb below the mark of his only turf win so he has to be taken into consideration down in grade. Annoyingly, this selection was available at twice the price last night with firms I am unable to get on with, but I still just about make So Macho  worth a bet here. He showed enough ability in novice races last year to suggest he should be getting in the winners enclosure s...

Well we couldn't have asked for a better day yesterday, the only two bets of the day both did the business at odds of 9/2 and 6/1. Unfortunately, Tuesday's racing doesn't give a great opportunity of keeping the ball rolling but I have found an each-way selection I'll be having a small bet on at Catterick. 17:10 Catterick Bea Ryan  looks likely to go off favourite here and it's easy to see why given her unexposed profile, but it's hard to argue she's offering any value at current prices. Instead, I'm going to take advantage of the extra places many firms are offering on the race and have a small each-way bet. Mr Strutter  has to be of interest given he is 3-6 over course and distance but it does look like he could be in the handicappers grip for now. While Explain  has his preferred ground for the first time in a while and has fallen to an attractive mark, but he isn't the most reliable performer and hasn't always looked totally straight fo...

Glorious Goodwood ended up being a quiet week in terms of blog posts but what a week of action it was. Pinatubo kicked off the festival with an absolute demolition job in the Vintage Stakes on Tuesday and it would take a brave man to oppose him for the rest of his juvenile season based on that performance. Later that day Stradivarius did what Stradivarius does, wins. A stylish ride from Frankie saw him celebrating before he'd even crossed the line (something Mr Gosden didn't seem to pleased about), and 24 hours later that pair would be celebrating again with Too Darn Hot landing the Sussex Stakes. The big guns certainly came to the fore and the standard of racing was excellent but the story of the week for me came before the main racecard kicked off on Thursday. That is the story of Khadijah Mellah, the young teenager from Peckham who hadn't even sat on a horse two months ago, becoming the first jockey to ride in a hijab - and she won the race! I urge anyone who hasn...