Darran

Well the racing study paid off so hopefully the football can follow suit tomorrow.

It’s all about making a profit. There is nothing wrong with backing 2, 3 or sometimes 4 in a race if the prices allow. I was reasonably confident one of them would win but didn’t favour one over the other which is why I had the same amount on both. Obviously completely up to the individual on what they do but I certainly wouldn’t be afraid of backing more than one in a race.

Hopefully the weather allows most if not all games to take place on Saturday and I have 7 bets. Fairly brief preview this week because of time.
Maidenhead v Boreham Wood
Nearly got paid out on Boreham Wood on Saturday and they travel to a Maidenhead side who are struggling at the moment. This should be 3 points for the away side and any odds against looks a good price.
Halifax v Woking
Bit of a drift on Halifax although hard to see why. I opposed Woking in their last away game at Notts County and they got their first away point in 6 games. Since then they have picked up 4 points at home, but their win against Maidenhead last week was their first in 5 games and I am not sure that says a lot. Halifax's loss at Torquay is their only league defeat in 9 games.
Farsely v Hereford
Quite simply if Hereford can repeat their performance in their 4-1 win at York on Tuesday they will win this. That is no guarantee but at the price I am happy to pay to find out.
Maidstone v Welling
Maidstone have lost 4 on the bounce now and look badly out of form. They lost 5-1 at Weymouth last weekend and Welling, who have won 5 of their last 7 look more than capable of winning this.
Oxford City v Chippenham
Chippenham's only loss in 5 games came against Welling and they have won the other 4. I mentioned that Mike Cook would be more than capable of getting them out of trouble and make them hard to beat as he did at Gloucester last season. They have only lost 2 of their last 9 and they look value to win at an inconsistent Oxford.
Basford v Buxton
Taking a flyer here as Buxton are much improved since the change of manager and although they go to 2nd in the table Basford have only won once in their last 4. With Buxton unbeaten in 6 they are worth taking a chance at a big price.
Walton Casuals v Hendon
It is just 2 points in their last 10 games for the home side and after losing a couple Hendon were back to form with a 3-3 draw against Taunton. They look a good price at odds against.
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 5/4 with William Hill and Betway
Halifax 1pt @ 7/5 with Bet365
Hereford 1pt @ 5/2 with BetVictor
Welling 2pts @ 2/1 with BetVictor and Betway
Chippenham 1pt @ 9/4 with BetVictor 
Buxton 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
Hendon 2.5pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor

Hopefully the weather allows most if not all games to take place on Saturday and I have 7 bets. Fairly brief preview this week because of time.
Maidenhead v Boreham Wood
Nearly got paid out on Boreham Wood on Saturday and they travel to a Maidenhead side who are struggling at the moment. This should be 3 points for the away side and any odds against looks a good price.
Halifax v Woking
Bit of a drift on Halifax although hard to see why. I opposed Woking in their last away game at Notts County and they got their first away point in 6 games. Since then they have picked up 4 points at home, but their win against Maidenhead last week was their first in 5 games and I am not sure that says a lot. Halifax's loss at Torquay is their only league defeat in 9 games.
Farsely v Hereford
Quite simply if Hereford can repeat their performance in their 4-1 win at York on Tuesday they will win this. That is no guarantee but at the price I am happy to pay to find out.
Maidstone v Welling
Maidstone have lost 4 on the bounce now and look badly out of form. They lost 5-1 at Weymouth last weekend and Welling, who have won 5 of their last 7 look more than capable of winning this.
Oxford City v Chippenham
Chippenham's only loss in 5 games came against Welling and they have won the other 4. I mentioned that Mike Cook would be more than capable of getting them out of trouble and make them hard to beat as he did at Gloucester last season. They have only lost 2 of their last 9 and they look value to win at an inconsistent Oxford.
Basford v Buxton
Taking a flyer here as Buxton are much improved since the change of manager and although they go to 2nd in the table Basford have only won once in their last 4. With Buxton unbeaten in 6 they are worth taking a chance at a big price.
Walton Casuals v Hendon
It is just 2 points in their last 10 games for the home side and after losing a couple Hendon were back to form with a 3-3 draw against Taunton. They look a good price at odds against.
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 5/4 with William Hill and Betway
Halifax 1pt @ 7/5 with Bet365
Hereford 1pt @ 5/2 with BetVictor
Welling 2pts @ 2/1 with BetVictor and Betway
Chippenham 1pt @ 9/4 with BetVictor 
Buxton 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
Hendon 2.5pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor

Great to get back to back winners Clondaw Westie running out a nice winner under a good front ride from James King. As I mentioned in the preview he looked to have his ideal conditions and we knew he was match fit and those two things combined have won the day for me. He did jump to his right at times and it got worse late on, but it didn't make a difference. I'd be wary of him following up as I suspect the form isn't going to be the strongest, but if he gets his conditions again and finds a suitable race he could add to this. Even so he has won just over £4k and it would have been hard to see him winning a handicap worth that sort of money or more so it was a good piece of placing from his trainer. It was a 1-2 for the Hills with Sir Mangan finishing 2nd. He ran well given he had been off for a while and you would hope he can build on that. 
More Buck's looked the winner for me turning for home as he travelled into the race very strongly, but he couldn't pick up in the ground and if Aintree is the plan then he wasn't knocked about once he couldn't win. The trainer won the Aintree Foxhunters with Dineur and he finished 2nd in this in one of his qualifying runs before his first run in the race when he was 2nd to On The Fringe. It wouldn't surprise me if he appeared in the entries for Fakenham on Friday tomorrow.
Aqua Dude ran well enough, but got tired late on. Given it was nearly 3 months from his previous run there is every chance he needed this and I wouldn't be giving up on him just yet. All of them shortened up at some stage, but Bob Ford was the strangest move for me and he didn't jump great. He clearly needs further as well. Tinkers Hill Tommy unseated at the 10th and unless it was factored into the price I think I would find it hard to back him if Anna rides him again based on what I saw today.
If Stratford goes ahead the next race is there on Monday. Tomorrow the 6 day decs come out for Cheltenham.

Great call Darran, well done mate

Win or lose, thank you as always for your time and effort. It doesn't really matter about putting leagues, all the predictions and insights are already there so it doesn't hurt to actually search for the teams are in which league. I usually just search without a problem and takes less than two minutes but thanks to @Mindfulness for being thoughtful putting them down under which leagues too. ?? Good luck all. 
 

Well the racing study paid off so hopefully the football can follow suit tomorrow.

Hopefully the weather allows most if not all games to take place on Saturday and I have 7 bets. Fairly brief preview this week because of time.
Maidenhead v Boreham Wood
Nearly got paid out on Boreham Wood on Saturday and they travel to a Maidenhead side who are struggling at the moment. This should be 3 points for the away side and any odds against looks a good price.
Halifax v Woking
Bit of a drift on Halifax although hard to see why. I opposed Woking in their last away game at Notts County and they got their first away point in 6 games. Since then they have picked up 4 points at home, but their win against Maidenhead last week was their first in 5 games and I am not sure that says a lot. Halifax's loss at Torquay is their only league defeat in 9 games.
Farsely v Hereford
Quite simply if Hereford can repeat their performance in their 4-1 win at York on Tuesday they will win this. That is no guarantee but at the price I am happy to pay to find out.
Maidstone v Welling
Maidstone have lost 4 on the bounce now and look badly out of form. They lost 5-1 at Weymouth last weekend and Welling, who have won 5 of their last 7 look more than capable of winning this.
Oxford City v Chippenham
Chippenham's only loss in 5 games came against Welling and they have won the other 4. I mentioned that Mike Cook would be more than capable of getting them out of trouble and make them hard to beat as he did at Gloucester last season. They have only lost 2 of their last 9 and they look value to win at an inconsistent Oxford.
Basford v Buxton
Taking a flyer here as Buxton are much improved since the change of manager and although they go to 2nd in the table Basford have only won once in their last 4. With Buxton unbeaten in 6 they are worth taking a chance at a big price.
Walton Casuals v Hendon
It is just 2 points in their last 10 games for the home side and after losing a couple Hendon were back to form with a 3-3 draw against Taunton. They look a good price at odds against.
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 5/4 with William Hill and Betway
Halifax 1pt @ 7/5 with Bet365
Hereford 1pt @ 5/2 with BetVictor
Welling 2pts @ 2/1 with BetVictor and Betway
Chippenham 1pt @ 9/4 with BetVictor 
Buxton 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
Hendon 2.5pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor

With Leicester off we are down to just the Welsh Foxhunter at Ffos Las and it carries decent enough prize money for the grade. It is a bit of odd race as well as none of them have completed in a hunter chase or point to point this season as those who have run in one have pulled up.
More Buck's has been put in as favourite and he won the Summer Plate at Market Rasen in 2018 strangely enough beating one of today's rivals Too Many Diamonds in the process. His last win came 14 months ago at Ludlow off 133 and he's basically struggled in 10 runs since. So we don't know what sort of form he is in and after that win his jockey James Bowen got off and said he really needs that type of good ground. My guess is they want to try and qualify him for Aintree so a run in the first 3 here would rack up one of the runs needed and I just wonder if he might be ridden with that in mind, especially on this testing ground.
Tinker Hill Tommy has got some very good hunter chase and pointing form to his name and I think a mark of 112 under estimates him. The last time we saw him was when he walked away with the Dunraven Bowl in 2018. That was a superb performance and it is also worth considering he has finished a close 2nd in a John Corbet as well. Three things concern me here. First of all the ground has to be a worry as he got very tired on heavy ground at Exeter when 3rd to Salubrious. I felt at the time though he paid for trying to live with the classy winner though which didn't help. The Chepstow win was on soft and it was soft on his seasonal return that season when a close 2nd to Battle Dust which was a good effort. You have to worry about Ffos Las heavy though especially with nearly two years off, which is my second worry. He has run well fresh, but the combination of a long lay off on bad ground could be tough for him. The 3rd worry is the jockey. Anna has never ridden under rules before and she has only had just over 30 rides in points for 3 wins. All that combined is enough to put me off backing him although I do like the horse and it wouldn't surprise me if he did end up being good enough.
Aqua Dude has clearly had his issues over the years but he has proven to be a decent horse. Prior to his point run here in December his last run was when pulling up in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2017. He pulled up here as well, but there was enough in it for me to think he has a chance here. It was testing ground and he tried to go with Wishing And Hoping until his stamina ran out. He might also have had a little issue as well given he has been off since. This looks more his trip and he should strip fitter here so he looks a big player to me.
I'm not sure if Alan and Lawney Hill have ever had a runner against each other before but they do here as Alan has Sir Mangan and Lawney has Clondaw Westie. Sir Mangan had some decent form for Dan Skelton, but he looked to be losing his form when last seen a year ago and he doesn't look like he wants testing ground either. Clondaw Westie makes more appeal. He was beaten a long way in 2nd at Leicester last time, but he was well in front of the 3rd and the winner looked well handicapped. It is interesting they are running him in a hunter chase given he now can't run in a handicap until June. The ground won't be an issue and the trip will be fine. Others have had higher rating than him in this race, but he could take advantage of the questions marks over some of the other fancied horses.
Bob Ford is the only other one in with a chance according to the betting, but his form has all been over further. Granted the ground won't be an issue, but he surely needs a longer trip. Also he doesn't seem to have been in quite the same form he showed when winning at Uttoxeter on his seasonal debut in November of late.
I am happy to take two against the field here in Aqua Dude and Clondaw Westie. In my view they are the two who will be suited by the nature of this race the most. Aqua Dude has the better back class and there was enough in his return run for me to think he still has a fair bit of ability, whilst Clondaw Westie does well in heavy ground and ran well enough last time. More Bucks doesn't seem to want this ground and as much as I like Tinkers Hill Tommy there are too many question marks over him to want to back him for this although I do think he has the ability to win.
Aqua Dude 1pt @ 4/1 with William Hill, Betfair and Paddy Power
Clondaw Westie 1pt @ 5/1 with Betfair, BetVictor and Paddy Power

With Leicester off we are down to just the Welsh Foxhunter at Ffos Las and it carries decent enough prize money for the grade. It is a bit of odd race as well as none of them have completed in a hunter chase or point to point this season as those who have run in one have pulled up.
More Buck's has been put in as favourite and he won the Summer Plate at Market Rasen in 2018 strangely enough beating one of today's rivals Too Many Diamonds in the process. His last win came 14 months ago at Ludlow off 133 and he's basically struggled in 10 runs since. So we don't know what sort of form he is in and after that win his jockey James Bowen got off and said he really needs that type of good ground. My guess is they want to try and qualify him for Aintree so a run in the first 3 here would rack up one of the runs needed and I just wonder if he might be ridden with that in mind, especially on this testing ground.
Tinker Hill Tommy has got some very good hunter chase and pointing form to his name and I think a mark of 112 under estimates him. The last time we saw him was when he walked away with the Dunraven Bowl in 2018. That was a superb performance and it is also worth considering he has finished a close 2nd in a John Corbet as well. Three things concern me here. First of all the ground has to be a worry as he got very tired on heavy ground at Exeter when 3rd to Salubrious. I felt at the time though he paid for trying to live with the classy winner though which didn't help. The Chepstow win was on soft and it was soft on his seasonal return that season when a close 2nd to Battle Dust which was a good effort. You have to worry about Ffos Las heavy though especially with nearly two years off, which is my second worry. He has run well fresh, but the combination of a long lay off on bad ground could be tough for him. The 3rd worry is the jockey. Anna has never ridden under rules before and she has only had just over 30 rides in points for 3 wins. All that combined is enough to put me off backing him although I do like the horse and it wouldn't surprise me if he did end up being good enough.
Aqua Dude has clearly had his issues over the years but he has proven to be a decent horse. Prior to his point run here in December his last run was when pulling up in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2017. He pulled up here as well, but there was enough in it for me to think he has a chance here. It was testing ground and he tried to go with Wishing And Hoping until his stamina ran out. He might also have had a little issue as well given he has been off since. This looks more his trip and he should strip fitter here so he looks a big player to me.
I'm not sure if Alan and Lawney Hill have ever had a runner against each other before but they do here as Alan has Sir Mangan and Lawney has Clondaw Westie. Sir Mangan had some decent form for Dan Skelton, but he looked to be losing his form when last seen a year ago and he doesn't look like he wants testing ground either. Clondaw Westie makes more appeal. He was beaten a long way in 2nd at Leicester last time, but he was well in front of the 3rd and the winner looked well handicapped. It is interesting they are running him in a hunter chase given he now can't run in a handicap until June. The ground won't be an issue and the trip will be fine. Others have had higher rating than him in this race, but he could take advantage of the questions marks over some of the other fancied horses.
Bob Ford is the only other one in with a chance according to the betting, but his form has all been over further. Granted the ground won't be an issue, but he surely needs a longer trip. Also he doesn't seem to have been in quite the same form he showed when winning at Uttoxeter on his seasonal debut in November of late.
I am happy to take two against the field here in Aqua Dude and Clondaw Westie. In my view they are the two who will be suited by the nature of this race the most. Aqua Dude has the better back class and there was enough in his return run for me to think he still has a fair bit of ability, whilst Clondaw Westie does well in heavy ground and ran well enough last time. More Bucks doesn't seem to want this ground and as much as I like Tinkers Hill Tommy there are too many question marks over him to want to back him for this although I do think he has the ability to win.
Aqua Dude 1pt @ 4/1 with William Hill, Betfair and Paddy Power
Clondaw Westie 1pt @ 5/1 with Betfair, BetVictor and Paddy Power

Hopefully the weather allows most if not all games to take place on Saturday and I have 7 bets. Fairly brief preview this week because of time.
Maidenhead v Boreham Wood
Nearly got paid out on Boreham Wood on Saturday and they travel to a Maidenhead side who are struggling at the moment. This should be 3 points for the away side and any odds against looks a good price.
Halifax v Woking
Bit of a drift on Halifax although hard to see why. I opposed Woking in their last away game at Notts County and they got their first away point in 6 games. Since then they have picked up 4 points at home, but their win against Maidenhead last week was their first in 5 games and I am not sure that says a lot. Halifax's loss at Torquay is their only league defeat in 9 games.
Farsely v Hereford
Quite simply if Hereford can repeat their performance in their 4-1 win at York on Tuesday they will win this. That is no guarantee but at the price I am happy to pay to find out.
Maidstone v Welling
Maidstone have lost 4 on the bounce now and look badly out of form. They lost 5-1 at Weymouth last weekend and Welling, who have won 5 of their last 7 look more than capable of winning this.
Oxford City v Chippenham
Chippenham's only loss in 5 games came against Welling and they have won the other 4. I mentioned that Mike Cook would be more than capable of getting them out of trouble and make them hard to beat as he did at Gloucester last season. They have only lost 2 of their last 9 and they look value to win at an inconsistent Oxford.
Basford v Buxton
Taking a flyer here as Buxton are much improved since the change of manager and although they go to 2nd in the table Basford have only won once in their last 4. With Buxton unbeaten in 6 they are worth taking a chance at a big price.
Walton Casuals v Hendon
It is just 2 points in their last 10 games for the home side and after losing a couple Hendon were back to form with a 3-3 draw against Taunton. They look a good price at odds against.
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 5/4 with William Hill and Betway
Halifax 1pt @ 7/5 with Bet365
Hereford 1pt @ 5/2 with BetVictor
Welling 2pts @ 2/1 with BetVictor and Betway
Chippenham 1pt @ 9/4 with BetVictor 
Buxton 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
Hendon 2.5pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor

Hopefully the weather allows most if not all games to take place on Saturday and I have 7 bets. Fairly brief preview this week because of time.
Maidenhead v Boreham Wood
Nearly got paid out on Boreham Wood on Saturday and they travel to a Maidenhead side who are struggling at the moment. This should be 3 points for the away side and any odds against looks a good price.
Halifax v Woking
Bit of a drift on Halifax although hard to see why. I opposed Woking in their last away game at Notts County and they got their first away point in 6 games. Since then they have picked up 4 points at home, but their win against Maidenhead last week was their first in 5 games and I am not sure that says a lot. Halifax's loss at Torquay is their only league defeat in 9 games.
Farsely v Hereford
Quite simply if Hereford can repeat their performance in their 4-1 win at York on Tuesday they will win this. That is no guarantee but at the price I am happy to pay to find out.
Maidstone v Welling
Maidstone have lost 4 on the bounce now and look badly out of form. They lost 5-1 at Weymouth last weekend and Welling, who have won 5 of their last 7 look more than capable of winning this.
Oxford City v Chippenham
Chippenham's only loss in 5 games came against Welling and they have won the other 4. I mentioned that Mike Cook would be more than capable of getting them out of trouble and make them hard to beat as he did at Gloucester last season. They have only lost 2 of their last 9 and they look value to win at an inconsistent Oxford.
Basford v Buxton
Taking a flyer here as Buxton are much improved since the change of manager and although they go to 2nd in the table Basford have only won once in their last 4. With Buxton unbeaten in 6 they are worth taking a chance at a big price.
Walton Casuals v Hendon
It is just 2 points in their last 10 games for the home side and after losing a couple Hendon were back to form with a 3-3 draw against Taunton. They look a good price at odds against.
Boreham Wood 2pts @ 5/4 with William Hill and Betway
Halifax 1pt @ 7/5 with Bet365
Hereford 1pt @ 5/2 with BetVictor
Welling 2pts @ 2/1 with BetVictor and Betway
Chippenham 1pt @ 9/4 with BetVictor 
Buxton 1pt @ 6/1 with BetVictor
Hendon 2.5pts @ 23/20 with BetVictor

I'm not sure I have seen a more bizarre betting market than the one we saw here. If you weren't following the moves then Wishing And Hoping drifted from 4/11 to 8/11 (and went bigger on track and on Betfair), whilst Waterloo Warrior was backed from 3/1 into 5/4. This move happened very quickly as well especially in the later stages of it. Then the fav went back into 1/2 as the 2nd fav drifted back out. I could barely believe my eyes as I was watching the betting and you had to wonder if it was too good to be true. It seems that a very large staking punter was able to manipulate the market so that they started the move on Waterloo Warrior to then force the drift on Wishing And Hoping before going large on Wishing And Hoping. It seems plausible to me given how it happened although we will never know for certain. Anyway the winner did it every bit as easy as was expected and put in a cracking round of jumping bar the 2nd last. Aintree must come on the radar now, although I think Stratford would be an even better target and maybe they might give him a little break instead before going there. If he does go to Aintree though he would be on the shortlist.
When I put the preview up Absainte was around 7/1, but thanks in part to a gamble on Craggaknock and to a massive drift she went off at 18/1. That of course enhanced our forecast play and it paid £13.70 on the Tote and £10.89 on the CSF. As I mentioned in the preview connections must have been rather annoyed that Wishing And Hoping turned up as she would have bolted up without him. Hopefully she will find a winnable race before the season is out as she ran well here. Light Flicker didn't do too badly either on his first run for a while. Waterloo Warrior didn't take to it at all today although bizarrely the Racing Post analysis seemed to blame the ground even though he was 2nd in heavy ground at Leicester. He jumped poorly and was beaten from a long way out. To me it was too bad to be true.
Hopefully now I have a big price winner under my belt we can kick on with the rest of the season. Ffos Las and Leicester are both due to have races on Friday as long as the weather plays ball.

This Catterick race was always one of the weakest hunter chases of the season, but the quality has picked up in recent years and this year it has attracted a horse who some thought could have won this year's Foxhunter. I put on Twitter when the entries came out that it was top trolling from Phil Rowley to put Wishing And Hoping in this and not the Foxhunter to those who had backed him for that. It is worth remembering that Hazel Hill ran in a hunter chase at Towcester the day before the Foxhunter in 2018 so he has previous in aiming for a lesser target with a horse who could be capable of running a big race at Cheltenham. This looks a very shrewd bit of placing and connections of the others must be very frustrated that such a good horse has ended up in this. Some people have been saying the yard's form is a worry, but given he has had 5 winners from his last 14 runners that quite frankly is garbage. He will go from the front so he will be keeping things simple and if he gets round safely I don't really see how he gets beat.
Geordie and Craggaknock look unlikely to trouble for 2nd place. Light Flicker is half interesting as he was still going quite well at Cheltenham a couple of years ago when coming down at 4 out. Ironically he forced the unseat of a Rowley runner that night. He was a big price, but he was certainly out running his odds. He moved yards after that and the next season he won his maiden by 20L. There were only 3 runners and on the Cheltenham form he was always going to win that. That run was in November 2018 and he hasn't been seen since which has to be the concern. Also he tends to be up there and I can't see him being able to keep tabs on the favourite.
Absainte looked progressive last season until getting beaten at 4/7 on quick ground. She then ran in the mares race at Cheltenham's hunter chase night and ran with credit to finish 3rd. She then went to Cartmel and finished 3rd again, but she never really got involved that day. Maybe it came soon enough after a tough race at Cheltenham or it was a sharp enough trip for her. she returned last month and was impressive in victory although the race wasn't overly strong she couldn't have done it any easier and connections have been targeting this race.
Waterloo Warrior was certainly flattered by finishing so close to the winner at Leicester last month, but it did suggest that he need stepping up in trip as he was finishing strongly late on. He is clearly progressive as well and I would imagine connections had also ear marked this race as a likely target after that Leicester run.
This should be an easy victory for Wishing And Hoping as there are no negatives. He beat a horse at Taunton who is going to run at Cheltenham and was beaten by one of the leading fancies for the race at Haydock. There is nothing near those here. I think Waterloo Warrior or Absainte will finish 2nd and there should be profit to be made by splitting stakes on both either one of those things happening.
Wishing And Hoping to beat Waterloo Warrior 1pt f/c
Wishing And Hoping to beat Absainte 1pt f/c 

This Catterick race was always one of the weakest hunter chases of the season, but the quality has picked up in recent years and this year it has attracted a horse who some thought could have won this year's Foxhunter. I put on Twitter when the entries came out that it was top trolling from Phil Rowley to put Wishing And Hoping in this and not the Foxhunter to those who had backed him for that. It is worth remembering that Hazel Hill ran in a hunter chase at Towcester the day before the Foxhunter in 2018 so he has previous in aiming for a lesser target with a horse who could be capable of running a big race at Cheltenham. This looks a very shrewd bit of placing and connections of the others must be very frustrated that such a good horse has ended up in this. Some people have been saying the yard's form is a worry, but given he has had 5 winners from his last 14 runners that quite frankly is garbage. He will go from the front so he will be keeping things simple and if he gets round safely I don't really see how he gets beat.
Geordie and Craggaknock look unlikely to trouble for 2nd place. Light Flicker is half interesting as he was still going quite well at Cheltenham a couple of years ago when coming down at 4 out. Ironically he forced the unseat of a Rowley runner that night. He was a big price, but he was certainly out running his odds. He moved yards after that and the next season he won his maiden by 20L. There were only 3 runners and on the Cheltenham form he was always going to win that. That run was in November 2018 and he hasn't been seen since which has to be the concern. Also he tends to be up there and I can't see him being able to keep tabs on the favourite.
Absainte looked progressive last season until getting beaten at 4/7 on quick ground. She then ran in the mares race at Cheltenham's hunter chase night and ran with credit to finish 3rd. She then went to Cartmel and finished 3rd again, but she never really got involved that day. Maybe it came soon enough after a tough race at Cheltenham or it was a sharp enough trip for her. she returned last month and was impressive in victory although the race wasn't overly strong she couldn't have done it any easier and connections have been targeting this race.
Waterloo Warrior was certainly flattered by finishing so close to the winner at Leicester last month, but it did suggest that he need stepping up in trip as he was finishing strongly late on. He is clearly progressive as well and I would imagine connections had also ear marked this race as a likely target after that Leicester run.
This should be an easy victory for Wishing And Hoping as there are no negatives. He beat a horse at Taunton who is going to run at Cheltenham and was beaten by one of the leading fancies for the race at Haydock. There is nothing near those here. I think Waterloo Warrior or Absainte will finish 2nd and there should be profit to be made by splitting stakes on both either one of those things happening.
Wishing And Hoping to beat Waterloo Warrior 1pt f/c
Wishing And Hoping to beat Absainte 1pt f/c 

This Catterick race was always one of the weakest hunter chases of the season, but the quality has picked up in recent years and this year it has attracted a horse who some thought could have won this year's Foxhunter. I put on Twitter when the entries came out that it was top trolling from Phil Rowley to put Wishing And Hoping in this and not the Foxhunter to those who had backed him for that. It is worth remembering that Hazel Hill ran in a hunter chase at Towcester the day before the Foxhunter in 2018 so he has previous in aiming for a lesser target with a horse who could be capable of running a big race at Cheltenham. This looks a very shrewd bit of placing and connections of the others must be very frustrated that such a good horse has ended up in this. Some people have been saying the yard's form is a worry, but given he has had 5 winners from his last 14 runners that quite frankly is garbage. He will go from the front so he will be keeping things simple and if he gets round safely I don't really see how he gets beat.
Geordie and Craggaknock look unlikely to trouble for 2nd place. Light Flicker is half interesting as he was still going quite well at Cheltenham a couple of years ago when coming down at 4 out. Ironically he forced the unseat of a Rowley runner that night. He was a big price, but he was certainly out running his odds. He moved yards after that and the next season he won his maiden by 20L. There were only 3 runners and on the Cheltenham form he was always going to win that. That run was in November 2018 and he hasn't been seen since which has to be the concern. Also he tends to be up there and I can't see him being able to keep tabs on the favourite.
Absainte looked progressive last season until getting beaten at 4/7 on quick ground. She then ran in the mares race at Cheltenham's hunter chase night and ran with credit to finish 3rd. She then went to Cartmel and finished 3rd again, but she never really got involved that day. Maybe it came soon enough after a tough race at Cheltenham or it was a sharp enough trip for her. she returned last month and was impressive in victory although the race wasn't overly strong she couldn't have done it any easier and connections have been targeting this race.
Waterloo Warrior was certainly flattered by finishing so close to the winner at Leicester last month, but it did suggest that he need stepping up in trip as he was finishing strongly late on. He is clearly progressive as well and I would imagine connections had also ear marked this race as a likely target after that Leicester run.
This should be an easy victory for Wishing And Hoping as there are no negatives. He beat a horse at Taunton who is going to run at Cheltenham and was beaten by one of the leading fancies for the race at Haydock. There is nothing near those here. I think Waterloo Warrior or Absainte will finish 2nd and there should be profit to be made by splitting stakes on both either one of those things happening.
Wishing And Hoping to beat Waterloo Warrior 1pt f/c
Wishing And Hoping to beat Absainte 1pt f/c 

This Catterick race was always one of the weakest hunter chases of the season, but the quality has picked up in recent years and this year it has attracted a horse who some thought could have won this year's Foxhunter. I put on Twitter when the entries came out that it was top trolling from Phil Rowley to put Wishing And Hoping in this and not the Foxhunter to those who had backed him for that. It is worth remembering that Hazel Hill ran in a hunter chase at Towcester the day before the Foxhunter in 2018 so he has previous in aiming for a lesser target with a horse who could be capable of running a big race at Cheltenham. This looks a very shrewd bit of placing and connections of the others must be very frustrated that such a good horse has ended up in this. Some people have been saying the yard's form is a worry, but given he has had 5 winners from his last 14 runners that quite frankly is garbage. He will go from the front so he will be keeping things simple and if he gets round safely I don't really see how he gets beat.
Geordie and Craggaknock look unlikely to trouble for 2nd place. Light Flicker is half interesting as he was still going quite well at Cheltenham a couple of years ago when coming down at 4 out. Ironically he forced the unseat of a Rowley runner that night. He was a big price, but he was certainly out running his odds. He moved yards after that and the next season he won his maiden by 20L. There were only 3 runners and on the Cheltenham form he was always going to win that. That run was in November 2018 and he hasn't been seen since which has to be the concern. Also he tends to be up there and I can't see him being able to keep tabs on the favourite.
Absainte looked progressive last season until getting beaten at 4/7 on quick ground. She then ran in the mares race at Cheltenham's hunter chase night and ran with credit to finish 3rd. She then went to Cartmel and finished 3rd again, but she never really got involved that day. Maybe it came soon enough after a tough race at Cheltenham or it was a sharp enough trip for her. she returned last month and was impressive in victory although the race wasn't overly strong she couldn't have done it any easier and connections have been targeting this race.
Waterloo Warrior was certainly flattered by finishing so close to the winner at Leicester last month, but it did suggest that he need stepping up in trip as he was finishing strongly late on. He is clearly progressive as well and I would imagine connections had also ear marked this race as a likely target after that Leicester run.
This should be an easy victory for Wishing And Hoping as there are no negatives. He beat a horse at Taunton who is going to run at Cheltenham and was beaten by one of the leading fancies for the race at Haydock. There is nothing near those here. I think Waterloo Warrior or Absainte will finish 2nd and there should be profit to be made by splitting stakes on both either one of those things happening.
Wishing And Hoping to beat Waterloo Warrior 1pt f/c
Wishing And Hoping to beat Absainte 1pt f/c 

I have 3 bets for tonight although given we have had late call offs from all 3 venues of late there is no guarantee they will be on even though 2 have passed inspections already.
Concord v Royston
Not going to repeat myself from Saturday although sadly, but not surprisingly, the price is shorter than it was. Royston still the value play for me. Both sides will surely be dreaming of Wembley as well given they will be playing Halesowen in the semi-final.
AFC Fylde v Notts County
I put Notts County up for this game a couple of weeks ago when it got called off late. I am happy to play County again here. They had an easy afternoon in the FA Trophy against Aveley where they won 5-0. Meanwhile Fylde ended up having to go to extra time when losing 3-2 to Harrogate. The arguments used when the original game still stand and County look a big price.
Barnet v Boreham Wood
Barnet's home form has been strong in the league having lost just 3 games, but the players will need to be mentally strong to bounce back from losing to Halesown on Saturday. Barnet were poor and it could be that they thought they only had to turn up to beat a Step 4 side whereas tonight they are playing 4th in the league. Even so I think Boreham Wood are over priced here. They are having an incredible season and they are a side full of goals with Tshimanga and Marsh having scored 16 and 13 respectively. Matt Rhead was a cracking addition as well to the front line. They have only lost once since October and they have a chance better than the odds suggest,
Royson 2pts @  13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power
Notts County 1pt @ 23/10 with Bet365
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 21/10 with Bet365

I have 3 bets for tonight although given we have had late call offs from all 3 venues of late there is no guarantee they will be on even though 2 have passed inspections already.
Concord v Royston
Not going to repeat myself from Saturday although sadly, but not surprisingly, the price is shorter than it was. Royston still the value play for me. Both sides will surely be dreaming of Wembley as well given they will be playing Halesowen in the semi-final.
AFC Fylde v Notts County
I put Notts County up for this game a couple of weeks ago when it got called off late. I am happy to play County again here. They had an easy afternoon in the FA Trophy against Aveley where they won 5-0. Meanwhile Fylde ended up having to go to extra time when losing 3-2 to Harrogate. The arguments used when the original game still stand and County look a big price.
Barnet v Boreham Wood
Barnet's home form has been strong in the league having lost just 3 games, but the players will need to be mentally strong to bounce back from losing to Halesown on Saturday. Barnet were poor and it could be that they thought they only had to turn up to beat a Step 4 side whereas tonight they are playing 4th in the league. Even so I think Boreham Wood are over priced here. They are having an incredible season and they are a side full of goals with Tshimanga and Marsh having scored 16 and 13 respectively. Matt Rhead was a cracking addition as well to the front line. They have only lost once since October and they have a chance better than the odds suggest,
Royson 2pts @  13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power
Notts County 1pt @ 23/10 with Bet365
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 21/10 with Bet365

I have 3 bets for tonight although given we have had late call offs from all 3 venues of late there is no guarantee they will be on even though 2 have passed inspections already.
Concord v Royston
Not going to repeat myself from Saturday although sadly, but not surprisingly, the price is shorter than it was. Royston still the value play for me. Both sides will surely be dreaming of Wembley as well given they will be playing Halesowen in the semi-final.
AFC Fylde v Notts County
I put Notts County up for this game a couple of weeks ago when it got called off late. I am happy to play County again here. They had an easy afternoon in the FA Trophy against Aveley where they won 5-0. Meanwhile Fylde ended up having to go to extra time when losing 3-2 to Harrogate. The arguments used when the original game still stand and County look a big price.
Barnet v Boreham Wood
Barnet's home form has been strong in the league having lost just 3 games, but the players will need to be mentally strong to bounce back from losing to Halesown on Saturday. Barnet were poor and it could be that they thought they only had to turn up to beat a Step 4 side whereas tonight they are playing 4th in the league. Even so I think Boreham Wood are over priced here. They are having an incredible season and they are a side full of goals with Tshimanga and Marsh having scored 16 and 13 respectively. Matt Rhead was a cracking addition as well to the front line. They have only lost once since October and they have a chance better than the odds suggest,
Royson 2pts @  13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power
Notts County 1pt @ 23/10 with Bet365
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 21/10 with Bet365

I have 3 bets for tonight although given we have had late call offs from all 3 venues of late there is no guarantee they will be on even though 2 have passed inspections already.
Concord v Royston
Not going to repeat myself from Saturday although sadly, but not surprisingly, the price is shorter than it was. Royston still the value play for me. Both sides will surely be dreaming of Wembley as well given they will be playing Halesowen in the semi-final.
AFC Fylde v Notts County
I put Notts County up for this game a couple of weeks ago when it got called off late. I am happy to play County again here. They had an easy afternoon in the FA Trophy against Aveley where they won 5-0. Meanwhile Fylde ended up having to go to extra time when losing 3-2 to Harrogate. The arguments used when the original game still stand and County look a big price.
Barnet v Boreham Wood
Barnet's home form has been strong in the league having lost just 3 games, but the players will need to be mentally strong to bounce back from losing to Halesown on Saturday. Barnet were poor and it could be that they thought they only had to turn up to beat a Step 4 side whereas tonight they are playing 4th in the league. Even so I think Boreham Wood are over priced here. They are having an incredible season and they are a side full of goals with Tshimanga and Marsh having scored 16 and 13 respectively. Matt Rhead was a cracking addition as well to the front line. They have only lost once since October and they have a chance better than the odds suggest,
Royson 2pts @  13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power
Notts County 1pt @ 23/10 with Bet365
Boreham Wood 1pt @ 21/10 with Bet365

Time to make a 2nd bet. Derek O'Connor has said at a Cheltenham preview night that he expects to be riding Staker Wallace and not Minella Rocco. That is the right move for me and he surely can't give Staker Wallace as bad a ride as he gave Stand Up And Fight last year. I am a big fan of Derek and that was a rare poor ride from him. As for the horse he ran a very good race at Naas after a long time off. As stated at the time I am dubious of the form of that race anyway because of the fact it turned into a sprint and I think he can reverse form with the winner. He beat a good yardstick to qualify and although the Irish don't look a strong set of hunter chasers again this year, for me he is their number 1 contender. To be fair the British hopes don't look to have too much strength in depth to them anyway. With Derek set to ride he is surely going to go off single figures on the day and could be a shorter price than Minella Rocco.
Staker Wallace 0.75pts e/w @ 14/1 with Betfred or 10/1 if you want it with a NRMB bookie.
Also David Maxwell has stated in tomorrow's Racing Post that he hasn't actually decided who to ride in the race yet, but will only run one of his two as he doesn't want to be on the wrong one.

Time to make a 2nd bet. Derek O'Connor has said at a Cheltenham preview night that he expects to be riding Staker Wallace and not Minella Rocco. That is the right move for me and he surely can't give Staker Wallace as bad a ride as he gave Stand Up And Fight last year. I am a big fan of Derek and that was a rare poor ride from him. As for the horse he ran a very good race at Naas after a long time off. As stated at the time I am dubious of the form of that race anyway because of the fact it turned into a sprint and I think he can reverse form with the winner. He beat a good yardstick to qualify and although the Irish don't look a strong set of hunter chasers again this year, for me he is their number 1 contender. To be fair the British hopes don't look to have too much strength in depth to them anyway. With Derek set to ride he is surely going to go off single figures on the day and could be a shorter price than Minella Rocco.
Staker Wallace 0.75pts e/w @ 14/1 with Betfred or 10/1 if you want it with a NRMB bookie.
Also David Maxwell has stated in tomorrow's Racing Post that he hasn't actually decided who to ride in the race yet, but will only run one of his two as he doesn't want to be on the wrong one.

Another Saturday and another storm is set to hit most of the country so we could well see games being called off yet again. For some reason the FA Trophy quarter-finals have not been priced up at the time of writing and at least one team interest me depending on price so there might be more to be added, but as it stands I have 6 bets.
Barrow v Dagenham & Redbridge
I still think Barrow will win the league although letting a 2 goal lead slip at Sutton last week wasn't great and I have to back Dagenham at 6/1 to win there. They have been much improved since Daryl McMahon has taken over as boss and have put in some impressive performances. They have only conceded 1 goal in their last 4 games and will no doubt make it hard for Barrow. Obviously Barrow should be favourites but I make Dagenham no bigger than 3/1 so at double the price I am having a play.
Soliull Moors v Dover
Solihull lost to Dagenham last Saturday and I think they could fail again here against a Dover side who have lost just twice in their last 8 games. Those losses were at Halifax and Barrow so no discredit there at all and they thumped Fylde 5-1 on Saturday. Solihull have recently changed their manager, but they just seem in a bit of a slump at the moment and scoring goals has become a real issue. In their last 8 league games they have scored just 3 goals and have only won one of those games. Dover look a decent price and they have been good away from home for most of the season.
Yeovil v Wrexham
Yeovil looked set to play a part in the title race and then they went and failed to win in 6 league games and they now have to try and steady the ship so they can just stay in the play-offs. Dean Keates has finally got Wrexam playing some good stuff and they look like they will be able to climb to mid-table security easily. They are scoring goals now and have only failed to score in one of their last 7 games and that was against Dagenham. I think Wrexham can take full advantage of their rivals poor recent form just as they did at Bromley last week and look a massive price.
Blyth Spartans v Kettering
I'm surprised Kettering aren't shorter for this. Granted they haven't played since February 8th and haven't won in 4, but they have done really well under Paul Cox as I have mentioned plenty of times before. Blyth looked doomed for relegation and have lost 6 on the bounce now. Kettering should have too much for the home side.
Hartley Wintney v Blackfield & Langley (BetVictor Southern Premier League South)
Neither of these two sides are great, but the home side are in much better form having won 3 of their last 4 and proving they can beat the teams around them in the table. Blackfield have only picked up 2 points in their last 5 and have won just twice away from home all season.
Nuneaton v Bromsgrove Sporting (BetVictor Southen League Premier Central)
Redditch had lost 25 straight league games and then went and ended that run by beating Nuneaton last Saturday. That was clearly a poor effort and I think Bromsgrove who are in the title mix can also beat them. They lost last weekend at home, but their away form has been superb and they have won 10 games on their travels this season.
Dagenham & Redbridge 1pt @ 6/1 with Bet365
Dover 2pts @ 67/25 with Marathon
Wrexham 2pts @ 100/30 with William Hill
Kettering 2pts @ 29/20 with BetVictor
Hartley Wintney 1pt @ 131/100 with Marathon
Bromsgrove Sporting 1pt @ 11/8 with Marathon