DanV89

That made for comfortable watching. Cheers and well done Richard. 

Just a few photos from Aintree on Saturday,
nothing special as it was hissing down and dark but still an enjoyable day!
1. Jers Girl

2. Agrapart and Lizzy Kelly

3. Agrapart

4.Becher Chase

5. Highland Lodge leads at the Elbow

6. Highland Lodge

7. Denis O'Regan

8. 21 year old Amberleigh House
 

 
9. Southfields Theatre, Many Clouds, Menorah & Don Poli

Don Poli beats Many Clouds

Don Poli

Grand Sefton Chase

 
 

No Justice, Timmy Murphy banned, Jamie Spencer still riding 

Yes, saw it on RUK last night............the boys in the studio discussed it a bit after the ban was announced
To be honest I couldn't really see anything different to what you see a hundred times
But then I must admit that I can't spot 'non triers' as a rule..........just as all horses look the same so do all rides look the same unless it's something blatant and pointed out to me in slow motion
So in my ignorance of not able to discern what he'd done wrong 14 days seems very steep to me.
 

Oceanographer in the 6-10 at Kempton, 1 pt win at 11/10 with Stan James.com. Found lots when hacking up at Chelmsford last month and no reason why it cant do likewise today with Kirby in the plate. Looks to be something special perhaps.

Ta 
Not sure i,m putting this in the proper place but a mod can move or delete if needed.
I like to follow Irish trained runners when they run outside Ireland especially on the flat and all weather it can prove profitable especially if you get on early as they tend to be backed a lot of the time here is a site for  that shows where, when and how they run for anyone who is interested.
http://www.irishracing.com/irish-runners-in-uk.html

Dove Mountain was a NR ran last night instead in the last a wolver was 9's early on  won 6/1.

From the Racing Post
 
Cheekpieces have helped X RAISE come back to form here on her last two starts and she should make another bold bid. She just had the edge over the reliable Cahar Fad in a similar contest on the first of them and can confirm her superiority. Longstanding maiden Lions Charge ran well when second here last week and has claims if reproducing that effort, while this test will suit Zarliman better than that he has faced over hurdles of late.

105 chelt 
Keel haul     98.87
Sew on target   98.86 
La vaticane    98.81 
La vatixane sets the standard here as fav around 7/2.....will be hard to peg back as has a lot in his favour ....but top two are just too big priced to ignore ....both will have to be at their best to win this and neither is guarnteed to do that but when on song both are fully capable so just down to luck which one will turn up .....nonetheless ...good value bets 
Sew on target  2 pts ew  11/1 stanj
Keel haul    2 pts ew 25/1 boyles 

Owner and trainer expecting a good run from X Raise in the 7.50 at Wolves tonight. 2 starts ago they tried the application of cheek-pieces and adopting front running tactics. This seems to have resulted in an upturn in form. Should also help that this is a classified stakes race rather than a handicap as X Raise carried bottom weight due to her age. Currently 9/1. Good luck if getting on.

The growth of the betting history has affected racing. It's easy to have an opinion on a football match but much harder to pick the winner of the big Saturday handicap for example as robertob alluded to before. No longer does your average punter have to go and follow pricewise to have a bet but just assemble a quick football or rugby acca.
That's not entirely C4's fault but their coverage is awful. There are a few trainers like John Gosden who make interesting points but no one really wants to hear the usual repetitive rubbish from jockeys and trainers every week. No one wants to hear the panel go on about how tough the handicap is and who their selection would be if they had a bet while Tanya reports the each-way money for a horse clipped into 7s from 8s despite drifting on the exchanges. Not only is it extremely repetitive for the people interested in the racing but any casual punter who wants to have a bet is probably going to be pushed over to Saturday football.
Cramming all the good racing into Saturdays is hardly the way to go as the sport is never going to overshadow the Premier League. The BHA should be looking at putting some of the big Saturday flat meetings later in the day to avoid the main football action and some decent racing during the week and on Sundays too. The Irish Champion works well on Saturday evening and the 1000 Guineas works on a Sunday so there's no reason why the schedule should be so focused on Saturday afternoons. Isn't the evening meeting at Sandown early in the flat season extremely popular as well?
Interestingly the big festivals at Aintree, Cheltenham, Punchestown and the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown seem more popular than ever so it's not as if racing is completely on the decline despite dropping viewing figures. Is jumps on the up despite issues in the lower ranks?
Another thing is these ridiculous bookie restrictions. It's understandable that bookmakers are businesses and need to make a profit but not being able to get a tenner on an evens shot is quite frankly a disgrace. I logged onto my Boyles account a couple of weeks back to place a bet on the RWC but couldn't get 10 euro on Uruguay to beat the handicap against Fiji. A multi million euro company couldn't lay a small stakes punter like me 10 quid at evens. I later got an email saying I was restricted despite placing just twenty one 10 euro bets with them. If people are getting restricted that easily how can people maintain interest in betting which is crucial to the success of horse racing?

Fair points you make Richard, absolutely, and I agree with you in most what you say, without a doubt - but  in my mind you're talking about dedicated horse racing punters, not your general Saturday afternoon punter. I don't believe those are interested in speed ratings or any deep analysis at all. I'm pretty sure that would bore them to death as much as watching fashion and hats does. What they want is a simple bet, simple action, something they know about and can talk about. Is that Horse racing? No, probably not... not any more. 
You and me, who love the sport, who are dedicated followers, we want to see that kind of deep analysis, new methods of looking at races - from our point of view as fans racing hasn't lost its appeal. For me personally it hasn't - otherwise I wouldn't be here in this forum. But you and me, we're are racing fans.
So the question is: is it the same for the casual viewer? The Saturday afternoon punter? The one who sympathises with the sport, but wouldn't die if it would be banned tomorrow? No, it isn't. And that is the crux. C4's coverage is intended to appeal to the casual Saturday afternoon punter. Not to you and me as racing die-hards. If we like it or not - this casual viewer makes the core audience for a TV channel like C4. They make money with advertising to a large proportion, so what they need are eyeballs.  
Now, this audience though, in our modern, digitalised world, is so much more difficult to engage and to reach. Hundreds of TV channels on the box; multiple screens......, there are oh so many different things screaming for attention! 
At the same time racing is competing against other sports - sport that wants your attention (and money) as well. The Premier League in particular of course. Switch on the TV on a Saturday afternoon: there is Premier League football, Italian, French, Spanish football, Rugby.... you name it. And then here is horse racing - competing with all these options, trying to get a chunk of your attention. And then there is C4, trying to attract a viewing audience, broadcasting a sport which has to compete that hard to stand out.
And the Saturday afternoon punter? Wants to brag about his 10fold acca on Monday morning in the office canteen. Not about losers on the nags. "How could Rooney miss that one?" Anyone can relate to it because most have seen it. In contrast, if you're lucky, one will slate Jamie Spencer for an overconfident ride on the odds-on favourite in the 4.45 at Newmarket. And this has nothing to do with Gok Wang (or whatever his name) talking about fashion before the Epsom Derby, or because Graham Cunningham comes up with another crude theory why this or that horse is the "real deal". 
And the "modern punter"? Has nothing to with C4's coverage. The modern punter is sitting in front of his laptop, setting up a bot to trade on some Tennis match in the Arabic desert. That says, more data available, like sectional times - would it stop the trend? To an extend maybe, it may well attract some new punters having an interest in the sport. Those who are more analytical perhaps. But we are talking about a minority nonetheless, not millions of punters. And secondly: that this sort of data isn't widely available (like for example compare what details the general punter can get in Hong Kong) is hardly C4's fault. But again, it has a very limited impact on viewing figures. That's is my belief, at least. 
It has to be said I'm talking about appeal the sport makes on TV, not in general as a whole. That's two pair of shoos. 

actually ..I have noticed that the last trainer they interview just before the race off tends yo do really well in the race ....dont know if its coincidence or whether they know where moneys going and interview that specific trainer ...but ive lost count of times that last trainer has gone on to win or place in following big race .    very unusual but it happens a lot 

What worries me about asking trainers before races is that they might know about their own horse but they don't know about all the other runners !
I think it might be more the lazy presenter questions that annoy me.......the sort of 'what's the plan now'? question where every trainer just says 'oh, we'll get him home and have a look at and have a word with the owner'
I mean, what's the point !

Come on Jimmy,  your better than that!
Class 6, Wolver, Rag

Not sure how Bluemal missed
Blue Sea Of Ibrox - won 20/1
Must be kicking the cat!!

A12.45 Agent Murphy 6/1 Bet365
^ Good luck DavV89 with Halation, fancy that one myself but going for a conservative selection today to try and get off the mark for this month ! I have this race between Agent Murphy and Forgotten Rules. Agent Murphy is a course winner but the key is that the horse is staying on at the end over shorter trips. Finished 2nd in the Irirsh St Leger last time out and this extra 2 furlongs should be perfect. Has a lot of class and the horse is 2 from 2 when racing on softer ground.
 

345 newm 
goathland  98.76
not never    98.69
mustard    98.68
wonder laish 98.65 
 
another tough race but peter chappal hyam won this last year and saddles the top rated goathland here ..priced at 16/1 he looks an easy ew bet ..   
goathland 2 pts ew 16/1 lads

I suppose that's one advantage of betting in a betting shop.......if your winner is subsequently disqualified you've got your money in your pocket and you're half way home
Of course, you've got to live with the guilty conscience.......

Treve bids for a historic third Arc - yes, that's a third one..... on the bounce! But you probably know that already. Anyway; she's going to win? Possibly. The wonder mare is hard to oppose. Her form stands up to all scrutiny. She was utterly impressive in her prep. She has a fair draw. Only in-running trouble can spoil the party. Or the ground? Maybe. It's slightly quicker than ideal for her.
So, what to make of the race? Treve is going to win if all goes to plan. However every horse has only a certain chance by percentage after all and with the favourite over-bet, there is value elsewhere to find.
Tapestry: A super filly. Now four years old, she returned from an almost year long absence last month at the Curragh where she finished an excellent runner-up behind smart Ribbons in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes. She was beaten for speed but fought gamely. She'll be better over the 1m 4f Arc trip.
The Ballydoyle filly was second in last years Irish Oaks but made no mistakes when lowering the colours of supper filly Taghrooda in the Yorkshire Oaks. A long, hard season was telling, though, when she finished down the field in the 2014 Arc.
I expect her to improve big time for her comeback run, which in itself was a strong performance. But fitness wise she'll be better today, and she'll certainty enjoy the sound surface- the good draw is a bonus. Tapestry is a smart, genuine filly, not the likeliest winner, of course, but has plenty of good things on her side, so at 40/1 I have to say she is more likely to outrun her price tag than not.
Erupt: A three year old colt with strong course and distance form; he is the reigning champ of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris..... and you get 25's? WOW! I guess he was an even bigger price earlier this week, nonetheless, this us huge, considering that this price tag is seemingly based on a poor showing in the Prix Niel.
Okay, he was easily beaten by New Bay that day, but the ground was very soft. It's a different scenario today. The good ground will surely make all the difference to Erupt's performance and with a perfect draw in 4 he's very likely to find himself in an excellent position when the field turns for home.
Once he hits top gear, he can be difficult to peg back. He may not have shown his absolute best yet, either. There is a possibility for him improving, again. That says I'm pretty confident to see him finish at least in the top five.
What else? Well, Golden Horn, of course! The Derby and Irish Champion Stakes winner is an intriguing contender. Personally I'm worried about the draw. He'll have to be extra special to overcome it and to beat Treve.
French Derby winner New Bay is touted to be the biggest danger for Treve. But is he? The fast ground is a clear question mark in my eyes. He has a super draw, though. I do look forward to see whether he can translate his excellent form and talent to this different surface. No excuses being drawn in five, that's for sure. But honestly, I wouldn't bet on it.
Summery: Treve will win. I want to see her doing it. Make history, love. I don't think the ground is too much of an inconvenience. She'll be fine. If she gets a clear passage, she's pulverizing this field. If not, well, then I hope quite selfishly, one of my two fancies can sneak in.
Erupt @ 25/1 Betfred - 5pts Win 
Tapestry @ 40/1 Racebets - 5pts Win

thats exactly how I feel about him .....postponed is rated 127 on timeform and id put eagle top on the same ...maybe 126 .......last years arc was won in 129 ....so if you forgive the recent flop which tbh was on dire heavy ground and totally unsuitable then I agree a performance around 127 could see at least place .....50/1 is just too big and is probably the only value bet left in the race 

Had the chance to go over to Cologne last weekend to the big racing weekend around the Group 1 'Preis Von Europa'. Two days of excellent racing, with the big Group 1 as the main act, but also some intriguing listed events and international starters, mainly from France. Cologne is a huge race track, with two old wooden stands, restaurants and betting halls, yet a lovely, cosy track. Not quite the newest standard, nonetheless with good facilities and full of charm. The track was rammed both days, with almost a 16.000 capacity crowd on Sunday. 
The big race went to the tough filly Nightflower, ridden by Andrasch Starke. She was Oaks runner-up earlier this year but flew home on Sunday, beating fine opposition in Dubday, Ito and Sirius. 
 
Here a couple of my shots from the weekend...

Nightflower - winner of the G1 'Preis Von Europa'


Frankie having a laugh before the big race

 

Nightflower before the race

Sirius - Runner-up in the G1 'Preis Von Europa'

Eric

 

 

View from the main stand

 

 

 

 

 

not very often all the pieces fall into place like that ......theyve gotta do it on the day ....nice when they do .....on to the next one !!

Brilliant thanks a lot Richard.

H2.10 Zenafire 20/1 Bet365
The 20/1 is being nibbled at in a few places and that's a good sign for this previous course winner (only one other course winner in the field). The horse races off its lowest ever handicap mark here having having off 18lb higher in the past and won off 12lb higher. The horse clearly has ability on a going day and was running a better race last time out until meeting trouble in running. A return to this course might just see the horse in the mix again and today's jockey has been on board for both the horses career wins.