PyRo's Horse Bets.

UrbanSea

I stand corrected Nulty,I forgot the mare's race wasn't 3 miles. But still a bit short for me. Carol's Legacy is a nice horse for me,but no grade 1 winner. Quevega won last year without running outstandingly,don't get me wrong,won it well,but wasn't asked very much if my memory serves me correct.I think 25/1 would be a nice bet but not 14/1

the groutch

does anyone know what height Mad Max is?

Juwwi

Sorry picture was too big

UrbanSea

6 ft 2 haha

x PyRo

Bank - 289.98pts (+189.98pts)

Yearly P/(L) - -40.55pts

I'll get it all back on the flat!



2:10 Kempton - Revelator - 1pt e/w @ 20/1 (Bet365)

I think that Alan McCabe's lightly raced 4 year old could be worth taking a chance on his polytrack debut. He showed little if anything over the fibresand of Southwell on all 3 starts for his new yard, but they were all over 1 mile when the track was riding slow and he's a horse who wouldn't be suited to stamina tests at all, as shown when failing to see out the mile last time out when finishing 4th, well behind the leading trio but well ahead of the four behind him. Connections now decide to drop Revelator down in trip to 7f, which based on breeding, should be ideal. He's also trying out unknown territory with regards to how he'll handle the polytrack but breeding would again suggest that it shouldn't be an inconvenience by any means.

Revelator is previously trained by Alan Jarvis, for whom he had his first 2 career runs with. He was well beaten on debut as a 2 year old before winning in very testing conditions over 6f at Catterick. He belied odds of 12/1 to win by an easy 2.5 lengths having been favoured by making all under Andrew Elliot. Next up was a run over hurdles after moving to the Paul Nicholls yard, in which he was sent off a 5/2 shot in a 5 runner field but pulled up having made a terrible mistake at the second hurdle. He was obviously not suited to running in that code then moved here to McCabe's yard to run his first race in a handicap, running poorly off 77 on two occasions, then that run off 67 last time out when showing a bit more and now he runs off 64 against some pretty poor opposition. There's potentially more to come from this fellow and he looks well handicapped on his Catterick win, in which he looked potentially very decent.

Interestingly, Hobbie Gill (no idea who she is) was on board Revelator on all 3 of his starts for McCabe and is now replaced by James Doyle, who's a very capable jockey, especially on the All Weather. He's riding very well of late and this is his only ride of the day, plus it's McCabe's only runner of the day too. 3 of their last 10 runners have won and many more have went close, so the yard is clearly in decent order and due a bit more luck for sure. Revelator should also be much fitter for the 2 runs in December and the 1 this month, so we could see him in a much better light, especially off a mark that may underestimate his abilities if putting his best foot forward. The 20/1 looks too big and with a fair bit of guesswork involved, I priced him up as a fair 12/1 shot. I'll play small each way stakes in the hope that he still retains some of his ability and he's perfectly positioned to try to replicate those 'making all' tactics that gave him his sole career win from his 6 attempts. It's a very weak race too and he's worth taking a chance on. Also, tongue tie & cheekpieces are applied for the first time, so they could potentially spark some more improvement.

x PyRo

3:45 Kempton - Lowther - 2pts @ 9/2 (Bet365)

I'm expecting a fast and furiously run race here for this Conditions Stakes race at Kempton. There are some very decent animals turning up to contest it, including 4 potential pace setters who are bound to ensure a truly run race, which will play into the hands of the progressive Lowther. He's now 6 year old but was un-raced until he turned 4 and has been in fine fettle this winter, winning off 85 and finishing a neck 2nd off 92 to Final Drive, a horse at the top of his game and also a very easy winner off 92 since. That highly impressive horse would arguably stand a favourites chance in this race and my selection gave him one of his toughest races to date.

Lowther is relatively unexposed on the All Weather, having only run 6 times on it, the first being a complete write off on fibresand back in '09 but he has been most impressive in the last couple of months on polytrack, including his first run which was over 7f here in October, in which he was a very fast finishing 3/4 length 4th behind Nazreef, a winner off 91 since. That form is also strong enough to give him a huge chance in this company and I believe that 1 mile around Kempton will be ideal for this strong traveling and fast finishing 6 year old. He'll have a few lbs to find on official ratings with some of the opposition here but I don't believe his form will fizzle out any time soon and he looks likely to have a lot more to give in competitive contests.

The opposition are very good, with the likes of Gerard Butler's Beauchamp Viceroy in the field and Greyfriarschorista lining up for the red-hot Mark Johnston stable, who've had 6 winners from their last 7 runners. They're the main challengers to my selection but both are much better when getting the lead and also must get the better of another 2 front running rivals. All of this should play into the hands of the Alan Bailey runner, who thrives on the back of fast gallops and usually finishes better than anything else in his races. Assuming he's still in as good form as he has been, I can't see a better chance for Lowther to gain his 2nd win on the All Weather and his first around Kempton, a course that is made for his running style.

Alan Bailey's yard are also in good knick lately, with 4 of his last 12 runners winning. His last 2 runners at Kempton have also won and the booking on JP Guillambert looks very interesting, on what is only his 5th ride for the yard and the first on board this animal. Guillambert is a good jockey in my opinion and has ridden some very nice priced winners lately. He's definitely a step up in quality when compared to Slade O'Hara, who was on board Lowther last twice and I expect his added quality and the 1 mile on the back of a strong pace at Kempton could well be a winning combination. The current 9/2 looks much too big to me and I'd have him similarly priced to Johnston's runner, who's currently a 10/3 shot and as low as 5/2 in places. It'll be a tough race to win but Bailey's runner ticks all the right boxes in what should be a very exciting race. I'll make a bold prediction and guess that my selection will win by the narrowest of margins by powering home late on! Small/medium stakes though, as it's certainly not a race for lumping on, despite the horses obvious claims.

Nulty

Like Lowther. Looks like the race will be run to suit. Greyfriars looks a massive danger though.

Good luck with him.

x PyRo

Pretty keen on Lowther but had to pull myself away from Johnston's, hence the smaller stake on a horse I really fancy. Just not sure if Greyfriar needs/wants so many front runners in opposition. Might need to dominate to be at his most effective.

We'll see in just over 12 hours time! Good luck with your selection at Leopardstown. I fancy it myself but I'm too tired to write anything else.

argosy2006

How many pts did you invest this year, hope it turns around quickly,

Nulty

You may have missed the 14s on Sparky May, best price 10s with Ladbrokes now.

x PyRo

Lowther finished 2nd to a very impressive winner, which Nulty tipped up. Fair play and glad one of us won.

Revelator was well beaten but went off at 8/1 after being well backed. They went a crazy pace and it didn't suit at all. The only positive was getting on a market mover at a nice price, but he hadn't a hope.

-4pts on the day.

argosy2006 wrote: »

How many pts did you invest this year, hope it turns around quickly,

I've no idea but I'll find out soon. Just doing awful at the moment but it'll change I hope.

Nulty wrote: »

You may have missed the 14s on Sparky May, best price 10s with Ladbrokes now.

I got on in the local at 14's but didn't get a chance to post it and I won't be now at the prices. Can't wait to see her run again.

x PyRo

3:50 Kempton - Big Bay - 3pts @ 7/1 (WillHill)

Relatively lightly raced 5 year old who has only raced on 13 occasions. He has been disappointing in the main but shaped as if back to form when running out a decent 3rd over C&D last time out. His previous 6 races offered little hope but he seems ideally suited to Kempton, having won here over C&D on his start before that run of poor runs, most which were in very competitive handicaps on the flat. That victory here was in a similarly competitive contest, off a 5lbs higher mark and Big Bay ran out a relatively easy 2 length winner, although he only faced 5 opponents that day and he'll find it tougher here against the current 12 in opposition. However, he's clearly well handicapped and took a massive step forwards last time out when returned to the scene of his only handicap win.

Last time out, he finished a 2.5 length 3rd to Zebrano, who was clearly in good form following a C&D win off 9 lbs lower on his previous Kempton start. However, I don't think Big Bay got the run of the race, having broke slowly, then needed to be pushed along to get position. He may have a much better chance if getting a way quickly in a race that should be run on the back of a good gallop. He's not too well drawn in stall 4 but the pace isn't too far away and I'm hoping he'll be able to keep relatively close order to it, which should help his chances of utilizing his decent turn of foot. Seamie Heffernan, who was also on board last time out, is on once again and I expect he'll know a fair bit more about this horse having ridden him before. He has only had 2 rides for Jane Chapple-Hyam before and looks an interesting booking once more. Chapple-Hyam's yard are bang in form of late and have a fine 21% strike rate at Kempton, with a very impressive £40 LSP. They seem to have this horse heading back in the right direction and I'm hopeful of another big run from him.

Big Bay lives up to his name, as he's a very big horse who, on his day, can travel through his races very strongly and finish them out in style. He's highly suited to this track and also has some decent form in the book, including a nose 3rd to Harbinger on debut and head 2nd to Lowther, plus a that 2 length C&D defeat of Chapter And Verse, now rated 100. Those were all early on in his career but he's a high class horse, who should be doing a lot better than running in a class 4 contest of 80, but it's obvious he has regressed somewhat. I'm just hoping that the yard have him back to sometime near his best, like he showed last time out, although he wasn't spectacular by any means but a big showing could be on the cards soon and I think he has everything to his liking in this race. It's a competitive heat but the 7/1 looks nice to me and I wouldn't be surprised to see it get bigger tomorrow as there are many horses lining up who could be well backed, so best odds could come in handy here. He's a 5/1 shot in my book and will hopefully run a big race. Medium stakes and my only bet of the day.

Nulty

Looks very nice does Big Bay, wish he wasn't the only one that looked so nice. Albahans form is looking very good right now...Bravo Echo winning again yesterday and Ocean Legend going close a few days ago. Big Bay is a horse waiting to win though...Seamie Heffernan on board too. Even if I wasn't going to have a bet here I'd be really looking forward to it.

x PyRo

-3pts today. Meeeh. Awful.

x PyRo

Change of avatar = change of luck?! It did last time anyways.

12:50 Southwell - Bertbrand - 1pt e/w @ 18/1 (Bet365)

Heavily raced 6 year old who finds winning tough but shaped better on his last 2 starts than he has done in a long time. Both runs were here over C&D, the first of which was a 4 length 6th behind Figaro Flyer, in which he looked the likely winner, hit 1.92 in running after being sent off around the 20.0 mark (backed before the off) but he failed to see out the race and faded quite tamely. He then lined up here once again, with a poor draw for the second time in a row but ran a creditable 3rd, coming within 2 lengths of Itsthursdayalready. My selection was running 4lbs out of the handicap that day but posted another good performance and was backed again before the off, suggesting that they may feel his first win since June of '09 may not be too far away.

Bertbrand will have to run out of the handicap once again, but only 1lb 'wrong' here today. He looks very well handicapped now 13lbs below his last winning mark and has also won a handicap off of 67 in times gone by. So his current official rating of 45 looks very nice if he could just string together a solid performance, which he hasn't managed to do in recent runs, despite showing up well for a long way. He has a much better draw today in stall 3 and it should open up the chance for a much better racing position, as he was caught 4 or 5 horses wide last time out but still ran exceptionally well. He's yet to win here at Southwell but handles conditions well and has enough form to suggest that he could win here, so hopefully today is the day.

Greg Fairley takes the ride, and he was also on board last time out. He has placed twice from 5 rides on Bertbrand and will hopefully do so again, or else manage to get this heavily campaigned animal his first win in over a year and a half. Fairley is a very good jockey and is especially good when riding up with the pace, which could pay dividends in a race that's probably lacking any out and out speed. This fellow is a quick horse, has won over 5f but doesn't seem to have the speed for it nowadays, but could benefit from a more prominent ride today, plus he's tactically versatile, which leaves numerous options available to connections. I think it's no coincidence that the recently reapplied visor has given this horse a bit more improvement lately and it's on once again. If he can come on for that run last time out then I think he should get involved in the shake up here for a yard that haven't had a winner here for nearly 3 years. This is Ian McInnes' only runner of the day and although he hasn't had too many winners of late, the majority of his runners seem to be running well for a long time but most are very average low grade animals and trainer form isn't as important to me at this level. Bertbrand should be around a 12/1 shot come morning time and I'll happily have a small each way bet at those odds. It's a very open and weak affair, so he could well prove to be the answer to the equation. Hopefully anyways.

Price updated in the morning.

x PyRo

2:50 Southwell - Arganil - 3pts @ 11/2 (Bet365)

I was going to try and stray away from picking horse who are out of form but I can't let this classy all weather specialist go unbacked at these odds. He hasn't been in great form of late but takes a dive into class 3 level off a mark of 94, 11lbs below his rating when winning at Listed contest at Lingfield last March. Arganil is badly out of form of late but he's a winner of 3 Listed contests on the all weather, a Group performer a couple of years ago and clearly the high class performer of this race. Added to all of that, he's also a course and distance winner off this mark, plus he has blinkers reapplied having worn cheekpieces last time out. His record in fields with 6 or less runner is 2 wins from 2 runs and he should have things run exactly to suit as he's at his most effective when either making a rapid gallop or running on the back of one, which it should be here with the likes of Waveband and Feelin Foxy lining up in opposition.

One would think that he seems to have lost a lot of his ability of late but he's relatively poor on the turf and was competing in much tougher events that this, so I think he's worth trying once again. His trainer, Kevin Ryan, seems to have his animals in good knick of late and when teaming up with Philip Makin, they've a 25% strike rate since the middle of December. At his peak, Arganil was rated 108, he has fallen a stone since achieving that rating a year and a half ago and it leaves him very well handicapped to win a race like this, where most of his opposition wouldn't get within an ass's roar of him but he's somehow deemed as an 11/2 shot here, purely on his recent form, the majority of which can be forgiven as they weren't his best conditions. Now that he's back running over 5 furlongs and at a track that is ideal for US bred horses, I think he has his best chance in a long time of reaching the winners enclosure. He's still the same horse who was 2.75 lengths off the pace in the Group 2 Temple Stakes back in May of 09, back in the days when he'd laugh in the faces of this opposition.

Waveband is certainly his biggest challenger and on recent lines through Silaah, has the beating of him. However, I think she's handicapped to the hilt and may not have too much to give off a mark of 90, despite shaping quite well for a long time when coming a 1.5 length second to that Dandy Nicholls runner, who has won since. Sir Geoffrey is much too short to convince me to get involved and I think he's up against it off a mark of 86, along with the fact that his recent progression may have come to an end. Feelin Foxy is much better around Kempton and is 5lbs higher than when coming second in a much weaker race than this over C&D in April. All in all, I think that Kevin Ryan's 6 year old has a great chance of bouncing back to form here and overturning the relatively short priced favourite. 11/2 looks great value and I'd be surprised if it's available come race time. He's a 3/1 shot in my book and is worthy of a medium sized stake. Hopefully he'll run a good race and show his true class.

x PyRo

3:20 Southwell - Where's Reiley - 2.5pts e/w @ 8/1 (Bet365)

4 time C&D winner last year and now looks well handicapped off a mark of 68, 6lbs lower than the last of those wins here, in which he scooted home easily by 3 lengths in the hands of Graham Gibbons. A replication of that run would guarantee a win here but he seem out of form lately. However, he's trained by David Barron, one of my favourite trainers and one who likes to land a touch. Where's Reiley looks very interesting now and I think that The Barron could have him ready to gain victory once again. He had Dean Heslop on board for his last 5 starts but Gibbons gets the leg up once again and that looks like a sign that Barron means business here. The Gibbons/Barron combination have a 32% strike rate here and this is the course that Barron has his best results, with 21% of his runners winning and a massive LSP of £193.

Where's Reiley made a reappearance run in a claimer a few weeks ago, on the back of an 8 week lay off. He was very easy in the market and raced too prominently to get involved, which was planned I'd imagine. All of his course wins have come when running on from the back and he's at his most effective on the back of a decent gallop, which should be obtained here. Gibbons has won on him before and is riding very well of late, with 9 winners since the turn of the year and many others going close. If this horse is out to win, then I think he has a huge chance. He's also very well drawn in stall 5 and there has been a few quid for him already tonight. Barron didn't have many runners over the festive period but the majority of his runners in the new year have run well and I expect this talented 5 year old could have a great chance off a lenient mark. It's a competitive little heat here, where they go 9/2 the field and 7 horses are priced between 8/1 and 10/1. However, I think that Where's Reiley is very much overpriced at 8/1 and could well go off a lot smaller come race time. I had him down as a 5/1 shot and I fancy he'll run a cracker, which will hopefully end in victory. He should place at least though so I'm playing maximum each way stakes. Although, there's always a risk with Barron's horses and whether they'll run to their merits but I'll take my chances as he owes me nothing at this stage.

x PyRo

They're my final roll of the dice.

All lose and I'm taking a break from midweek punting and sticking to the weekend/better racing from now on.

Until the flat's back.

x PyRo

No guessing where Bertbrand finished.

Nulty

Nice one Pyro. Good winner there.

x PyRo

Cheers! Finally a decent staked horse wins.

Bertbrand ran a good race, tried to make all and finished where all good each way shots do, 4th.

Arganil was outpaced early on but got to grips with the pace around half way and ran on gamely to win. Delighted with that one. Went off 3/1 too.

Where's Reiley was traditionally outpaced, as he always is over 5 but he ran on well and finished in 5th. He's still one to keep an eye on.

+9.50pts today.

UrbanSea

Well done,deserved a winner.

Letyourselfgo

Well done xpyro I should have known better than to back waveband

x PyRo

2:55 Lingfield - Jack O'Lantern - 1pt e/w @ 16/1 (VC)

Lightly raced 4 year old who has not lived up to his original promise. He's formerly trained by John Gosden before moving to Richard Fahey's yard, where he failed to win or run well on 6 occasions. After an awful performance on his last start for Fahey in July, he moved to Ian Williams and made his debut this year, on the back of 6 months off the track. Jack O'Lantern ran in a 6 furlong seller at Wolverhampton after being sent off the 11/4 joint favourite. They went a very good gallop and it took him some time to pick up, having been held up well off the pace by Jamie Spencer. He stayed on in the home straight to finish a disappointing 6 length 3rd but he's fully entitled to come on for that run and is now upped in trip to 7 furlongs, which should be much more up his street, as I don't believe he has the speed for 6.

His half brother (same dam) won here over C&D so I'm taking a chance on the track being suitable as he always shaped like he'd be suited to fast surfaces and I also feel that he could be very well handicapped off a mark of 64, which is a stone below his original assessment that he achieved after his opening 3 runs. He obviously hasn't lived up to expectations, as his 95,000gns price tag as a yearling would suggest but he has only had 8 career runs and should improve for that seasonal reappearance a few weeks ago. Dr Marwan Koukash owns Jack O'Lantern and his horses are running well this year, with 6 winners and 9 seconds from 27 runners. I'd make the assumption that the horse will be out to try at least, which isn't always a given with Williams' yard, as he often likes to land a touch, but he's a fine trainer.

I'm a big fan of Ian Williams and I reckon he could get this fellow back on song if all goes well. His yard are flying of late with 7 winners and 7 seconds from his last 30 runners, with this being his only runner at Lingfield today, a track where he has a decent 14% strike rate and a massive 56% strike rate when Jamie Spencer is on board (5 wins from 9 runners). Spencer is actually riding alright lately and I think he's a very good jockey on the All-Weather, as his 21% strike rate would suggest. However, I'm never too thrilled seeing him on board a trip less than a mile, as he either makes the running from the front and gets the pace all wrong, or else he holds up the horse for too long and only gets the horse going when it's too late. I'll still take a chance though as he could be an ideal jockey for this horse, with his 'magic hands' likely to help a horse who has often had problems when put under pressure.

There's a few decent animals in opposition here and I expect a good pace with Pytheas likely to make the running. I wouldn't be too keen on his chances of winning but if he makes it a good gallop, it could play into the hands of my selection. The Happy Hammer is the current favourite and at 3/1, looks mightily short. He is consistent in the main but has never followed up a win with another win and the 2lb rise could find him out. Cat Hunter is in great form, winning last time out and only denied victory on his penultimate start in the stewards room. However, this mark has always proved beyond him in times gone by and although he could well overcome it now, I'd much rather avoid at his current 7/2 price tag, plus I rarely fancy Ron Harris' animals to follow up a win. There's another few dangers, like Rubenstar, who will appreciate a good gallop but it looks likely that his recent form could stop dead in the waters off a tough mark. Lastkingofscotland won in the stewards room on his penultimate start but finds winning hard and may do so once again, as he didn't impress last time out when finishing a remote 8th. Could It Be Magic is running well of late but going up the weights due to his consistency and is still 0 from 15. He has a chance but could find a truly run race over 7f against him and I'm opposing him too. The outsider of the field has no hope on recent form and I'm going to side with Ian Williams' charge, who could still have more to give and looks very nicely priced at 16/1. Small each way bet in the hope that he shows that early promise of time gone by.

OutlawPete

Well done Xp ..

Changed your Avatar colour and then you won .. hhmm.

Everytime you tinker with that, you win ..:p

x PyRo

Cheers Pete.

Great plan worked great. :pac:

I might have to keep doing it if I lose tomorrow! Get it ready for me in pink my good man.

thesandeman

Now youve given me another reason for not being able to sleep!

x PyRo

5:05 Kempton - Riflessione - 1pt e/w @ 12/1 (Bet365)

Consistent sort who finds winning hard but could get things to suit here over the flying 5 furlongs at Kempton. He's a heavily raced 5 year old who has already been involved in 50 career races but his form on the All-Weather between September and the middle of December was brilliant, but hugely frustrating. He ran 7 times in similar company to what he faces today, came 2nd on 4 occasions, 3rd once and 4th twice, barely beaten by far on any occasion but always found something too good for him. Riflessione has since run 3 relatively poor races and looks out of form but he has bounced back before and has finally been given some leeway by the handicapper, who drops him down to a mark of 67, 3lbs below his last winning mark. He has placed here off a mark of 69 when he hit 1.10 in running over 6f, but faded badly in the closing stage before being headed close home. A replication of that run over the shorter trip here would be good enough to put him in with a massive shout, and it was only in April of last year, so it's possible he could run to that level again.

The majority of Riflessione's best form is around the likes of Wolverhampton and Lingfield, but he has won here at Kempton, over 6f in a claimer 2 years ago. He won very easily that day and seemed suited to conditions here, although he hasn't won here on any of his last 5 attempts since. However, he's well drawn to attack from stall 11 and I expect they'll go a very solid gallop here, which should suit a horse who sees out 6 furlongs very well. He's trained by Ron Harris, who has his string in decent order of late and only brings this fellow to Kempton, with 3 others running at Lingfield, which I think is interesting. Stephen Craine takes the ride, which doesn't happen too often with Harris' animals and I rate him as a decent jockey. He's 1 from 11 when riding for this stable and it's his only ride at Kempton, after he comes down from Lingfield, where he also only rides one. If he can get the horse nicely positioned to run on late then I think he may just have a decent chance of placing at least. He's out of form but well handicapped and it won't take much to win what is a poor race, but wide open. Riflessione should be around the 12/1 mark and looks worthy of small each way stakes. He's a very good horse at this level when on his day and I reckon he'll have a decent chance of upsetting the odds if he's not feeling the effects of a hectic schedule.

Price supplied in the morning.

x PyRo

Now for some NH.

2:45 Huntingdon - Sullumo - 1pt e/w @ 20/1 (WillHill)

This is a wide open contest and I fancy this lightly raced 8 year old to run a big race, assuming he has come out of his previous race well, having run over 3m at Chepstow in very testing ground. He ran decently but finished a well beaten 6th in the end, although it was much better than his previous 3 runs. He did fade quite tamely but it was only his 2nd run after a 6 month break and I expect he'll come on for it too. Sullumo is often let down by his jumping, in both hurdling and chasing codes but the only time he ran here at Huntingdon, he jumped well. That was over fences and he's running over hurdles here, off a mark of 125, which is 10lbs lower than when he placed in a Listed contest over this trip at Cheltenham. If he could string everything together he's certainly a lively outsider.

Interestingly, connections have decided to stick blinkers on him for the first time, which I'm hoping will perk him up as he hasn't run to his abilities in a very long time but he's well handicapped and gets conditions to suit. He'll also only carry 10st 10lbs, with jockey Peter Toole taking off a valuable 3lbs. He stays the trip well when on song and he likes cut in the ground, which he'll get today. Charlie Mann trains Sullumo and thinks a fair bit of him too. He has been quite patient with his charge and hopefully it'll pay off some day soon, preferably today. Mann has a fine 24% strike rate at this track and only sends down 2 today. When Toole rides for him here, he has 4 seconds from 6 rides and is yet to taste victory. Hopefully that'll change here with this horse and they'll have their first winner for 3 weeks. Peter Toole is a very decent jockey in my opinion and last time out was his first ride on this horse, so he'll know a lot more for having had that experience and will hopefully make it count today.

The horse has been given some leeway by the handicapper, as he was rated 138 just 4 runs ago and runs off 125 today, which could be understating his ability. He destroyed Maktu on his chasing debut and that one has turned into a more than decent animal, so if everything clicked, he'd have a very live chance of getting competitive. This contest is wide open, with Cross Kennon being the class act of the field but I feel he could have a very tough job off top weight, conceding at least 12lbs all round. The favourite, Salpierre is obviously on form, having won his last 3 starts but he has a 13lb rise to contend with and is also up in grade, so I feel he's also opposable. There's a few other outsiders I was interested in but I'm giving the nod to Charlie Mann's lightly raced Sullumo, who is a class act on his day and looks very well in on all known form. His run last time out was definitely a step in the right direction and he'd be able to capitalize on it if he comes on for that run, which I expect he will as he was right there 4 out but looked as if in need of the run. Hopefully he has come out of it well and is ready to pounce, as I think he's a huge price at 20/1, I'd have him half that but it's hard to know what horse will turn up so I'm only playing small each way stakes once again. Fingers and toes crossed!

That's my final selection today.

x PyRo

Sullumo traveled well for a long time before fading when the going got tough. Probably time to give up on him but if he got really testing ground I'd be interested again.

Jack O'Lantern was in contention turning for home but dropped away within seconds to tail off. Disappointing run and I won't be following him again.

Riflessione ran a good race, finished 3rd in the end and went off a relatively well backed 15/2 shot. It was definitely a big step up on his previous 3 runs so I'll probably side with him next time out if he's a decent price. He's bound to get his head in front soon.

-2.60pts on the day.