What we lose by having no racing tomorrow is more than compensated for on Monday and many of the big Irish hopes on show before the New Year at Leopardstown and Down Royal.
Envoi Allen comes to Kempton, though, having looked like the horse he was supossed to be last time out and the early 7/1 for the King George has been taken. It's best we bear that in mind and hot go overboard on Bravemansgame (2.30) who I want to be on because this is where he's been aiming for since a long time ago. We will assume that L'Homme Presse is a more likely Gold Cup horse- and there is quite a difference- and that Hitman has to have a go but would come as a surprise winner. At present I'll only be on Bravemansgame if Shan Blue (1.35) has won at Wetherby but we will see. By then we will also know if it's a pay day because McFabulous (Kempton, 1.20, nap) will have run by then, too.
Shan Blue has been pencilled in for a big race ever since tipping up when well clear last October. This is his next to last chance, though. He will have the excuse of not having run since Aintree but we trust the Skeltons to have him fit because, along with Protektorat, he's their hope to get them into the big time. Two lots of 9/4 multiplies up well enough. I'm not ambitious enough to make it a treble with McFab but it will look obvious if they all come in.
Otherwise, we wait for the prices to be chalked up for those races where big stables pick off prize money at the smaller meetings. Wincanton is Nicholls territory really but while he eyes up more significant races elsewhere, Mr. Henderson could make a raid on his patch and bookend the meeting with Tweed Skirt (2.18) and, more confidently, Choccabloc (3.45). Gary Moore has a home penalty kick with Givega (Fontwell, 11.57) and Sao Carlos (Market Rasen, 3.55) is one for the combinations, all of which really are ridden by good jockeys going where they are more likely to have winners than by being on the telly.
I'll put Lossiemouth (Leopardstown, 1.10) in with them although aware that Joseph O'Brien's Nusret was entered at the Cheltenham meeting that was frozen off.
I'm not always successful at putting a list like this into the most profitable combinations. One can have 4 winners out of 7 and come out empty-handed but one day it might come out right.
McFab is the flagship horse with which I'll take on anything until it gets beat. Any odds against it on Monday looks very fair because I simply can't see why not. The rest ought to find us some sort of return between them but you mix them up however you see fit and hope the permutations find a winning line, or two.
But,
It's been a good year for the horsesMany blooms still linger thereThe lawn could stand another mowin'Funny I don't even careAs you turn to walk awayAs the door behind you closesThe only thing I have to sayIt's been a good year for the horses,
as Elvis Costello might have put it if he'd done okay like I have.
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