It is tempting to give Silviniaco Conti the opportunity to get me back the money he owes me from a few weeks ago but with so many great horses against in the race, any of them could run well and finish fourth and so even an each way bet is by no means a conservative option.
Faugheen at Ascot and The New One at Haydock will be earning prize money to pay the vet's bills on their way to meeting in the Champion Hurdle in March but neither, at odds like 2/7, are realistic betting propositions. I would like to see The New One jump better and if either are going to get beaten before Cheltenham, it might be tomorrow but unless Melodic Rendezvous gets a lucky break or runs a lifetime best, one can't see what by.
The Amlin Chase at Ascot is another competitive affair that would be hard to pick from except to notice that Ruby Walsh is not presumably coming over specifically to ride in the bumper. So Al Ferof must be worth a thought.
I think today we will play with what small change we have and try a yankee on Fletchers Flyer (Ascot 12.25), Al Ferof (2.30), Katkeau, (Haydock 2.25, where we inevitably dread Big Easy from last week) and Silvinaco Conti (3.00).
The right horse at the wrong time is a theme that recurs too often and Garde La Victoire, tipped here and an unlucky loser last month, won at 10/1 last week.
But while there is 12/1 available about Rocky Creek for next week's Hennessey, let's have some of that in advance because that is likely to be the word then.
David Green
- David Green (Books) is the imprint under which I published booklets of my own poems. The original allocation of ISBN numbers is used up now, though. The 'Collected Poems' are now available as a pdf. The website is now what it has become, often more about music than books and not so often about poems. It will be about whatever suggests itself.
