I tipped an 11/1 winner last Saturday. Not here, as you might have noticed, but privately.Then yesterday, Peter the Mayo Man, who I have been waiting for for a few weeks, sluiced in at 9/4 and today I landed a double at Hexham. The credit/debit graph for 2016 has reached a new high.
So the chances of me nominating a winner for tomorrow must be virtually nil.
The highlight of the weekend for many will be The Breeders' Cup but for me that will only be somewhere to play with any excess winnings that burn a hole in my pocket but Tepin in the 23.40 (our time) would be the target for that, possibly doubled up with the immensely durable Found in the 22.22 where the time of the race looks very much like her form figures.
But I'd rather be at Wincanton for the cracking novice chase at 1.35 which demonstrates conclusively that you can have tremedous four-runner races as well as some of the less appetizing small fields that Wincanton has seen so far this season. I wouldn't mind backing any of them and three are horses that I would be looking out for but the fact they run against each other makes it difficult. Shantou Village is possibly the one highest in my regard but Frodon jumps like a star and I'll be interested to see how the betting goes before a race that is probably best just enjoyed.
Aintree has a good hurdle at 2.40 where I will side with Mister Miyagi, who impressed at Cheltenham in April, and ought to be winning this if he's going to achieve his potential because I'll happily oppose Zarkandar who might need further than this as he gets older. And I'll include Touch Kick (4.15) in the bumper for Paul Nicholls in whatever combinations I hit upon. But, late in the afternoon, it will be one to play up any winnings on.
At Kelso I'll expect Charlie Longsdon to have a winner, which means either No No Mac (2.20) and/or Bestwork (3.30).
Two for fun at Wincanton are The Young Master (3.20), in his attempt to land the prize he was disqualified from two years ago when it was discovered he shouldn't have been allowed to run, and On Demand (2.45), whose light weight and boy claiming 10 pounds more might let him shoot away down the scenic home straight.
But there's Down Royal, too, where it almost breaks one heart to desert Silvianaco Conti, who has done us a few favours over the years, but nothing lasts forever and I'd have thought Valseur Lido (2.35) is as sound an investment as there is among all of these suggestions and so we'll give him the responsibility.
Meanwhile, I must get to work putting these together into a rococo design of singles, doubles, yankees and suchlike in the hope that, if I have stumbled on a few winners, they all end up in the same bet.