Willoughby Court was to be the nap for tomorrow until the Professor pointed out that its race was today. And it was a good job he did or else I wouldn't have been on.
It was a typical professorial bet, taking on an odds on favourite and I never wanted to take one on as much as Yanworth, whose big reputation is diminishing, and always would have done with Willoughby Court, who continues to grow in stature.
So perhaps we have looked into the abyss and just managed to turn the corner before giving back all of the profit I once had for 2017. And after a day at Ascot that will live long in the memory, we can look forward with some optimism rather than in fear and trembling, the naps now somehow showing a plus to a level stake and the chess rating at Chess24, where I am named after the star 1980's chaser, Border Incident, booming back well up into the 1800's after some deft and astute play this week.
American (Newbury, 3.00) goes straight from novice company last season to the race we will always know as the Hennessey. I could hardly have been more impressed with what I saw of him last season and this might not be the most competitive Hennessey Gold Cup. It's a big move to go straight to such a race but if he's a Cheltenham Gold Cup horse in the making then 6/1 tomorrow might one day look like a giveaway.
Paddy Power are offering money back on all losing bets if he or the Irish horse, the top two in the market, win which suggests they are happy to field against it but that's a loss leader, worked out by a machine rather than a horse person, and shouldn't put us off.
Shorter priced horses elsewhere are for the less courageous or can be strung together in multiples and one has to like Kalashnikov (Doncaster 12.05), Whiskey in the Jar (Bangor 2.05) and Air Horse One (Newbury 1.50) and one can't bet against Black Corton (Newbury 12.45) while it keeps on winning but I'm well aware that as soon as I try to get on the bandwagon, it will falter so we have to leave it out.
It's up to you this week whether you want to give it a go in the big one with American or make your way more steadily to a less ambitious profit. I'll go with Whiskey in the Jar (nap) and with Redemption Song in the second at Doncaster, look for two more pop records to make up a little yankee. I prefer them to be records I like so I'm off to a good start. (Later - there aren't any).
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The Prof's out on a spree this evening. His life is so much more glamorous than mine. But he has been on the wire with the precarious opinion that it might be time to catch Charli Parcs ( Newbury 2.25) right, and so it might but I'll believe it when I see it. Best of luck, Prof. Have a good time.
David Green
- David Green (Books) is the imprint under which I publish booklets of my own poems, or did. The 'Collected Poems' are now available as a pdf. The website is now what it has become. It keeps me out of more trouble than it gets me into. I hope you find at least some of it worthwhile.
