But even if I don't back a winner, I had a good one today and am unlikely to give that back while enjoying another dose of Joe Coral's generous hospitality.
First thoughts in the 12.20 were very much for Doux Pretender to progress from an easy win at Towcester over a longer trip and be a possible nap but once the prices were chalked up the in-form Paul Nichols's Trevelyn's Corn looked significantly shorter than it might have been so I go in double-handed in the first, taking against Stoney Mountain at my peril. It will be hold one's bets for any further interest beyond the accumulators until the betting gives further clues.
In an open novice handicap at 12.55, I'm with Dino's Benefit mainly because it owes me one after foiling a double last week. This sort of appeal to good fortune either works or it doesn't but, first time in a handicap, the Tizzards might have him in on a very fair weight and it's otherwise guesswork.
I need two options in the 1.30 again and go with Petticoat Tails and Oscar Rose, neither of which are likely to be proper bets and aren't tips outside of compiling an audacious punt.
Politologue has to be the short-priced good thing for the big-hitters, having higher ambitions and bigger things to aim at later in the season that mean he needs to beat these. To what extent I join them remains to be seen but one can't oppose him.
I'm swerving the big hurdle race because it was We Have a Dream that let down my 4 lines of attempted completism at Wincanton and I can hardly let him ruin it twice, either way. The only reason to think he can turn it around with If The Cap Fits is if he wasn't ready last time but he was backed as if plenty thought he was and so early market moves against him this time put me against him, too, but drifting Nicky Henderson horses win often enough so I'll sit it out, when the main course vegetarian option is due anyway.
Plenty of money for Cyrname (nap) in the 3.15 already makes me glad he's in a few yankees and a treble at 5/1. There's enough form from last season to suggest he's very fairly in here for Nicholls/Sean Bowen and he rates the bet worth having, having replaced Modus as favourite without much ado.
The bumper is anybody's guessing game and the market is best watched if you want to have a go. So much of a guessing game that Luke Harvey tipped the winner last year, with the bonus that it drifted to 6/1 after his recommendation must have ruled it out of most people's calculations. I've got Jelski, from the Twiston-Davies yard, the best thing about it being that I took 6/1 whereas it's generally less than that now.
Getting out in one piece is the main objective but I only have to land one of several combinations to make it a pay day or free day out and one can't turn down the generous hospitality of Joe Coral, via the Professor, when it's offered. We may not get the glorious November weather we had last year but, train strikes permitting, we'll do our bit.
And, wait, I've got the Prof on the wire, just like in olden days when The Saturday Nap was every week up to Christmas and required reading for all students of the turf.
He says,
We Have a Dream. I think Geraghty may get a bit more out of it with the owners' retained rider, Daryl Jacob, being at Haydock for Bristol de Mai.
And there we have it, the Prof goes in where I fear to tread. It is classic Prof material, taking on a favourite with a Nicky Henderson horse.
As I said to Mr. Henderson at Cheltenham in April - and, yes, I actually did - 'he only backs your horses', to which Mr. Henderson replied, 'bit like me', and then blithely removed himself from my presence.