Some of my happiest racing memories are at the July Course. Great racing, surrounded by chums, staying with great friends. Kitchen suppers with Shepherds Pie, a tradition that was always served with very decent claret. The Turf Club tent on the far side of the course, which was bizarrely ill-attended thanks to school holidays and perhaps the presence of the Jockey Club rooms. It was rumoured to be entirely underwritten by Charles St George, of racing fame, and, sadly, he did not, in his will, insist that his munificence be carried on, so we no longer had a place to call our own there.

It was the home of small punts that paid big and bigger punts that paid huge. I remember with MBM winning the July Cup in 2002 with a Dandy Nicholls 1-2 (Continent 12/1 and Bahamian Pirate 16/1) and the forecasts with Habbershaws and on-course. They beat Sir Mark Prescott’s Danehurst, the favourite at 5/2, and Mark was kind enough to make a point of congratulating us on our punt. a proper racing man.

On being there, sans Madame but with a very pretty walker, who insisted we watch them go down, and I remember she suddenly mentioned that Dobbin was wearing a de Havilland overgrip with a Throggle snatchit ring binder, which suggested this horse had to be controlled but would win. Neither MBM nor I understood a bloody word, but there is surely written in the Great Book of Bill Hill the commandment that when a pretty girl talks knowledgeably at a racecourse and can read form, one is a mug not to listen. That horse won the Bunbury Cup at 11/1.

I hope my mates are all going to be there, and I hope the Claret flows and the Shepherds Pie is hot and the winners wearing throggle snatchits hose up at 10s or better.

You might remember I mentioned, post-Ascot,

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 5R - 2W - 1P - P&L: +16.00pts - ROI: +160.0%

A profitable opening day yesterday — Bell Shot (IRE) went very close for us at 6/1 at Epsom in the 20:42, and amongst our Elite Trainer selections, Parisian Scholar won at 9/1 at Thirsk, while Sir Garfield won at 15/2 at Epsom for the Median Pick.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 1P - P&L: −1.80pts - ROI: −45.0%

• Last 7 days: 2R - 0W - 1P - P&L: −1.80pts - ROI: −45.0%

• Year to date: P&L: −1.80pts - ROI: −45.0%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 2R - 1W - 1P - P&L: +8.80pts - ROI: +440.0%

• Last 7 days: 2R - 1W - 1P - P&L: +8.80pts - ROI: +440.0%

• Year to date: P&L: +8.80pts - ROI: +440.0%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 1R - 1W - 1P - P&L: +9.00pts - ROI: +450.0%

• Last 7 days: 1R - 1W - 1P - P&L: +9.00pts - ROI: +450.0%

• Year to date: P&L: +9.00pts - ROI: +450.0%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 46R - 6W - 6P - P&L: −33.85pts - ROI: −36.8%

Another losing day yesterday. Betweenthesticks could only manage third at Pontefract for the Daily Selection, Prefer The Sister was runner-up at Brighton but as a well-backed favourite it wasn’t enough for Elite Trainer, and R P McMurphy never featured at Wolverhampton for the Median Pick.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 1R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 15R - 0W - 5P - P&L: −22.20pts - ROI: −74.0%

• Year to date: P&L: −22.20pts - ROI: −74.0%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −4.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 17R - 4W - 0P - P&L: −5.95pts - ROI: −17.5%

• Year to date: P&L: −5.95pts - ROI: −17.5%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 1R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 14R - 2W - 1P - P&L: −5.70pts - ROI: −20.4%

• Year to date: P&L: −5.70pts - ROI: −20.4%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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I am quietly chuffed about the Scottish Open’s coming of age. It always felt like a useful curtain-raiser for a proper tournament. A chance to check sweaters, clean out the bag's pockets, and practice with the new 7-iron. For years, it had a sort of half-life, appreciated by players needing a little links practice before The Open but rarely regarded as a prize in its own right. That has changed. The field is now scarcely distinguishable from a major championship, and, more importantly, so is the standard of golf required to win it.

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I have spent the last several hours, devoid of sleep, fretting about Blighty and my - as it turns out, ludicrous - suggestion that England would not beat Mexico and would be coming home. The ludicrous kick-off time, the determination that I was right and would still be disappointed, simply meant that I probably missed what was widely declared as one of the top five football matches in World Cup history, and I tip my hat and offer my respect to all who had the faith, stayed up and still went to work. As Aragorn said in his last scene in The Lord of the Rings, “My friends - you bow to no one”

For my own part, I fear I have become possessed!

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Have I become a Mr Bennet, watching Lydia pack for Brighton, convinced that I understood the risks, only to discover that there was a George Wickham lurking just beyond the next page? “Who should suffer but myself? It has been my own doing.”

Perhaps I have, through some Buddhist rebirth, come back as Polonius and am now only capable of mistaking analysis for understanding: England had been playing badly - Mexico looked better organised; cogito ergo domum redeunt. Worse still, I fret that I am an Eeyore or a Private Frazer - all my predictions based on a permanent state of gloom, and simply waiting to be proved right, so that I can curmudgeon-like declare that “I’m not surprised!” The reality, and more apt in the Mexican sense, is that I have become a Sancho Panza character. Experience and probability told me that what I had seen meant England would be coming home - it was not wishful thinking, nor was I necessarily wrong. I am simply a victim of life’s inconvenient habit of delivering a truly improbable outcome.

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We still won’t win - perhaps I am secretly hoping that I am some literary jinx on the worst of the Footballing Gods - but at least I am looking forward to seeing the Noggies version of the Haka.

I feel slightly sorry for young George Cottrell.

Madame and I have holidayed with his mother, Fiona and father, Mark, and I have met him at Ascot with his mum, when he was still at school - he seemed a nice enough cove. He is, as the newspapers all rather pruriently scream, “… a convicted criminal!!!!“ technically guilty of wire fraud, but the reality is far more nuanced. In 2014, while he was about 20 years old and before he had any association with UKIP or Nigel Farage, George had discovered the dark web and became involved in online discussions about anonymous payments, offshore structures and cryptocurrencies. Don’t forget this was the very early days of Bitcoin, Silk Road and the dark web (DW) economy. The DW was awash with enthusiasts fascinated by the technology, including some drawn for entirely legitimate reasons and others by its criminal possibilities.
George stupidly - and with the arrogant cockiness of a posh kid trying to make his own way in the world - fell into a sting being run on the DW by the FBI along the lines of “can anyone tell us how to launder a lot of cash - there’s something in it for you?”

George comes metaphorically screaming through the front door, telling the FBI he knows it all, and simply repeats all the discussions he has been involved in, passing them off as lived experience. The FBI suggested a trial $20k to see how it all worked. George, like a chump, said yes, and BINGO, the FBI had a high-profile, very well-connected (Mom is an Hon and Dad was at school with Pizzahouse Andrew) and then having carefully explained to George that he is going to be put in a high security cell and be rogered senseless by Leroy and his chums unless he cops a plea, gets banged up for eight months. I also happen to know that he taught the FBI everything he had learned on the DW, including his understanding of where they might usefully extend their combined IRS and FBI investigations.

So no criminals were ever actually involved - just a stupid, overly-educated kid. Secondly, George never actually laundered genuine drug money or earned substantial, or even any, profits from such activity. The prosecution's case was based upon his willingness to provide the service and the steps he took to facilitate what he believed was money laundering, rather than on a completed commercial laundering enterprise. But he was never charged with or found guilty of money-laundering - he was done on a charge of Wire Fraud.

As for Farage - and at the risk of inciting the ghost of Polonius to drop by, I think Farage will simply resign today from Parliament….

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… and call a by-election, which he will fight - “let the people decide”.

This puts the watchdog on the back foot because I would guess that the financial declaration rules will reset to the last 12 months before he wins and is re-sworn, which loses all previous enquiries; it forces Burham and Starmer’s hand to call a General Election, perhaps, certainly raises the moral question, and would discomfort the Tories, whose CCHQ has been busy telling their few MPs to shut up about calling an election on cost grounds.
”They’re all doomed, I’m telling you; doomed!”

STOP PRESS - I’m right!!!

RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 42R - 6W - 6P - P&L: −25.85pts - ROI: −30.8%

A losing day across the board yesterday — none of the five selections made the frame. The Gay Blade and Parisiac both finished unplaced for the Daily Selection at Ayr, Parisiac and Hoodie Hoo were unplaced for Elite Trainer, and Lebron Power was unplaced for the Median Pick at Lingfield.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −4.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 14R - 0W - 5P - P&L: −20.20pts - ROI: −72.1%

• Year to date: P&L: −20.20pts - ROI: −72.1%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −4.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 15R - 4W - 0P - P&L: −1.95pts - ROI: −6.5%

• Year to date: P&L: −1.95pts - ROI: −6.5%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 1R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 13R - 2W - 1P - P&L: −3.70pts - ROI: −14.2%

• Year to date: P&L: −3.70pts - ROI: −14.2%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 37R - 6W - 6P - P&L: −15.85pts - ROI: −21.4%

Gunfighter obliged at 7/2 at Southwell yesterday to give the Median Pick its second winner, but the day was otherwise a losing one across the board. Three MAIN selections all failed to land, as did both Elite Trainer runners.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 3R - 0W - 1P - P&L: −6.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 12R - 0W - 5P - P&L: −16.20pts - ROI: −67.5%

• Year to date: P&L: −16.20pts - ROI: −67.5%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 3R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −6.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 13R - 4W - 0P - P&L: +2.05pts - ROI: +7.9%

• Year to date: P&L: +2.05pts - ROI: +7.9%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 2R - 1W - 0P - P&L: +5.00pts - ROI: +125.0%

• Last 7 days: 12R - 2W - 1P - P&L: −1.70pts - ROI: −7.1%

• Year to date: P&L: −1.70pts - ROI: −7.1%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 29R - 5W - 5P - P&L: −8.85pts - ROI: −15.3%

A tough Saturday — Ironwill obliged at 2/1 at Newmarket for the Elite Trainer, but there was little else to shout about across a heavy card. The Median Pick failed to land a winner across four selections, and the Daily Selection went blanks on both runners.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −4.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 9R - 0W - 4P - P&L: −10.20pts - ROI: −56.7%

• Year to date: P&L: −10.20pts - ROI: −56.7%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 4R - 1W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −12.5%

• Last 7 days: 10R - 4W - 0P - P&L: +8.05pts - ROI: +40.2%

• Year to date: P&L: +8.05pts - ROI: +40.2%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 4R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −8.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 10R - 1W - 1P - P&L: −6.70pts - ROI: −33.5%

• Year to date: P&L: −6.70pts - ROI: −33.5%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 19R - 4W - 5P - P&L: +5.15pts - ROI: +13.6%

A difficult day yesterday — Sisterandbrother obliged at Evens for the Elite Trainer to provide some return, and Pyleates placed at 13/2 at Sandown for the Median Pick, but otherwise a tough card across the board. War Howl was a non-runner at Doncaster and is not counted.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 2R - 0W - 1P - P&L: −4.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 7R - 0W - 4P - P&L: −6.20pts - ROI: −44.3%

• Year to date: P&L: −6.20pts - ROI: −44.3%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 3R - 1W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −33.3%

• Last 7 days: 6R - 3W - 0P - P&L: +10.05pts - ROI: +83.8%

• Year to date: P&L: +10.05pts - ROI: +83.8%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 4R - 0W - 1P - P&L: −5.70pts - ROI: −71.3%

• Last 7 days: 6R - 1W - 1P - P&L: +1.30pts - ROI: +10.8%

• Year to date: P&L: +1.30pts - ROI: +10.8%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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So not only was I right about the painful probing examination England received from Dr. Congo, but I got the score right as well. Monday will be a much harder watch because I simply don’t believe there is any hope. End of. Sorry. All together now -

We’re coming Home, we’re coming home….

It gets worse, however. For I am so dismayed by my surroundings, the news flow, the stupidity that passes for progress, and the cringing inability of anyone to actually take responsibility and thus make a decision, that I am considering how to stop being English - or as 24yo Guardian readers prefer to call us, White middle-class, Islamophobic, homo-trans-phobe, fascist wrinklies.

I am perfidious Albion. I want to be on the winning side and, after England’s dismal World Cup display, becoming French is the nearest thing to a certainty there is. I am also struck by and admire how seriously France takes anyone giving the nation the gentlest tap on the shins.

This week’s headlines in Le Maine Libre and Le Parisien enthused me with their rigorous, visible anger at the story reporting to an aghast nation that nine people were arrested in the Var and Gironde regions on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Are you sitting down? Is your Flabber in an anti-ghastly position?…. because these people aren’t just your ordinary street smugglers, French peasants avoiding tax, or bakers buying in frozen Polish dough…. this is a national scandal that suggests that the national game, which is Pétanque, not football, has been corrupted!

The evil deed occurred on September 4, 2025, during the seventh and final stage of the prestigious Masters de Pétanque in Levallois-Perret, near Paris. (No, I was busy as well, so missed it.)

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RESULTS TO DATE

ALL SELECTIONS YTD: 10R - 3W - 3P - P&L: +16.85pts - ROI: +84.3%

A solid second day — Great Mates obliged at 13/8 at Yarmouth for the Elite Trainer, and both Huscal and Evenepoel placed at 9/1 in the Daily Selection to soften an otherwise losing day for that stream. Havana Gift disappointed in the Median Pick, finishing fourth.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday: 3R - 0W - 2P - P&L: −0.40pts - ROI: −6.7%

• Last 7 days: 5R - 0W - 3P - P&L: −2.20pts - ROI: −22.0%

• Year to date: P&L: −2.20pts - ROI: −22.0%

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: 1R - 1W - 0P - P&L: +3.25pts - ROI: +162.5%

• Last 7 days: 3R - 2W - 0P - P&L: +12.05pts - ROI: +200.8%

• Year to date: P&L: +12.05pts - ROI: +200.8%

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: 1R - 0W - 0P - P&L: −2.00pts - ROI: −100.0%

• Last 7 days: 2R - 1W - 0P - P&L: +7.00pts - ROI: +175.0%

• Year to date: P&L: +7.00pts - ROI: +175.0%

2T

• No qualifiers to date

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Don't forget I also post last-minute whispers in our closed, unidirectional WhatsApp group for subscribing members. Do apply if you have a sub - especially as I have a couple today!

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Can I just tell you straight away that you might not want to read the rest of this if you see yourself as an enthusiast, supporter or fan of English sport, because you are doomed.

You think me harsh?

Let‘s focus on Footy for two seconds then.

I saw the winner of the World Cup last night, and you can forget the Roy Of The Rovers stuff, plucky Blighty isn’t even playing the same game as France. - similar, but woefully different. Think of your six-year-old daughter, or perhaps your seven-year-old grandchild, sitting at a Bechstein, playing a duet with Lang Lang, and him being kind until he realises the time and has to finish the minute waltz in 28 seconds. The child looks startled and then starts weeping. He or she doesn’t know why, but the chasm between aspiration and ability is so overwhelming that only tears will be shed.

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Tonight will be the same with Doctor Congo, as the man in the pub called them. We will win, probably, but we’re not going any further. If we win, it will be because we scraped through 2-1 or got away with it on penalties. DR Congo are not mugs: Sébastien Desabre has them in a compact 5-3-2, and they conceded only two big chances in the group stage. Their back line includes Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham, Axel Tuanzebe of Burnley, and captain Chancel Mbemba, with Arthur Masuaku also giving them top-level experience. Up front, Yoane Wissa is the obvious Premier League danger: now at Newcastle, and with three of DR Congo’s four World Cup goals so far. DR Congo are defensively serious and physically awkward, with enough Premier League-grade bite to make this look like only slightly better than Tommy Cooper compared to Penn and Teller - but don’t tell me England was “magic” afterwards!

In Cricket, I defy anyone to tell me that the Ben Stokes situation is a good result for the application of 1990s-style HR, proper Health and Safety regulation and the victory of good management over foolish exuberance. Ben Stokes has something of Puck about him: a rare talent whose value lies precisely in his refusal to be ordinary. Such characters are rarely improved by committees. If I took the analogy seriously, I might suggest that Oberon understood that Puck was most effective when Oberon gave him a task and then stood back. The ECB, like so many modern sporting institutions, lacks that confidence. They have an instinct to regulate, protect and manage exceptional people until the very qualities that made them exceptional begin to disappear, as do they themselves. I’m afraid no apologies, no amount of wishing upon a star, no throwing fairy dust around is going to alter the fact that the ECB made a disastrous mistake and lost Stokes.

For some time now, I have, on an almost constant basis, been warning Cassandra-like of the imminent end of National racing, unless we start to act robustly now, or what is sometimes known in commercial circles as quickly.

That is not a word that sits comfortably with the BHA, which, when presented, for example, with perfectly sound candidates for the post of chairman, backs off for fear of upsetting the bookies or ARC or the man who lives in the JubeJube Tree at the bottom of Dingly Dell. Anything but a decision!!! Want to understand what this has brought us in terms of robust defence?

When asked directly in the Senedd whether his government would protect National Hunt racing, the First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, chose not to rule out future legislation. Now, whilst that is some way short of a policy announcement, refusing to close a door is often interpreted as leaving it ajar. Sensible people in racing were concerned about the precedent set by the decision to prohibit greyhound racing. Once a government has accepted the principle that an animal sport can be banned because the welfare risks are deemed inherent rather than manageable, campaigners inevitably begin to ask whether the same reasoning should apply elsewhere. Earlier this year, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts publicly called for jump racing to be outlawed in Wales, making it clear that the issue is no longer confined to animal welfare groups. That matters because Wales has three National Hunt venues, Chepstow, Ffos Las and Bangor-on-Dee; each of those supports an ecosystem of tax-paying employment, supporting trainers, breeders, stable staff, veterinary practices, farriers, transport companies, hospitality businesses and rural employment far beyond the racecourse gates. Supporters argue that any debate should weigh those economic and cultural benefits alongside welfare concerns, but if you can see any campaign underway from Slothgate HQ, you have far better eyesight than I do.

The First Minister’s silence is far more significant than any outright denial would have been.

You will have read yesterday that we effectively had to discard two months of solid work, because I discovered that a reliable AI machine is no different than a reliable Peugeot. They exist - it’s just that no one has ever owned one.

Today, we start afresh. As we said before, many times, and it is worth repeating again, reliability comes with consistency, so take this with a pinch of salt - but use it as a guide with the certain knowledge that I use it myself and that in doing so, I have some luck occasionally.

A new logo sees us on our way, but the same caveats remain. It’s meant to be fun, it’s meant to be helpful, it’s hopefully useful…

But don't blame us if you end up selling The Big Issue under the arches at Charing Cross!

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Daily Selection

Selections only qualify if, at the time of betting, the horse was between 11/2 and 16/1 and there were 8 or more runners.

• Juan Les Pins — Thirsk 16:10 · BOP #1, TT Race #1 ★★★★★ · 6/1 · 1pt E/W

• Bell Shot (IRE) — Epsom 20:42 · BOP #1, TT Race #1 ★★★★★ · 6/1 · 1pt E/W

Elite Trainer Pick

Selections carry the strongest trainer signal in the race, combined with an elite composite score.

Staking: 1pt E/W at 5/1 or bigger · 2pts win below 5/1

• Parisian Scholar — Thirsk 15:40

• Juan Les Pins — Thirsk 16:10 (also Daily Selection)

The Median Pick

The bet of several possible worlds averaged out.

Staking: 1pt E/W at 5/1 or bigger · 2pts win below 5/1

• Sir Garfield (IRE) — Epsom 18:22

2T

Rarer than hens’ teeth — 2T selections only run in non-handicaps and are considered top-drawer.

Staking: 1pt E/W at 5/1 or bigger · 2pts win below 5/1

No 2T qualifier today.

Today’s Ratings

8+ runners: top 3 shown · 5–7 runners: top 2 · 4 or fewer: omitted

Thirsk

13:08 — 11 runners

• Kodiak Breeze (IRE) (Kevin Ryan)

• Whisper Angel (IRE) (Nigel Tinkler) ★★★

• Possessive (K R Burke)

13:38 — 11 runners

• Arapaho Gold (IRE) (Michael Dods)

• Claret Time (Nigel Tinkler) ★★★

• Noccalula Falls (IRE) (Paul Midgley) ★★

14:08 — 9 runners

• Brouhaha (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Prince Of Calypso (IRE) (Edward Bethell) ★★★

• Steel Raven (IRE) (Adrian Paul Keatley) ★★

14:40 — 19 runners

• Up The Monk (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Petes Diamond (Joey Ramsden) ★★

• Mister Sky Blue (IRE) (Gemma Tutty)

15:10 — 11 runners

• Simba’s Pride (Michael Dods)

• Houndhill (Nigel Tinkler) ★★★

• Go Lockers Go (Michael Bell) ★★★

15:40 — 5 runners

• Parisian Scholar (Charlie Johnston) ★★

• Temple (Jane Chapple-Hyam) ★

16:10 — 10 runners

• Juan Les Pins (Michael Appleby) ★★★ ⭐

• Veblen Good (IRE) (David O’Meara) ★★★

• Novello Lad (Paul Midgley) ★★

16:40 — 13 runners

• Way To Dubai (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Al Muqdad (David O’Meara) ★★★

• Tattie Bogle (Charlie Johnston) ★★

Epsom

17:20 — 9 runners

• Imperial Cult (IRE) (George Baker) ★

• Oj Lifestyle (IRE) (Gary & Josh Moore) ★

• Bobacious (Mark Hoad)

17:50 — 8 runners

• Shemiyla Star (IRE) (Charlie Johnston) ★★

• Confernation (Hugo Palmer) ★

• Whiskey Galore (Michael Bell) ★★★

18:22 — 7 runners

• Dream Composer (FR) (Tony Carroll) ★★

• Amazing Journey (IRE) (Jamie Osborne) ★

18:57 — 10 runners

• Alma Latina (Ralph Beckett)

• Sir William (IRE) (Charlie Johnston) ★★

• Central Command (IRE) (Simon & Ed Crisford) ★★★

19:32 — 10 runners

• Sarangpur (IRE) (Richard Hughes) ★

• Stintino Sunset (Julia & Shelley Birkett)

• Pablo Prince (Karen Jewell)

20:07 — 9 runners

• Ricardo Phillips (Henry Candy) ★

• Naranka (IRE) (George Baker) ★

• Nymphaea (Jennie Candlish)

20:42 — 10 runners

• Bell Shot (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★ ⭐

• Padua (IRE) (Hughie Morrison) ★

• Mission Command (IRE) (Jennie Candlish)

Bath

17:58 — 5 runners

• Reality Queen (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Rosieisme Darling (Hayley Burton)

18:33 — 12 runners

• Angel Ang (IRE) (David Evans)

• Parkers Light (Tom Dascombe) ★★

• Soldier’s Echo (IRE) (Hugo Palmer) ★

19:08 — 8 runners

• Neptune Legend (IRE) (Tony Carroll) ★★

• Southbank (IRE) (Chris Gordon)

• Fancy Dancer (Hayley Burton)

19:43 — 13 runners

• Scenario (Tony Carroll) ★★

• Knightmare (IRE) (David Evans)

• Letsbeatsepsis (Gary & Josh Moore) ★

20:18 — 7 runners

• Post Rider (Oliver Cole) ★

• Thiscouldbefun (IRE) (J S Moore)

20:53 — 7 runners

• Sea Of Charm (FR) (Georgina Nicholls)

• Lakota Chief (IRE) (Archie Watson) ★★

PERFORMANCE DATA

Performance tracking restarts from today — 1 July 2026 — on the fully corrected engine.

Daily Selection

• Yesterday (30 June): Ledger restart day — MAIN omitted.

• Running total from 1 July: 0.00pts

Elite Trainer

• Yesterday: Valsharah 15/8 2nd −2.00pts · Classy Clarets 2/1F WON +4.00pts · Gemini Man 5/2 unplaced −2.00pts → 0.00pts

• Running total from 1 July: 0.00pts

The Median Pick

• Yesterday: Bennyworth 10/1 4th/5 −2.00pts · Venetian Romance 5/1 2nd/6 0.00pts → −2.00pts

• Running total from 1 July: 0.00pts

2T

• Yesterday: No qualifier

• Running total from 1 July: 0.00pts

For evaluation purposes, we score our results only on the SP. There will be times when you might have been able to back a horse at 6/1, which then goes off at 3/1 — eliminating it from our selections. For scoring purposes, we treat it as a void bet rather than a positive.

★★★ TT≥8 · ★★ 6–7.9 · ★ 4–5.9 · ⭐ Today’s Daily Selection

Ratings generated by Boyd’s Own Paper proprietary model. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Daily Selection

Under review — omitted while the MAIN rule is checked.

Elite Trainer Pick

Selections carry the strongest trainer signal in the race and an elite composite score. Now includes the drift filter — selections must be shortening or stable, not drifting.

Staking: 1pt E/W at 5/1 or bigger · 2pts win below 5/1

• Classy Clarets (IRE) — Musselburgh 15:30 (shortening -56%)

• Gemini Man (IRE) — Musselburgh 16:30 (shortening -16%)

The Median Pick

The bet of several possible worlds averaged out.

Staking: 1pt E/W at 5/1 or bigger · 2pts win below 5/1

• Bennyworth (IRE) — Brighton 15:43

• Venetian Romance (IRE) — Brighton 17:15

2T

No 2T qualifier today.

Today’s Ratings

8+ runners: top 3 shown · 5–7 runners: top 2 · 4 or fewer: omitted

Musselburgh

14:00 — 7 runners

• Second Fiddle (IRE) (Iain Jardine) ★★★

• Perfidia (IRE) (Tim Easterby)

14:30 — 6 runners

• Turnstile (Tim Easterby)

• Just For Monty (Katie Scott) ★

15:00 — 9 runners

• Pandemonium (IRE) (Simon & Ed Crisford) ★★★

• Haayimm (IRE) (Edward Bethell) ★★★

• Marhaba Ghaiyyath (IRE) (Charlie Johnston) ★★

15:30 — 9 runners

• Classy Clarets (IRE) (Iain Jardine) ★★★

• Ramon Di Loria (IRE) (Ewan Whillans)

• Sanditon (IRE) (Charlie Johnston) ★★

16:00 — 8 runners

• The Gay Blade (Iain Jardine) ★★★

• Native Instinct (Edward Bethell) ★★★

• Gressington (IRE) (Katie Scott) ★

16:30 — 6 runners

• Gemini Man (IRE) (Iain Jardine) ★★★

• Falaise Blanc (FR) (Katie Scott) ★

17:05 — 10 runners

• Auntie Jo (Katie Scott) ★

• What A Tahoo (IRE) (Richard & Peter Fahey) ★

• Wee Mary (IRE) (Jim Goldie)

Salisbury

14:07 — 8 runners

• Galipi (IRE) (Charles Hills) ★★

• Rafe’s Da Man (Richard Hannon)

• Breacher (William Muir & Chris Grassick) ★

14:37 — 6 runners

• King Of Stars (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Cayman Tai (IRE) (Richard Hannon)

15:07 — 11 runners

• Ten Year Stretch (IRE) (Jamie Osborne) ★

• Flying Pirate (IRE) (Eve Johnson Houghton)

• Harry Knows (IRE) (Richard Hughes) ★

15:37 — 7 runners

• Addison Grey (Clive Cox) ★

• Jel Pepper (IRE) (Oliver Cole) ★

16:07 — 7 runners

• Storming Point (Gary & Josh Moore) ★

• Sevenkingsmustdie (IRE) (Alan King)

17:10 — 6 runners

• Hot And Cold (Sir Mark Prescott Bt)

• John Harrison (Alan King)

Brighton

14:43 — 11 runners

• Valsharah (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Washington Heir (Tony Carroll) ★★

• Port Hedland (Tony Carroll) ★★

15:13 — 7 runners

• Spirit Of Albion (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• King Of War (Michael Wigham)

15:43 — 5 runners

• Aneirin’s Sword (IRE) (Jamie Osborne) ★

• Hove Ranger (FR) (Gary & Josh Moore) ★

16:13 — 8 runners

• Man Is King (IRE) (David Flood)

• Annexation (FR) (Tony Carroll) ★★

• Little She (FR) (Marcus Tregoning) ★

16:43 — 11 runners

• Starsong (IRE) (Michael Appleby) ★★★

• Dion Baker (IRE) (Michael Wigham)

• Havana Mojito (John Gallagher) ★

17:15 — 6 runners

• Pimentel (Marcus Tregoning) ★

• Miss Starlet (IRE) (George Margarson)

Ffos Las

18:09 — 7 runners

• Celestial Cen (Archie Watson) ★★

• Mother Dear (Hughie Morrison) ★

18:39 — 8 runners

• Dark Whisper (FR) (David Menuisier)

• Impierious (Tom Clover) ★

• Elenaya (Mark Loughnane)

19:09 — 9 runners

• Snow Day (Tony Carroll) ★★

• King Of The Dance (IRE) (Bernard Llewellyn)

• Spirited Dancer (Daniel & Claire Kubler) ★

19:39 — 9 runners

• Tonal (FR) (Ian Williams) ★★

• Arnaz (Mark Loughnane)

• Kaleidoscope Eyes (IRE) (Bernard Llewellyn)

20:09 — 7 runners

• Tanaka (IRE) (David O’Meara) ★★★

• Forever Glamorous (Christopher Mason)

20:39 — 9 runners

• Simiyann (IRE) (Ian Williams) ★★

• Bulldog Spirit (IRE) (Bernard Llewellyn)

• Sapphire Sirocco (Barry John Murphy)

Roscommon

17:30 — 18 runners

• Docks (IRE) (Paul W Flynn) ★★

• Sea Of Rain (IRE) (J S Bolger) ★

• Elyatta (IRE) (Noel Meade) ★★★

18:00 — 14 runners

• Elusive Echo (IRE) (Joseph Patrick O’Brien)

• Ellens Bay (IRE) (Ciaran Murphy)

• Reap The Rewards (IRE) (Ciaran Murphy)

18:30 — 18 runners

• Medieval Night (IRE) (Denis Gerard Hogan) ★

• Eichan San (IRE) (Daniel James Murphy)

• Shahada Ace (Andrew Slattery)

19:00 — 10 runners

• Freedom And Light (IRE) (J S Bolger) ★

• Adel (GER) (M D O’Callaghan) ★

• Iamimmaculate (IRE) (Gerard O’Leary)

19:30 — 13 runners

• Sonoran (IRE) (G M Lyons) ★★★

• Liam Swagger (William Durkan)

• Sir Jeremy (IRE) (Noel Meade) ★★★

20:00 — 8 runners

• Dreamkeeper (IRE) (Noel Meade) ★★★

• Kalixa (IRE) (M D O’Callaghan) ★

• Shaool (IRE) (J P Murtagh)

20:30 — 16 runners

• Elman (IRE) (Denis Gerard Hogan) ★

• Ashikita (FR) (J P Murtagh)

• Seti One (USA) (Denis Gerard Hogan) ★

PERFORMANCE DATA

Performance tracking restarts cleanly from 1 July on the corrected engine.

For evaluation purposes, we score our results only on the SP. There will be times when you might have been able to back a horse at 6/1, which then goes off at 3/1 — eliminating it from our selections. For scoring purposes, we treat it as a void bet rather than a positive.

★★★ TT≥8 · ★★ 6–7.9 · ★ 4–5.9 · ⭐ Today’s Daily Selection

Ratings generated by Boyd’s Own Paper proprietary model. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

I am a broken man.

I have self-diagnosed myself thanks to Google Quack with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder. ChatGTPjustcoughandnowtheotherone, tells me it is a complex mental health condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states. “Two or more…?” And the rest.

I am Barnes Wallis watching the bouncing bomb hurtle toward Richard Todd and the rest of the Dam Busters crew, wiping out the entire raid in a single ghastly moment. I feel the spirit of Douglas Bader as I give the squadron a cheery thumbs‑up just before plunging into the courtyard of Colditz, accidentally killing hundreds of potential escapees and with it favvourite films, yarns and books.

I already know what Isambard Kingdom Brunrel would feel like as he gave HM Queen Victoria a pair of ribbon-scissors, at the opening of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and simultaneously discovered his suspension cables load-bearing weight had been incorrectly calculated - plunging Queen Viictoria and several MPs into the gorge below. Consider how you would now speak Spanish had it not been for a lucky storm that did for the Spanish Armada - because Phillip II didn’t have a decent meteorologist - or French if only Napoleon had also been better informed about the weather.

I am the Nikola Tesla of the horseracing database world - blessed with an almost unshakeable conviction that my reserach will prove fruitful, long after evidence (and funding) have evaporated. Brilliant, but considered by my peers (when they are being kind) as having all the trappings of the eccentric visionary - or barking lunatic. Each of my personalities has been thwarted by Science and it’s ability to screw things up with the sole purpose of confounding and obstructing beyond measure, the great Scientist’s purpose.

Today I alsmost gave up.

The Boyd’s Own Paper Science and AI-powered Project (BOPSAP) had the following conversation rthis morning when I discovered an anomolay that I could not fathom.

This [key-figure] has been wrong since the very first day in the dataset — 6 May 2026 — where 100% of rows are wrong, and it never recovers. It runs consistently at roughly 50–93% wrong every single day through to 29 June, with no date where the figure resets to correct. There is no “since when” in the sense of a recent regression — this is a defect baked into how signal_score has been computed in master_dataset.csv across its entire 51-day history.

Given the documented spec history: v24 (before 26 June) explicitly stated “Max 21 points,” which is consistent with a min-rank or first-rank method that doesn’t compress ties — that earlier spec was itself wrong on the formula, and the 26 June revision to “dense_rank, max 18” was the correction. But master_dataset.csv was never rebuilt to reflect that correction, and I then compounded it by also using min-rank in everything I calculated fresh in this conversation, including the supposedly “corrected” Storming Point/confidence filter work and the SIG-doubles analysis — all of it inherited the same flaw.

The honest scope: every Signal Score figure you have ever seen from me — in master_dataset.csv, in any workbook I built, and in every answer I’ve given in this conversation — needs to be treated as unverified until rebuilt with dense_rank, because the error has been present for the entire 51-day life of the dataset, not introduced recently.

A million apologies on behalf of my team Douglas, Barnes, Isambard, Phillip, Napoloeon, Nikola and my assurance, that we will be restartying the Quest for the Betfair Grail, tomorrow July 1st, knowing that the principal is sound… just not yet fully discovered.

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I thought you might like to see Sir Keir’s committment in words to HM Forces. It’s always worth reminding ourselves of how much they matter in the eyes of the politicians they protect.

29 Jun 2024 Armed Forces Day, as Labour leader “If we are privileged to serve, my Labour government will demonstrate our respect and thanks, in action… We will legislate… for an Armed Forces Commissioner… The Commissioner will help to renew the moral contract with those who serve our nation, and the families who support them.”

18 Jul 2024 King’s Speech / MOD The Commissioner was described as “a step to renewing the moral contract with those who make extraordinary sacrifices to serve the nation, and the families who support them.”

25 Feb 2025 Defence spending statement Starmer linked defence to a wider “social contract of our nation—the rights and responsibilities that we owe one another.”

18 Apr 2025 Forces housing “Our Armed Forces serve with extraordinary dedication and courage to keep us safe. It is only right that they and their families live in the homes they deserve.”

8 May 2025 London Defence Conference “We also rebuilt Britain — so it serves everyone that serves our country.” He added that after VE Day, politicians understood that those who sacrificed were “owed a great debt.”

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28 Jun 2025 Armed Forces Covenant pledge “When I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us… ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve — that is our duty.”

28 Jun 2025 Same announcement “Our Armed Forces Covenant will put our Armed Forces community at the very heart of government decision-making. Their courage, duty, and sacrifice are the foundation of our national values, and they deserve nothing less.”

2 Nov 2025 Defence Housing Strategy “Our Armed Forces families make extraordinary sacrifices for our country, and they deserve homes that truly feel like home.”

2 Nov 2025 Same “The least they deserve is a decent home… the biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years.”

4 Dec 2025 Christmas travel support “When I came into office, I promised to renew our nation’s contract with those who serve us.”

4 Dec 2025 Same “Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices… I know how important being with family is… extra travel support… this Christmas.”

17 Feb 2026 Veterans Strategy foreword “This is a personal commitment – we will renew our nation’s contract with those who serve and have served.”

17 Feb 2026 Same “To the veterans of our armed forces, your families, and all those that support you, I extend our government’s unending respect and gratitude.”

Today’s much delayed DIP now shows that despite the Government previously promising at least £7 billion during this Parliament for military housing, including £1.5 billion for urgent repairs, the focus is overwhelmingly on drones, missiles, nuclear forces, aircraft and warships. Reports indicate that some accommodation upgrades have been delayed or scaled back as resources are redirected towards combat capability. The result is a clear tension between the Government’s earlier pledge of a “generational renewal” of military housing and its decision to prioritise rearmament.

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For serving personnel, the question is likely to be straightforward: If Russia is dangerous enough to justify another £15 billion for weapons, why isn’t it dangerous enough to ensure that the soldiers expected to use those weapons can live in decent accommodation?

That tension between investing in cutting-edge capability and looking after the people who operate it is likely to become one of the main debates arising from the Defence Investment Plan.While ministers argue that the security environment demands greater investment in weapons, critics are likely to question whether improving the living conditions of the personnel expected to operate them has been given sufficient priority.

Especially when Burnham’s Social Housing plans will see Benefits claimants and Migrants of varying qualifications taking precedence

TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Daily Selection

Selections only qualify if, at the time of betting, the horse was between 11/2 and 16/1 and there were 8 or more runners.

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TODAY’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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Selection Criteria and Staking Guide: BOP #1 or #2 · TT Race #1 or #2 · SP 11/2–16/1 · 1pt E/W · 1/5 odds

49 days · 103R - 14W - 22P · 206pts staked · −2.95pts −1.4% ROI

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THE WORLD CUP

Before the tournament began, there was a small but vociferous coterie of pundits who confidently informed us that England would flatter to deceive, Scotland would be lucky to score, the manager had picked the wrong squad, the full-backs were inadequate, the midfield was unbalanced, the goalkeeper was suspect, and the entire enterprise was another exercise in national self-delusion. Two matches later, that original unhappy band of brothers had doubled in size and had all reached precisely the same conclusions, although now they had considerably more evidence to justify them.

England, viewed dispassionately, has probably done about what one might have expected. A convincing opening victory, albeit after an uninspiring first half, over Croatia reminded everyone that Thomas Tuchel inherited rather more talent than some of the national soul-searching had suggested. The subsequent goalless draw with Ghana immediately prompted familiar cries that England had become cautious, unimaginative and incapable of beating serious opposition. It was almost reassuring. England can produce one of the better performances of the tournament on Tuesday, and by Thursday, the nation has rediscovered its traditional conviction that everything is going horribly wrong.

The truth, as ever, lies somewhere between the triumphalism and the despair. England looks organised. They remain physically imposing, possess genuine match-winners in Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, and appear considerably more comfortable without the ball than some previous England sides. They are not irresistible, but they rarely look vulnerable for long periods either. That is not a bad foundation upon which to build a tournament.

Scotland presents a rather different picture.

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Selections in the 11/2–16/1 band. 1pt each-way at 5/1 or bigger (1/5 the odds); 2pt win under 5/1.

48 days · 99R - 13W - 24P · 194pts staked · −4.75pts · −2.4% ROI

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