Apart from our winning, it was an interesting night’s racing at Sandown last night. A 21pt profit overall on the selections, including a 40/1 and 9/2 winner. We also advised, but didn’t back Trawlerman, who won at 4/5.
I would have backed him at that price all night, despite it being his first run since his 2nd in the Dubai Gold Cup in April. 5/1 for the RA Gold Cup makes him a dirty e/w punt. There was just sufficient cut for ALMAQAM to land the G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes and the Arc must call him now, if only on ground terms. 66/1 is the wrong price ante post, and I might have a nibble.
It was intriguing to hear Charlie Appleby’s assistant Alan Merriam suggest they might skip Ascot with OPERA BALLO, who won the Heron. It will need to rain for them to even consider it. As my tails have only just dried out from the last rainy Ascot, its a question of wait and see. As for the National winner and my 40/1 tip, ANTHELIA her victory makes the work of bloodstock agents look a bit pointless. Rod Millman was going to buy one for £50k, and she had made Rod’s catalogue C list of “Possibles-only-if-I’m-bid-out-of-everything-else”. When she entered the ring, “… she only got little bids on her and I got her for G6k…”. She’s probably worth, £200k now.
Forget LUTHER for the French Derby - poor Charlie Fellowes was given Stall 13 for his French 2000 Gns fourth - which is far from ideal. Winning stalls since 2015 read as follows: 13, 3, 2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, 8, 7. That suggests CAMILLE PISARRO (1), SINILEO (4), and DETAIN (6) are where the value lies.
This weekend might well see Barcelona hosting its penultimate Grand Prix, with Madrid set to host another Spanish-based GP in 2026. Carlos Sainz, who is without a seat for 2025, is confirmed to drive his Williams car in a demonstration at Madrid's future Spanish GP circuit in June, ahead of its 2026 calendar debut. This confirms the pit-lane rumours that Sainz would be signed to Williams for the 2026 season. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is known for limited overtaking opportunities, and making a strong start to get through the first corner vital in a top 3 position is vital. Lewis Hamilton had a “not fun” Friday practice, finding his Ferrari “quite a lot worse” than it was in Monaco. He's openly frustrated by the car's performance and is looking for solutions. To help with that, and beyond their front wing compliance updates, Ferrari has also brought a revised high-downforce rear wing, a carry-over from 2024 but with local updates for improved airflow and efficiency. They are trying to find the sweet spot for balance and performance on this track. There were some who thought that Ferrari would be the main beneficiary of the new stricter tests for front wing flexibility, which have been introduced at the Spanish GP. While drivers largely downplayed the impact, some suggested it could create a slight shift in the pecking order. However, Friday practice results suggested it hasn't drastically altered the front-runners. McLaren is looking incredibly strong, with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris showing impressive pace. Norris won in Monaco and Piastri topped FP2 in Spain, and they remain serious contenders to not only each other, but also to Max Verstappen.
Back in the wacky world of racing, the news that Lord (Charles) Allen is now having doubts about his ability to do anything useful as head of the BHA will surprise no one. A source close to the shareholders in the BHA, comprising the RCA, the ROA, the TBA and 'Licensed Personnel' covering trainers, jockeys and stable staff, said the news had come as a “surprise”. For the past three weeks, there has been much scurrying between various industry HQs, as the BHA essentially asks the racecourses to cut them some slack, or cede some authority to the BHA as the RCA sees it. Which makes the “Surprised” position… surprising! My understanding is that Allen isn’t coming unless he can say “Jump” and everyone simply says “How High”, rather than “Why?”. It’s a grotesque oversimplification, but that is it in a nutshell.
Inevitably, there are some braying yahoos who think Allen would be useless because he wasn’t in the Wessex Lancers’ hasn’t been an owner or bookmaker, and didn’t play Polo when he was 6. To the Yahoos I say this… tick, tock, tick, tock. Get this wrong, and the racing industry will potentially be the largest supplier of UK building land by 2035.
A quiet day otherwise, although the instructions for Royal Ascot get ever more complicated. Six emails to tell me my badge is on its way. The badge arrives. The day before, I was told I must put the ticket in my wallet. The Wallet is electronic, and I do not know where it is. The Ticket is not a badge. I am also told that some time whilst I am away in France, and arriving back the day before the Royal Meeting (with many, many days available to resolve any issues - not), I will need my digital admission pass. This is not a ticket or a badge. These will need to be downloaded. You will also need some form of ID. I do not drive, so I do not have a driving licence. I have a passport. So I must now take, a passport, a badge, a ticket, a digital pass, and more money than anyone in most Welsh towns earns in a month, to watch high-quality racing, which is available on TV for free. Is the word grotesque considered too woke these days? I wonder how long before someone in racing realises the impact of customer service on footfall.
Talking of the impact of over-ambitious thinking on the creation of poor outcomes, here are some thoughts on Saturday’s TV racing.
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