The first Cheltenham meeting of the autumn

Following the summer recess, just a quick note as jump racing resumes at Prestbury Park tomorrow (Friday). Two interesting runners are Snap Tie in the 2.55 and Barizan in the juvenile hurdle at 4.40; both are likely to start odds-on and make little appeal as betting material. Philip Hobbs' smart hurdler Snap Tie isn't overly big but tries fences for the first time in the Wbx.com Novices' Chase - nonetheless he's still just a 20/1 shot with most layers for the Arkle next March. Should the fences get in his way, Pigeon Island and Rippling Ring are the most likely to benefit - to me, in his races, Rippling Ring hasn't looked the easiest of rides.

Barizan, rated 140 by the handicapper, has the form in the book in the 4.40. The last time at Market Rasen he ran away with his race, jumping fluently and beating Forty Thirty some fifteen lengths. On that occasion I thought his official rating may have flattered him somewhat but now he looks one to keep a very close eye on; his one defeat over hurdles came when he lost a shoe during the race.

Finally, at Ludlow this afternoon, The Package, with a second to New Little Bric in a Grade 3 handicap chase at Newbury to his name, was expected to take the Beginners' Chase at 4.50. The 4/7 favourite was beaten a neck, battled out of it by Matuhi (11/4). From the Racing Post's comments in running: '...still close up to the winner run-in, would not go on...'; he looks one to be wary of in the future.

Some weekend jumping notes

The Sporting Life reports plenty of drama at Ffos Las today - sadly 11/2 chance Manorson broke down after winning the Sir David Mansel Lewis Memorial Beginners' Chase.

David Pipe's charge Seven Is My Number, owned by David Johnson, took the opener at Bangor yesterday - the 9/2 chance beat Khachaturian (7/4) a short head in a relatively fast time. That's his third win on the bounce this autumn, although, according to the Racing Post's comments in running, the horse did everything he could to throw away the chance: '..ridden when wandered right and joined last, had plenty left but made it very hard for rider, cajoled home in front..." The rider who worked the oracle was Timmy Murphy. The horse looks far from straightforward but, despite those comments, clearly possesses ability as he was giving the runner-up ten pounds.

Evan Williams is in the spotlight in the Weekender's 'Straight from the Stable' feature this week and I was intrigued to see Silverburn is now an inmate of the yard. Although this horse, formerly with Paul Nicholls, has a Tolworth Hurdle to his name, I always felt he never quite lived up to expectations, even though Nicholls was quick to talk up his charge's chance when any opportunity arose. After finishing fourth in the Ballymore at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival, Silverburn was, for me, one to take on - his third in the 2007 Feltham behind Joe Lively was a typically frustrating effort. Mr Williams has a reputation for working wonders with animals that have maybe fallen out of love with the game - it will be interesting to see how Silverburn progresses.

Noted from that same Weekender article - State Of Play won't be ready for the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and is being aimed at the Grand National; Brenin Cwmtudu has schooled well over fences and 'could make signifcant progress this season' (has five-day entries in two chases at Ludlow on Thursday); Foxhunter winner Cappa Bleu is waiting for the rain to arrive and Fight Club is one to look out for when starting his novice hurdle campaign.

Howard Johnson caught the eye with three winners from just four runners at Carlisle on Friday but the form didn't carry over to Hexham the next day where both Wave Power (evens) and Montoya's Son (6/4) both disappointed. It's early days yet...

A couple of weeks ago Tom Segal, writing in the Weekender, indicated he preferred Flat racing to Jumps as a betting medium. Amongst the reasons he advanced - in chases in particular it was critical for a horse to get into a jumping rhythm and you could never tell beforehand if that was going to happen. I just couldn't resist putting forward a couple of counterpoints, reasons why I'm not so keen on the Flat game as a bettng medium - effect of the draw, traffic problems, less form to go on... ;)

Finally, for those who like their information straight from the horse's mouth, NH trainer Chris Bealby has an interesting blog at chrisbealby.wordpress.com

The proper start to the jumps season

Many consider tomorrow's meeting at Chepstow the real start to the jumps season; in days gone by the feature race was the Mercedes Benz Chase, with the BBC televising at least three races from the card. How times have changed! The Paul Nicholls stable moves into gear now, and Ruby Walsh will start his regular winter flights across the Irish Sea. In the past, searching for value, I've experimented with an approach of opposing Nicholls' runners at this meeting, the theory being that after their summer break the horses may not be as far forward as many will assume. The results have been decidedly mixed - last year was best forgotten with Nicholls-trained beasts winning four (Tchico Polos 5/2, Herecomesthetruth 10/11f, R De Rien Sivola 8/1 and Taniano even money favourite). As today's Daily Telegraph reports Nicholls feels his charges are as far forward as they were this time last year, I'd advise caution in following the strategy this year.

One I would be prepared to take on is Classic Swain in the four-year-old hurdle at 4.10. Classic Swain has never struck me as straightforward and in the past has shown signs of temperament together with a tendency to miss the odd hurdle out here and there. Any Given Day is a horse I like while Trenchant, with Choc Thornton up, looks the pick of the Alan King runners. Josh Gifford's Helium, a staying-on eighth in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham, is held in high regard but, as with many on their first run of the season, fitness has to be taken on trust; having said that, the tissue prices the horse at 20/1 which looks big. In an open event, Any Given Day is put forward as the tentative selection - his run at Market Rasen in mid-August may give him an edge over some of his rivals here.

Tot Of The Knar has had her fair share of trainers and moved to the Nicholls yard in August. A game mare on her day, she gets into the 3.35 with a light weight but she has been novice chasing in smallish fields - taking on seasoned handicappers here she makes little appeal at cramped odds.

The favourite has won eight of the last ten runnings of the juvenile hurdle which is due off at 4.45. At the time of writing Fongoli is the most experienced animal and the market leader. The King stable won this in 2006 with Katchit and then finished second twice in succession with Pouvoir (2007) and Tuanku (2008). Tombov needs to improve on what we've seen so far to get competitive but the yard wouldn't enter him here on a mere whim. Fongoli is the selection.

Only six go to post for the novice chase at 3.00 which tends to act as a stepping stone for a young chaser destined for better things. As two thirds of the field are seven years old and more, I have concentrated on Nicholls' Gullible Gordon and Jonjo O'Neill's Theatrical Moment - Gullible Gordon gets the vote.

Noted - McCoy chooses to ride at Bangor. Khachaturian is of interest in the opener after his recent second to King Troy over a trip perhaps a little beyond his best. The drop back here should suit, although King Troy, previously fourth in the Summer Plate at Market Rasen, didn't jump well that day. King's Forest is respected. The McManus horses City Theatre and Shadow Dancer will be short odds to take the two novice hurdle events but I'll be tempted to have an each-way dabble on Norma Hill if she's priced around the 12/1 mark in the 3.30. This course and distance winning mare returned to action after a two year layoff with a reasonable effort in August. I've won money on her before - on her day she was a very speedy individual; if she retains her ability, she can be competitive here.

A day at Ascot races

The most common complaint I receive about this blog is that the tips are useless. The second most common complaint I receive is that the blog contains far too much drivel and not enough photographs. I don't really think I'll ever be able to address the first problem; instead I decided to try and do something about the second.

Recently a colleague and his wife went to Ascot's QEII meeting; in return for my marking their card, they agreed to take a few pictures. Out came the best clothes and off to Ascot they went! Obtaining half price tickets through CAMRA (The Campaign For Real Ale), they'd bagged themselves a real bargain before they had even set foot on the the course - £15 for a Grandstand ticket. At the accompanying beer festival on the day, a pint of real ale from the wide selection available cost £2.50, which also struck me as jolly reasonable.

My colleague summed up the day as similar to attending a giant wedding reception but without having to go through the inconvenience of attending the ceremony. Put like that, it certainly made plenty of appeal to me.

The new grandstand was described as 'seriously impressive' (although it looks as though it will be a while before building costs are recouped - the course made a pre-tax loss of just under £11 million last year).

Needles to say, the tips provided by my good self failed abysmally. My colleague's wife however, having attended no more than a handful of meetings, placed £3 of her own money on Joshua Tree 'because I'm a U2 fan'. Not only that, she had the foresight to strike the bet with a bookmaker offering odds of 16/1. Joshua Tree won, SP 12/1.

All in all, a most enjoyable day out at the Ascot races...

On reflection

Earlier this afternoon Sea The Stars won the Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe in breathtaking fashion. At the home turn the horse looked boxed in near the tail of the field; when the gaps appeared, the horse took them, ably assisted by Mick Kinane in the plate, to beat Youmzain and Cavalryman two lengths and a head, thereby securing 'equine immortality' in the process.

In his post race interview, Mick Kinane, 50, described the horse as 'phenomenal'. The jockey's entry in Sean Magee's compilation The Race Of My Life (1996), is Belmez's neck victory over Old Vic in the 1990 King George at Ascot; I suspect if he were asked the question today, the victory of Sea The Stars in the 2009 Arc would be his selection.

In the immediate aftermath of the race, trainer John Oxx refused to confirm the horse would be aimed at the Breeders' Cup next month. This evening Coral offer the best price about the horse for the Classic - 4/5.

Roughly an hour and a half after the showpiece, Yeats finished third on his final run in the Qatar Prix du Cadran and was given a standing ovation by racegoers. May he enjoy a long, happy retirement!

And, just in case you were wondering, The Stag, from Huntingdon Rugby Club, won the 2009 Mascot Grand National...

Something for the weekend...

At Newmarket tomorrow thirty four go to post for the Cambridgeshire; bookmakers bet 10/1 the field with Skybet paying each way six places. Picking the winner is well beyond my limited capabilties. In the last decade two favourites have obliged (Pipedreamer in 2007 and Blue Monday in 2005) but in 2004 Spanish Don was returned at 100/1. I won't have a bet but, if a gun were held to my head, I'd start by looking at horses carrying less than nine stones.

Course and distance winner Ghanaati returns to racing against her own sex in the Sun Chariot Stakes at three o'clock, having finished a well-beaten third behind Rip Van Winkle in the Sussex at Goodwood. She's been given time to get over that effort, has a favourite's chance and is the selection.

All eyes will be on Longchamp on Sunday when Sea The Stars attempts to win the Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe at 3.15 BST. Last year Rishi Persad told BBC viewers he would walk home if Zarkava won the race - Zarkava won but Rishi never kept his promise; I wonder if he'll be similarly rash this year. Eighteen go to post; at the time of writing Sea The Stars is 8/11 in places but generally a 4/6 shot. The Arc is often a rough race and the draw can be crucial - the favourite has been given stall six which I would imagine will please John Oxx. The handler went on record a couple of days ago saying he didn't want a low draw (Zarkava won from stall one last year, the first horse to do so since 1964). Similarly you don't want a really wide draw - Andre Fabre said previously he was running for second place with Cavalryman but the horse has been done no favours whatsoever with berth 19. Before the draw, Cavalryman, with Dettori riding, was decent enough value at 10/1 - he's now generally a 12/1 shot. Vision D'Etat is worth a second look and probably overpriced at 14/1 with Coral but as a four-year-old he's set to carry nine stone five; three-year-olds have won 12 of the last 15 runnings. Stacelita remains unbeaten even though she was beaten fair and square by Dar Re Mi the last time, being awarded the Prix Vermeille in the stewards' room on a technicality, much to the disgust of Dar Re Mi's owner Lord Lloyd Webber and his wife who was most indignant in the aftermath. I'm going to stick with an each-way interest in Cavalryman - the poor draw is a major concern - but, along with many I suspect, I hope to see Sea The Stars win the day.

For those who prefer a bit of fun on a Sunday, the tenth running of the annual Mascot Grand National takes place at Huntingdon racecourse over a distance of one furlong two hundred and twenty yards. Mascots caught wearing spikes are likely to be disqualified...

Matters arising...

A couple of performances impressed over the weekend - Rip Van Winkle's determination when challenged by Zacinto in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Barizan's victory in the juvenile novice hurdle at Market Rasen. Barizan raced off a mark of 140 which some (myself included) thought may have flattered a little but he hurdled fluently and won as he liked. I'd heard a quiet whisper for the second, Classic Contours, who finished a respectable thirteen lengths second - that was a decent enough effort on his first try over hurdles and he looks one to keep in mind for the future in this sphere.

I have a confession to make - after watching Richard Dunwoody dance the 'Cha Cha Cha' in Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing, I picked up the phone, tears still rolling down my cheeks, and voted for the man. What a star! Unfortunately, it was all to no avail and 'Richard Dun-goody' was promptly dumped out of the competition in no uncertain terms, like a novice chaser falling at the second. Of course, the BBC has missed yet another opportunity to increase its diminished racing coverage.

Around this time of year books start to appear on the shelves of shops, just in time for Christmas. In Waterstone's (Coventry) the other day I came across a copy of Fallon: The Biography by Andrew Longmore and Paul Nicholls' autobiography Lucky Break while Saturday's Times printed extracts from Michael Henderson's 50 People Who Fouled Up Football. I quote the author: 'There is no joy in English football today, and little dignity. The game is richer to the tune of many billions, yet it is poorer in spirit... Football has been shamed by people who do not hold its best interests at heart.' Amongst the fifty named and shamed are Piers Morgan, Alan Hansen, Nigel Kennedy, Victoria Beckham, Alan Green ('a man who speaks almost exclusively in capital letters'), Don Revie, Billy Bragg and even the fans themselves. I think I'm going to have to order a copy...

Football may have its billions but during the BBC's coverage of the European Eventing Championships this afternoon I watched Clare Balding interview one Piggy French who had just won herself a silver medal. 'Piggy French? Do people like that still exist?' I hear you cry; well, quite clearly, they do. You'll be pleased to learn that Piggy isn't her real name - Simon Barnes informs us her name is Georgina - the family nickname came about as her older sister thought she looked like Piglet from Winnie The Pooh. Different world altogether, isn't it?

Finally, I bring to your attention something I've spent a long time waiting for - left-handed underpants. According to aptly-named underwear seller Horn, 'They'll save left-handed men vital seconds.' It's all just pants really.

Market Rasen ruminations

Only five declared for the big race at Ascot tomorrow, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and Mastercraftsman is likely to be withdrawn if Rip Van Winkle makes it to the start. Rip, the clear form choice, is my idea of the winner but he'll be no price so I've decided to look at Market Rasen's National Hunt card instead.

In the opener I'm considering Philip Hobbs' Bruslini but he's been off the track a while, may be a little ring-rusty and fitness has to be taken on trust.

The 2.05 handicap hurdle looks very competitive. Likely favourite Cootehill from the Twiston-Davies yard is a favourite of mine and did this blog a favour when taking the Summer Hurdle in July at 13/2. A few in that race reoppose here including the two that dead-heated for second, Danehill Willy and Ameeq, together with Ellerslie Tom and Katies Tuitor. I have to express some reservations about Twiston-Davies' stable form. Normally at this time of year the yard hits the ground running, having had the two day Perth meeting earlier in the week as an early target. This year things don't appear to have gone entirely to plan; just one winner (Billie Magern) from thirteen entries at Perth doesn't read well - seven of those runners were sent off favourite. The yard's three runners at Worcester today have all finished unplaced. At the weights Danehill Willy should finish in front of Ameeq, the latter being kept busy on the Flat over the summer. I note that McCoy has ridden Danehill Willy in his last three runs but here he's jumped ship and is booked to ride Alison Thorpe's consistent gelding Nortonthorpe Lad. McCoy gave up his rides after the first at Worcester today, having taken a heavy fall at Fontwell on Thursday. If the champ is back riding tomorrow, I'll have an each-way wager on Nortonthorpe Lad who is priced up at 12/1 in this evening's tissue.

Barizan brings the best form into the juvenile novices' hurdle at 2.40 but I expect Forty Thirty to run a big race. In the recent past Alan King has used this race to introduce both Katchit and Franchoek; the stable's entry last year however - Black Jacari - proved a disappointment, winning just one Class 4 hurdle in his subsequent ten starts. Tombov is one to keep an eye out for in the market but I'm going to stick by Forty Thirty who won for this blog last time out. It's worth noting the favourite has failed to win the last five renewals.

I'll maintain a watching brief in the listed handicap chase at 3.15. Always Waining would make plenty of appeal if he was certain to carry his effort through but I've had burnt fingers with this one many times before. Two I'll keep a close eye on for future reference - Paul Webber's De Soto and Oumeyade having his first run for Donald McCain.

By declaring King Troy for the novice rather than the handicap chase, Alan King has taken the easier option with the seven-year-old gelding; King Troy is the selection in the 3.55.

The finale is trappy - I won't have a bet. Brendan Duke's Mister Benedictine is a horse I like and he'll like the ground but he hasn't won over this trip and I can see a couple further down the handicap going past McCoy's mount in the closing stages.

Looking ahead

This is my favourite time of year - the leaves on the trees are changing colour, there's a nip in the early morning air and ever so slowly the National Hunt season is beginning to take shape. If anticipation is (more than) half the excitement of racing, then this is a time of excitement and anticipation. There was no jump racing last week but Perth holds its two-day meeting on Wedensday and Thursday (a meeting the Twiston-Davies stable regularly targets), Worcester race on Friday and then Market Rasen holds its two-day meeting over the forthcoming weekend. Of course, the big meeting on Saturday takes place at Ascot where the feature race will be the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes; a work colleague is going and has asked me for a few pointers - he really should know better. Last year I did promise myself I'd get to Ludlow's first jumps meeting (Thursday October 15th) but events have overtaken me and I don't think it's going to happen. As they say - the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Overheard comment from Mrs Tips while watching Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff during last night's Strictly Come Dancing: 'It looks as though she is trying to dance with a wardrobe.' In my time I've turned a few heads on the disco dancefloors of the country for the completely wrong reasons, but even I could see what Mrs T. meant. Before Joe had set foot on the dancefloor, he was the bookmakers favourite for this year's title; Betfred are currently offering 33/1.

Finally Guinness celebrates its 250th birthday on Thursday 24th September; I shall partake of the odd pint (or two) - it would be downright rude not to!

Ayr Gold Cup, Newbury and Newmarket

When the draw was made for the Ayr Gold Cup earlier in the week, those first out of the hat went for the high stall numbers in the belief that was where the advantage lay; the first seven home in today's Bronze Cup all came from single figure berths. Twenty seven are set to go to post for tomorrow's renewal of the Gold Cup over a trip of six furlongs. The race, as always, is ultra-competitive and has something of the look of a bookmakers' benefit about it. Those who can wait will have a further clue to any draw advantage as the Silver Cup is due off at 2.05. Given the result of today's Bronze Cup I've decided to opt for a low-drawn horse. Dandy Nicholls, who has won this race five times in the last nine years, saddles likely favourite Evens And Odds (drawn 3) - in a race of this nature his price is unlikely to offer much value. I'll have a small each-way investment on Jim Goldie's course and distance winner Hogmaneigh (drawn 2). There appears plenty of speed nearby, the horse should run his race with the stable in reasonable form (6 wins from 37 runs in the past fortnight) and Coral stand out this evening by offering 22/1 - most firms go 18s.

In the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury Radiohead is the one they all have to beat but the World Trophy at 3.25 looks far more difficult to solve. On official ratings J J The Jet Plane should win with something to spare but he disappointed somewhat in the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot and has since moved to Richard Hannon's yard; I won't get involved.

For some unfathomable reason the two and a quarter mile Cesarewitch Trial (3.20 Newmarket) has caught my imagination. Several of these like to race from the front including Ragamuffin Man, Saga de Tercey and Aajel - if they take each other on early, the race could be set up for a hold-up horse. The first-named was beaten fair and square by the second-named last time out and should confirm the form. The Weekender quotes Saga de Tercey's trainer Alan Swinbank after that victory - "He runs like a good horse and could be our next really good one." He is likely to start favourite but I haven't totally ruled out the top-weighted grey Aajel who won a Class 3 at Yarmouth last time easily, his first run since September 2007. I'll chance Aajel as he's likely to offer better value and Marcus Tregonig's stable boasts an impressive 31% strike rate over the past fortnight (6 wins from 19 runs).

Finally, for those who like to keep a tab on these sort of things, Tom Dascombe sends out his first runner from his Michael Owen / Andrew Black backed stable; top weight Emerald Rock goes in the 9.20 at Wolverhampton.

Round-up

Channel 4's coverage of the St Leger at Doncaster highlighted the tradition where the town's first-born child on the day of the race is given life membership of the track when reaching the age of sixteen; this year's recipient was Thomas Peter Talbot who entered this world thirteen minutes after midnight on the day in question.

Now I admit I was dozing a little but I'm sure I heard Channel 4's Jim McGrath say something like this during commentary. 'It's a glorious day to be watching horses. Of the four-legged variety, several look [well with the sun on their backs]'. Now, was Jim McGrath trying to make a statement there about the existence of horses with more / less than four legs?

On an altogether more sombre note, following the recent tragic deaths of two apprentice jockeys, Jamie Kyne and Jan Wilson, Julian Muscat wrote an excellent piece in Tuesday's Times that highlighted the spartan existence of the racing apprentice.

If you're a jump jockey, the chances are you won't get a chance to ride in the Derby; that said, the next best thing has to be a ride in the Jump Jockeys' Derby Handicap. Sam Thomas won Thursday's renewal over Epsom's Derby course on the appropriately-named Epsom Salts, the horse carrying the burden of eleven stones and five pounds to victory!

Of some potential interest to some readers - former Southampton player Matt Le Tissier's admission in his recently published autobiography that he was part of a failed betting scam is likely to result in both the FA and the police asking further questions; in South Africa a pigeon has carried 4Gb of data to its destination faster than broadband; and if you want a big win at the races for a small stake, Kevin Knight's experience would suggest you're better off knowing nothing about racing whatsoever...

Finally my junk mail item of the week comes from Virgin Trains. I quote: 'Treat yourself like Royalty with First Class travel... Whether you are attending the unveiling of a stately home's new garden, your brother's birthday, or any other engagement, it's always nicer to have some special treatment on the way.' Attending the unveiling of a stately home's new garden? Where did that come from?

St Leger day in England and Ireland

Only eight go to post for the St Leger at Doncaster; on paper the race appears to be between the first four in the betting - Kite Wood, Changingoftheguard, Monitor Closely and Father Time. Of that quartet, Henry Cecil's Father Time looks to offer best value as the horse is bang there with a chance provided you forgive his last effort in the Great Voltigeur. Kite Wood has a favourite's chance but I'm slightly put off by the fact he would prefer more cut. Changingoftheguard will not be inconvenienced by fast ground but there are reservations about the ability of Monitor Closely to last home. The winner has come from the first three in the betting on nine occasions in the last ten years, with the favourite obliging six times. I'll take a chance with Changingoftheguard.

At the Curragh I can't oppose the legendary Yeats. Whatever happens, we have to bear in mind that, with the advancing years, this could be the last time we'll see him on a racecourse.

Others I'll take a closer look at before the off include Cat Junior in the DFS Park Stakes at Doncaster, Mac Love in a tight-looking Group 3 at Goodwood (2.40) and Cloudy Start in the 3.55 at Chester.

Some selections for Saturday

Noted amongst the also-rans in this week's epsiode of Dragons' Den, a cameo appearance from 'self-styled Lord Brett Little and trainer Edward Creighton'. The pair were asking the Dragons for an investment of £150,000 to put into their venture T.U.R.F (The Ultimate Racing Fraternity). Dragon Theo Paphitis' conclusion - 'I'd rather back a pantomime horse...' You're likely to feel much the same way about the suggestions made below.

The Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown (3.50) has been billed as a clash between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory. The participation of the former is dependant on the going, currently described as yielding to soft, soft in places; John Oxx is likely to wait until the last moment before making his decision. On official ratings Rainbow View is the one to beat in the 2.40; the filly hasn't managed to get her head in front this year but this represents a jolly good opportunity - the fitting of cheekpieces for the first time should help her concentration.

This side of the Irish Sea many will be of the opinion Kieren Fallon can land the Group 1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock, courtesy of High Standing. This looks trappy to me with Fleeting Spirit and Main Aim formidable opponents - I'm steering well clear.

At Stratford the opening juvenile hurdle looks quite interesting for the time of year. Forty Thirty won well last time at Bangor and is taken to continue his progress. One to watch out for in the market is Irish raider Choisir Breeze while Tom Dascombe's Lambourn Genie goes hurdling after disappointments on the Flat. In the 3.20 Mutual Friend tries two and a half miles for the first time; the Pipe team are in good form at present so Mutual Friend gets the vote over Truckers Delight. In the competitive-looking 3.50 I'll have a second look at Michael Hourigan's Some Craic - this one ran well over course and distance on his penultimate run. The Jigsaw Man is the one to beat in the finale, but he'll be priced accordingly.

Brief notes on Goodwood (and Cartmel)

The feature on Saturday's Goodwood card is the Group 2 Celebration Mile due off at 3.10. Only seven stand their ground, with layers going 14/1 the field bar the top two - Delegator and Zacinto. I would have been interested in Mac Love each-way if eight or more had gone to post. Currently Delegator is priced at evens and Zacinto 7/4; Delegator is the form pick, Zacinto the improver. At those prices I'll maintain a watching brief.

In the Prestige Stakes (3.45) Sent From Heaven's third behind Long Lashes in the Sweet Solera Stakes reads well enough - that day Barry Hills' charge was noted flashing her tail out the back; she finished beaten two and a half lengths. On official ratings Full Mandate is the one although this filly steps up from six furlongs. I'll chance Sent From Heaven, although I would have preferred a slightly higher draw.

The winner has come from the top three in the betting on eight of the last ten runnings of the Windflower March Stakes (2.35); favourites have obliged on four of those eight occasions. Godolphin's Urban Poet will be popular with the weight for age allowance against Mourilyan. While looking for an each-way shot in this, I noted that only two of the field have won previously over the trip - Andrew Balding's Victoria Montoya and John Dunlop's King of Wands. On official ratings, the Dunlop horse looks well in, so I'll take an each-way interest in King of Wands.

At Cartmel, I'll watch to see if Tom George allows Invisible Man to take his chance in the 2.40. I'm not keen on four-year-olds running against their elders in novice chases but this one put up a good show over a slightly shorter at Market Rasen last time out. On the same card former Alan King inmate Noticeable will be worth noting if taking his chance in the competitive-looking handicap hurdle at 4.25; running over the larger obstacles at Southwell a fortnight ago, this one looked a big threat when coming to grief two out.

Miscellanea

Channel Four are forever encouraging viewers 'Come racing!' but a snippet in the Weekender provides a different point of view with this summary of a recent Chepstow card - '...two maiden handicaps, a couple of maidens and a seller. And it was still £19 to get in the premier enclosure. Come Racing! No thanks.'

Another item in the same paper quite rightly bemoans the BBC's racing coverage on the web but at least there's some good news for presenter Clare Balding. She reports on her website that the recent treatment for thyroid cancer appears to have been successful and there are no signs that the cancer has spread anywhere else.

This week's junk item came via snail (rather than electronic) mail and dropped on my doormat yesterday. Sun Life has kindly sent me literature incorporating a picture of Sir Michael Parkinson asking whether I was aware that the average price of a funeral was now in excess of £2,500. Parky may have run out of guests to interview but this looks a nice little sideline for him, endorsing products aimed ageing people such as myself.

Finally a one-liner from Alan Hanson at the end of yesterday's Match Of The Day... As Gary Lineker informed viewers Peter Reid was about to take up a post at Stoke City, Hanson jumps in with 'Peter Reid - great in the bar afterwards!' Mine's a Guinness, Peter.

Lord Mildmay Memorial Chase

I was on business in north Wales earlier today and called in to the Pant yr Ochain for a spot of lunch, only to bump into a number of very smartly dressed young people on their way to Chester races; favourites won three of the six races on the card so I guess there's a fair chance a few of them will have gone home smiling.

Chester race again tomorrow but I'm concentrating on the Lord Mildmay Memorial Handicap Chase at Newton Abbot run over a trip of two miles five and a half furlongs. Paul Nicholls fields four of the sixteen declared, while Peter Bowen runs three and Jonjo O'Neill two. The booking of Ruby Walsh for course and distance winner Roby De Cimbre indicates that one is the main hope for the Nicholls' stable - the Sporting Life tissue has the horse priced at 7/1 this evening.

If you're going to play in this race you have to look at the form of the Summer Plate run at Market Rasen five weeks ago. On that occasion Nostringsattached pipped stablemate Keepitsecret a short head on the line with Peter Bowen's No Panic a neck behind in third. The second and third re-oppose and are closely matched again; Keepitsecret looked unfortunate at Market Rasen - the slightly shorter trip here should help. Of the principals, I prefer Keepitsecret but the one that has caught my eye at a bigger price is Peter Bowen's Always Waining. Carrying top weight, this one finished fifth at Market Rasen just two and a half lengths behind the winner. That's his best effort for a long time - priced up at 12/1 in the tissue he's worth an each-way interest, although I will point out that stable form is worrying with no winners in the past five weeks.

A week away...

I returned from a week's holiday to reports of a record crowd at Newbury, explained by the fact that Simply Red were playing after racing... Godolphin's Kite Wood took the Geoffrey Freer in fine style and is now quoted second favourite with most firms for the St Leger which is set to be run on September 12th - William Hill offer 5/1. Godolphin's other high profile runner at the meeting, Evasive, was sent off the 10/11 favourite for the Hungerford Stakes but disappointed, trailling in a well-beaten sixth behind the quirky but talented Balthazaar's Gift.

At Newmarket sixteen grey horses contested the snappily-named 'Win £100,000 With Soccer Saturday Super 6 Grey Horse Handicap'; Sarah's Art, trained by Steph Liddiard, collected the spoils. The same trainer had provided something of a shock two days earlier when 25/1 shot Mac Love took the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes run over a mile at Salisbury, beating odds-on hotpot Confront one and a half lengths.

York will be the centre of attention this week. On Tuesday Sea The Stars faces just four rivals in the Juddmonte International while current St Leger favourite Harbinger doesn't appear to have the easiest of tasks in the Great Voltigeur. Wednesday's main feature is the Ebor, in which I'm looking to have an each-way bet on Alan King's Manyriverstocross. In the Darley Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday Michael Bell's Sariska could make her reappearance after winning the Irish Oaks in sensational style. I think regular pilot Jamie Spencer is set to serve a suspension so it will be interesting to see who gets the ride if the filly is allowed to take her chance. The Nunthorpe run over five furlongs is Friday's highlight - Kingsgate Native won the race two years ago when trained by John Best; Sir Michael Stoute will be hoping for a repeat in this year's renewal.

I'm not keen on holidays for a variety of reasons, one of which is that when you return from the horror of it all, you then have to wade through hundreds of emails, thousands if you're popular but I wouldn't know about that, the vast majority of which are of no interest whatsoever. Two from this year's trawl...

Firstly, Ashley Rumney's Trainers Jumps Statistics 2008-2009 was published on Friday (according to Amazon) and is available with a 15% discount from that supplier. Secondly, readers may be interested to learn that the Racing Post continues to pursue my custom. A fortnight after helpfully bringing to my attention the fact I could subscribe to their Members' Club at the price of a third of a loaf of bread a day, the RP has been shopping down Sainsbury's again. This time I'm informed the cost of the Members' Club is half the price of a bottle of water a day - the water in question being the 500ml Highland Spring Sportscap (June 2009 price). Bread, water, whatever will be next on the RP's shopping list? And will they continue to shop at Sainsbury's? To find out the answers to these burning questions, I'm deliberately going to refrain from subscribing. Rest assured though, I shall keep you informed of all developments.

A longshot coupled with a news update...

Notwithstanding cheerleaders, an open-topped bus and jockeys from sunnier climes, Ascot's Shergar Cup meeting has never been one of my favourites - I shall steer well clear.

Just one hopeful (rather than confident) selection to waste your money on this week, in the Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock. Nine go to post for this Group 3 event which is run over ten furlongs. On official ratings John Gosden's Duncan looks the one they all have to beat and consequently the bookmakers make him their market leader. He ruined his chance last time in the Group 2 Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket by pulling hard early on - that run is best ignored. He's my idea of the winner but I'm going to look elsewhere for some value. We've had enough rain recently so I went searching for something that would definitely handle soft ground and came up with Traffic Guard. Last September on soft ground at Leopardstown this horse finished half a length second to New Approach in the Irish Champion Stakes. At that time he was trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam but he was moved to one H. Brown (no trainer details available on the Sporting Life site) from whence he was sent out to race three times at Nad Al Sheba. He's back in this country now with Paul Cole and finished a staying-on third in a listed event at Newbury three weeks ago; I'd like to think he can progress from that. The effort behind New Approach is at the back of my mind; any more rain will suit - I'll have a small each-way interest.

The decisions earlier this week, firstly by William Hill and then by Ladbrokes to move their online operations to Gibraltar, will have a major impact on racing's finances in this country. If, as is likely, their telephone betting businesses follow suit, a number of UK call centre jobs will be at risk. Both bookmakers talked of stringent times, in marked contrast to betting exchange opeartor Betfair who reported a 29% jump in underlying earnings and hinted that a public flotation on the stock market may be a possibility.

Betfair co-founder Andrew 'Bert' Black has other things on his mind these days. He has provided financial backing for Michael Owen's new trainer Tom Dascombe. The dream team of Owen, Dascombe and Black were all interviewed at length by Brough Scott at Owen's Manor House Stables on Tuesday.

Finally, something for those who appreciate the finer things in life... Lord and Lady Derby are to open their private horse racing painting collection at Knowsley Hall to the public for one week.

John Parrott and the infernal pub quiz machine

Last week I had to stay over in Cardiff one night with a couple of work colleauges; before our evening meal we decided to sample the local Brains' beer. The hostelry chosen was somewhat bereft of other customers with the result that the pub quiz machine in the corner proved just too much of a temptation. I should point out that my visits to public houses have been drastically reduced since the day I got married twenty two years ago; these days I frequent such establishments so infrequently, I can't remember how they work and have to be reminded to go up to the bar and pay for drinks. It follows, therefore, that I have no previous experience of the pub quiz machine. Having said that, my younger colleagues have had some experience with this type of equipment, so we decided to play.

Very quickly I detected a pattern emerging. Each game cost £1, we were asked ridiculously easy questions to start but as soon as we had the chance of merely winning our stake back we were asked ridiculously difficult questions with the result that we didn't win any money at all. This cycle generally took no more than four minutes to complete and, to me, became somewhat disheartening.

Having shoved at least ten of our one pound coins into this infernal machine, we decided to cut our losses and play just a couple more games of 'John Parrott's Sports Quiz'. True to form, John asked us really easy questions at the beginning, giving us the big thumbs up and words of encouragement when we correctly answered the sort of question to which my mother would have known the answer. Then came the obscure question, we guessed wrong and lost our money.

John encouraged us to have another go and, like mugs, we did. This time we were doing quite well and were on the verge of collecting £1.50 when this horse racing question came up...

What type of horse racing takes place at Epsom Downs?

A. Flat
B. Jumping
C. Both Flat & Jumping

I was confident we could collect on this; 'It's A!' I cried.

We selected answer A and, bless my old boots, a big fat red cross came up on screen telling us that was the wrong answer. John Parrott chipped in with a sympathetic 'Hard luck!' and we just stood there, dumbstruck.

John Parrott, sir - I shall never trust you again.

Odds 'n' ends...

The final day of the Glorious Goodwood meeting was anything but glorious - the rain came, along with the sea mist. Alan Lee wrote a piece in Saturday's Times commenting on the recession and falling attendances, pointing out that the free view from Trundle Hill had proved popular this year. Anyone who took the option to watch Saturday's racing will have seen next to nothing; from the racecourse stands visibility stretched to two hundred yards at most.

Two performances caught my eye during the week. On Friday at Bangor Beherayn won his first chase. In the past this one has either gone off like a scalded cat or pulled hard when held up, often failing to give the obstacles the respect they deserve. Have connections finally tamed him? The form book reports that he pulled hard in rear, made jumping errors but eventually won with something in hand. On Thursday The Betchworth Kid, a 33/1 shot, ran a huge race to take third place in the Goodwood Cup. He's set to go jumping this winter with Alan King.

Recently a colleague spent a few days walking in Northumberland, staying at The Blink Bonny, Christon Bank. The hostelry is named after Blink Bonny, a remarkable filly who won the Epsom Derby and two days later the Oaks in 1857. The horse's skeleton is preserved in the museum at York racecourse but two of her hooves are kept in a glass case above the fireplace at the pub.

That story brought to mind a time Mrs Tips and I lodged in a hotel in Gatehouse of Fleet, South West Scotland. Our stay coincided with the annual 'riding the marches', a tradition which, according to Wikipedia, 'celebrates the ancient custom of riding the boundaries of the parish/marches'. Townsfolk rode through the streets on all manner of different sized horses; the people of Langholm have recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of their Common Riding. Of course, you couldn't get a bet on for love nor money...

Finally, four footballers who did manage to get a bet on will perhaps wish they hadn't after they were banned for a breach of betting rules. Jay Harris (Chester City), Robert Williams (Accrington Stanley), David Mannix (Chester City) and Andrew Mangan (Forest Green Rovers) have all been fined and hit with playing bans of up to one year.

By the way, the new season kicks off on Saturday.