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.

The Nassau Stakes at Goodwood

Ten fillies are set face the starter tomorrow for the Blue Square Nassau Stakes which is run over a trip just shy of ten furlongs. On official ratings Midday looks the one to beat and most bookmakers have made Henry Cecil's charge the 3/1 favourite, although it's worth noting the sponsors go 100/30. The market has proved a good guide over the past decade with the favourite obliging on six occasions, while the second and third favourites have won twice apiece. Midday is likely to be popular but I'm inclined to oppose. She appeared to get somewhat stuck in the mud in the Irish Oaks three weeks ago when finishing a well-beaten third behind Sariska. There were some chunky showers at Goodwood yesterday - the going was good to soft today and is predicted to be good tomorrow - but any further rain before the off won't help her cause and the forecast talks of outbreaks of rain, possibly heavy at times. Looking at the form of the Falmouth Stakes, there isn't much to choose between Rainbow View, Spacious and Heaven Sent. Rainbow View has been a little disappointing this term, Spacious may struggle with the trip so of the trio I prefer Heaven Sent, although at six her age is something of a negative. Having said that, this filly finished fourth in last year's renewal, beaten two heads and a neck into fourth behind Halfway To Heaven. Writing in the Weekender, Michael Bell expects 'a big run' from Moneycantbuymelove, while a downpour would mean John Oxx's Katiyra couldn't be entirely discounted. I'm surprised to see Barry Hills' High Heeled priced up at 14/1 in a couple of places as she has the same official rating as Rainbow View. She finished third in the Oaks and would probably appreciate further rain. In a fascintating contest, I'll go with Heaven Sent to collect the spoils and if the rain comes, I'll have an each-way wager on High Heeled (and perhaps a small reverse forecast the pair!)

Weighed in

The Glorious Goodwood meeting starts on Tuesday, with the Betfair Cup and the Gordon Stakes highlights on the opening day. Other races to look forward to include the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, the two mile Goodwood Cup on Thursday, the Richmond Stakes on Friday while Saturday's features are the Nassau Stakes and the Stewards' Cup. A word to the wise - this isn't a meeting I've done particularly well at over the years.

Earlier in the week there was something of a shock when the Daily Mail reported that Michael Owen, currently on tour with Manchester United in the Far East, had sacked his trainer Nicky Vaughan. Now you can't help but feel some sympathy for Vaughan - the horses have the virus and you wake up one morning to be told by Owen's mother, Jeanette, that you've just joined the growing ranks of the unemployed. Reading between the lines, I don't think Mr Vaughan was particularly impressed with his treatment either... 'I haven't spoken to Michael, everything has been done by his mother. Working with high-profile people, these things are always likely to happen.' Mr Owen didn't appear to waste any time in arranging a replacement - the very next day both the Daily Mail and the Guardian reported that Tom Dascombe was set to take over the reins at the Cheshire stables, with financial backing coming from Betfair co-founder Andrew 'Bert' Black.

On the same day the Guardian also ran a story confirming that the BHA is investigating the running of Paul Nicholls' Predateur in a novice chase at Huntingdon on May 6th. Ridden by Christian Williams on this occasion, the horse, sent off second favourite in a field of four, went from 'every chance on bit 2 out' to 'ridden and found little' rather quickly. A trawl through his recent form would suggest this wasn't necessarily the first time this has happened.

Those of you who use the Racing Post website will know all about the recent introduction of charges for their Members' Club. I haven't subscribed and the other day, very helpfully, the Racing Post sent me an email pointing out the error of my ways. The mail lists the areas of the site I won't be able to access (thank you for that) unless I subscribe at a cost of £7.50 per month or 25p a day - 'that costs less than a third of a loaf of bread a day'. Now, I know what you're wondering - what's the price of a loaf of bread? Well, the loaf of bread the Racing Post has used for its comparison is the Hovis Wholemeal Thick (800g) from Sainsbury's which was on sale at £1.24 in June (but is actually reduced at the moment to £1). The mail finishes 'Use your loaf and make more dough. Keep in the know.' Lines like that - they're enough to make a grown man cry.

Finally, Mrs Tips spotted a potential bet in a snippet from Saturday's Times. Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have recently celebrated the birth of their twin daughters, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose. 'Bookmakers are offering 100-1 on either twin winning Wimbledon.' That has to be worth a tenner of anyone's money, doesn't it?

Saturday's King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Nine go to post for Saturday's big race at Ascot where the going is currently described as good to firm, good in places - the forecast predicts showers on Friday and sunny spells on Saturday. The race is often billed as the classic generation, the three-year-olds, against the older horses; this year just three from the classic generation take up the challenge - Sea The Stars is the main absentee, preferring to go to the International at York next month.

Sir Michael Stoute has three entries, with Ryan Moore choosing Conduit rather than Tartan Bearer or Ask, the only course and distance winner in the field. The bookmakers have set their wares out accordingly - Conduit has been installed 7/4 favourite; in the last ten years the favourite has won on seven occasions. On official ratings stablemate Tartan Bearer has three pounds to find with the market leader. Aidan O'Brien also runs three, Johnny Murtagh opting to ride Golden Sword. I envisage 200/1 chance Rockhampton going off in front, with Murtagh keeping his charge prominent, much as happened in the Irish Derby where Golden Sword finished second behind another Ballydoyle inmate, Fame And Glory. Those behind wouldn't want to give Golden Sword too much rope - stamina is his forte - as was the case in the Chester Vase which he won from the front at the rather rewarding odds of 25/1. O'Brien's other runner, Frozen Fire, isn't one to trust and for that reason is passed over. Ralph Beckett's Look Here is a filly I like, will have trip and conditions to suit and is of interest at around the 7/1 mark - I'm prepared to forgive her last effort at the Curragh over ten furlongs. Having said that, a filly hasn't won this since Time Charter way back in 1983! The race looks trappy enough with Stoute and O'Brien runners making up two-thirds of the field; the percentage call has to be Conduit but at the prices available I'll look to have an each-way dabble on Look Here who wouldn't want too much rain to fall before the off.

Grumpy Old Punter writes...

I first started PG's Tips roughly three and a half years ago; at that time one of my favourite blogs was the Grumpy Old Bookman. Much to my dismay, that blog was discontinued towards the end of 2007. Since then several acquaintances have suggested I should re-brand my efforts to carry the name Grumpy Old Punter - I can't think why.

Here's this week's round-up from the Grumpy Old Punter...

We saw two big rides from two top jockeys in two feature races on Saturday. With three furlongs to run you wouldn't have given Richard Hughes much of a chance on 2/1 favourite Monsieur Chevalier in the Wetherbys Super Sprint at Newbury; once the jockey got to work, his charge came with a rattling run to beat all nineteen rivals a shade cosily. At Market Rasen Tony McCoy performed an astonshing feat in getting 7/2 favourite Nostringsattached to win the Summer Plate; three out the horse looked a spent force in sixth, some ten lengths off the pace. McCoy galvanised his mount to pip stable companion Keepitsecret and No Panic a short head and a neck on the line.

Over the years we've all heard tales of members of the public being refused entry to various racecourse enclosures, often on account of the state of their attire (Ascot and Goodwood are two courses that come to mind immediately). Salisbury went a step further late last month when threatening to eject two racegoers from the members' enclosure for eating ice-creams! After a number of complaints, the course has now revised its policy...

It was a case of music while you work for Ryan Moore and his companions at a recent Kempton evening meeting. The London Philharmonic Orchestra played the William Tell overture during the running of the Digibet.com Handicap; this was the first race run to musical accompaniment in this country. Whether the idea is going to catch on is another matter altogether. One punter, when asked what tune had been played during the race, replied 'the Lone Ranger theme tune'. I also heard an unconfirmed rumour that several members of the orchestra failed to put in their best performance as the horse they'd backed in the event finished up out the back with the washing.

This snippet was spotted in the Times' City Diary last Wednesday. A gent, queuing up for his winnings at Ascot (yeah, OK), struck up a conversation with a woman who happened to be a banker with Lloyds Banking Group. They were at the races as part of a team-building exercise and had been given £5 'to put on horses'. That's taxpayers' money, isn't it? Aren't we entitled to our share of the spoils?

Finally, in case you hadn't realised, the football season is nearly upon us. I'd be the first to admit that my knowledge of the non-league scene is pretty patchy, although it has improved somewhat following Wrexham's relegation to the Blue Square Conference in 2007/8. I like to use Dr John Beech's excellent Football Management blog to keep abreast of events. The leagues below the Blue Square Conference, North and South in the hierarchy were previously sponsored by British Gas; this season however there is a new sponsor - the league will be known as the Zamaretto League. I know what you're thinking - just what is Zamaretto? Zamaretto is, apparently, a brand of flavoured liqueurs. Flavours available include blue raspberry, banana, apple, cherry, pear, peach and chocolate. Quoting from the website: 'Liqueurs are enjoying a renaissance with a new generation of young adults who are seeking something new, sophisticated and glamorous to enjoy with friends.' I'm just wondering whether non-league football is the right arena in which to promote this sort of stuff...

Summer Plate at Market Rasen

Sixteen are set to face the starter in tomorrow's highlight at Market Rasen, the Summer Plate. With £65,000 added in prize money, it's no surprise to see multiple runners from two yards that regularly target this event - Peter Bowen fields four, Jonjo O'Neill three. Bowen has won this four times since 2003, although it's fair to say that last year's winner, Snoopy Loopy, didn't appear to have the best of chances beforehand, being sent off at 16/1. For the record, in that race Always Waining finished fourth and Iron Man a distant tenth. Histoire De Moeurs is the shortest-priced of the Bowen runners in the early tissue for tomorrow's renewal but this one has done most of her racing over two miles and doesn't look certain to stay the trip. Of the other entries, I think Always Waining will struggle to carry top weight on easy ground and Iron Man has been well out of form which leaves No Panic as the most interesting, but he's done most of his chasing with other novices - this step up into handicap company will prove a stern test. O'Neill fields three, two of them, Nostringsattached and Nelson's Spice, owned by J P McManus. McCoy has chosen Nostringsattached; that one is likely to be near the head of the market and rightly so with the stable in cracking form - 5 wins from 16 runs in the last fortnight. In a competitive event I'll side with Nostringsattached - the market hasn't been a bad guide over the past decade with the winner coming from the first two in the betting on seven occasions.

Charlie Mann's Katies Tuitor has done me a couple of favours at decent prices in the past and for that reason is a horse I like. He won the Summer Hurdle last year on soft going off a mark of 136; tomorrow he races with top weight off a mark of 150 which I think will be beyond him. This is always a difficult race but I'm tempted to have an each-way interest in Twiston-Davies' Cootehill who carries the minimum ten stones and is one to bear in mind for the future irrespective of what happens here.

Many will think Rupestrain a source of easy money in the 2.40 but I won't be getting involved at short odds. His victories have all come on fast ground and he had to work hard enough to win a Sedgefield juvenile hurdle last time out.

The stats give strong pointers in the 4.15. The winner has come from the first three in the betting on every occasion over the past ten years, the favourite winning on six occasions and finishing second on the other four. Of those with a rating, Any Given Day looks the one to beat although it's interesting to note that Pam Sly's Viable has one pound in hand if the amateur rider's seven pound allowance is taken into consideration. I also noted that Charlie Mann has opted to run Moment Present here; his well-regarded Vacario had an entry in this but earlier in the week was withdrawn from a novices' event at Uttoxeter - I don't know why - he misses this opportunity as well. Any Given Day is the selection.

Ascot, York and Chester

The highlight at Ascot tomorrow is the Group 2 Summer Mile due off at 2.50. Ceasare won this race in 2007 and finished third last year; he's the top-rated horse but at the age of eight you can't help but wonder whether his best days are behind him and the stable's form has been something of a worry this season. Aqlaam finished half a length behind Cesare in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot just over three weeks ago, the pair well beaten by Paco Boy (who finished fourth in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket this afternoon); Willie Haggas' charge hasn't won over this trip but I'm sure the trainer will fancy his chances of reversing form with Cesare. Mike De Kock trained Archipenko to take this last year and has been bullish about Imbongi's chance - that one won a seven furlong Group 3 at Newmarket last time with the minimum of fuss. In my book Dream Eater has been slightly disappointing this season; he often pulls in the early stages which doesn't help at the business end - he has place prospects at best. This is an intriguing affair; I'm going to risk Imbongi staying this stiff mile - he should certainly handle underfoot conditions, with further rain a distinct possibility.

The feature at York is the 50th running of the John Smith's Cup which looks as competitive as ever. Luca Cumani thinks his well-touted Riggins will stay the trip. I won't be taking part in this - if I had to have a bet, I'd look for something that is set to carry less than nine stones, has a single-figure draw and is four or five years old. If the rain arrives, I'll consider an each-way interest in Willie Musson's Magicalmysterytour at 12/1 or bigger in the Silver Cup at 3.45.

At Chester the five furlong City Wall Stakes is due off at 3.30. Several of these finished behind Scenic Blast in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot - Captain Gerrard (fourth), Borderlescott (fifth), Hoh Hoh Hoh (thirteenth) and Rievaulx World (fifteenth). In addition Tax Free looked like getting involved when impeded over a furlong out; that effort will give Dandy Nicholls a benchmark for his three runners here. The draw over sprint distances is always so important at Chester - six of the last nine winners have come from stalls 1-4. As a play against the well-drawn favourite Borderlescott I've considered Masta Plasta, Captain Gerrard and Hoh Hoh Hoh. Captain Gerrard has disappointed twice since Ascot, finishing tenth of eleven at Sandwon last week, but I'm going to give him another chance as he has course and distance winning form. If his price is big enough on the day, I'll take an each-way interest. Other runners at Chester worth a second look: Just Mandy (4.05) and Zuwaar (4.40) - the stable boasts a 37.5% win strike rate over the past fortnight.

Points of view

Yesterday Sea The Stars confirmed his superstar status at Sandown, winning the Eclipse a shade comfortably. In post-race interviews trainer John Oxx indicated the Irish Champion Stakes was the long-term aim, where a re-match with Fame And Glory could be on the cards. In the meantime, the King George at Ascot or the International at York are possible targets. The Sporting Life reports that Hills are offering 5/1 the colt remains unbeaten in 2009. If I struck that bet and the horse subsequently suffered an injury which meant he didn't run again during the season, I wonder if I could collect...

It's been a week the jumping community won't want to remember in a hurry...

In a beginners' chase at Stratford on Tuesday evening, an old friend Mistanoora made a mistake at the water, broke a leg and had to be put down. The following day there was something of a debacle at Worcester when Highland Laddie collapsed from heat exhaustion after finishing third in the opener. The horse was eventually revived but only after 800 gallons of water had been used, leaving no reserves for other runners on a scorching day. The rest of the card had to be abandoned. Summer jumping has been staple fare at Worcester for some time; these latest events led to a RSPCA advisor expressing his concern over the summer jumps programme and in particular horses landing on ground that is quicker than good.

On Friday Nicky Henderson was handed a record £40,000 fine and banned from making entries for three months (11th July - 10th October) after being found guilty of allowing the anti-bleeding drug tranexamic acid (TA) to be administered to the Queen's mare Moonlit Path before she raced in the TurfTV Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Huntingdon on February 19th 2009. The reasons for the decision are given in full on the BHA website. I haven't gone through this document with a fine toothcomb but here are some basic points:

- on the day of a race a horse is allowed only food and water;
- TA is a prohibited substance and was given to Moonlit Path on the day of the race;
- Nicky Henderson broke the Rules of Racing;
- vet James Main, who adminstered the drug, refused to give evidence to the Enquiry;
- the omission of any mention of the injection in the Medication Book was 'part of a systematic attempt to conceal ... the use of TA';
- several racing commentators see the punishment as fair.

Having said all that, every cloud has its silver lining... Writing in Saturday's Times, Alan Lee hinted that it was unlikely the Queen would move her horses from Henderson's stable. Added to that, the three month ban has fallen at the most opportune time for Henderson, a time when the stable traditionally has few runners. Taking figures published in the Racing Post Weekender on 5th March 2008, the stable had 96 runners in the months of July, August and September over the preceding ten year period. From the month of November through to the following April, the core National Hunt season, the stable had 3451 runners over the preceding ten years.

Finally, Mrs Tips sends her apologies. She is exhausted having sat in front of the TV all afternoon watching the Men's Final - she has no energy left to write up her Wimbledon report from last week.

Some thoughts on Sandown and the Lancashire Oaks

Sea The Stars, having missed the Irish Derby last Sunday on account of easy ground, bids to become the first horse since Nashwan twenty years ago to add a victory in the Eclipse to victories in the Guineas and the Derby. The ten furlong trip looks ideal and he looks likely to start odds-on favourite. Favourites don't have a good record in this; over the last ten years only Hawk Wing (8/15f) has obliged and we've seen two big-priced winners in Oratorio at 12/1 in 2005 and Compton Admiral at 20/1 in 1999. For the record, the classic generation has won four of the past ten renewals. Earlier in the week I'd lined up an each-way wager on Mike de Kock's Archipenko as my tip but the beast was found to have a swollen fetlock on Thursday morning. I think this is Rip Van Winkle's trip but he has been the subject of a slight scare story earlier today; Jimmy Fortune deputises for the suspended Johnny Murtagh. Really this is a race to watch and savour; I expect the favourtite to win but he'll be no betting proposition. If I indulge, I'll take a small each-way interest in Henry Cecil's Twice Over who on official ratings has some six pounds to find with the top-rated Conduit. Victor Chandler go 20/1 this evening.

On official ratings Gravitation is the one to beat in the Coral Marathon run over a distance of two miles at 4.20. Having said that, Gravitation ran something of a stinker last time and Willie Jarvis' yard is currently out of sorts. Judgethemoment was withdrawn from last weekend's Northumberland Plate (in which Wells Lyrical finished second) just an hour before the off on account of soft ground. There seems little likelihood those conditions will prevail tomorrow and his chance is respected. However I'm going to side with Amerigo who was well-touted for the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot. He didn't help his cause by pulling hard that day and this tough two miles should suit better; Coral offer 5/1 this evening.

No bet for me in the opening five furlong Coral Charge which looks a hot event. The three-year-old Triple Aspect is top-rated and has a good draw in stall eleven. Two Royal Ascot sprinters will make this interesting; Anglezarke, third in the King's Stand Stakes, goes from stall ten and Ialysos, unplaced in the Golden Jubilee Stakes but unbeaten prior to that, goes from stall nine. Others who performed at Royal Ascot include Duff (eighth in the Golden Jubilee), Captain Gerard (fourth in the King's Stand) and Total Gallery (fourteenth in the Jersey).

In the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock I'm inclined to oppose Barry Hills' High Heeled as I've read in a couple of places that she likes 'to get her toe in'. According to the market, her only serious challenger is Flame Of Gibraltar. For me Take The Hint is of interest. On a bare reading of the form she has it all to do to reverse recent Ribblesdale running with Flame Of Gibraltar and the extra two furlongs here isn't certain to suit. Having said that, John Gosden's yard was going through a lean spell at that time; things look much better now. I don't think there's an awful lot between the two and at the prices I'll chance Take The Hint seeing out the trip - I'll have an each-way interest at around the 8/1 mark.

Weekend notes

In a strongly-run Irish Derby earlier this afternoon, Fame And Glory gained some compensation for his Epsom defeat by beating stablemate Golden Sword five lengths.This was Aidan O'Brien's seventh Irish Derby and Johnny Murtagh's third. In post-race comments Murtagh identified the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown as a possible target for the winner. Riding in his first classic, the winning trainer's son, J P O'Brien, finished tenth of the eleven runners on 200/1 shot Byzantine.

Michael Owen's wife, Louise, has recently been gainfully employed promoting next Saturday's Coral Eclipse at Sandown. That race has been given an extra fillip with the news that Epsom Derby winner Sea The Stars now goes for that prize, having been withdrawn from the Irish Derby on account of the easy ground.

There were plenty of footballing links at Newcastle's meeting on Saturday, links Derek Thompson wasn't slow to point out. Before the Pitmen's Derby, former Magpies' player Peter Beardsley and Hull City manager Phil Brown tipped up Som Tala from the stable of ex-England international Mick Channon. The beast, a 16/1 shot, won with something in hand. Roker Park won the 2.35 and Horatio Carter the 3.45; both are owned by Sunderland fan Mr T Alderson. Roker Park was the ground Sunderland used to play at while Horati Stratton Carter, better known as Raich Carter, captained them to the league title and their first FA Cup final victory. By the way, just in case you missed it, Derek Thompson originates from these parts...

Following on from recent match-fixing posts, I'm grateful to the Wrexham Supporters Association Blog for bringing to my attention two links that add some detail to the circumstances surrounding the Histon v. Lewes game in September 2008. Cambridge News Online reported the Histon team were threatened by a gambling ring while in May 2009 the Daily Mail made reference to five non-league games that were under investigation. Of course, fixing is a worry in all sports - the first-round tie at this year's Wimbledon Championships between Jurgen Melzer and Wayne Odesnik has been been in the news and has been reported to the authorities. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for its part has welcomed the recent announcement by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe that he is to set up a Sports Betting Integrity Panel.

Mrs Tips and I were at Wimbledon on Thursday, having been allocated two Centre Court tickets through the public ballot system. The crowds were big, the weather hot - I found it all jolly tiring. I was left wondering whether the tennis product is better consumed through the medium of television. Mrs T. enjoyed it though, so I've asked her to file a report; she says she'll do that when she has fully recovered...

Northumberland Plate

Twenty go to post tomorrow for the Northumberland Plate run over a trip of two miles at Newcastle. This evening bookmakers go 8/1 the field for this competitive handicap which is also known as the 'Pitmen's Derby'. Over the last ten years the winner has come from stalls numbered 1-9 on eight occasions; Judgethemoment is strongly fancied but has two negative pointers - he has been drawn wide and happens to have won the Ascot Stakes less than a fortnight ago. Big weight-carrying performances are something of a rarity; that doesn't augur well for Friston Forest allocated nine stones ten pounds, but the next horse in the handicap, The Betchworth Kid, has just nine stones two to carry. I always look for something that is set to carry under nine stones in this. Speed Ticket and Keenes Day have the right profile and are bound to have their supporters but for me Wells Lyrical looks as though this has been his target and is worth a small each-way interest at around 10/1; note that recent stable form isn't convincing.

Over in Ireland Look Here is a horse I like, is top-rated for the ten furlong Pretty Polly Stakes, and ran a blinder last time out to be pipped in a three-way photo in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. I'm not certain whether the step back in trip will suit and there's a possibility she may 'bounce' on her second run after a long layoff, so I'll watch from the sidelines.

Saturday's Scoop 6 races (27 June 2009) are:
2.10 Newcastle
2.20 Newmarket
2.35 Newcastle
3.10 Newcastle
3.25 Newmarket
3.45 Newcastle

Royal Ascot reviewed

A splendid meeting this year with the highlights including Canford Cliffs' sensational six length victory in the six furlong Coventry Stakes, Jealous Again's five length victory in the five furlong Queen Mary Stakes and Ghanaati thrashing some classy-looking rivals in the Coronation Stakes. The one exceptional performance was Yeats becoming the first horse ever to win a fourth Ascot Gold Cup - that will certainly live long in the memory.

On the punting front three winners from twelve wagers gave me a strike rate of 25% but I'm afraid the starting prices of the winners weren't big enough to ensure a profit - over the meeting I returned a loss of £2.67 to a £1 level stakes bet.

During the week I didn't catch an awful lot of the BBC's fashion coverage (thankfully) but on Saturday I did catch Rishi Persad coming on rather strongly to the racy Suzi Perry. Mr Persad commented 'You're hot, ' to Ms Perry and I don't think he was saying that just because the sun had made an appearance from behind the clouds. Mrs Tips, far more atuned to this sort of stuff than me, described his behaviour as 'serious flirting'. These days, one has to say, standards are slipping, aren't they? I'm sure I heard a character in 'Home And Away' use that line a couple of weeks ago...

Of course, while the great and the good go to the races, the big bad world keeps turning round. The scandal surrounding MPs' expenses fails to die down. The Daily Mail reports that amongst the many and varied expense submissions, Richard Spring, Member of Parliament for West Suffolk, claimed £39 for copies of the Racing Post 'necessary because Newmarket racecourse is in his constituency, he says.' Hmmmm...

I didn't see any televised racing on Friday as I went with my daughter to an open day held at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Now, I thought a conservatoire was a place double-glazing salesmen met to discuss strategy, security and safety-glass; I now know different. In the afternoon, while my daughter attended a workshop entitled 'Early Music & Historical Vocal Class' I went to the 'Jazz Jam Session' where a number of young, gifted musicians gave an impromptu concert that rates the best free event I've attended in a very long time - marvellous stuff. The date of the next open day is already in the diary...

Royal Ascot 2009 - Saturday

The highlight on the final day of Royal Ascot is the Golden Jubilee Stakes, a six furlong sprint. Fifteen have been declared, although this evening it looks as though the Australian runner Takeover Target won't line up. At the time of writing the market is dominated by two runners; Sacred Kingdom from Hong Kong and JJ The Jet Plane from South Africa. Intriguingly they're drawn right next to each other in stalls eight and nine. Connections of Sacred Kingdom have stumped up £45,000 to take part in this, so I guess they think they have a chance... It's JJ The Jet Plane for me, although I note that the market hasn't proved a very reliable guide in the past ten years with no favourites obliging, and second favourites only collecting twice.

In the Hardwicke I looked into taking on favourite Doctor Freemantle with Campanologist but decided to resist temptation. Course and distance winner Campanologist is top on official ratings but Godolphin haven't had a particularly good Ascot and the horse ran some way off his best on his seasonal debut when eighth of twelve in the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown. I'll watch with interest but keep what little money I have left in my pocket.

Having said that, I do like to have an interest in the finale, the Queen Alexandra Stakes, which is run over two and three quarter miles - I'm pretty certain this is the longest race of the entire meeting. What a fantastic horse Nicky Henderson's twelve-year-old Caracciola is! Having won the Cesarewitch last autumn at odds of 50/1, he was sent hurdling over the winter months and then, reverting back to the Flat, he collected the listed Grand Cup at York three short weeks ago. He will relish the fast ground here but faces a stiff task giving the rest of the field at least five pounds. Bulwark isn't one to trust implicitly but would be right there if in the mood which brings me back to Amerigo and Halla San. On Chester Cup form there's little between the two; I take the view that Halla San looks likely to stay while Amerigo isn't certain to. At the prices, Halla San offers the better value and with the stable is in such good form, Halla San is the selection.

Royal Ascot 2009 - Friday

Over the years the Friday card at Royal Ascot has proved something of a graveyard for me; this year, in an attempt to rectify this miserable situation, I'm going to limit myself to just one wager. That will have to be on the day's feature race, the Coronation Stakes, a Group 1 event for fillies run over the round mile.

Barry Hills' Ghanaati belied her 20/1 starting price when taking the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in impressive style. A big filly, she is the market leader but this is no one horse race. The yard won the Jersey Stakes with Ouqba on Wednesday but their stats for the last fortnight show just two wins from the last thirty one attempts and on grounds of value alone I'm tempted to look elsewhere. French 1000 Guineas winner Elusive Wave is likely to throw down a stern challenge; on ratings her form is slightly better than that of Ghanaati and she has more racecourse experience but she will need to handle the preliminaries. Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again looked to have a hard race when collaring Mick Channon's Lahaleeb on heavy ground at the Curragh three and a half weeks ago - this may come a little too soon for both horses. I haven't totally given up on Rainbow View who looked unlucky in running in the Epsom Oaks after finishing fifth behind Ghanaati in the Guineas; that day connections blamed the fast ground for her disappointing performance. She will encounter similar ground tomorrow and the stable is out of form with just one winner from thirty seven runners in the last fortnight. French raider Reggane is difficult to weigh up but certainly worth a mention; she could easily prove the dark horse in the field and may be of interest to those looking for an each-way punt.

In a trappy looking event I'm going to side with the front-running Elusive Wave; she's priced up at 3/1 in a couple places this evening.