Punter’s Diary Tuesday 10 March 2020
It has been a trying couple of days, with the demise of Flybe necessitating a hasty reroute and the worsening Covid 19 situation.
The good news is that this is the last you will hear on that subject in this column this week.
The bad weather has put a brake on ante-post action this year, a couple of small each way bets on Supasundae in the Champion Hurdle and Lostintranslation in the Gold Cup are still alive while a bigger each way punt on Native River went down the river when he got injured.
My main ante-post bets this year are on Rory to win the Masters and Bayern Munich and Juventus in the Champions League, plenty to look forward to.
Kevin Blake was the star of the show at the Europa preview last week.
While the rest of us learned to read through the medium of Dick and Dora, Janet and John or Biff and Chip, young Kevin was obviously given Timeform annuals and assorted form-books to start off.
He has taken form analysis to a new level and his association with the Joseph O'Brien stable means that his views have to be taken very seriously this week.
He fancies Chantry House in the traditional opener, the Supreme.
Not an obvious one, given that his stable-mate Shiskin is the favourite, however I will defer to the master here and there has been money for it over the weekend.
The Arkle which follows features one of Joseph O'Brien's main fancies of the week, Fakir D'oudairies.
Connections were not happy with the ride he got at Christmas when he was held up and lost out to Notebook, expect him to go off like the clappers from the front and use his brilliant jumping to good effect.
Notebook has some well publicised temperament problems and the consensus at the Europa was that if you are going to back it, leave it to near the off as he is likely to boil over on the way to the start.
The Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, home of the original Arkle Bar, always put up a horse for its customers to back in this and Cash Back is its horse this year, bidding to give it and Willie Mullins a third win in the last four years.
The Champion Hurdle is by general reckoning a poor race this year.
The first five in the betting at the start of the season all miss the race and a shock result is very possible.
I fancy Supasundae, a winner here three years ago, at a double figure price as I think he will stay on best up the hill and allow jockey Robbie Power to join the elite in having won the Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand National.
The favourite, Epatante, ran like a drain when favourite for the mares novice race here last year and is easily discounted.
Wins in small field races at flat tracks do not warrant her price.
Bookies will be keen to lay her as they expect a “result” here. Shop around for the best prices and each way terms.
Kevin Blake fancies Darver Star here and if it runs well it will flag up the chances of the unbeaten Honeysuckle in the Mares race which follows.
Honeysuckle beat Darver Star last time at Leopardstown and like main market rival Benie Des Deux swerved a chance to run in the Champion Hurdle to run here.
This is a match, the rest are running for third, I admit to a bit of fence-sitting here as I have an interest in Benie in a double with Paisley Park on Thursday and have also bet Honeysuckle’s jockey, Rachel Blakemore to be top jockey this week.
A dead heat would do nicely.
Apart from the Mares race the day’s shortest-priced runner will be Carefully Selected in the longest race (previously the 4 miler) the 3m 6f for amateur riders.
It is as dodgy a jumper as you would see at a Christmas party and will have his supporters hiding behind their sofas each time he leaves the ground. Not for me at any price.
Ravenhill, owned by a syndicate of lawyers from Belfast and ridden by Jamie Codd, is fancied for this and the jockey booking is the clincher for me here.
The Coddmaster has ridden nine winners here from only 33 rides, a phenomenal total for an amateur given that there are only four races in which they regularly compete.
I suggest a couple of tickles in the handicaps at 2.50 and 4.50.
Discorama, second at the last two Festivals, can go one better for Paul Nolan and Bryan Cooper in the Ultima and Imperial Aura in the novice handicap will both run well.
I am particularly interested in how Imperial Aura runs as he was second last time out to one of my main fancies of the week, Simply The Betts, who runs on Thursday.
Happy punting, Archie
ONE A DAY FOR THE WEEK
Tuesday
The one for today is Fakir D'oudairies in the Arkle. Very impressive in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse in December, he was beaten at Leopardstown by market rival Notebook, but there were excuses and I expect him to turn the tables today.
He will be ridden from the front and is a spectacular jumper.
Wednesday
The fancy tomorrow is Copperhead in the RSA.
A brilliant winner at Ascot last time in a time three seconds faster over course and distance than leading Grand National fancy, Ballyoptic.
He will relish the stiff fences and uphill finish and could prove too strong for the well fancied Champ and Minella Indo.
Thursday
Simply The Betts who runs in the Plate at 4.10 is one of my main fancies of the week.
He won here at trials day in January, beating Imperial Aura who runs today and On The Slopes who has hacked up at Kempton since.
This was his only entry of the week and he has been tipped up at a few Cheltenham Preview nights.
Friday
Lostintranslation is my fancy for the Gold Cup. He was stuffed at Kempton on Boxing Day but that was trainer error running him there.
He loves big galloping tracks like Cheltenham and Haydock and was second here last year to Defi Du Seuil in a brilliant race when his jumping was superb, he has age on his side and should prove too strong for Delta Work and the rest.
** I suggest an each way Lucky 15 on these which will give you an interest for the full week.
