The Pointing Thread

Good race at Ludlow today where I am going with Divine Intavention to overcome the weight disadvantage and win this contest, 3/1 is fair enough for a horse on the upgrade.

Over in Taunton, I think Coombe Hill has a serious chance of upsetting the fav. A quick fire double is what I'll be hoping for today. Any thoughts gents?
 
No bet at Ludlow but Foynes Island is far too big @ 12/1 to overturn a 6 length defeat by Logans Run last time out, priced it up last night and had FI in at 8/1 with Logans @ 7/2 so have had to back Foynes Island given the weight turn around and different conditions they'll be racing in today. There's not much between them on the pointing ratings either and strictly on those Foynes Island should beat Logans Run.

The price about Coombe Hill looks about right but given the respective difference between my price about CH and Logans Run and the prices they are with the bookmakers I've taken some of the 11/10 about Coombe Hill (now evs) in a match bet with Ladbrokes. It should be a good race either way and the blinkers applied to Mustangsallyrally add a seperate angle to the race.

At Ludlow though I've said it's a no bet race if I were forced to bet it'd be a place lay of Our Jasper who hasn't won in a long time and is taking on some decent opponents today. Lorna Brooke was injured in her fall from The General Lee last time out and so Arthur Moore's son the highly capable JD Moore (John Daniel) takes over in the plate having found immediate success since re-locating yet again to the UK (had plenty of success in the p2p sphere riding for the Alner's 10 or so years back) and he's a positive jockey booking for TGL.

Good luck to all today :)

Martin
 
Probably e/w on The General Lee in the Ludlow race; partly for the very reason of jockeyship Martin mentioned (JD Moore won the national novice riders' title in 1998 and is still better than many 14 years on), and partly as TGL has tended to need a run or two back before hitting his straps fully - he won over C&D on his third outing of 2010-11, for example.

TGL's win on seasonal debut in 2009-10 does nothing to dent that assertion - that was a two-runner contest at Alphraham that he'd have won without being anywhere near his best.

gc
 
Look up JD Moore's ride on Shin A Vee at the 2009/10 Punchestown Festival in the Bishopscourt Cup I think it was - took the horse the scenic route all the way round and he won with his head in his chest, amazing ride from a top (and still underated jockey). Just wish I'd been at Ampton earlier in the season when he rode one of Gordon Elliott's old horses and he was announced as "Jonny Moore" and a lot of folk thought he was a young Novice rider :lol:.
 
Well done Divine Intavention and Coombe Hill backers!!

Up and down there for me - disappointed that Foynes Island couldn't get up for third, somewhat ironically a good friend of mine rode the horse who did finish third in the end and I thought it was a great ride on a horse who has jumping problems to get him settled and jumping and he ran on strongly on the run-in. Hopefully Kevin Jones will pick up more and better rides in these and other Amateur Rider races :)

As you'll have gathered from the above Foynes Island finished fourth, the race worked out well enough and he got a fair bit closer to Logans Run this time but didn't manage to pass him. The main bet in the race the match bet came in fairly easily though so that's a positive just disappointing that we couldn't land some E/W money to top it up.

At Ludlow The General Lee ran a strange race and was detached down the back but ran on well in the straight, though ultimately filled the spot that all good E/W bets fill ie. fourth.

Divine Intavention is still improving and there was talk of him heading across the sea for a 2 1/2m HC later in the season but he looks like a lovely type to send to Aintree IMO and he and Mark Wall have already had a cracking season.

Our Jasper was unplaced but ran well for a long way despite some fairly hefty jumping errors so disappointed I didn't place-lay him in the end but you can't win them all :)

Martin
 
Plenty of pointing action this weekend and I'll be at Lawney Hill's local track Kingston Blount on Saturday and at one of my local tracks here in the SE (Godstone). For anyone based in London the latter is a great little course and easy to get to being located just inside (IIRC) the M25.

I've previously mentioned Harbour Court in glowing terms on here and as expected he's entered in the Intermediate on Saturday at Kingston Blount alongside another Charing winner in Phil York's Ringa Bay. Worth noting there was little in it on the clock on their runs on 19th Feb though there were far more runners in Ringa Bay's event.

Godstone could play host to formerly useful Chasers in Ireland in the shape of Knock On The Head and Shazand who are another pair who ran at Charing (KOTH ran into a place and Shazand was badly hampered and PU). Also at Godstone the ex-Irish Maiden winner Bigasabishop could make his second UK start having PU mid-way through a Restricted at Marks Tey two weekends ago - he jumped off in rear on that occasion and was reportedly pulled up due to having had a breathing op during the Summer and for his own welfare. A more positive ride will see him to far better effect on Sunday.

Ballinla who IMO is a cert for a Maiden when stepped up to 3m is entered at Larkhill in the 2 1/2m Maiden on Saturday whilst other good youngsters out this weekend could be Elvis The King (Ampton), What A Laugh (2/2 this season and a HC winner in the making at Bangor's P2P course) and Keppol's Hill (Charlton Horethorne).

Martin
 
Hope to see Keppol's Hill on Sunday, Martin, if I do end up doing the racereading there - all TBC. It'd make sense, as I'm working at Larkhill on Saturday and Charlton Horethorne is barely half an hour away from there, but that's a decision to be made by another Martin, not me. :-D

gc


PS You totally dodged a bullet not going Pointing on Sunday, you jammy get - my racereading notes for Tweseldown needed a day and a half on the radiator!!
 
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Darren mentioned that it was a bit cold over at the other place and think my mate is still thawing out from his rides down there!!

Garthorpe not much better according to the lads - 3 books left at the end and only 13 or so to start with.

KB always a good meeting and Aim For The Stars is entered up too, that plus a good commentator on the microphone should help matters too :)

Martin
ps. Will look forward to receiving the Loose Leaf notes on Friday then ;)
 
A somewhat disappointing Novices HC up at Catterick today and the most likely winner for me is the Houldey/Mansell horse Mister Kay Bee though as an acquaintance pointed out he's often ridden in spurs (which they can't use under rules) and whilst he can be awkward at times, reluctant to race etc. he brings the best form into the race with his defeat of Ice Cool Benny and co at Whitwick Manor in a fast time on 18th Feb reads very well in the context of this race. I'll be backing him at 19.5 on Betfair and also for a place.

I can't say I'm a massive Scrum V fan and he was lucky to hold on IMO at Duncombe Park when the rallying Dark Moon (previously a winner) just failed to get back up to beat him over 3m, the time was relatively slow for a race of this nature and he's too short in the betting at around 7/2 and for that reason I'd even be tempted to lay Scrum V in the match bet with MKB at around 1/3 on Betfair.

Of the others I can see Racing Ace going well in this again, the yard have won it in the recent past and this fellow was placed in the race a couple of seasons back, the absence is a slight concern but he should go well again at 14/1 whilst the money for Chef De Cour is interesting and I have to say I had him in a lot shorter when I priced this up last night, the step up in trip should suit and though he's not won as yet I can see him running into a place providing things drop his way, he's currently 40/1 with Bet365 (28/1 biggest elsewhere).

Anyone else having a go today?

Martin
 
I have backed Monogram to win. Jock gets on well with the horse and his form with Harmony Brig is noteworthy in as poor a race as this. He is short for what he has achieved but that indicates how poor the race is, small stakes win for me.
 
Unlucky there Trefflich - Monogram finished well which I wasn't expecting with stamina doubts etc.

Interesting ride on Mister Kay Bee - quite why he let them all up his inner on the hometurn is beyond me but with Scrum V falling another match bet copped :)
 
I wasn't too heavily involved Martin but at least I got a run for my money! Will the Foxhunters crown be staying in England or Ireland this year?
 
Hoping it stays in the UK as already involved with My Flora and will be investing in a couple of others at bigger prices on Betfair on the day I hope.

Count Salazar is a horse who's always impressed me from Ireland though - ran well in two hot Maidens last year (including behind Salsify at Dromahane) and there've been plenty of winners come out of those affairs whilst he was impressive in winning his Winners race in the Autumn. He's progressed to take a Hunter Chase and an Open to qualify for Cheltenham but I'd imagine he's entered up this weekend as they think he'll be balloted out (and probably needs softer ground) but he's one to keep an eye on for future years.

Martin
 
Hope you have your studying caps on tonight Jeremy and Martin! Plenty to get our teeth into tomorrow...surely we can get a couple of good uns??;)
 
I'll be getting stuck into those later tonight Trefflich - travelling back down to Brighton tomorrow so will be relying on the mobile phone for the bets for tomorrow, looking at the Sporting Life tissue prices there should be plenty of value to be had IMO.

Martin
 
Three good HC's and a walkover (most likely) today which should be interesting from a betting perspective.

In the first HC over at Leicester I think that course winner Rumbury Grey is underated here relative to the likes of Marblehead (a winner over 4m at Dunthrop in a good Open LTO) and Rathcor (runner-up over 3 1/4m LTO) and I think that the shorter trip will be against both of those whilst Kiama again has Will Biddick up (rode last time out) and at 20/1 he could be a big player E/W if we have the dead eight in at the off.

Pistolet Noir was sold for big money out of Nick Williams yard but never lived up to it at Paul Nicholls and though he showed more in his p2p debut last time out I'd be inclined to overlook him whilst Johnny Bailey hasn't exactly shone in his rides on Galway Jack so far this season and Gidam Gidam is surely a live contender for some of the staying contests later on in the season (4m HC at Cheltenham would be where I'd target him).

In the 2m Thrusters HC at the same track the favourite is 14yo Fairwood Present - a worthy fav IMO but too short at 11/8, Restless D'Artaix clearly retains some of his old zip whilst former Cheltenham Festival runner Gardasee showed up well for a long way on his p2p debut last time out and can go well under his decent jockey Ben Poste. I wouldn't rule out Point Proven either who is another who ran well for a long way over further than this - though in his case it was in a Hunter Chase and at 20/1 (Gardasee) and 6/1 (Point Proven) they'd be the two for me.

At Wincanton it looks a two horse race to me and with Jayne's Crusader winning this last year and looking an unlucky loser having slipped up on landing at the final fence last time out he looks the one for me at 7/4 and given how I priced it last night I feel that the front two in the market are the wrong way round. Massimo is a very decent horse on his day but the presence of JD Moore in the plate on Jayne's Crusader just swings it for me and the Ladbrokes price of 7/4 is a bet IMO.

Anyone else any thoughts?

Martin
 
Irish Stamp said:
In the first HC over at Leicester I think that course winner Rumbury Grey is underated here relative to the likes of Marblehead (a winner over 4m at Dunthrop in a good Open LTO) and Rathcor (runner-up over 3 1/4m LTO) and I think that the shorter trip will be against both of those whilst Kiama again has Will Biddick up (rode last time out) and at 20/1 he could be a big player E/W if we have the dead eight in at the off.

Pistolet Noir was sold for big money out of Nick Williams yard but never lived up to it at Paul Nicholls and though he showed more in his p2p debut last time out I'd be inclined to overlook him whilst Johnny Bailey hasn't exactly shone in his rides on Galway Jack so far this season and Gidam Gidam is surely a live contender for some of the staying contests later on in the season (4m HC at Cheltenham would be where I'd target him).
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I've not had the time to devote to these races as I would have liked, alas, owing to a server meltdown at the Day Job yesterday, but my thinking at the moment is to have a couple of small each-way tilts on Gidam Gidam and Special Portrait at this remove, and maybe something in-running on both depending upon the early shape of the race.

In essence you're right that Gidam Gidam is more of a marathon hunter chaser proposition - I've been saying that on That Other Place and elsewhere since before the start of term. However, this would be as stiff a track as he's encountered since joining the amateur ranks, and this could be run murderously quickly enough for him to be able to clean up when the more aggressively ridden competitors start to flag.

I include 2010 race winner Marblehead in that bracket. I oppose anything ridden by Mark Wall these days with a heavy heart, as I'm a big fan and he's having a corking season so far (only Will Biddick has ridden more Pointing winners so far this season, and with better ammo pound for pound), and of course the gelding proved totally amenable to unusually patient tactics when winning that four-miler, the Lord Ashton of Hyde at Dunthrop, in January.

Dropped back down to 3m, however, I expect the tactics will revert back to front-running on Jim Collett's grey, and that's going to put him on a collision course early doors with Galway Jack on recent evidence. Note also that Pistolet Noir tried to make all on his Pointing debut at Ston Easton last month, and that was by no means under duress (decent enough sized field, not a tactical race), so the candidates for a burn-up number as many as three here.

Like Gidam Gidam, Special Portrait isn't likely to be wanting a piece of the early lead, which will be to his advantage if things pan out as I anticipate, and the fact that he won the Heart Of All England at Hexham on good two years ago gives a bit of a lie to the notion that he absolutely needs it sloshy. Only if the ground errs towards good to firm would I worry about him.

Rumbury Grey doesn't make as much appeal as some. It's not surprising to me that the win here last time was gained over the stretch 2m4f rather than 2m7.5f, as there are more stamina question marks over him than even connections are evidently prepared to entertain.

His owner-breeder insisted after the Dick Saunders win that Rumbury Grey is a 3m horse, and to an extent he is - granted sharp/easy courses, that is. Note that his Pointing wins have come around Bangor PtP (sharp and flat), Bitterley (flat and galloping but short) and Black Forest Lodge (sharp); and whilst that Bangor win came on heavy (on debut, over three years ago), in essence 3m around those courses ought to take far less getting than a strongly run 2m7.5f around a big Rules track like Leicester.

Note also some very patchy form around the more testing Pointing courses he's visited. Two visits to Brafield-on-the-Green have resulted in two pullings up (on good); he didn't last home around Whitwick Manor when first trying Restricted class; and he got turned over at 4-6 in his Hunt Members race at Cold Harbour once.

If he does take this it will be the most meaningful thing he's ever done around a tough 2m7f-3m of any description, but I have to have grave doubts about him proving capable of doing so.

Hope this helps!

Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)
 
Thanks gents, appreciate the time taken to respond. Having looked throught the races I have plumped for a distance bet on Gwanako, a nice win bet on Jayne's Crusader @13/8and an ew on Special Portrait for the binman! We will all be a bit wiser this evening!
 
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