Monday racing tips: Andy Ayres picks out his best bet for today’s racing while updating us on all the latest gossip from a weekend at Cheltenham
Our Trackman picks through the start of the All Weather Championship and looks back on a big punt that went South
THE world must have gone mad.
We’ve just had three-days racing at Cheltenham without the sniff of a winner for Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott.
In their absence, Kayley Woollacott tugged a few heartstrings when Lalor ran away with a Grade 2 novice chase, while Gary Moore saddled Baron Alco to win an incident packed BetVictor Gold Cup under his unstoppable son Jamie.
Gazza has made no secret of the fact he’d love to win a million nicker in a jumps season and with a third of that already banked he’s got every chance.
It’s the bread and butter winners that keep this operation ticking over and both Gary and Jamie were in great form at sunny Fontwell yesterday, where fortunes came for their sole runner Tazka (2-1 to evens).
The punters who lumped on owe Moore Jnr a drink as he worked like a navvy to get his filly up after a toe-to-toe tussle with 50-1 poke Yamuna River.
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Sean Levey has endured a big-dipper of a season, winning a Classic in May before missing most of the summer with a busted collarbone that refused to do the decent thing and heal.
The man from Swaziland is firing on all cylinders now and gave Master The World a cracking ride to win Lingfield’s Churchill Stakes on Saturday.
This big grey has looked mad as a hatter at times, but he loves Lingers and will be back on his favourite stage soon according to trainer David Elsworth, who said:
"Master The World is a good old boy and he likes it around here. Sean gets on with him very well and they communicate.
He will have a bit of a break now until the spring and then he may have a prep race, or else he might come straight back for the Betway Winter Derby.”
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Addeybb was the beaten jolly here and I’m told jockey James Doyle was disappointed by the gelding’s response in the straight.
He reckons the horse hated the track and might need a set of blinkers to get his mind back on the job.
Bold Archie Watson has been unusually quiet but was responsible for the best bet horse on this card, namely Barys (4-1 to 2-1) who slam-dunked a fair field in the 1m novice event.
Archie is always a man with a plan and he has Royal Ascot’s Brittannia Handicap earmarked for this improver.
Epsom-based Jim Boyle has been trudging uphill through treacle for most of the Flat season but strongly fancied Shining (9-2 to 13-8) to kick-start his winter campaign in a 5f novice event at Lingfield on Friday.
Monday Magic
SILVER RIVER (4.30 Kempton) was always travelling best when winning here last time and can follow-up under a penalty.
She pinged the lids, bossed the race and looked set to put the bounce back in her trainer’s stride until being caught close home by newcomer Lorna Cole.
Life’s tough at this end of the food chain and Boyle looked as if he’d just taken a Frank Bruno jab to the bugle when Shining was chinned.
Still, he has her entered at Lingers again tomorrow (2.10) and she must win soon.
Oisin Murphy is home after a spot of globetrotting and has a strong book of rides at Kempton tonight.
He should ride a winner or two and will be hopeful about the chance of SILVER RIVER (4.30).
This big grey had something in hand when breaking his duck over C&D a month ago and could end up operating at a higher level than this.