Review of the day

I really don’t like tipping short priced horses - and I can’t say that I got a great deal of pleasure out of Josies Orders win today...

The problem I had, was that I couldn’t see how, I could tell you it was a racing certainty - and then not tip it !

The trouble with racing - and jump racing in particular - is that you always need a bit of luck.

That’s even more the case, when there are 32 fences to be jumped over a non standard course !

In truth, I don’t think Josies Orders got any good luck - but more importantly, he didn’t get any bad luck either.

Despite that, he still almost managed to get himself beaten !

I’m sure he was the best horse in the race, by some margin - but he idled after jumping the last, enabling Facts of the Matter to go half a length up.

Fortunately, there was time for him to respond: Mark Walsh galvanised him back into action and he ultimately won quite comfortably.

Phew !

Things didn’t go quite so well, with the days other tip…

I put up Lovely Job in the opener, because I thought he was a bit of value.

On his most recent outing, he had finished 4 lengths behind The Young Master, and today was 5lb better off at the weights.

On the book there should have been nothing between them, which made it an easy choice, at respective prices of 8/1 and 4/1.

However, racing is rarely that simple: and whist The Young Master jumped from fence to fence, Lovely Job was soon in trouble.

The margin between them this afternoon ended up in excess of 50 lengths.
As our Amercan friends would say ‘ Go figure’…!

In an ironic twist, Fergal O’Brien, the trainer of Lovely Job, then saddled the winner of the very next race, in the shape of unconsidered outsider, Red Hot Chilly.

I thought Snookered might have been under-estimated - but he never featured.

The jumping of A Hare Breath let him down in the 2 mile chase, and as a consequence, Bun Doran ended up with little to beat.

He did it very well though, looking like an improved horse.

Le Breuil ran a cracker in the novice chase - and was possibly a tad unfortunate to come up against an ultra game Count Meribel.

I thought the race had the potential to be top class - but despite the stirring finish, I ended up a little disappointed.

White Moon looked like he was probably the best horse in the contest - but it’s impossible to be adamant about that, as he fell at the last.

I’ll reserve judgement on the form, for the time being.

Finally, Coolanly took the last under another good ride from Paddy Brennan.

He seemed to be the only jockey on the day who picked up on the fact there was possibly a track bias for horses running on the outside.

He took advantage on Red Hot Chilly - and then did it again, on board Coolanly.

TVB.