Unilateralism, drawn wide, raced outside throughout the Novice Stakes over a mile of Lingfield polytrack Monday and once again it came home ‘you can’t beat the draw’, even in small fields; positioning is so vital and of course jockeys don’t give an inch, why should they?
Both Fair And Square and Canzone ran well from prominent positions but for different reasons didn’t oblige; all three need to be followed.
There are lessons to be learned every day but patience is key to profit and providing I’m able to get another up-to-date pacemaker fitted in the next two months this veteran columnist will make sure readers benefit accordingly by continually making consistent profit on a monthly basis.
Sir Alex Ferguson had his first pacemaker fitted late 2001, within a month of mine and we’ve run in tandem since making use of those precious ‘bonus years!’
‘Fergie’ is remarkable, does more flying than birds in my garden and when not stressed by Manchester United pitfalls, due to poor management and dire application from a bunch of overrated Old Trafford egotists, looks really relaxed; he can’t give up the one-time ‘day job’ anymore than I can even think of retiring however, ‘It’s still in our blood!
Many years ago 84-year-old Barry Hills, who trained for Alex during the twelve years period I was involved with the legendary Lambourn-based ‘winning machine, had some wise words when I mentioned ‘retirement’ after he’d handed over the ‘Faringdon’ license to son Charles in 2011; “die then” he said!
All three of us are soldiering on because we know retirement is indeed the end of the line; by continuing to work and activating our brains dementia is averted, fact!
Ferguson will be 80 four weeks from now, at times he looks remarkably buoyant and, of course, he’s still consulted and was instrumental bringing Ronaldo back to beleaguered Manchester United; wonder if he’s aware Adjournment is a ‘good thing’ for the fourteen-runner Novices’ Hurdle over two and a half miles of ‘good to soft’ Market Rasen today!
As mentioned ‘jumping’ has been tricky recently but occasionally the obvious can’t be ignored and I’ll not miss out with this Oliver Greenall-trained five year-old which achieved a ‘career-best’ only last month; good, recent form is part of my time-form criteria and another, Bolintlea, must not be overlooked in the concluding ‘bumper’ under Charlie Hammond.
November was profitable and the run to Xmas is usually a rewarding period; don’t look elsewhere, just follow this column.
Selections, Market Rasen, 1.15 Adjournment (e.w); 3.22 Bolintlea (e.w); Chelmsford, 5.00 Cape Columbus (e.w).
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019