Sport (Page 195)

HERE COME THE TEAMS Both sets of players are making their way out onto the pitch ahead of kick-off! New PSG player Wijnaldum leads out the Netherlands in the absence of Liverpool’s Van Dijk. And West Ham’s Yarmolenko captains Ukraine tonight. As mentioned previously, Ukraine in fact finished higher than 2016 winners Portugal in qualifying – they’re no pushovers. Cue the national anthems!Continue Reading

Before you read my article I’d like to state how much I appreciated a ‘letter of thanks’ from a readers who signed himself FINLAY! I’m able to guarantee the last thing on my mind is retirement and these rambling missives will be submitted until I drop, hopefully a good few years hence. Betting is a serious business, complacency is costly, the reasoon why I’m so serious! Have a  lovely ‘Flaming June’ day. Deep Snow is a strong forecast for the Fillies’ Novice Stakes over ten furlongs of ‘good to firm’ Salisbury this afternoon when a seven-race programme offers little for serious punters with six handicaps representing a ‘no-go’ area for my modus operandi, which is all about sorting/analysing set-weight races.Continue Reading

Sam Twiston-Davies provided a solid reason why I’ve long placed tremendous emphasis on jockeyship when winning on the somewhat recalcitrant Dr Richard Newland-trained Olympic Conqueror over two tense miles of Uttoxeter last Thursday; a short-head verdict over Ambassador doesn’t tell half the story. Alright so it was the second leg of my short-priced double but with C’Mon Kenny being withdrawn in dramatic fashion earlier this represented a de facto ‘full house’ for readers/punters, my only concern and the reason for this column. Sam adopted positive tactics but Olympic Conqueror was top of the ‘hit’ parade over every obstacle until passed at halfway at which point he settled happily; eventually it was necessary to become serious and ‘Twisty’ sent him backContinue Reading

Another short-priced ‘professional special’ double yesterday became a ‘full house’ because C’mon Kenny was withdrawn earlier due to over-watering at Nottingham, again!   Income is a time-handicap ‘special’ expected to bring reward for serious punters in a twelve-runner Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over six furlongs of ‘good to firm’ Goodwood tonight; a slight concern is extra distance but trainer Richard Hughes is confident this once-raced Profitable filly will go one better under Jamie Spencer. Veteran Jamie was aboard when Income failed by only a head to beat Sows at Nottingham just nine days ago when quietly-backed; they looked certain to prevail after hitting the front inside the final furlong but Richard Hannon’s charge, also a newcomer, ‘flew’ to grab the spoilsContinue Reading

C’mon Kenny provides an interesting theory to effect of weight-for-age in a Maiden Stakes over a mile of ‘good to firm’ Nottingham this afternoon when the twice-raced Ian Williams-trained five-year-old Dutch Art gelding is set carry ten stones, 16lbs more than Matamua, a three-year-old filly which will also be having a third run for Simon Crisford. With a ‘built-up’ time-handicap mark Matamua comes out marginally better but C’Mon Kenny will be ridden by capable female apprentice jockey Elisha Whittington who claims a 5lbs allowance! Price-wise, given my obsession with serious each-way trixies/daily patents, this is a ‘no-brainer’ because C’Mon Kenny, fourth and sixth to date, should go off at inflated odds whereas his main rival will probably be favourite. WFAContinue Reading

ISRAEL TEAM NEWS! XI: Ofir Marciano, Eliazer Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Orel Dgani, Ofri Arad, Bebras Natcho, Neta Lavi, Sun Menachem, Gadi Kinda, Manor Solomon, Eran Zahavi. SUBS: Uri Dahan, Itamar Nitzan, Matan Baltaxa, Or Blorian, Aviel Zargary, Liel Abada, Yonas Malede, Mohammed Abu Fani, Osama Khalaila, Joel Abu Hanna, Ofir Davidzada, Boris Kleyman.Continue Reading

‘A ‘daay’ to ‘Remember’ it certainly was when our ‘headline’ horse romped home unchallenged at Lingfield to kick off this week in grand style and later Tom Marquand took Windsor by storm with a devastating hat-trick in an hour locals will never forget; his rides on all-the-way winners Sea Sylph and Devil’s Club brought back wonderful memories of a bygone age! Several years ago I spotted Marquand as a unique talent and stated ‘this lad is the best since Pat Eddery…!’ I’ve been proved right and these latest triumphs were so poignant given the late, great eleven-times champion jockey was an absolute wizard around the picturesque Thames-side venue with judgement of pace which rivalled anything Lester Piggott or other ‘greats’Continue Reading

Tantastic is a very long time winning but a gilt-edged opportunity presents itself in the eight-runner Novice Median Auction Stakes over five furlongs of Wolverhampton tapeta today; it will be impossible for Brian Ellison’s charge to gain ‘winning brackets’ if this tenth attempt fails. One of my favourite sayings is, ‘you can’t beat experience!’ That particular theory has been turned on its head with Tantastic, a vexing 67-rated Mayson gelding which, ironically, achieved his best time-handicap mark under top-weight in a fiercely-competitive handicap on ‘soft’ Haydock twelve days ago. Harry Russell rode Tacitus and they replicated a previous effort twenty-three days earlier over this course and distance; back in October this talented 5lbs apprentice also got a tune out ofContinue Reading

GERMANY host Latvia in their final Euro 2020 warm-up friendly before the big kick-off. Joachim Low’s side were held by Denmark in their last friendly and will contest a Group of Death in the finals alongside France, Portugal and Hungary.Continue Reading