Sue Smith Day!!

For those of you who read my blog yesterday may have realised that one i was very keen on is running today, that horse is BE MY LIGHT. Last night you could have got 5/1 best price but this morning you will get no better than 7/2 and its shortening the whole time. He has been stepped up in distance only an extended furlong however but this is a weaker race than the one at Newbury the last day. Diarmuid O'Regan takes the ride again today and claims a valuable 10 pounds. Good ground wont be a problem for him today and the course should be right up his street.

One that i may have mentioned before is a Sue Smith horse called PINEROLO who i have waited for about 3 months to see him again. Last time out was his first time in a handicap and was beaten 14 lengths running on at the end of the day. That day in my opinion wasnt Henry Oliver's finest hour and Shane Byrne gets the leg up today which also allows him to take off 3 pounds thanks to his allowance. He may also be one for the future as he is a gigantic horse who will jump a fence. The two i have mentioned so far i have in a double and singles.

Sue Smith takes 6 runners to Carlisle today and it could just be she is treating today like her Saturday where she sends the best she has out. Its interesting as she rarely takes more than 2 to a midweek meeting if that, to take 6 to one meeting very much catches the attention. I have made a lucky 15 out of 4 of her horses, the bet is as follows.

Dartford Warbler - Hasnt shown much so far but has been running against some good horses in the names of Make a Track, Cotton Mill and Absinthe. Last time out behind Absinthe was definitely his best run, only beaten 16 lengths on that day. Another reason for believing there will be more to come first time in a Handicap is the fact that he is a half brother to Champion Hurdle winner Rock on Ruby, if he is half as good as him then he will win this at a canter. Interesting runner.

Whiskey Ridge - One of Sue's more fancied runners today and he has come on leaps and bounds in his last two runs hitting the crossbar and everything around it. The ground today will be right up his street today, so will the distance as he is stepped up a furlong today and that looks as if it will suit after staying on last time but running out of time. One of Sue's better chances today.

Pinerolo - I think i have said enough about this horse above, probably the best chance of a winner today.

Twice Lucky - Probably the dodgiest one in the lucky 15 as he is yet to win a race but has run some good races. He seems to love the better ground whenever he gets on it which is what we are dealing with today. This looks a golden opportunity for him to get off the mark, after last time he was running a brilliant race when unseating his jockey 5 from home. Fantastic opportunity to get off the mark today.

hopefully there are some winners amongst them today.

NAP - Pinerolo
NB - Be My Light

52 Day Ban For Robert Cooper

Only one real talking point today and that is the huge ban for amateur jockey Robert Cooper. He picked up the ridiculous 52 day ban on New Years Eve for striking Elton Fox with his whip 23 times in the backhand position. The BHA have said he did not give his mount time to respond on 12 separate occasions, despite the huge ban he  still got Elton Fox up to win by about a length and a half. Many people in the racing world have been outraged that a jockey that has lifted a horse to win should get such a ban. Cooper's ban comes days after Richard Johnson picked up a 2 day ban for his late rally to win on Carrickmines at Taunton. It seemed the whip rule debate had died down a little however this throws it back into the fire. We shall have to wait if Cooper appeals against his ban.

Yesterday's lucky 15 wasnt too lucky with Taikoo making a bad mistake and dropping out of contention half way through the race, clearly something amiss with him, it was reported that Theology made a mistake 3 out just when moving in contention and Brian Hughes reported he lost his action. I wouldnt be giving up with them two just yet, especially Theology. Mountainous was an impressive winner at FFos Las making all the running and jumping perfectly, it looked like he was about to be swallowed up turning for home but a strong Sam Twiston Davies kept him up to his work and he ended up winning going away, it appears the handicapper hasn't caught him yet. Azulada bay maybe needed a bit more help in the jumping department from jockey Chris Timmons however that could just be me talking through my pocket.

Today a horse runs at Fontwell which i have been waiting to reappear for about 2 months, the horse is called Makethe Mostofnow and is in the third race. From the Evan Williams yard that hasnt been training too many winners as of late but his yard's last two runs have been encouraging. This is the only horse Williams is bringing over from Wales to run at Fontwell today and it seems they have handpicked this race (after being entered in many races and being pulled out). Disappointingly only a 6/4 shot but i cant see this horse lose today and his first win at FFos Las looked really impressive and may suggest he has a little bit about him. His first race has turned out to be a fairly hot contest with Rev It Up and Paul Nicholls' Dualla Lord in front of him albeit 25 lengths but the run can be forgiven.

Thanks for reading and as always, Happy Punting