Good Morning, Friend,

As always I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. Below follows a 'through the card' for Leicester this afternoon...

Team RTP Syndicate spent Sunday afternoon at Fakenham watching our Sir Canford make his debut for us and Dr Newland. This horse is a substitute for Endlesspossibility, who after a promising debut for us, sadly chipped a fetlock on the gallops at home in a routine piece of work, and it remains to be seen if his racing career can be saved, poor sod. Plenty goes wrong in this game. The best case for him is that he returns just fine in 6 months time. In any case, Sir Canford will add plenty of cheer and he has a few hurdle wins in him this summer.

Fakenham do a great job all round and we even got a nice bottle of gin for 3rd place. Punting wise...well, I had four 2nds on the afternoon, Hatcher the most painful, but that's how it goes, urgh. :)

Golden Mayflower was a bit 'meh' at Lingfield, not looking in love with that ground at all, which was riding very fast and ultimately it looked too quick for her, lesson learnt. Proper good to firm was still a bit of an unknown with her. The race was run at a crawl also, turning into a dash, and she probably wasn't in the best spot when the tempo lifted, and neither was the fav. From 5f to 2f out she ran quicker than the winner, but that wasn't the part of the race in which to do so! She's proving a bit of an enigma for us so far, we're still to determine if 10f is what she wants, but will give her a go around Chelmsford later in the month to hopefully find out for sure, as they'll be no ground excuses there.

To Leicester...

One of you good readers, RTPS owners and part of the OLBG team, is off to Leicester this afternoon. Darren B mainly has jumps eyes with his own punting and has bravely asked for some help! I am due a shocker with these 'TTCs' after Pontefract and Beverley, but I've put in the work, so fingers crossed... as always, hopefully some gold in the notes, even if the horses don't perform...

2.00 - Gilt Edge - 10/1 (NB)

2.30 - Cheeky Blimey - 18/1

3.00 - Shazam - 4/5

3.30 - Ernies Valentine - 4/1 (R4 since)

4.00 - Theatre Honours - 11/4

4.35 - Cavern Club - 7/1

5.05 - Bird Of Play - 5/1 (NAP)

Do note that the stalls are stand-side today for all races up to 7f on the straight course, so high numbers will be up against the nearside rail. What impact that has on results, we shall see...

Gilt Edge - no stats with this one really but of her x6 career wins on the turf, x4 have been in such conditions, 4/10,6p, +14 SP over 6f/Good to Firm, which is a profile worth noting as with that winning attitude, she's sure to pop up at C6 level at some point, hopefully here! She has handicap wins off 63 and 72, so this mark of 62 is now looking rather workable. It's the first time she's run in such conditions, below C4 level, since her last win in August 21, excluding her debut return last season here when sent off at 40s. She's run on GS the last twice but should be spot on here and didn't run badly at Chepstow, marooned up the middle when they all came stand-side. The jockey concerns me a bit, Georgia D knows her but isn't the most prolific, for all she's ridden two winners around here, but that's built into the price. I thought 10s looked a bit big here, for all she may be chasing home the jolly.

Taking on the two LTO winners may prove foolish but Port Noir won a nothing race last time and I thought this looked stronger. There are not that many holes in Hurt You Never, although drawn low and the jockeys first ride at the course, and has to back up. She may do as bolted up last time for all no idea what she beat. She can beat me at 5/6, which she may well do!

Stat: Adrian Nicholls is in fine form, 5/17,9p last 30 days, 3/6 last 14, and that may be worth noting more generally.

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Cheeky Blimey - this is a guessers race really, unless you're the connections and know your horse has been working upsides X horse rated X/with more experience, or ahead of a previous 2YO winner from the yard, and so on. So, the market can be some guide, or it can mean sod all.

Marco's 2YOs can fly in at all prices so it may be no guide here, although this one was put in at 10s, now 16s+, but we shall see! He's drawn high which could be beneficial on this straight course, with the stalls stand-side, if he gets out the stalls. The breeding is ok, but who really knows what's going to happen here.

Stat: Botti and Atzeni (now freelance) are 3/9,4p in last 30 days, 2/6,3p last 14 days, +16, a combo in form, and Botti had a 1st time winner at Redcar last week.

Amy has one in here, Silver Spirit, and plenty of money is coming, I'm not sure whose - he's from the breeze ups I think so should know his job, which could be worth something, and he's been working well I believe, but whether well enough, we'll soon find out! He looks short now.

Obviously it's most likely I haven't mentioned the winner!

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Shazham - if repeating or building on his win 7 days ago, he should just win again. Probably far too short now of course, one of those horses for muggy multiples if that's your thing, although he'll no doubt now get worked up pre race and sink that bet!

Stat: Trainer K De Foy is 5/16,7p +17 with his Leicester runners, 4/8 in the last year. Worth noting for future meetings.

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Ernies Valentine - the 11/4 fav was withdrawn while pondering this race but Ernie's still makes some appeal with some 11/4s now appearing. The horse is having his 3rd start of the season and stayed on with promise at Goodwood last time, having been held up and having to do an awful lot of work to get into contention, in effect doing best of the rest. He's down in class here, won as a 2YO, is looking well handicapped and has previously peformed at a higher level than this. I thought a chance he could 'outclass' them, maybe. Hopefully from this high draw, not far off the rail, he can race a bit more prominently here.

Stat: Tom Marquand also takes over, and he's 3/11,6p, +6 when riding for team Cole in the last year.

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Theatre Honours - I thought he ran with credit on debut, held together a bit heading into the dip at Newmarket and you rarely get a weak maiden at HQ. I thought he could come on bundles for that experience and James may be able to have him more prominent here today, in a decent position. His head carriage suggested he's a trier and I didn't think he'd be far away here and looked a shade overpriced against the 5/4 jolly, who does set the standard after his last start.

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Cavern Club - into the 3YO only handicaps we stride, it doesn't get any easier. Those Botti/Atzeni stats apply here also and hopefully one of them can get the job done. Again, opposing the two LTO winners may prove foolish but I thought 7s may be a shade overpriced, having run well on return LTO to my eyes, held up, marooned up the middle, never really put into it. He steps back up in trip here, runs on fast turf for the first time (could help, could not!) and they put 1st blinkers on - he does run like a bit of a thinking and his Kempton win came in 1st CP, but my hunch is there's a fair bit under the bonnet here, just a case of them eeking it out. The change of headgear suggests he's here to try his best and to win if good enough, and we'll soon find out if he is!

Stat: Botti is 3/11,4p +9 with his Leister handicappers in last 5 years.

He has one in the 2pm also, so we know what happens now, having flagged the other two!!

The top two in the market are well found, either winning no big shock for all Sir Mark does have a fair few shorter priced ones beaten around here (1/17 at the track last 5 years), which gives me hope - his one could take another step forward though, front two clear LTO and the horse he beat won his next start - given the fact he's proven on GF, i'd prefer Brave Knight to Fairbanks, but the latter did no wrong last time either. He'd be the one for the placepot I suppose.

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Bird Of Play - I just thought 5s looked big for this LTO winner who may well have track position on the fav. That looked a deep enough contest at Haydock, 2nd run of the season, 2nd start after being gelded in the off season and first start on proper quick ground. (officially at least). It was a career best RPR/TS figure, and I saw no reason why he wouldn't give it another good go here, under LTOs winning pilot. She looked to have things well under control there also, unless that's just her style. She is a 7lb claimer but appears to know where the winning post is. I liked his attitude there, which is a question for the likes of Starlight Nation, who I did look at closely, but wasn't convinced on his head-carriage under pressure - I'll stick to that view until he proves otherwise, which he could well do today as his form ties in.

Furtado is in decent form, and has a solid 19.4% SR with LTO winners.

Roaring Ralph could bolt up again of course, but up in class, 2nd time blinkers (hopefully they don't have the same affect) and he's drawn a bit lower than the selection, so a chance he gets marooned up the middle especially as a hold up horse (or he was last time) - unless that's where they all go and the nearside is shunned, but at this stage I've no idea! Still, he did do it easily last time, but at the odds, Bird of Play for me.

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So a fascinating day, hopefully a couple above run their race and we'll see. As always do with those musings as you please!

Good luck with any bets,

Josh