Hello Friend

I hope you're having an enjoyable festive season so far and are looking forward to the New Year. 

I'll be off to Uttoxeter on the 31st to watch Racing To Profit Syndicate horse Mercian Knight. (3.07) There are a few members going and it promises to be a good day out whatever he does. We've assembled a great bunch of racing enthusiasts, maybe you'll join us one day! :) 

He's into 'last chance saloon' territory as a racehorse but he showed a bit more last time switched back to hurdles. I don't think he's been enjoying chasing. It's also the slowest ground he's run on this season which will help, he is a one paced galloper, who with any luck will keep on going when most of the others have long thrown in the towel. He won't be done for stamina. It's the first time he'll have 'no excuses' to my eyes, so fingers crossed he can do something. I don't think he'll have a better opportunity to get competitive. Hopefully he's in the mood. He could bolt up, or tail off! If its the latter I suspect he'll be retired and we will lease another horse off Amy to have some fun with for the rest of the year. We've an unraced filly to look forward to in the new year also, who's working very well at home. All rather exciting. 

Below you can find a couple of horses I flagged in today's members' posts. Time allowing, after I've looked at any 'tipping' races (3m+ jumps races, C4+) I have a flick through the trainer stats qualifiers as a 'way in' and apply my own subjective thinking, trying to flag something of note. 

The December Angles and Trainer Track Profile qualifiers have been doing ok 'systematically' but today was one of the more busier days with 20 qualifiers in total. Two of them looked the most interesting to my eyes and I've repeated them below. 

They're not 'tips' as such (I don't look at the oppo in as much depth as my 'tipping' races, but sometimes instinct can work wonders) but I have started tracking the results to 1 point win bets and I do back them with my own money (for all not as much as my 'tips')... you can read, ignore, absorb some of the stats or use as you please... prices correct as of 9am...

Morning musings… (5/16,9p, +9)

12.15 Newb – Gran Luna 5/1 – I thought 5s looked fair here in an open looking contest. Nicky is ticking along fine, 10/38, 15p in the last 14 days, and I wondered if this has been the plan, given the mare is 2/2 at the course, winning a soft ground bumper on debut and then a C2 novice. She ran as if needing it LTO, may appreciate the return here and softer ground and Nico jumps back on for the first time since those two wins. Second run in a handicap, still ‘could be anything’, she has more potential than most in here.

12.42 Kelso – Mayo Star – 5/1 – Nicky’s in ok form , 2/12, 7p, 66% rivals beaten, plenty of them running well. Hughes is on, which is always significant to some degree given his quest for the jockey championship (which is his for the taking again bar a season ending injury), especially when McCain doesn’t have a runner as he then has a choice of a fair few – he rides enough for Sandy T, Nick Alexander and the odd other trainer to make me think his agent has put him on the most likely of his options, for all odd other on in here, inc the fav, who he was never going to ride (and Happy Hollow, Kaizer). The horse… he arrives in some form and i thought may appreciate this slight step up in trip and much softer ground. The rain has come and they could get a fair bit more during the day, it could take some getting. He won a decent Ayr maiden hurdle in heavy (decent for the north in sense it’s produced 12 subsequent winners, The Ferry Master in second the best of them) He then hacked up in a 20f novice hurdle in soft around Newcastle under a penalty, for all a poor race. He hasn’t done much since and has clearly been hard to train, aged 9 this just his 9th career start, 2/7,5p over timber, 0/3,1p in handicaps. In theory he should do some damage at some point. He shaped with promise LTO carrying 12-3, the ground lively enough. 5s looked fair. He’s got course form also. The fav may be hard to beat, unexposed, but up in class. He’s solid though. I didn’t think much of the others, at a relatively quick glance. The Happy Hollow may run his race but needs more after LTO. Should keep on plugging away though.

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Have a great day, 

Josh