I closed the shop down on Sunday and finished up the paperwork yesterday meaning I am now officially unemployed. So it’s back to writing the blog, doing the trends, betting on the horses and playing poker. Beats work any day!

The last week was a little quiet in the shop so I left my dad in charge most of the time and spent my afternoons in Ladbrokes getting back into the racing. There were a few horses I backed that looked worthy of a mention and I thought that a new weekly feature highlighting these runners might be a nice way to restart the blog. So, every Monday I’ll try and take a few horses that ran well the previous week, winners and losers, with a brief write-up as to why I think they might be worth following. I’ve added a page, called Weekly Eyecatchers, to the menu to the left which is where I’ll list the horses highlighted during this feature. Here are a few to start things off………

MAISON BRILLET carried top-weight in a class 6 long distance race at Lingfield last Friday and did everything right until getting nailed right on the line. After launching his challenge to the leader at the 3f marker he eventually wore him down passing the furlong pole but had nothing left to give when the eventual winner found a little extra close home. He has form at Lingfield, Wolverhampton and Kempton and compensation awaits in a similar level of contest.

SMAD PLACE was a smart juvenile hurdler last season and finished his season being beaten around 11 lengths in the Triumph Hurdle. The form of that race keeps getting better with the 2nd, Unaccompanied, and 3rd, Grandouet, and 9th home, Brampour, all proving themselves decent horses this Season. To that list of winners we can now add Smad Place who took apart a decent looking field to take the Grade 2 handicap at Ascot on Saturday. That win was over 2m4f and these longer trips look to be where his future lies. His only entry at the moment is for the World Hurdle at the Festival and although he’ll have his work cut out to topple Big Bucks there aren’t too many great stayers around at the moment and the 50/1 on offer looks massive. Get on! He goes to Fontwell next for the National Spirit Hurdle before his date with Big Bucks.

NOLAND is an 11yo now but on the evidence of his run on Saturday looks to have at least one more decent race left in him. After running fairly well in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase over Christmas he was asked to lump top weight in a very decent class 2 handicap chase at Ascot and was in the process of running a big race when a blunder 3 out stopped him in his tracks. If he hasn’t done himself any harm I would imagine he’ll go to Newbury to defend his crown in the Aon Chase. If any of the big names turn up he’ll probably struggle but if it ends up with being contested by the 2nd tier chasers he could be the value in a race he’s won before. 

I’M SO LUCKY was never going to win the Victor Chandler Chase and his odds of 66/1 were a little on the short side but he ran a race of tremendous promise for when his trainer decides to drop him in class. These 2 mile Grade 1 chases are never going to go his way but I smell a good old fashioned Pipe stable plot with this one and if the handicapper relents a little from his 150 rating then I reckon we’ll see him appear at Cheltenham for one of the handicap chases. The 2m5f Festival Plate is a race Martin Pipe used to farm at the Festival and as David Pipe won it a couple of years ago with Great Endeavour I reckon this is where he’ll be heading.

and finally there was a horse who won on Sunday at Kempton who really caught my eye. I didn’t back the winner as I was on the beaten favourite but I’m planning on getting my money back real quick. KAI MOOK won the Class 6 1m4f handicap very easily and is turned out again this afternoon for a slightly better contest at 5 o’clock. She has a 6lb penalty for that win but the trainer has offset that by using a 5lb claimer and if she is in the same form as Sunday she looks certain to go well. 9/4 looks too big.

Good luck,
Gavin.