@MattySutcliffe Kelso 13:29  Empire Steel 5/2 This race will largely revolve around whether Grand National winner Corach Rambler is ready to go. Connections have earmarked the Gold Cup as a potential aim this season, so you'd imagine he'd have to take this, or at least go very close off a mark of 159 to be seriously considered in the same bracket as Galopin Des Champs.  He has to give at least a stone away to the field and he's 0-3 on seasonal reappearance, however he's a very reasonable price at 7/2 (current time of writing). Elvis Mail has been well backed in to favouritism having took a C&D handicap by 7L when last seen off 138, but he's 5lbs higher this time around and yet too defy a mark in the 140s. For all I like the loveable grey, he is prone to a bad error and will have to prove that last time out was no fluke. Empire Steel is the one that makes the largest amount of appeal with little negatives attached to him. The selection loves it around he...

  What's on this weekend? - Part 2 Saturday - Cheltenham     Following on from a fab Friday of jumps action, Cheltenham is back in business and the card kicks off with a 2m handicap chase. Haddex Des Obeaux was impressive on his last start at Warwick back in January and is a worthy favourite. One time Grand Annual fancy Red Rookie is an intended rival and the Turners runner up Notlongtillmay carries top weight but is surprisingly a double figure price. A 4 year old hurdle follows and Paul Nicholls has the favourite, Blueking D'oroux. He was disappointing on his first few starts in this country but put it all together towards the back end of last season. The 3 mile handicap chase at 14:25 looks juicy, Lord Accord is a C&D winner who heads the betting after being reasonably well backed. The competition looks stiff and there are a host of likeable horses in there. Grimthorpe runner-up Undersupervision is among the rivals and Twig arrives on a hattrick following vict...

  What's on this weekend? - Part 1 I'm back with another weekend preview but slightly different to last time. After advising Big Rock as an ew bet at 13/2 and proceeding to not have a penny on, I think it might be wiser to do a summary of the better racing at the weekend with less of an angle into punting unless there are some glaringly obvious bets that can't be glanced over! Friday - Cheltenham     The jumps are back at HQ on Friday and the action kicks off with a tidy handicap for conditional jockeys. Afadil is the favourite for promising rider Freddie Gingell but he faces stiff opposition from Swinton 1-2 Black Poppy and Teddy Blue. Father and son partnership Chris and Freddie Gordon will be hoping Our Champ can win again following a fine return to action. A few Irish riders are sent over the sea and Phil Kirby will be hoping his former Irish inmate Jason The Militant can recapture some of his old spark. There's a 4 runner novice chase after that and Cromwell wil...

“Mark Droppers” to Track  —  10/10/2023 & 17/10/2023 @lovestheraces 10/10/2023 Freedom Day 81 Soft Mile - 78 (-3) Keeping Freedom Day tracked for a soft mile, after he caught my eye at Doncaster. They did send him off favourite for the race at Epsom, but they had said previous to that run that they were going to spend some time working out his best conditions etc, so he's one that might not win for a couple of runs, but will probably win a couple on the bounce when he does go in. Designer 97 Ebor Meeting Fillies 100k - 96 (-1) Similar to Lord Riddiford t'other week, I'll keep Designer tracked for the £100,000 Ebor Fillies handicap that she's dotted up in, these last two years.  This is clearly her seasonal target, could they retire her to broodmare duties at the end of the season though? Maybe. Blue For You 102 Fast 1m - 100 (-2) He’s becoming well handicapped again, but he’s another that likes the faster surfaces. Drawn the wrong side at Ascot over 7F, but stayed o...

Champions Day 2023 Preview - @RacingWithMike Long Distance Cup The first race of the day serves up what promises to be a very appetising starter as the usual suspects of the staying division line up to clash once more in the form of Trueshan, Coltrane and Broome who must be lining up against each other for at least the sixth time?! Add star stayer Kyprios into the mix and the relatively unexposed Gosden pair Sweet William and Trawlerman into the mix and you’ve got a cracking opener. The rejuvenated Trueshan will be looking to win this for a 4th year in a row after turning his poor start to the season round with a battling success over Sweet William in the Doncaster Cup and an imperious performance in the Cadran, which admittedly lacked its usual quality. He certainly seems to have rediscovered his old form following his wind surgery and I personally think this race is between him and Kyprios. The Ascot Gold Cup hero and last year’s 20 length Cadran winner is the current favourite for t...

ASOTR Eye-Catchers @lovestheraces Zozimus (86 rated 5yo)   York 15:50 - He's only ever won one race, he's never won on the turf, and he's not won at all for his current connections, but he looks ready to land a pot. He ran a respectable race in the Cambridgeshire, which will no doubt turn into a race to follow the form of. But, he couldn't have been anymore luckless at York.  He was crying out for a gap, but it just wouldn't come, and when it finally did come he lugged himself over to the left behind the eventual winner. He finished full of running, and was left alone on a mark of 86 by the handicapper. You'd expect he'll be winning a Cl3/4 race sooner rather than later. Rosario (102 rated 2yo)   Cornwallis Stakes - An easy and simple case to be made. Finished full of running, and I believe he would've won had he not lugged so badly to his right. I actually think he will improve for a step up to 6F too, although he's not short of speed either, so a...

Who’s Well In? Balmoral Edition @lovestheraces After the success of the Ayr Gold, Silver and Bronze Cup Edition , I've decided to do another edition for the Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day. What do I mean by “who’s well in”? Well, the Balmoral is an "early closer" race, which means that the horse's race-carrying weight is decided weeks before the race . Whereas the weights of other handicaps are decided using the current ratings of the horses. Because of this, in "early closer" races we get horses that are: Officially  “Well in”  —  horses that are now rated higher than the mark used to decide the weight they carry. And Horses that are  “Wrong at the weights”  —  horses that are now rated lower than the mark used to decide the weight they carry. To give an example of this: In the Balmoral  Bopedro  is currently rated 104, but he gets to race from a rating of 102 — meaning he is 2lb’s well in officially . Compare this to  Escobar  who is currently rated ...

 @RacingWithMike 13:30 Newmarket - Red Danielle 6/1 3 places (4 with 365) At the risk of upsetting Ellis who was fairly keen on one antepost here before she wasn't declared, I'm sticking one up in the opener at Newmarket. The selection comes in the shape of wide margin Yarmouth winner Red Danielle for Varian and Egan who enjoyed success together at the track last Saturday. This filly has ran 4 times this season and I think she's remarkably well handicapped on the back of her second to Sweet Memories who has subsequently gone on to win a listed race, place in a group 3 and achieve a rating of 105. Red Danielle carried the same weight as her that day, only finished a neck behind her and is allowed to run off a mark of 90. She also had the Oaks 4th comfortably beat behind her, though that form isn't necessarily very special. It was obvious that she was going to win at Yarmouth and the handicapper was lenient enough to only raise her 3lb for such a facile success. At 7/1, s...

“Mark Droppers” to Track  —  03/10/2023 @lovestheraces Ring Of Gold 70 Kempton/AW —  68 (-2) Ring of Gold is still winless on the turf yet he’s 3/15 on the AW, 2 of those wins came at Kempton over 7F. Still 1lb above his last win mark, but he was “placed” multiple times on the AW, off 71–72OR earlier this year. Wait for his AW campaign.  Red Mirage 81 AW Campaign —  78 (-3) Patiently waiting for his AW campaign, surely he’s well handicapped now. A break may do him good now, to freshen him up for the AW season.  Dakota Gold 97 Coral Sprint —  94 (-3) The Coral Sprint is next Saturday (14/10/2023), and I’d say ‘Project Coral Sprint’ has been well underway these last few weeks. After another no show, Dakota Gold now finds himself 6lb’s below the mark of 100 he ran off in this race last year. Coincidentally the same rating as his last winning mark (100). Indian Creak 92 Windsor (clear non-trier) —  90 (-2) 5 of Indian Creak’s 8 wins have come at Windsor. In fact 5 of his last 6 wi...

@RacingWithMike Haydock 15:50 - Stay In The Game Over at the swamp that was Haydock, there was a competitive little maiden between 3 horses who each brought some very respectable and potentially future group form to the table. The winner, Otto Flash was 6th on debut in a strong maiden at Doncaster with a very healthy purse on offer that was won stylishly by God’s Window and had At Vimeiro in 5th, a horse who Jane Chapple-Hyam deemed good enough to run in the Royal Lodge. The second, Move On In was 4th on debut to Under The Sun who has twice finished 2nd to two certain group performers in the shape of Ancient Wisdom and Al Musmak. The eyecatcher was 3rd at Thirsk on debut to Boiling Point who was a short head behind the impressive Alyanaabi in a group 3 on his next start. The punters sent Move On In off as favourite with Stay In The Game a 15/8 chance and jockey Jason Hart managed to get short of room on the inside rail but stayed on again to make inroads in the final furlong suggesting...