Curzon Line won for us yesterday at 5/1 which on the back of Golden Jubilee on Monday at 7/1 has given us a nice buffer for the Dante meeting at York. We will need some bullets because on rain softened ground at the Knavesmire finding winners could be just as hard as it was at Chester! Nonetheless I am looking forward to watching the action this afternoon. Before then I am paying a flying visit to the Rchard Hannon yard to film Strong Suit in a piece of work before the Lockinge on Saturday. I will be interviewing al of those closely connected with the horse and hopefully the turn around fort he piece will be rapid so that you get to see it well in advance of the Lockinge on Saturday. I am pretty sure the Hannon team will not be confident of lowering Frankel’s colours but they have never backed off a challenge and they are to be admired for that.

My selection today is at York and comes in the shape of Right Step in the opener. He was a ready winner of a competitive Epsom Handicap last time out and he won that race in a fast time. On the basis of that he still looks well handicapped. providing he has got over those exertions he must go well. He can be backed at 9/1 with a number of firms and I would recommend you get involved each way at that price.

Todays Selection

1.30 York – Right Step (each way 9/1 various firms)

I still have not finished compiling a set of speed figures for the Chester may meeting. Given the conditions they are proving particularly tricky, but I will persevere and hope to have them with you in the next couple of days. The value of such figures was highlighted on Monday night at Windsor with the win of Tullius who put up one of the best speed figures at Newmarket over Guineas weekend. Hopefully the Chester figures will throw up another gem or two.

I hope you enjoy our coverage from York today and of course Perth this evening.

All the best

A sweet 7/1 winner for us last night at Windsor here on the blog means that we have some ammunition with which to attack York later this week, but to be honest I will not be getting heavily involved at York unless the ground drys out big time. I was hopeful that the weather was on the turn over the weekend, but it did not stop raining round these parts yesterday. So depressing and tough on fast horses rather than those who like to gallop through mud and water.

As far as my selection today is concerned I am looking to Curzon Line in the 8.50 at kempton. Last time out he struck me as being a really genuine type who would continue to improve particularly on synthetics. He is a son of Dubawi whose progeny go very well on artificial surfaces and could just be well treated. At the time of writing I do not have any prices available, but I suspect he will not be an each way price, back him to win and have done. Good luck.

Todays Selection

8.50 Kempton  – Curzon Line

I am at home today looking after my little one. This means a trip to bear cubs this morning and then weather permitting an afternoon in the park. I am always a little apprehensive going to bear cubs because the place is always full of mums drinking coffee, playing on their I phones, chatting about how hard their lives are and as a side issue ignoring everything that their child is getting up to. I find it tough to fit into that sort of scenario as for one I am not female, secondly I do not have an I phone and thirdly I care what my child is doing what others are doing to her. I suspect they see me as a bit of a misfit, an uncomfortable interruption to their texting but as my wife tells me I have as much right to be there as they do, as does my daughter.

Right enough for another day. Take it easy.

Another week and another excellent seven days of action coming up on Racing UK. It is of course the Dante meeting at York this week and boy do we need some credible Derby contenders to come out of the woodwork. The race is looking somewhat devoid of legitimate contenders at the moment and we are in danger of the race having just one runner who has the right credentials to win our greatest race. The Dante has been an excellent trial over the year and hopefully it will throw up a top class performance this week, and in order for it to do so we really do need it to stop raining. The search for Derby contenders goes on and we are running out of time! All will be revealed this week live on your favourite Racing Channel.

My selection today is Golden Jubilee in the 7.40 at Windsor. This horse is completely unexposed having had the obligatory three runs for a handicap mark. He has shown some ability and has met a modest contest this evening. He is trained by Richaerd Hannon and will be ridden by Richard hughes, a combination that will surely click into gear soon. Golden Jubilee can be backed each way at 5/1 with William Hill.

Todays Selection

7.40 Windsor – Golden Jubilee (each way 5/1 William Hill)

We have invested in a new tent for family holidays and took it to a local campsite yesterday to see just how difficult or otherwise it is to put up and take down. Such a project was of course fraught with potential for arguments and differences of opinion. I have never had much luck with building things from flat packs largely due to a lack of patience so I was worried about this particular task. I am pleased to say though that it went quite smoothly. There was hardly a hiccup as the tent was up and in place in 45 minutes. We spent a couple of hours at the campsite and then managed to pack it all away in double quick time. I was amazed at how easy the whole thing was, I suspect this is more to do with the design of the thing than my abilities as a tent builder, nonetheless job done and I have to say it was quite an enjoyable experience.

I have a day away from the Studio today and have no particular plans other than to keep my little one entertained and prevent her from falling over something that she was particularly good at yesterday.

Have a good day folks.

The show goes on with 26 races on Racing UK today. I am in the Studio for the duration with an afternoon and an evening guest for company. Dave of the Yates variety will be with me for Mark Your Card and the afternoon action and then the lesser spotted Nevison will move into the hot seat for the Evening. It is going to be a long day, but an interseting one nonetheless. It all begins at 12.30 with Mark Your Card.

No joy with our selection yesterday but with plenty to go at today we will hopefully make amends this afternoon. I am keen on the chance of World Domination in the 3.45 at Lingfield. At one point last season he was favourite for the Derby, but finished fourth in the Dante and that was the end of his Derby dreams. He then disappointed at Royal Ascot where he picked up an injury and then on his return this season did not handle heavy ground. Despite a string of excuses he still remains with some potential and can be backed at 11/2 with Paddy Power at the time of writing this.

Todays Selection

3.45 Lingfield – World Domination (11/2 Paddy Power)

It will be a nervous afternoon for me in the Studio as St Helens are playing Wigan in the Challenge Cup Quarter final at 2.30pm. It should be a cracking good game and I am certainly looking forward to watching it on Sky plus with a cold beer when I get home tonight. I am not going to attempt to predict the score given that I am biased in favour of St Helens, but I think it will be close and if the Saints can overcome the usual first twenty minute onslaught from Wigan they could just find themselves in the semi final. I hope so, because there is nothing better than a trip to Wembley on Challenge Cup final day, but fiirst things first I guess.

I will be having a look at all the action from Chester early next week once I have put some speed figures together, they will be difficult to do given the conditions at the track this week and as such my biggest task will be to work out an accurate variant which reflects the ground con ditions and as such I can then upgrade the raw figures that have been produced. All good fun though and as ever very much worthwhile.

For now I will bid you farewell and wish you a Happy Weekend.

Jack Dexter went in for us at 9/2 yesterday here on the blog which gave me some Ammo to back Adrian Lewis in the Darts last night and just when everything was going well and he was winning 5-2 I came crashing down to earth with a bump. All Lewis had to do was win three more legs and that was it job done, but he must of known I had backed him and he somehow managed to lose 6-8. Basically he thought he had the match in the bag and put his cue in the rack, rather a mixed metaphor there but you catch my drift! I honestly believe that he is the only man on the circuit who can beat Phil Taylor and he should be in the finals next wek, but he has so much natural talent that he just gets too casual about the whole thing now and then and loses focus. No use crying over missed doubles though, time to move on.

I am back in the studio today for all the action from Chestr and Market Rasen. We will also have all the action from Nottingham tonight, but I will have handed over the reins to Niall Hannity and James Willoughby by then. It would be good to back up yesterdays winner and today I am looking to Marchand D’Argent in the first at Market Rasen. I was impressed with his recent win at Bangor where he cruised to the front two out and then idled on the run in. He is undoubtedly well handicapped and although he will not be much of a price I think he will give us a good run for our money.

Todays Selection

1.25 Market Rasen – Marchand D’Argent.

I will be fascinated to see what happens at the Leveson Enquiry today. Rebekah Brookes will be giving evidence and it will make for compelling viewing. I am not going to pass an opinion on the proceedings, but what really does go on at a pyjama party? and is it not something that kids do not members of the establishment and their pals. The mind boggles!

The day has already started well, the sun is shining, the postman did not dop any bills throught he letter box and despite a 5.30am start I feel ready for action. With that in mind time for me to make my way to Ealing.

All the best

Winner finding in the prevailing soft ground is tough at the moment and sometimes it is best to admit defeat and look elsewhere and I cannot think of a better place to go to than the Premier League Darts. A few weeks ago I advised that we back Adrian Lewis each way at 12/1 to win the Premier League, since then thankfully his form has improved and tonight if he can beat Simon Whitlock he will be in the semi finals and the 12/1 will be looking tasty then. He is 11/10 to win tonight and that looks like cracking value. The one thing about Lewis is that he can turn on the style when it matters, he is the only man to beat Phil Taylor in the Premier league this year and tonight he will be right at it. It is the first game tonight and I fully expect Lewis to give his Aussie opponent a drubbing.

If I was going to get involved today at Chester I would be backing Jack Dexter in the 4.15. This horse won his maiden in good style at Thirsk in a fast time and off a mark of 78 looks well in.  This horse gives Graham Lee a very good chance of having his first ever win at Chester. He is currently a 5/1 shot with Ladbrokes and should be backed each way.

I am in the Studio today helping out the guys on course at Chester. Unfortunately Goodwood has been abandoned so just the one meeeting for us through the afternoon and then this evening we are at Kelso and Wincanton. As ever a busy day on your favourite Racing Channel. I hope you enjoy all the action. All I can say is tread carefully as far as punting is concerned in this ground because flat horses were never meant to be running on ground as soft as it is getting at the moment and when they do there certainly are some funny old results.

Right I need to set off to our Studios in Ealing and remember there is only one Adrian Lewis!

All the best

I am somewhat late of the mark with the blog today, my daughter had to come home fron Nursery after breakfast and that has altered the landscape as far as today is concerned. The main thing is that she is ok and that now whilst she takes a quick nap I can blog away to my hearts content.

I am a massive fan of Chester racecourse and will be watching the Racing Uk coverage from there with great interest today. My selection runs there and is Montaser in the 4.45. He ran well in the face of adversity at Doncaster last time, looks to be ahead of the handicapper and has Frankie on board froma decent draw in stall 2. At the time of writing this he is 7/2 and has been backed, good luck.

I have had a look at both days of the Guineas meeting and put together some speed figures which I hope you agree make for interesting reading.

2000 Guineas day

1. Tullius – 108
2. Al Kazeem – 88
3. Camelot – 105
4. Mayson – 110
5. Red Quartet – 79
6. Noble Mission – 97
7. Rewarded – 83

Clearly the 2000 Guineas was nota  strongly run event and Camelot deserves extr credit for winning it when held up. Mayson is improving rapidly and is not far off Group 1 sprinting honours.

1000 Guineas day

1. Ithoughtitwasover – 64 (A chuck out race as far as form is concerned)
2. Izzi Top – 80
3. Homecoming Queen – 118
4. Maarek  – 114
5. New Pearl – 78
6. Kailani – 100
7. Sparkling Portrait – 78

A mixed bag of figures. homecoming Queen was outstanding visually and the clock backs up the visual impression she made. Maarek is the surprise  package, putting up a better figure than mayson the previous day. He is clearly a very smart sprinter and will be able to mix it in Group company. Races 1,5 and 7 were steadily run particularly race 1 which wasa  crawl, thus creditt must go to the runner-up (Local hero) who was ridden patiently.

I hope you find these figures of interest. If you have any comments please feel free to mail me tonight in the studio. I am covering the action from Kempton with Dave Yates and we will be happy to respond to all your missives.

All the best.

This may sound like aftertiming but I can promise you it is not. Yesterday I wrote my blog as usual and tipped up Dubious Escapade in the last at beverley. I am pleased to say that Dubious won for us at 9/2, unfortunately my blog did not appear onthe Website due to technical problems and I can only apologise for this. Such is life I guess, but I am still claiming a winner.

As far as my selection today is concerned I am looking to klynch in the 7.10 at Catterick. He ran well in defeat behind a stable companion on Saturday, likes soft ground and comes from the in form Ruth Carr yard. He lookes sure to go well.

Todays Selection

7.10 Catterick – Klynch

The Racing at the weekend was tremendous and here are a few random thoughts that I have put together concerning the International fair that we brought you over the weekend.

1. Mike Smith what were you doing on Bodemeister, you got the fractions all wrong and threw away the chance to win the Kentucky Derby and who knows the Triple Crown as well.

2. Union Rags what are we to make of another ‘unlucky’ day at the sports. One day when it all goes right you will come back to haunt us.

3. Well done to Mark Johnson on his kentucky Derby commentary – he nailed it.

4. Camelot got the job done in the 2000 Guineas, no more, no less. We have probably still not seen the best of him yet.

5. Homecoming Queen was impressive in the 1000 Guineas, her speed figure of 118 is exceptional, but why is it that this type of trailblazing effort seems to be more effective at the Rowley mile than anywhere else?

6. A sad weekend for the Pearls as we lost Florida Pearl and Gray Pearl on the same day. RIP

7. The ground at Newmarket has caused plenty of debate, and will continue to do so. I thought it was nearer soft than anything else and the times back that up, but I stand to be corrected by those that know better.

8. Hardly any horses won from off the pace at Newmarket which will come as no surprise if you read this blog on a regular basis.

9. Cityscape will bounce back having found things pan out against him at Sha Tin on Saturday morning. He is much better than the race allowed him to show.

Those are just a few random musings and if you have any thoughts please post them here as I always enjoy reading your comments. Keep them clean though folks.

I will be back tomorrow with a look at some of the performances on 2000 Guineas day.

All the best

I will be heading to kempton to cover all the action there with Eddie Freemantle as my guest. It should be an interesting day and a busy one as we will be covering all the Racing from beverley as well. 16 races in total for your enjoyment on this cold and dank Bank Holiday Monday. I will be wearing several layers because standing still outside in this weather for four and a half hours can chill you tot he bone. David Fitzgerald and James Willoughby will be the men in the studio handling Beverley and all in all it should be an interesting afternoon. Please join us from 1.30pm this afternoon.

My each way selection today is Dubious Escapade in the 6.00 at Beverley. Good Luck.

I hope you enjoyed ther International coverage on Racing Uk over the weekend. Here area few random quick fire observations from the last few days.

1. Mike Smith what were you doing on Bodemeister, you got the fractions all wrong and threw away the chance to win the Kentucky Derby and who knows the Triple Crown as well.

2. Union Rags what are we to make of another ‘unlucky’ day at the sports. One day when it all goes right you will come back to haunt us.

3. Well done to Mark Johnson on his kentucky Derby commentary – he nailed it.

4. Camelot got the job done in the 2000 Guineas, no more, no less. We have probably still not seen the best of him yet.

5. Homecoming Queen was impressive in the 1000 Guineas, but why is it that this type of trailblazing effort seems to be more effective at the Rowley mile than anywhere else?

6. A sad weekend for the Pearls as we lost Florida Pearl and Gray Pearl on the same day. RIP

7. The ground at Newmarket has caused plenty of debate, and will continue to do so. I thought it was nearer soft than anything else and the times back that up, but I stand to be corrected by those that know better.

8. Hardly any horses won from off the pace at Newmarket which will come as no surprise if you read this blog on a regular basis.

Those are just a few thoights, if you have any please post a reply. I would be interested to hear from you.

Off to Kempton now, see you tomorrow.

It is a very busy day on Racing Uk today with the 2000 Guineas taking centre stage in the afternoon and the Kentucky Derby being the feature of the evening. I am not required until the evening broadcast which starts at 9.00pmwhence I will be joined by James Willoughby and Dave Gutfreund and for my analysis of the leading ten contenders please have a lo0k at yesterday’s blog. I would also urge you to tune in to find out what Dave Gutfreund is going with, because he really does have a golden touch when it comes to the Kentucky Derby. It should be a fun broadcast and it all starts at 9.00pm .

There are many options today as far as selections are concerned, but I will know my fate early on in the day as I am with Dick Doughtywylie in the first. This horse simple did not act on the very soft ground at Epsom last time and can be completely forgiven that poor effort. Late last year he lost his maiden tag at Chester producing an outstanding speed figure in the high 90’s and as such he looks leniently treated. You do have to put his latest performance to the back of your mind, but once you have done that then you have a horse who is fairly handicapped and full of potential. He should be backed each way at 12/1 with William Hill.

Todays Selection

2.OO Newmarket – Dick Doughtywylie (each way 12/1 William Hill)

As far as the 2000 Guineas is concerned I respect the potential of Camelot, but he is way too short on what he has achieved so far. As for what is going to win, to be honest I have no idea. I have backed Abtaal some while ago and hope he runs a big race. I think he will go close if ridden prominently by the world class Christophe Soumillon. There are endless posibilities in the race with the once raced Top Offer and others with progressive profiles. If you add to this the possibility of the runners being spread out all over the Rowley mile then you have something of a chaotic race and one which I do not want to be heavily involved in.

Enjoy the Racing today and I will be back on Monday with a post Mortem or two from the weekend.

All the best