Saturday, January 11, 2003
THE VALUE BETTING COLUMN EVERY SATURDAY
LINGFIELD PARK, SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2003
2:45pm, £20,000 added Littlewoods Bet Direct Handicap (Class C) (3yo,0-100), 7f
GOING (POLYTRACK): STANDARD
BP= best odds from William Hill, Ladbrokes & Tote.
1) (8) 229- Devious Boy Pat Haslam 3-9-07 Dominic Fox (7)
Three times a winner last season on turf at Hamilton and particularly effective with cut in the ground. Second to subsequent Dewhurst winner Tout Seul at Ascot but then beaten twice more. Has plenty of weight and has yet to run on this surface.
BP= 20/1 Ladbrokes, Tote, William Hill
2) (7) 122- Agilis Jamie Poulton 3-8-11 Simon Whitworth
Consistent sort on this surface, winning twice at the end of last year. Is weighted right up to his best but should give another good account as the form appears reasonably sound.
BP=8/1 William Hill
3) (9) 21- Compton Emperor Gerard Butler 3-8-10 Eddie Ahern
Won a Musselburgh maiden on last start in November and makes all-weather debut here. Stable has great record on this surface but handicapper has taken no chances and he is opposable at the price.
BP=100/30 Tote
4) (2) 421- Wages Alex Hales 3-8-07 Robert Winston
Has progressed with each run here and won a maiden in good style on last start on December 28. The second has won well since and Wages, who ran well the time before at seven furlongs, has a good chance here.
BP=12/1 Ladbrokes
5) (10) 521- Just Fly Sylvester Kirk 3-8-07 Pat Dobbs
Scrambled home here in a six furlong nursery here on December 30. Didn’t look the most genuine on that occasion and others appeal more.
BP= 14/1 Tote
6) (12) 13-3 Evolution Baby John Quinn IRE 3-8-04 Royston Ffrench
Won at Wolverhampton in November but beaten in a mile handicap here earlier in the week. May appreciate the drop back in trip but looks to still have quite a lot to do.
BP=14/1 Tote
7) (6) 123- Blue Trojan Sylvester Kirk 3-8-04 Jimmy Quinn
Landed a maiden at Wolverhampton in November and has run well in twice since over a mile but in lesser company.
BP= 16/1 Tote
8) (11) 01-1 Satelcom Noel Chance 3-8-03 Frankie McDonald (7)
Has come good on his last two starts here, winning twice in handicap company, beating Aglis on the first one. Has a chance but has more to do here.
BP=6/1 Tote
9) (5) 513- Hoh Investor Andrew Balding 3-8-02 Jamie Mackay
Much better on all-weather than on turf, but looked to find seven furlongs a bit too taxing last time out. Consistent sort.
BP= 8/1 Ladbrokes, Tote
10) (13) 350- Armada Grove Alan Jarvis 3-8-00 Franny Norton
Won a maiden over the course and distance in July and had some form on turf, but didn‘t shape with any promise on return to action over course and distance last time.
BP=33/1 Ladbrokes
11) (4) 48-2 Captain Hardy Sylvester Kirk 3-8-00 Gary Bardwell
Kept on well over six furlongs at Southwell last time and step up in trip should help. However, this is much better race and will probably find a few too good.
BP=16/1 Ladbrokes
12) (1) 530- Desert Spirit John Best 3-7-12 Richard Thomas (7)
Bits and pieces of form on turf last season, but did not always look the most straightforward. Best watched on all-weather debut.
BP=33/1 Tote
13) (14) 75-1 Voluptuous Jamie Osborne 3-7-12 Paul Quinn
Came good in a six furlong maiden at Southwell last time and looked as if a step back up to seven furlongs should suit. Well-bred and looks progressive but has a lot more to do here.
BP=12/1 Ladbrokes, William Hill
14) (3) 55-3 Mac's Talisman Bill O'Gorman 3-7-12 Matthew Henry
Has shown promise on all three starts to date, including over the course and distance and when third behind Voluptuous last time. An improving sort who should go well even from 4lb out of the handicap
BP=12/1 Ladbrokes, William Hill
SUMMARY
There are always plenty of questions to answer in three-year-old handicaps, especially in January. But WAGES is worth taking a chance with, being a progressive type at big odds. Back each-way.
GOOD LUCK
HORSERACING WRITING AWARDS
FOR UNDER 26s AND UNDER 19s
£2,500 in prizes plus three expenses paid trips to Newmarket
plus the opportunity to be published in the racing press
The Martin Wills Memorial Trust, a UK-registered charity, is offering its 11th annual awards for journalistic articles (fact or fiction) on, or with a background in, any aspect of horseracing by young people resident in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. Particular importance will be attached to originality, use of language and entertainment. Articles on racing politics/the future of racing are unlikely to be well received. Quality of writing is much more important than a detailed knowledge of racing.
Those aged under 26 at 1 January 2003 (other than employees of the national and racing press and previous winners in their category, who are not eligible) are invited to submit a single typewritten article of under - not over - 1,000 words by 28 February 2003 to the Trustees,
The Martin Wills Memorial Trust, Henley Knapp Barn, Fulwell, Chipping Norton, Oxon (fax: 01608-678 052) or by e-mail to willsct@ukonline.co.uk . Name, date of birth, address and telephone number should be stated. The article must not be published prior to the announcement of the winners of the awards. No correspondence will be entered into, entries will not be returned and the judges’ decision is final.
The prizes will be £1,250 to the winner and £750 to the runner-up, with £500 for the best other entry from someone aged under 19 at 1 January 2003. In addition, the winning article will be published in the Racing Post and Irish Field, and the winner will both retain for a year a bronze trophy of two galloping horses by the talented animal sculptress, Gill Wiles, and have the opportunity of a week’s work experience at the Racing Post.
The awards will be announced and presented at Newmarket on Wednesday 16 April 2003 (Free Handicap and Earl of Sefton Stakes Day at the Craven Meeting), where those successful will be given an expenses paid day’s racing, including a reception in a private luncheon room made available by the Racecourse, plus a tour of two leading stables.
This year’s five judges are: Brough Scott, Editorial Director of the Racing Post, sports feature writer of The Sunday Telegraph and for 30 years until recently chief presenter of Channel 4 Racing (Chairman); Richard Edmondson, the racing correspondent of The Independent; Lydia Hislop, Evening Standard columnist and Attheraces presenter; Tony Sweeney, form analyst of the Irish Times, having from 1956 to 1997 been the Daily Mirror’s Irish racing correspondent; and Catherine Wills, art historian sister of Martin Wills.
The 2002 under 26 competition was won by 25 year old Jack Houghton, a management consultant for Accenture, having graduated in Politics from Sheffield University, with Amy Bennett, 20, a University of East Anglia student of English and American literature, as runner-up. The 2002 under 19 competition was won by 16 year old Victoria Parker, an AS level student at Truro High School.
The Martin Wills Memorial Trust commemorates Martin Wills, an amateur jockey, point-to-point rider, racing enthusiast and journalist who died in April 1992, aged 39.
Information on the awards is available on www.racenews.co.uk/martinwills, through the support of Racenews, Racing’s News Agency.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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