SHAPESHIFTER

The very last bet of February finished with Shearian winning at 15/1. The other plus on the day was narrowing Ludlow down to just one race and landing the Venetia Williams runner, Ballyoliver at 71/1. Combined the two each-way bets made up for the 0 for 3 at Southwell, a sign that I still don't have a grip on the track and perhaps questions about the surface and its recovery since flooding at the close of last year. I started reading through February last night reviewing the pluses and minuses, summarizing my notes and preparing for the close of jumps and the start of the new flat season. For 'weak faves', I seem to be wary on restarting them. Perhaps part of the mindset and will update you on this in the coming week. Thanks, again, for your messages in my in-box this morning....

Yesterday I managed a good read on one of the three tracks with Prima Porta winning at 10/1+ and Storm Survivor getting nicked at the line at equal odds. That was enough to cover the day despite only one winner from eight. I took on two races at Southwell. Hittinthe skids lead the pace from the opening of the stalls but faded when the field straightened out for the finish. Entitlement didn't like the sand. I'll take the time to look at the results but think that it will take another few weeks until the new surface is packed in. The results are reminiscent to Kempton last fall where from race to race, there was no consistency in the times then it all came into line quickly in November. Today's racing [b]UPDATE[/b] [b]Passing on Wolverhampton but tomorrow will have...

The last week of January took a swing from one of my worst days to date to landing 4 for 4 at Lingfield on Thursday. The psychological bonus was that though three of the four were favorites, there were only four winning faves that day at the track, the other being odds on. Someone asked me what 'the difference' was to my approach. The only thing I felt that contributed to the bad result at the start of the week was the quality of the racing coupled with Amateur and Apprentice jockey's on board. Some days, it is probably better to put the energy into the next days racing rather than gamble with too many 'question marks' on performance. As well, perhaps that Monday 'syndrome' after the weekend contributed (perhaps something you don't want to read today). For me, January was ...

100% with 'weak faves' selection yesterday. For the second day, I had a 20% strike rate with backs. -------------- [b]WEAK FAVES FOR 30-November[/b] Doncaster 1:55 Tahiti Pearl [i](result: 2nd)[/i] 3:05 Honest John [i](1st BFSP 5.23)[/i] [i]Early Prices: Tahiti Pearl 3.80, Honest John 4.20[/i] [b]SUMMARY[/b] [i]1 for 2 on the day. Honest John drifted then made all in the race. There were 36 'weak fave' selections of which 28 were successful with a strike rate of 78% for November. [/i] [b]STAND-OUT RECOMMENDATIONS TO BACK[/b] [i]There were no calls on Friday[/i] [b]***SHOW YOUR SUPPORT: 'RATE' AND/OR 'FOLLOW' THE BLOG***[/b] Your comments and views are always welcomed

[i][b]Weak faves is posted Monday to Friday between noon and 1PM[/b][/i] [b]STAT: Last week: 26/36 (72%). September to date: 55 for 74 (74%) [/b] Friday, 14-September Thursday's racing was more 'stable' than Wednesday. I found the mid-week racing challenging with the going and weather changing constantly through the day. When the weather goes the way it did, you have to work hard to stay ahead of the markets. Instead, Thursday, I got to focus on the races. The pace at Doncaster was fantastic and some superb racing. It's amazing to watch racing where the depth in quality is fantastic and the pilots are all top notch. You appreciate the strategy and movement as the race evolves. Unlike football where you have ninety minutes and time to change strategies and adjust to...

[i][b]Weak faves is posted Monday to Friday between noon and 1PM[/b][/i] Thursday, 13 September I walked away from Wednesday's racing with neither call at Uttoxeter coming in. I watched Christopher Ward position Stage Acclaim perfectly before the final hurdle and knew that there was a clear lane for the horse that looked as fresh as it did at the start. I went in knowing that the jockey gave 8 lbs but thought even then the margin was there for others to prevail. And despite tight betting in the top three in the market, Lark's Lad won the next race as well. I was pleased with the Doncaster call in the 4:45. Even when the openings came, Strictly Silver didn't have the engine to tackle the others and remained part of the mid-field. The average price of horses that have...