Good to get a winner yesterday for my subscribers, Lucky Deal 6.45 Chelmsford was advised at 7/4, he was supported into 6/4 before running out a very easy winner.  He is very honest and can follow up under a penalty.

Today has some good racing from all over, Sedgefield get things going in the next few minutes.  Regards having a bet, I am waiting until a bit later today for a few on the all weather at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton.  A couple I may back at the day meetings, Clondaw Castle 4.00 Huntingdon is one I like, he is a bit skinny in the betting, but I will have a look and see what happens, he won well last time. At Meydan in the UAE, it’s difficult to choose the one of Godolphin is the best in many races, jockey bookings show the likely one with the favoured credentials by the connections, I did think Divine Image was unlucky last time, she runs at 4.15, she meets the one that beat her last time in Silva, so she could get revenge, she has to break better today, or she may blow it again. Mythical Magic 4.50 will have to be at his best to beat Century Dream, he may edge it having had a recent run when a good second.

More later.

Later post today.  A few races left at Wolverhampton and Chelmsford.  At Wolverhampton the remaining races look tough to solve.  Chelmsford has a good race at 7.15, Matterhorn keeps winning, he has a good chance again tonight. I also thought Zorawar has a good chance at 7.45, Adam Kirby makes the trip from Newcastle afternoon meeting to ride in the last three races, Zorawar could be his best chance of adding to his two winners earlier today at the Tyneside track.

More tomorrow.

A late post today.  Having seen a bit of racing today from Taunton and this evening from Wolverhampton.  The last race at  8.30 Wolverhampton showed the best performance of the night, the filly Nabeyla was well supported in the betting, and won really well, she is very well bred and is one to follow.  From the few races I saw from Taunton,  Capitaine  4.15, won well in a decent hurdle race for Harry Cobden and trainer Paul Nicholls, he has been a bit below par of late, but a wind op and removal of his usual hood has worked.  The race had a heavy fall at the third last hurdle, sadly Misterton looked very badly injured and I believe did not survive the fall.  I think all the jockeys involved were ok as the Harry Skelton ridden Nube Negra was brought down by the faller.

More later.

With all the rain around, racing will be very soft going at the turf tracks today.  Lingfield gets very testing when the ground is “ heavy”, so if having a bet make sure your horse has form on ground that is testing.  At Carlisle the first race looks interesting, Vis A Vis was very useful on the flat, with form on the soft in France, he is travelling a long way from his trainers base, so I would expect him to be very competitive.  Champagne Court is a winner and should handle the ground conditions.  He is another that will be in the mix in this race, the racing gets underway at 2.00pm.  Smiths Cross should get a win in the 2.15.

More later.

A later post today.  At Newcastle in the 6.15 which is about 5 minutes away, I thought the favourite Helovaplan would be good enough to win, he has ran well at the track and he was a good third on his debut run of 2019.  He has a good chance to win this race.

More later.

Looking at racing at Meydan in the UAE, I thought Art Du Val had a good chance to get his 2019 season off to a winning one at 4.15.  At Chelmsford I like the chances of Tobeornottobe 6.30, he was ridden too hard in front on his last run, that was on the Fibresand, I think he should get back on track today.

More later.

A later post today.  Looking at the evening card at Kempton, I thought that Sir Ox could be hard to be out of the frame-in the 6.45, he is currently around 5/1.    He has won over course and distance, this is a better race tonight than his win at the track, but I think he is improving with racing, and the cheekpieces seem to have really focused this horse on his racing.  I also like Moon Of Baroda in the 7.45 , he won well at Wolverhampton and comes here full of confidence, although he wears blinkers, so has to back up his recent win and prove his consistency.

It is good to see racing back, but I have found it testing, trying to find something that looks as though it is unbeatable!

More later.

Racing resumes tomorrow.  Only racing in France today.  I’ve just been watching a few races from Chantilly, my former work colleague Laurent Barbarin is in the Sky studio, trying to give viewers advise on the horses on show today, he gives a selection in most of the races, he gave a couple of winners yesterday at Angers National Hunt card.  It is tough at this time of year, as some horses are having their first run of the year, and fitness is the key ! A number of yards don’t have their horses fully tuned for their first run of the year.

So hopefully I can find a winner or two tomorrow for the return of UK racing, I do like a horse running at Chantilly later today.

No racing today, and racing resuming on Wednesday looks doubtful, the latest news that has evolved overnight is that four horses have shown flu symptoms from trainer Simon Crisford’s yard.  Bad news for Simon, and with it being in Newmarket, a larger threat of horses possibly catching the virus.  I understand Simon”s horses had been exercising on Newmarket Heath in the afternoon, as he had a runner at one of the tracks that Donald Mcain had runners at. so he had to train them in the afternoon.  But I am assuming his string was not the only yard doing this.  Hopefully no more yards will show up with positive results from the current swab tests.

Will racing resume on Wednesday as planned, I am not sure.  Having no racing is difficult for the bookmakers and also other people who also make a living from doing it, the jockeys are the biggest sufferers, some have no other form of income, bookmakers still have racing in other parts of the globe, jockeys only get paid when riding.

More later.

Only Punchestown in Ireland, and racing at Cagnes Se Mur in France, in the next at Punchestown 2:20, I think Chosen Mate will be hard to beat, he looks a progressive type, and his main rival is fragile.

More later.