Rain has fallen at Hamilton, the ground is riding soft.  I have left the card alone, because of the change in the weather.

I thought the cards were quite difficult to work out today.  The forecast is looking like dry conditions in the Epsom area over the next few days.  I would think the ground will be perfect for the meeting.  The year is going fast, we are approaching the Derby weekend.  It looks quite open at the moment.  It will be good to see the way Ryan Moore goes in riding one for the Ballydoyle team.  I would not be surprised to see him ride Anthony Van Dyk.  It looks difficult to choose which one is the best of them.

More tomorrow.

Update: 8.16pm

I am going to back Addis Ababa 8.20 Ayr, only a small stakes bet, as he is a bit quirky.  Today he has first time cheekpieces.  He clearly did not stay the 1m 4f last time at York.  The drop back to 10f will be much better for this horse.  A number of these horses have in and out form, Mulligatawny ran well last time, the ground was soft that day, and  he is a horse that possibly is at his best when the ground is not as quick as good to firm, the likely main rival to my selection could be Mutamaded.

A later post today.  Another Winner today for my subscribers, Franz Khafta 3.00 Brighton was advised at 10/11 earlier today, heavily backed into 8/15 !  The result never looked in doubt, he made all the running under Robert Havlin, a shade cosy length victory. The only rival is definitely one to avoid, Current Option pulls hard, and when asked to go, he does not put everything in.

Looking at the races left, a couple of horses I like at both evening cards.  I am going to watch them in the preliminaries, so look for a late update at 6.35, and possibly 8.15.

More later.

The bank holiday cards look good today.  With dry wether conditions, look for something that likes or has previous form on ground of the same.  I watch numerous replay’s and video footage of horses before backing them. Good horses go on any ground, obviously they have a preference.  I have mentioned previously about my years when working for Godolphin, the stand out horse whilst I was with them was Dubai Millennium, he handled soft ground well, good ground was ideal, he was also brilliant on the dirt, and proved that when he won the Dubai World Cup in 2000.  He never raced on ground that was firm, he would of won on it, but it would of not been ideal.

I do think Rathbone 2.55 Leicester has a good chance of winning again today. He won well last time at Pontefract.  This horse was thought very useful last year, before he even set foot on a racetrack.  Having been castrated during the winter, he looked a better horse for it.

I may well update later with another horse around 3.30 pm, just waiting for some information.

I did not get to involved with the racing today.  It was another convincing win for Hermosa, she put daylight between herself and rivals at the Curragh 4.25. In winning this Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas, she will probably head to Royal Ascot in June for the Group 1 three year old fillies race.  The way she won today, she is going to be very difficult to beat, all being well.

Her trainer Aidan O’Brian was earlier successful with Magical at 3.50, she won as she like in the €400,000 added Tattersalls Gold Cup over 10f.  She is a very big unit, and should bag another few Group race wins before the season is over.

Tomorrow has some good cards, both flat and jumping.  I will try to advise a couple of horses with live chances of winning tomorrow am.

I was pleased to get a nice winner for my subscribers yesterday.  Darcy Ward 6.40 Worcester, was advised at Evens yesterday morning.  Short odds, but sometimes it’s best to try and take a bit of value in a short priced favourite, rather than look to a bigger priced alternative.  The racing today, of which a lot of it I have missed, due to football commitments.

A few races remaining at Salisbury and Ffos Los evening cards.  The last race at Salisbury has only four runners.  All of these 3 year olds are unexposed, this classified Stakes has all closely rated horses all within a pound or two.  I think I will watch rather than get involved in having a bet, as I think you could make a case for all four of them.

A bit of a surprise winner of the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas today at the Curragh. Phoenix Of Spain made almost all the running, and stayed on very strongly for his rider Jamie Spencer in the last two furlongs, to win by a good margin.  Too Darn Hot ran well in second, he just did not look good enough.  It was only 9 days since he ran at York over 10f, when second in the Dante Stakes.  I think he may of found this race a bit too soon.  Magna Garcia was dissapointing back in fifth.

More tomorrow.

Good racing today.  With dry weather conditions, the ground should ride on the fast side at Goodwood.  I think Pennywhistle 2.55 has solid claims of getting her 2019 season going with a win in this fillies handicap.  She has had a ‘tune up’ run 15 days ago at Chelmsford.  She has ground to find on joint top weight Desirous, who beat Pennywhistle into third, when they met on the all weather at Kempton back in October 2018.  Pennywhistle is 7lb better off today, so with a fitness edge, she may just come out on top, but I don’t think there is much between them.  The vibes are strong for Pierre Lapin at Haydock 2.45, he is well related, a half brother to the very useful Harry Angel.  It could be a hot Novice event, Visible Charm from Godolphin has to be respected, and I would not rule Top Buck out either, he ran a good race last time over 5f at Chester.  Todays 6f will be much better for him, and with his racing experience, it is worth a few pounds when racing against two year olds who have not seen a racecourse yet.

More later.

A few races remain at Sandown , Chelmsford and Tipperary in Ireland this evening.  I was really interested in the 7.35 at Sandown.  Regal Reality tries 10f for the first time.  This very useful horse has solid form over 8f, he is honest and his race style suggests he will stay the extra 2f.  He has a really strong rival in Matterhorn, who keeps running well on the all weather surfaces, and his recent 2nd at Chester on turf was a good effort.  He is a typical Mark Johnson horse, runs plenty and consistently well.  Danceteria is another to consider in this Group race event, he won in France recently, and looked to have improved for the winter on his back. A really intriguing race, very difficult trying to really go for one of these horses in the betting market, so I am just watching  to see what happens.  Some really good racing over the next few days. I will try and find a winner or two for my followers.

More tomorrow.

A late post today.  With the ground riding fast on turf, a lot of the results today , proved that when the ground is good or faster, horses that prefer that sort of ground, tend to run more consistently.  I backed a couple in the same race at Yarmouth 2.45, the vibes were good for both Path Of Thunder and the winner Maxi Boy.  I backed them both, so some profit.  Michael Bell who trains Maxi Boy has his horses in great shape at the moment.  I did miss quite a fair bit of the live racing today, I did see the 4.15 from Yarmouth.  The winner Local History won by a small margin, she ran a bit fresh and keen in the first part of the race, so as this was her first run of 2019, she should improve. Delachance who was a good second, should win a small race, he does not look totally straightforward, but will not be long before he gets his head in front.  His apprentice rider Dylan Hogan didn’t do a lot wrong, this young lad rides well, he claims 5lb and has not been attached to the David Simcock yard very long.  He still has a lot to learn, but with experience, he can do well.  He is getting a good amount of chances for his boss.

Some good racing tomorrow.  A few entered of interest, so hopefully I can find a winner or two.

With dry weather, todays ground on turf will be riding on the fast side.  Brighton drains very quickly, and today’s ground will be on the fast side of good to firm.  It was nice to see my former weighing room colleague former jockey Philip Hide interviewed on Sky Sports Racing from the Sussex track about 10 minutes ago.  He is now a trainee Clerk of the course at the track.  Nice to see he has found a good job, after retiring from training recently.   Quite competitive at the track, , finding a winner is never easy, it is a track that sometimes suits horses that are not totally genuine, the undulations seem to bring out a good run in horses with a few issues, mentally and physically.   At Hexham, For Three 7.20 should be hard to beat, he won recently, and also has Brian Hughes on top, he rides this track very well.  I would like to see Witness win again 8.50, a winner over course and distance previously, and with a useful claimer on top in Billy Garritty, he should take a bit of beating.

Looking ahead to some good racing at the weekend, the Irish 2,000 Guineas will very likely be going to the Ballydoyle operation.  Magna Grecia will be short odds to follow up from his win at Newmarket in the English equivalent.