Ouch. Only good thing was the reduced staking!
York 2:20
A weak-looking Class 2. Smarty Socks looks rock solid at 3/1. Les Troyens given time to recover from Meydan and nice prep run looks over-priced at 8/1+ and there's no obvious reason for Nameitwhatyoulike to beat Smarty Socks but that's in the price. Could dutch all three - have a 9 percentage point edge on my prices. Or use Les Troyens as the top horse and play the other two as saver pluses. So far I've just had 3pts win Les Troyens.
In the end went 4pts on each of Smarty Socks and Les Troyens and a saver on the frontrunner. Prices seemed to go in my direction, though not on Betfair. Looked a poor race beforehand and afterwards.
York 2:50
Can't see any way past the fave. No bet.
Happy with sitting this one out. Often I fiddle around in this type of race for no good reason.
Ascot 3:15
Es Que Love pops up again, back at 7f. And Redvers with Hughes on top. Will definitely keep them both on-side again. At bigger prices I like Head of Steam and have taken 1pt ew at 33/1. If the rains come, I'll add similar on Shamaal Nibris also at 33/1
Terrible race for the front of the market historically, and again. I short-listed 15 and that didn't even include the 1st, 2nd or 4th. I went for Es Que Love and Redvers win only to go with the each way poke. Glad I was at the Cosford Food Show instead!
York 3:30
The front of the market looks pretty solid with the three progressive horses exactly as I priced them. Scratching around lower down I keep looking at Rodrigo De Torres - course could be perfect - and Gramercy who looks potentially sneaky. Not sure how to play. Watching brief for now.
Front of the market proved to be as solid as it looked, but went off shorter than my tissue. My outsiders ran stinkers and to be honest I over-staked on them both, 2pts ew.
Ascot 3:50
Using my brilliant ante post nose I backed Cirrus Des Aigles midweek at 13/8 - expecting him to be closer to Evens this morning. Wake up and find him 7/4! It's not often I'm looking at a Group race market this way round and am not sure what to make of it. I've had a couple of points on Hillstar at 13/2 and 1pt ew on Very Nice Name at 20/1, but don't want to oppose the fave any more than that, and am happy to have him in my doubles at 7/4.
The market knew. The mate I e-mailed mid-week who said he was opposing him on grounds of age and going (with Novelist and Trading Leather), knew. Me, I didn't know. File in the ugly drawer.
Doubles - 4pts spread over
Les Troyens 8/1
Redvers 12/1
Rodrigo de Torres 16/1
Cirrus Des Aigles 7/4
and 2pts worth of trebles Les Troyens and Cirrus with the darts I mentioned in the two cavalry charges.
Out 40pts. In 0pts.
Next stop Goodwood Dodgems. Eeek...