Beverley May 1 2yo race review (1430)

Beverley 1430 Mon May 1
Novice Median Auction Stakes Div II
5f, Class 6, 1m2.36s (slow by 1.36s)
Good to Firm

Havana Star. Jan 21, €37k yearling. Dam won as 2yo on debut for this trainer, ran third in the Super Sprint, peak RPR97. Jumped awkwardly, dived left, settled toward the rear. At least 8L behind at halfway when Stott got to work, made solid ground along the far rail, one tap with the whip inside 1f. Long sustained run and ran through the line strongly, although hung right across the track. Early foal, looked mature. Have to think there is more to be seen from him.

Rockin Fella. Third start, close up each time but can't quite break through. Broke well, contested early lead along the far rail and then came back under McDonald comfortably. Switched around the leader inside 2f as the gap on the rail was likely to close, took lead inside furlong but hung left under pressure. Kept on OK if a little wayward.

Leeshaan. Jan 26, £60k yearling. Dam half-sister to G1 winner Rip Van Winkle and I quite like this sire's work so far. A little slow to begin, then crossed by Villa Tora, forcing him to ease and settled just behind midfield. Urged along at the 2f, pulled into centre of track and only really got going last 150yds, weaving through the field. Hampered near the line, could have halved the final margin. One to watch.

Thrifty. Second on debut at Newcastle on Good Friday. Away quickly and straight to the lead. Given full bore approaching furlong, started to weaken when challenged. Checked about 50yds out as the winner rolled left, may have cost him a length but not any position.

Villa Tora. Feb 12, €11k vendor buyback as yearling (£11k as foal). Bit green, wanted to overrace up on the lead. Under pressure at 2f, faded from furlong, wobbled around a bit, plodded home in the end after burning too much energy early.

Ventura Gold. Sixth on debut at Redcar three weeks earlier. Reared at the start, soon out the back and struggling. Made some ground from the 2f and passed a few tired horses in latter stages, despite being blocked.

Mount Hellvelyn. Sixth at 200/1 at Beverley a fortnight ago. Jumped well, settled just behind the pace. Rolled into centre of track to make his run inside 2f but made no impression. Blocked last 50yds, marginal effect on beaten margin.

Rock on Bertie. Eighth at Beverley on debut, same race as Mount Hellvelyn. Settled close to the pace, hard ridden at 2f, weakened from 1f.

St Helens Gate. Beaten a long way at Ripon on debut Apr 20. Missed start, soon out the back and struggling early, never improved.

KEY POINTS
Winner looks pretty smart. Runner-up looks to have found his level but third was another eyecatcher.

Spot-fixing - you will never, ever be able to stop it

According to this report , IPL tournaments so far have been rife with spot-fixing - that is fixing minor elements of the game - runs in a single over, number of wides bowled etc. The curious part of that article is that the Income Tax department are supposed to have found these crimes. What idiot would be stupid enough to put down 'big wad of cash handed to me by bookie' as a source of income? Backhanders for sportsmen, particularly in a celebrity- and cricket-obsessed culture like India are not rare. They could come from anything like turning up to open someone's new business (not a sponsor, but a 'friend of a friend' arrangement), to being a guest at some devoted fan's dinner party etc. The opportunities are always there, and there will always be people trying to become friends with players and their entourage - that is human nature. This form of match-fixing (and it's not really fixing a match, just a minor element of it) is very hard to prove, but also,

It's all gone Pete Tong at Betfair!

The Christmas Hurdle from Leopardstown, a good Grade 2 race during the holiday period. But now it will go into history as the race which brought Betfair down. Over £21m at odds of 29 available on Voler La Vedette in-running - that's a potential liability of over £500m. You might think that's a bit suspicious, something's fishy, especially with the horse starting at a Betfair SP of 2.96. Well, this wasn't a horse being stopped by a jockey either - the bloody horse won! Look at what was matched at 29. Split that in half and multiply by 28 for the actual liability for the layer(s). (Matched amounts always shown as double the backers' stake, never counts the layers' risk). There's no way a Betfair client would have £600m+ in their account. Maybe £20 or even £50m from the massive syndicates who regard(ed) Betfair as safer than any bank, but not £600m. So the error has to be something technical. However, rumour has it, a helpdesk reply (not gospel, natur

lay the field - my favourite racing strategy

Dabbling with laying the field in-running at various prices today, not just one price, but several in the same race. Got several matched in the previous race at Brighton, then this race came along at Nottingham. Such a long straight at Nottingham makes punters often over-react and think the finish line is closer than it actually is. As you can see by the number of bets matched, there was plenty of volatility in this in-play market. It's rare you'll get a complete wipe-out with one horse getting matched at all levels, but it can happen, so don't give yourself too much risk...

Sport is made for betting

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