Sport is made for betting

Well done if you've lasted this long. A couple of decent results yesterday could have been a lot better if I was simply boxing my selections in trifectas. The tide might be turning... Anyhow onto the preview! TRIUMPH HURDLE Bunting - one of the seven runners for Willie Mullins. Won a maiden then ran fourth in a Mullins 1-2-3-4 in the Dublin Racing Festival G1 Juvenile Hurdle, which was where he ranked from the stable (and all of those run here). Can't see any reason to promote him. Ethical Diamond - was further behind the aforementioned quartet at Leopardstown and 50/1 that day. It's only "trained by W.Mullins" preventing him from being that price here. Highwind - beat Boodles winner Lark In the Mornin in January, but blotted his copybook in the G1 Juvenile Hurdle, running eighth and last of the six Mullins runners, with a few mistakes thrown in. Not reliable enough to put any faith in. Ithacas Arrow - 33L behind Sir Gino at Kempton over Xmas, won a C3 hurdle ...

  CHELTENHAM THURSDAY Interesting card today as they switch to the New course. A few races I quite like, and others I'll be happy to skip right over... TURNERS NOVICES Colonel Harry - had been running OK in small-field novice chases until last time at Sandown, finishing 29L behind the winner in the G1 Scilly Isles, in a race where the odds-on fav was ever in it. Perhaps the unseasonal good ground caught him out? Loves the wet. Djelo - second in the Scilly Isles, achieving a career best in the process. Did well to get within 7L after the tearaway leader simply didn't come back to the field and the other jockeys banked on the odds-on fav carting them back into it (he didn't). Has had a progressive novice chasing campaign, winning three, then getting taken out at the first fence in a G2 at Lingfield. Could yet be more to come. Facile Vega - obvious favourite simply because he has started fav every start except his last one. The hype has been on this one right from the start...

 CHELT WED Here we go again for day two, hopefully with a drying track. GALLAGHER Ballyburn is a machine and wins this in a canter, hence the price. Won his maiden on soft/heavy by 25L, and last time won a G1 at the Dublin Racing Festival ahead of Slade Steel who won the Supreme. A battle for the minors as they say... Handstands has been flying for Ben Pauling, winning four from four, but is the British form good enough? Ile Atlantique bolted in on heavy going back in November, ran second in the G1 Lawlor's in mid-January, beaten just a neck. Has class, obvious second choice. In the top five speed ratings performances of horses in this race, he is the only one that's not the favourite. Jimmy Du Seuil is another Mullins runner (he supplies five of the octet who accepted), coming straight out of maiden class. Will have talent but doubt it's G1 level, at least at this stage. Jingko Blue - has started fav at all three starts under Rules, and carried topweight to an easy wi...

CHELTENHAM TUESDAY SUPREME NOVICES' A weak-looking edition, where the field is simply dominated by the Mullins stable. This race rarely goes beyond the first few in the market so don't overthink it (10 of last 11 winners in single figures, but only two outright favs in last 19 runnings). Asian Master - an unusual runner for Mullins, a small family-owned horse retaining an amateur jockey (the son?) who would be entitled to claim 7lb if it wasn't a Grade 1. So none of the regular Mullins jockeys could take the ride anyway, so we are only guessing at his rank in the stable. He thumped Better Days Ahead last time out, but was ridden out to the line, and that runner-up is a formline for Slade Steel. Interesting side note, he ran second on debut in a P2P against one of the hottest favourites of the festival, Fact To File, two years ago. Judging by the Mullis stable tour reports, they don't yet know how good he is. Favour And Fortune - consistent gelding in lower class (with...