The Neighsayers

Swanny takes the stage here ahead of the weekends Racing, if they manage to get any one. We should really think about racing on an artificial surface so we can race all year round. Someone should propose that. Anyway, on to the selections. Friday 14.25 - Coral racing club handicap  A very competitive handicap this. I’d give a good word for the fav Frero Banbou who looked to be travelling all over them in the Sefton before the run eventually flattening out. The horse should come on massively from that run and he deserves to be at the top of the market. I was really keen on sail away for the Sefton and was surprised to see the horse not entered as stable tours gave the indication this was its target, maybe he had a setback or he made need the run .  However, Karl Phillipe always runs his race after a break, and I think he has a great chance here on re-appearance. After a solid 7th in the Ultima, he saw the season out by finishing midfield in the Freebooter Handicap. Back at a mo...

After deciding against doing this competition weekly, simply due to the sheer number of selections that would be, we're back with the 2nd blog in this series with selections to come again from Elliot, Swanny and Blackie. Let's see what they've got to offer. @swan1_oliver Three Card Brag - Brown Advisory  My 2nd antepost Horse for the festival is one of my NH horses to follow this season. Three Card Brag novice season over hurdles saw him pick up 2 races before finishing 5th & 6th respectably at the Cheltenham & Punchestown festivals.  An encouraging season, what he did over hurdles was a bonus for Gordon Elliot, who has stated numerous times this horse is an Out n Out Chaser. This horse will relish the staying distances, and I’m really excited to see him re-appear this season. 40/1 is a massive price at this stage for the Brown Advisory, and is something I can get behind as being this horses main aim come march.  Selection - Three Card Brag (40/1 Bet365, Betfair,...

Weekly Eyecatchers – 20 th  Nov – 26 th  Nov 2023   21 st  November – 1:10 Lingfield    Stenatee    Not off a yard. Travelled strongly in rear, strangled at every opportunity, didn’t want to get to close to the triers. Minimal effort in the saddle when allowed to drop back and let leaders go clear. Looks a handicap job to me, see what mark he gets as his win in France was very good.   21 st  November – 6:30 Chelmsford    Night On Earth    Nice bounce back to form off a much-reduced mark. Blasted from the front over a trip what does stretch his stamina, set very fast fractions out in front and was only reeled in at the furlong pole. He is more than due a win here and could be being prepped with an AW bonus in mind. Id be backing him over 5f on the AW this winter.   22 nd  November – 1:45 Dundalk    Enchanted Garden    Horse what has shown more than his finishing positions suggest, tanked o...

2:05 - Coral Hurdle A lot of experienced and old favourites line up in this years Renewal of the Coral Hurdle, however I like the improver in the field BLUEKING D’OROUX.  A cosy winner at Cheltenham’s October meeting, he seems to be on the upgrade going into this race and I see the likes of Goshen and Sceau Royal being vulnerable here and I can’t ignore the 5/1 available.  The Yard are in brilliant form and I can see BLUEKING D'OROUX  only Adding to this on Saturday.  Selection - Blueking D’oroux (9/2 William Hill, 4/1 General) 3:15 Ascot - Handicap Chase Pretty good handicap this as you’d typically expect for a 125k race on a Saturday, but in this day and age it’s still not a given they’ll turn up… Last year’s winner rightly the favourite in this renewal after his impressive win in the premier handicap last time out over C&D but it’s another horse from that race I’m interested in.  SAINT SEGAL is a horse I’m particularly fond of, but was too keen t...

Floodlit Friday - Week 6   4:15 Southwell - 7f Handicap With her page, you’d be astonished if REGAL FANFARE was a 6 race maiden, but here we are. She’s a full sister to Regal Reality who’s a multiple group winner and achieved Peak OR of 120. She’s also a half sister to Regal Jubilee who’s won 2/3 starts in her juvenile career including the listed Montrose stakes. Onto Regal Fanfare herself, she’s been seen to best affect on the all weather so far with two 2nd placed efforts coming after her 6th placed effort on debut. In both of the 2nd’s, she’s been staying on at the finish around a different sort of track, she’s raced at Wolves and Lingfield, with a shorter straight to wind up on. With the longer straight here at Southwell, she should be positioned midfield and be close enough to strike on a decent pace.  Starsong, Hour by Hour, Dutch Kingdom and Al Baahy have been prominent previously and if they set about each of other early here, we could get the perfect set up. This is ...

Weekly Eye-Catchers 13 th  – 19 th  Nov 2023   13 th  November - 5:30 Wolverhampton    Maveric’s Magic    Showed more here than he did on debut. Strangled out the back, raced inefficiently and keenly, never asked until very late and did move past a few of the stragglers. More than likely will be stopped in his next run for handicaps. Would be keen to follow into handicaps.   14 th  November – 1:05 Newcastle    Alreet Cha    Gambled overnight but drifted badly on the day. Blatantly stopped, strangled out the back behind a wall of horses, never in the race whatsoever. Id say this one has a good level of ability but looks like she’s getting prepped with handicaps in mind.   14 th  November – 4:30 Newcastle   Water Of Leith    (Massive Sigh), cannot believe the rides this has got in his last 2 runs, held up out the back, carted in behind horses, hard on the gravy but “no gaps” according to Motionl...

Floodlit Fridays Week 5 3:40 Newcastle – 5f Handicap   Competitive class 4 sprint her. Plenty of inform AW specialist taking their chance here, but I’ve decided to take a chance on an outsider looking to bounce back to form in the shape of  VENTUROUS . The old boy will be looking to bounce back to form after a winless year on the track, but he has still shown at the spritely age of 10 that he retains all ability, with plenty of good showings in defeat this year.    The old boy is 4-10 over this C&D and is most defiantly an AW specialist, enhancing his chances on his return to this surface. He has won multiple times off breaks longer than 50 days, and this fits the criteria again after having a small break before his run here.   Pace for  VENTUROUS  is crucial to his chances being a hold up performer, and he has a strong chance to have a race ran to suit here with Bergerac, Dickiebird, Princess Karine and Digital all likely to be ridden handy. I fee...

Weekly Eye-Catchers 6 th  – 12 th  Nov 2023   6 th  November – 2:00 Kempton    Throubi    Nice introduction back to racing after a year off the track. Put to sleep out the back in the first time hood, tanked into the race and moved past horses nicely when asked, too far back to ever make a proper effort. Nice float up for a mark and winter campaign, id be keen to follow her providing her mark is lower than 77ish. Loads of untapped potential   8 th  November – 4:30 Kempton    Breakwater   Nice pedigree, related to some nice types. Ran like one on debut, travelled nicely but wide. Came swinging into the straight but was green under pressure. Will have learnt a load from that and should be a nice bet nto in maidens.   9 th  November – 5:30 Chelmsford    Tennessee Gold   Tanked out the back for a mark, moved well enough in jockey’s hands but was on a tight rein from pillar to post. Showed coltish tende...

@racing_lew has caretaker role of floodlit Friday’s this week taking over from Quinny. Hopefully I can knock in a winner or 3 here.  1:20 Chelmsford  ARAIFJAN is becoming nicely handicapped again now down to a mark of 59. Versatile pace wise too which I like for him round here. He generally races prominent round here which as you’ll know if you’re a regular reader that’s where I think you need to be and he could get free, with Thank the Lord the only likely pace pressure and he could be handicapped out of things. Positive return to form last time conceding first run to a horse who was bidding for the 4 timer. He also conceded first run to the 2nd and 3rd as he was caught in a pocket on the rail and had to switch a couple of times. If he runs to that form here and reverts to his normal front running Chelmsford tactics, he should go very close. Selection - Araifjan (9/2 Bet365, 7/2 Betfair, Paddy, William Hill) 4:45 Newcastle  Cracking little race this for a Friday night. H...

Floodlit Friday Week 3   6:15 Newcastle – 7F Handicap   12 runners go to post here, and I have been eagerly anticipating  ROGUE FORCE  return back to an AW surface since he has move to Mike Smith. Obviously huge trainer downgrade from Tom Clover, but every horse has its mark and  ROGUE FORCE  is now 15lb lower than his last good AW run and 20lb lower than his last AW win, putting him on a very tempting mark on his return to the AW.   I feel this has been a cunning plan for a while now in the attempt of a monthly ARC AW bonus surge. PJ takes the ride what’s a positive over normal stable jockey, and hes got a nice middle draw so he can put him where he likes. Hopefully hes ridden in midfield as I feel there isn’t much pace on here and wouldn’t want to be at risk to a potential pace bias.    He is too well handicapped to ignore on his AW return and he should be backed EW in my opinion.   Selection – Rogue Force 10/1 EW (10/1 365 , 7/1 Paddy...

Weekly Eye-Catchers 30 TH  Oct – 5 th  Nov 2023   30 th  October – 2:50 Galway    Nawraq    Nice enough comeback after a year off the track. Drawn in 18 made tasks very hard to be handy, got there eventually but was always wide covering plenty of ground in the process. Shocked was only beaten 5l in the end, and it was a very nice comeback. TP headgear combo looked to work a treat, will back in future if nice draw on tight tracks.    30 th  October – 4:50 Newcastle    Swift Storm    Nice debut, travelled well if not overaced slightly at times. Went to make challenged but no run, switched inside and ran on very well. Jockey and horse both looked to shit them self abit when going for gap late but was a nice enough run-on debut. Should be winning a maiden nto.   31 st  October - 12:20 Curragh    Babyface    Showed enough here (in what looks a deep maiden) to suggest he has enough ability...

After the resounding success of our flat horses to follow, where all horse that faced the track won a race, Elliot, Swanny and Blackie are back with 3 horses each they like over the sticks this winter. Blackie's will be added to the list in due course, but of the 6 we have here, 2 are entered over this opening weekend of the jumps season, can we get off to a flyer? Lew and Quinny's forte definitely isn't the jumps, so they have a list of horses to follow coming soon for the all-weather season. Anyway, enough of that and lets get into it. Trackers at the ready... Swanny Three Card Brag - Gordon Elliot Jetaway x Belon Breeze My first NH horse to follow this season is the Gordon Elliot trained Three Card Brag. A scopey type, this horse finished 5th & 6th at the big festivals last season. Elliot was quoted last year to be excited as to what this horse could achieve over larger obstacles, and I am too. He looks set to suit chasing massively and I’d have a long term aim as th...