Royal Ascot / Editor / 17 June 2008 / 5 Comments

Geoffrey Riddle's at Ascot today and will be bringing you all the news straight from the track. Catch up with him as he speaks to trainers, jockeys, connections and more...

6pm
Alright you lot. Who was it? Own up! Who was the lucky sod that had £3 at 330 on the winner of the last, Flashman's Papers? E-mail me on theriddleratbetfair@googlemail.com. You are either a genius, or have very fat fingers and typed in the wrong number. Well done.

On the flip side, would anyone want to own up to being the unfortunate, perhaps greedy, traders who put in £3 at 390, or even the £2 at 500 and didn't get matched? No, thought not.

It seems about honours even between backers and layers throughout the course of today though. Hope you had a better punting day than I did, and I look forward to doing it all again tomorrow.

Regards.

5.45pm
I'm sure Missoula's owners were ecstatic for all the right reasons, but in light of what Sporting Index's spokesman Karl Suntay told me, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them was happier than the others.

One of the owners has an account with Sporting, and when Suntay heard the name Missoula, he called up Sporting's offices and prayed the connections hadn't backed their five-year-old.

One of them had, and they had bought Missoula at six on a 50 index for £1,000. For anyone who has no idea what that all means, the net result is that the owner in question trousered a cool £44,000. Missoula earned £29,136 for winning the 2m 4f feature. You do the math, as the Americans might say.

5.10pm
Just spoke to Katherine from Company Magazine. According to her, there are three fashion faux pas. One, tan lines. Two, bulges. Three, leopard print. To be fair to the crowd today, there has been very little of this. I have seen women wearing those gladiator sandals all over the place though, which Katherine points out are very in vogue. They suited Russell Crowe, too.

Glen Roeder, the football manager, was looking very happy at Missoula's win in the marathon Ascot Stakes. He said that he knew the connections, for which I am very happy for him. As a West Ham fan though, I am even happier that he didn't back it.

4.50pm
The talk of the St James's Palace is that Henrythenavigator wasn't such a bad result for the layers. Paddy Power seemed to have been prepared. Their spokesman Paddy Power (can you imagine the interview? Hi my name is Paddy Power, I've applied to be your PR man...) said, "If someone had told me this morning that Aidan O'Brien would win two of the first three races, and we would still be in good shape, they would have been sending for the men in white coats."
Why would they send for an umpire?

John Gosden, trainer of Raven's Pass, has decided to aim the St James's Palace second at the Breeders' Cup mile. He said: "that was a proper run and we nearly frightened the winner." He continued with that easy-going style that he has: "We know that he stays a mile and this was definitely the race to go for. The owners both want the Breeders' Cup mile, so we will have that at the end of our programme."

4.30pm:
The fall out of the King's Stand Stakes begins to settle. Godolphin trainer Saeed Bin Suroor, who is probably the most genial man on the planet, is keen to keep Dandy Man at 5f for the time being. He said after the race: "He likes fast ground and five furlongs , we will keep him at this distance, no further." That rules out the July Cup, but does that also rule out a tilt at the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp, where the going is often soft?

4pm:
Ouch. Henrythenavigator was pretty impressive there. That's two up for Coolmore, with Godolphin trailing in the battle of the big two. Kevin Manning (1-5 July) and Johnny Murtagh (1-3 July) will miss the beginning of July for their rides in the Queen Anne aboard Finsceal Beo and Haradasun.

Anyone got any tips, as I'm not sure that the reverend's earlier tip, Tears of a Clown is going to get me out of trouble. Still, it could represent what I will look like after day one here if my luck continues to be so poor...

3.45pm:
Haradasun's win has had an effect on the market. Stablemate Henrythenavigator is now as short as 1.58. Who is gonna get him beat? E-mail and tell me on theriddleratbetfair@googlemail.com

3.30pm:
Well, Equiano wasn't much of a baby there was he? Thanks Mr Guedeja-Marran. The layers of Equiano are certainly not "Estar en el dinero" as the Spanish might say. Still, as Tony Smuthwaite from the Racing Post said: "It's nice to see history being made at Royal Ascot isn't it?"

Takeover Target, who was second there, is now [6.2] for Saturday's Golden Jubilee on Betfair now, and his trainer, Joe Janiak, was keen to stress in midweek that the six-furlong trip would suit him better now that he is getting a bit long in the tooth. It was a pretty successful prep race, and a lucrative one, too.

Marchand D'Or, who beat Equinao last time out, is also trading at around the [6.2] mark, and Freddy Head's runner now must command the utmost respect on Saturday.

P.S: Why oh why was Dandy Man on the 'wrong' side once more.....?

3.00:
That was a grinding down of Darjina wasn't it? Haradsun wound it up pretty slowly on the rail.

The winning time was 1.38.98 seconds, which is slower than Ramonti's record-breaking run last year of 1.37.21. Still, faster than Racing Post standard.

The King's Stand next. The Racing Post tipster Matt Williams has tipped a buy of Hoh Mike on the spreads, and trainer Michael Bell was quick to say that Hoh Mike loves the track. It's a funny phrase that, one which racing folk love to use. I love coming to Ascot, too. I have even had my punting successes here in the past, but it doesn't mean I'm going to win my next bet.

I'm being harsh. Gentlemanly as ever, the Derby-winning trainer was also quick to say that Hoh Mike will appreciate the pace. He said: "He'll be held up, but he is unlikely to be able to lay-up given the likely strong pace." A Classic lay-to-back proposition for those who want get involved in-running.

Richie Benaud presented the Queen Anne Stakes trophy to the winning connectionsa minute ago. Michael Holding, known to batsmen around the world as 'Whispering Death', fancies South African challenger National Colour, by the way.

Can they realistically beat the mighty Dandy Man though? There might not be a blog tomorrow if the Godolphin runner wins!

2.25pm: Darjina shades favouritism on Betfair for the first race, but the punters can't make up their minds on course, with Haradasun and Tariq sharing the favouritism burden.

Nine of the last 10 market leaders have been beaten in this, so it may prove important to some that Darjina eases. For the record, she looked magnificent in the paddock. Similar things can be said about Mount Nelson, too.

2pm: Never fear everyone, there was a cold meats section at my free lunch, lovely stuff. Dined with Mr Guedeja-Marran, a Spanish racing analyst of Group races throughout Europe, who knows King's Stand entry Equiano inside out.

Apparently the three-year-old son of Acclamation is one big baby. He doesn't like going into the stalls and can't stand being in them one bit. Guedeja-Marran, however, can't see Equiano winning, which could be good news for those who like to lay at big prices. The colt trades at [30] right now.

1.15pm: For those of you who have two feet firmly in the 21st century, the Going Stick reads 11.5 on the straight course, 8.9 on the round course and 10.0 overall. For those of you, like me, who have no idea what that means, the official going for today is good to firm, which is why Rio De La Plata was scratched from the St James's Palace. Frankie Dettori will ride Alexandros instead.

Shrewder Betfair punters will want to know that a temporary rail will be positioned three metres outside the original running line, from Swinley bottom to the intersection with the straight course for the first three days. This rail will be removed to provide fresh ground for Friday and Saturday.

I'm off to lunch now, which is laid on by Ascot for members of the media proving that there is such a thing as a free lunch. I may have a word though, because it looks like some sort of stew, which in today's temperature, seems remiss. What's everyone else eating? Email me on: theriddleratbetfair@googlemail.com

1pm: Spoke to Michael Owen of goal-scoring fame, who was looking resplendent in a grey morning suit. He wasn't keen to impart any advice, but maybe that was because he didn't want the paparazzi scrum to overhear our rather private conversation. More worryingly, he said: "I was looking for someone like you to give ME the tip.".

That tip ladies and gentlemen, is Dandy Man, in the King's Stand Stakes. The Godolphin sprinter was runner-up last year from an impossible draw, and pushed today's leading fancy Takeover Target to a dead-heat two years ago. He lost a shoe in his prep last month at Haydock, and although this seems to be a rather long catalogue of poor luck, he is surely worth one last chance at [12.5].

12.30: The French media are talking a good game and defeat for Darjina in the opening Queen Anne is considered 'pas possible'. Gilles Barbarin from Jour de Galop reckons the ground is ideal for Alain de Royer Dupre's filly, although there is every chance that his true meaning got lost in translation. He said that the 30-day break since losing to Sageburg at Longchamp had done her the world of good and there were no excuses.

I ran into the course chaplain David Chawner as well, and although he refused to offer his advice, divine intervention struck and Tears of a Clown in the Ascot Stakes came up in conversation. I'm not suggesting anything particularly, but there you go.

Newsflash: Rio De La Plata is out of the St James's palace Stakes due to the going.

Noon: High noon, and the crowds are beginning to flood in. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote that, "to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive," which, given how successful most bookmakers are, is probably apt for about three-quarters of those who come through the gates here. But let's be more positive.

Bill Esdaile, writer for City AM and general bookmaker PR, is keen on the chances of Paul Cole's Thunderous Mood in the Coventry Stakes: "The Cole thing looks huge each-way value, and I noticed it was [46] on Betfair." Esdaile said. "My bet of the day though has to be Silver Shoon though, in the Windsor Castle. She's fast enough for the Queen Mary, but connections reportedly wanted to avoid that O'Brien thing (Heart Shaped) that beat it last time."

Silver Shoon has been widely tipped, too. Pricewise and Simon Turner have plumped for it in the Racing Post, while Graham Cunningham hasn't dismissed it on this website. It's [6.4] to win.

Women readers may want to know that the theme in the fashion stakes this year seems to be bold, or floral. It's not a particularly striking observation, but an indicator nonetheless.

11.30am: Welcome to the first Royal Ascot Betfair blog. Ed Hawkins has charmed some of you in the past live from the cricket, and hopefully I can do the same at, what was this morning, a sun-drenched Ascot.

The rumour mill is cranking into gear here, and everywhere you walk, people seem intent on giving you a tip. The ticket collector at the railway station fancies Cesare in the first if you are interested, purely because every time he works here, the gelding seems to win.

I bought one of those pin-hole flowers (a pink one for the record) and the woman selling them was also keen to give me her recommendation in the King's Stand Stakes. The tip was Enticing, but she wasn't, bless her.

We'll try to get some kind of dialogue going here today, so if you fancy e-mailing me your tips, questions or robust thoughts, then please do on: theriddleratbetfair@googlemail.com

Comments (5)

1. jason | 17 June 2008

   right-o riddle, glad to see you've opened up that compendium you call a mind to the masses in hopes of providing some insight and possible monetary gains.

   i'll be on with more later - time to get back to work at the moment before my bourgeois bosses hang me by my prole neck for perusing betting sites at whilst at work...

2. Mark Foster | 17 June 2008

   Good stuff Geoffrey, I will be keeping a close eye on what you have to say.

3. M-L | 17 June 2008

   OK bro, put your money where your mouth is and have a tenner on a long-odds certainty for me - the cheque's in the mail.

4. James Hilken TRO | 18 June 2008

   What a result Riddler.. never let me down - where's the next Coombe Hill coming from?!

5. Ross | 18 June 2008

   Geoffrey, you are a genius...perhaps I might share my winnings from my Flashman's Papers win with you?

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