General / Graham Cunningham / 28 August 2009 / Leave a Comment

Graham Cunningham hoped to be at Wembley this weekend for the Challenge Cup Final until Warrington knocked Wigan out in the semil-final. No matter, the Racing UK analyst has come up with several potential punting angles for the weekend - including one for the final itself.

It used to be so easy on Challenge Cup final day.

Hordes of Wigan fans used to pile down to London, have a few pints and then watch the cherry and whites pulverise outmatched opponents before going back on the lash in the capital.

But times change. Wigan no longer dominate rugby league and I suspect that Huddersfield's mean defence could be the crucial factor in this year's final.

Anything north of [1.9] to win outright looks value in what promises to be a thrilling contest, but you haven't logged on to listen to my rugby rumblings and there are several racing angles worth looking at this August Bank Holiday weekend...

Delegator can shine on his Godolphin debut

The first comes in Goodwood's featured Celebration Mile at 3:10 and revolves around Delegator and Zacinto.

Zacinto could be a very good horse - and the money has come for him - but the fact is that his Goodwood Listed success leaves him with a fair bit to find if Delegator is in the sort of form he showed when bustling up Sea The Stars in the 2000 Guineas and Mastercraftsman in the St James's Palace Stakes.

Critics will argue that another good miler, Evasive , disappointed on his first start for Godolphin recently, but there is little to suggest Delegator will follow suit.

Put simply, he looks better value at [1.9] than Zacinto does at [3.0] And, for all that the market keeps underestimating him, the revitalised veteran Mac Love could be the one to outrun his lengthy price again given that he is in the form of his life at present.

Storm can hit the target from a high draw in the Bullet

Beverley sprints wouldn't be the same without a lengthy pre-race discussion about the effects of the draw.

The traditional bias towards those drawn towards the inside hasn't been so strong as it used to be this season, but a high number remains the preferred option and that factor means Noble Storm gets my vote over Hamish McGonagall in the Beverley Bullet at 3:35.

Hamish is a highly consistent sprinter who ran a cracker at York on his latest start, but stall four could be less than ideal in such a hot race.

By contrast, Noble Storm looks perfectly placed to attack in stall 16. He's already done me a couple of good turns this season, the latest when holding on gamely from a mark of 98 at York, and that form gives him a very solid chance on a track which poses him no problems whatsoever.

By and large I try to avoid tipping horses for Saturday races which aren't covered on terrestrial television, but I will make an exception in the case of Present Alchemy.

Some layers might be keen to oppose this chestnut at short odds in Beverley's 4:45 on the basis that he is down in trip and drawn one after being worn down in two tight finishes.

But I think that could be a very costly strategy. Present Alchemy is a strapping colt with bags of speed and I certainly haven't seen any sign that he's brittle in a finish.

He's much better than this lot and I'll be frustrated and poorer if he doesn't dispose of them with something to spare.

Like it or lump it.....racing and punting are inextricably linked

For a bloke who admits he has little or no interest in betting Mark Johnston sure has plenty to say on the subject.

The feisty Middleham handler stuck the boot into the BHA's Racing For Change concept this week by arguing that the desire to forge closer links between the racing and betting industries is seriously misguided.

For what it's worth, I share Braveheart's view that the many Racing For Change committees are likely to bark up some unrewarding trees over the coming months. But Johnston surely wasn't comparing apples with apples when he argued that football seems to get along nicely without constant reference to betting.

Football isn't my sport of choice, but that doesn't blind me to the fact that most sports fans develop a strong allegiance to one team from childhood and every big game contains enough action and talking points to persuade millions to take an interest.

But most of the same audience would rather tidy out their sock drawer than attend even the most valuable race meeting without the involvement and excitement of a bet or two.

Granted, it would be great if the wider sports market suddenly donned racing Anoraks to start discussing the watering issue and the iniquities of the weight-for-age scale in droves. But it isn't going to happen. Coral boss Nick Rust was the man who coined the phrase "it matters more when there's money on it" during his days at Skybet.

Like it or not, he was dead right.

Free speech comes at a price for Soumillon and company

Poor old Christophe Soumillon.

The flamboyant Belgian rider has paid a heavy price for making intemperate comments about legendary French trainer Andre Fabre and has lost his job as first jockey to the Aga Khan as a result.

On the face of it, Soumillon's assertion that Fabre is "so small you can hardly see him" is hardly the most withering of putdowns. But in this great game of ours it is well worth remembering that those with infinite wealth and clout at the top of the food chain must always be afforded their proper respects.

Still, one of the interesting things about hovering round the edge of planet racing is that some of the interesting players who adopt a name, rank and serial number attitude on screen and in print can be much more scathing in private.

Why, only recently I heard tell of one well known rider who refers to a high profile handler as "the creep in the Jeep."

Legal implications prevent me from naming names, of course. But, in case you are wondering, it certainly wasn't "Super Soumy."

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