In-Running Week: All-weather special!

In-Play / Neil Munro / 11 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

The all-weather presents better betting opportunities ... according to Neil

"I wouldn’t be so crass as to suggest that Wicked Wench could have been named after ‘Her-in-doors’ but the three-year-old does seem to be a little temperamental at times."

We all love the big Saturday races but weekday racing at our all-weather tracks is the nation's bread-and-butter and this week Neil focuses on a trio of Fibresand/Polytrack performers, again with specific betting advice for each

I do love to watch high-quality performers but, to be honest, the lesser lights are the horses that are easier to make money out of. So this week I revert back to the animals you are more likely to see on a Monday or Tuesday than a Saturday, and they just happen to be three All-weather performers.

Wicked Wench
I wouldn't be so crass as to suggest that this horse could have been named after 'Her-in-doors' but the three-year-old does seem to be a little temperamental at times. Although Jo Hughes' filly has only had seven starts she has already traded odds-on three times in the run, and all over those have been at Southwell. Bearing in mind Wicked Wench broke her maiden tag on the Fibresand the low trades are not so surprising, and she obviously does enjoy the surface. But she struggles in a finish since being placed in handicap company and particularly when tried over 6f so I would be taking her on in the run.

Advice: At Southwell on the Fibresand, back small stakes at Betfair SP and then put up odds-on lay offers. Stake only over five furlongs and more than double your stake if over six furlongs or further.

La Capriosa
I have always had La Capriosa down as a Southwell specialist, but having watched her for a number of years, I suddenly realised watching her on the same card as Wicked Wench that she must have a decent in-running profile at the course. The six-year-old mare has won six times over five or six furlongs on the Fibresand in 24 attempts, with a further six placed efforts. More to the point for in-running players, she has traded at half her BSP 13 times in those 18 defeats. With such a consistent profile La Capriosa becomes a fairly safe play.

Advice: At Southwell on the Fibresand over five or six furlongs back pre-race at BSP and then lay out your stake at half the BSP in the run.

Autumn Blades
The basic in-running stats do not give you the full picture when it comes to Ruth Carr's seven year old. Autumn Blades has traded half his BSP 45% of the time in defeat, which is not a figure that I would normally play on. But he is a quirky character who runs in patches and doesn't always find as much as you would hope for, but you have to restrict your trading to his premium conditions. And that is on any of the Polytrack courses over seven furlongs where has won four times and been placed a further 16 in 31 runs.

Advice: Back on the Polytrack over 7f and lay out your stake at half BSP in the run with a further odds-on offer to green up your book.

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Just to add a touch of class, Pricewise recently put up Oscars Well for the Champion Hurdle. I respect Tom Segal's reasoning, and he talked about his run in the Neptune last season. He was travelling well, as he so often does, before falling after the last. On his most recent run at Leopardstown he travelled well before finding less than expected.

Advice: If you have backed him, lay out your stake at half the BSP in the run and a further offer at odds-on.