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Small staked betting
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Tadreeb the standout at Lingfield
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Origintrail worth one last chance
I was due to be at Goodwood on Sunday with my dad, brother, and his father-in-law; however, commitments ruled me out as an NR at the last minute--I am stressfully moving house!
They are rare racegoers, but they had an excellent day, and there is no doubt that backing a couple of winners enhances the day for any racecourse visitor. There was no complaining about the prices of drinks or food, and my brother actually found the prices reasonable. He works in finance, though, so perhaps his budget is a little bigger than the average person's.
Still, £11.45 for a pulled pork baguette and chips is not bad, and £7.65 for an IPA is in line with London pub prices. He was complimentary about the Goodwood course, the outside elevated seating, and the entertainment, such as a magician, photo booth, and disco, that was going on throughout the day to give a good atmosphere. He also mentioned that the family enclosure was packed, but the Gordon enclosure was very quiet, which made it a pleasant day.
I was surprised to hear that he is not desperate to go back, though. Despite all of the positives, he mentioned that the day is weather-dependent and said, "Unless you're into horses, there's no immediate draw to bring you back in; it's just a nice day."
While prices at the racecourse are on par with other day activities, unlike a Theme Park, where you are desperate to go back and ride that coaster again, racing lacks the rebound factor. Here lies the million-pound question: how do you give racegoers that feeling that they can't wait to go again?
Racing might need to lay down the sword in the battle to bring in the 30 - 45 age range (the ages of the family that went on Sunday) for now, as the time to engross them in horse racing has passed, and their interests are already aligned with other things.
By the sounds of Goodwood on Sunday, family days are really going to uplift attendances now and in the future. Young racegoers are there to have their imaginations captured. For ages 6-12, as children grow, their hobbies can evolve to match their developing physical, emotional, and cognitive capacities, and this is where racing needs to target its agenda.
Using trips down to the start for families with kids and giving them extra access to the horses may be no bad way to start.
It sounds like Goodwood is doing all the correct things, but perhaps the racing authorities should realise that the 30-45 age bracket (over 45s are already in or out) is a lost generation. It's time to focus on the kids of the future, and invest into the family enclosures - or create one if a course doesn't accommodate - who ultimately will be the generation where racing thrives or fails.
Anyway, onto today. Tuesday is a tranquil betting day, so it's wise to tread a little lighter today as Class 4/5/6 races are not something I want to make a habbit of playing in.
I was gutted to see that William Haggas' Musselburgh visit was called off. He holds a 36% strike rate with five winners from 14 runners in the last five years. His runner, Al Waseela, was of interest following a more encouraging display at Leicester last time when finishing off his race strongly for the first time in four outings. There won't be many in the Haggas yard rated as low as 51, and this is not typically a bracket I like to get involved with, but fitted with the first-time blinkers and moving up to a more suitable trip of 1m are good reasons to think an improved performance is inbound. Still, as an NR, he is worth noting for you to keep in the tracker for next time (possibly Thursday at Newbury).
I was very tempted to leave Carolus Magnus at 16:25 at Ripon in this column.
His latest two efforts were very creditable runs in the Racing League, and before that, he raced on the wrong side of the track at Wetherby. His eye-catching run at York three starts back when staying on sixth to Feel The Need is a good piece of form. Today, he drops into a Class 5 for only the second time and the cheekpieces that saw an encouraging run in the Racing League at Yarmouth return.
He is not one for maximum faith, and he looks a far cry away from the horse that was beaten just three lengths in the Cambridgeshire last September, but this is one of the best opportunities he has had to score. Brandon Wilkie's five-pound claim means he is into the low 60s for the first time in his career, but it felt wishy-washy and who knows what he is going to do. That's the level we are dealing with on Tuesday.
I can already hear your eyes rolling reading this, but it is worth us giving Origintrail - 15/28.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - one last go after an improved effort over the minimum trip last time in this new headgear.
The five-year-old is frustrating, but the facts remain that she holds an excellent Ripon record. She was second in this race last year when she would have won, granted a clear passage, but finished behind Twelfth Knight. She is worse off at the weights, but in the hope that the headgear can continue to have a positive effect, that may be negotiated.
She has been knocking on the door, and one of these will open for her. Now, back up to six furlongs, all the stars may have aligned for a better performance, and this really is the last roll of the dice on her. She performs better on undulating tracks, and the combination of this venue, new headgear, the time of year and six furlongs might be the ticket to seeing her score.
Have a half-point stake win-only at 5/16.00 or bigger.
16:00 Ripon - Back Origintrail
Tadreeb - 17/29.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - may be on the downgrade at the age of six. Still, the handicapper has given him a hell of a chance since his last AW run, and he might be worth taking a flyer with under Robert Havlin now he has returned to the synthetic surface for the first time since April.
Tadreeb has had a split turf/AW rating for a while now, but the handicapper has dropped both ratings as the season continues. He returned to this AW track following a 14-month absence with an excellent effort when a three-length fifth to the smart Dear My Friend over a trip he has yet to win over. He then backed up with a disappointing run, but there may have been a bit of a bounce factor in that run, and it's excusable while both of those efforts came over 1m, which sees his record 0-7.
The handicapper reacted by dropping his AW rating from 85 to 72, and today, he is in Class 5 on the AW for the first time in his career.
All of Tadreeb's AW runs have come here at Lingfield, scoring twice from nine outings and with form figures over today's trip of seven furlongs of 115 (fifth on debut).
Furthermore, as the handicapper drops his mark, he has shaped better than the bare result on turf, particularly in two of his last three runs at Ascot.
Now, with the visor removed and returned to Lingfield down in grade, he could easily bounce back. He was closely matched with The Bitter Moose on his penultimate start at Ascot when attempting to come from off a dawdling pace, but they both did well in the circumstances. He looks overpriced at 17/29.50 or bigger but take no less than 8/19.00 for small stakes.
18:38 Lingfield - Back Tadreeb
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