Events / Geoffrey Riddle / 25 September 2009 /

There is over £350,000 prize money available on day one of Ascot's star studded QEII weekend, and The Riddler is at the Berkshire course to bring you all the pre-race prices and post-race reaction. Email him with your views at theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com.

5.05pm
1: Crossbow Creek
2: Safebreaker
3: Balnagore
What on earth? The 11-year-old Crossbow Creek rolls back the years under Mr R Rimell at a massive 25-1 on course. The old boy just kept on going and it looked a very tender ride. They'll be some gnashing of teeth from the layers though, because the pair were matched at an incredible [60.0] for £287. Frightening stuff.

Well team, it's been a low-key start to the three days. It's going to explode tomorrow though, because the QEII and the Challenge Cup look pretty serious and the Royal Lodge Stakes are just chucked in for good measure.

I hope you have nosed ahead today, and are in good shape financially. I'm not, but that's not what counts. It's you guys. Awww....

4.45pm
Frankie Dettori treated the crowd to a flying dismount, so was he taken by the win on Glowing Praise. Dettori revealed that he had done his homework, too, and he said that it was his decision to go down early with the troublesome gelding. "I'd spoken to some of the lads who had ridden him in the past," Dettori revealed. "I decided to ask if we could take him down early, and by the time he got to the start he was relaxed," he added.

The Italian was glad also to be in such good form ahead of tomorrow's big assignment. Dettori rides Delegator in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and Her Majesty will be in attendance. He said: "I've loaded my gun, and I'm ready for tomorrow."

Dettori seemed unconcerned about whether the big Aidan O'Brien hope, Rip Van Winkle, would lead from the front in tomorrow's mile contest in absence of a Ballydoyle pacemaker. Dettori continued: "Look we all know my guy has a very good turn of foot, and I have no problem with riding him from the back. It's going to be a great race, and I'm really looking forward to it."

4.20pm result:
1: Glowing Praise
2: Satwa Laird
3: Roar of Applause
4: Laurie Grove
It's Frankie Dettori's last ride of the day so the little Italian probably thought it was the lucky last, much to the jubilation of the crowd. He pressed on well, and won with a bit in hand from the rallying Satwa Laird.

3.45pm result:
1: Spirit of Dubai
2: Polly's Mark
3: Mischief Making
4: Princess Taylor
A bunched finish is never a good thing for the form book, it often can't be trusted, but William Buick drove Spirit of Dubai to stick her head out from the four others who were vying for the line. It's Buick's second of the day after his win on Rules N' Regulation. I'll leave you guys to work out the odds of the double. Why do they always quote that?

Willie Haggas has confirmed that Shamandar will go for the Cheveley Park Stud Stakes at Newmarket next month. Indian Ink, who won today's Watership Down Stud sales race in 2006 was the last filly to double up and take the Newmarket Group 1 after winning here.

Haggas also delivered a magnificent PR display for tomorrow's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in which he runs recent Group 1 winner Aqlaam. "It's a real privilege to be taking part tomorrow," Haggas said, talking to Timeform Radio's Chris Barnett in the winners' enclosure. "The superpowers of Godolphin, Ballydoyle and Sir Michael Stoute, and then there's little old us tugging along. Aqlaam is very well, I'd much prefer to get on with it though and stop talking about it."

Perhaps Haggas has missed the fact that Godolphin have actually had fewer British winners this year than his patron, Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, who owns Aqlaam.....

3.35pm
Interesting quote from Chris Richardson, director of Cheveley Park stud. Phillippina, who won on heavy going at Nottingham in July, runs in the stud's distinctive red, white and blue colours.

Richardson said: "She likes to hear her hooves rattle, so she will have her ground."
Phillipina short-headed behind Aidan O'Brien's Perfect Truth in the Cheshire Oaks in May on good to firm, so she clearly handles it, and according to Richardson, prefers it.

I've backed Snoqualmie Girl, purely because she will have the race run to suit. Multiplication, Phillipina, and Ribblesdale third, Uvinza, all like to force the pace. It was a decent Listed contest that Snoqualmie Girl won last time out at Chester, and Silvestre de Souza will hold up the daughter of Montjeu. She may even merit a trade in-running at a juicy price. She's [4.5] now.

3.10 result:
1: Shamandar
2: Dubawi Heights
3: Lenkiewicz
4: She's Ok
That certainly was pretty easy wasn't it? Jockey Michael Hills stayed out of all trouble by racing up the centre of the track, with not much cover. He went for home at exactly the right time, and although pressed hard by Dubawi Heights, she had far too much in the tank and gave her backers no cause for concern.

Those who decided to bet in-running were well rewarded, too. Almost £20k was traded on Shamandar at prices between [2.16] and [2.25], which suggests in-running backers did a lot better than those who took prices throughout the afternoon before the off.

Part-owner Pauline Scott was thrilled. "I'm so glad that Michael rode her the way he did," she exclaimed. "Fortunately he kept her on the outside so I could see her, and she won like a really good filly." Mrs Scott also intimated that the horse could step up in trip once more, but the high street layers weren't too impressed and didn't install her into the 1,000 Guineas market for next year.

3.10pm
Some people really push it. There I was, standing at a urinal, doing what men do, and Lord Lloyd-Webber starts using the next one along. Now some journos might think about getting a quote about the controversy over Dar Re Mi's disqualification in France, but for me, that's too much like multi-tasking. And then some bloke comes up into the next one further along to Lord L-W and says: "Good to see you my lord," and starts trying to tap him up about his horses, his music, and whatever else info he wanted. Lord L-W didn't know this man from Adam (or Joseph, boom, boom!), but politely rebuffed him. Is nowhere sacred any more? Leave the man alone!

3pm:
For those of you who are on the favourite, ace paddock judge Ken Pitterson, of The Weekender, reckons Shamandar is in tip-top condition. He said: "I know some of your readers will want to hear that she doesn't look too good, but I'm afraid she's a smashing-looking filly. She's in good shape."

Pitterson also reckons that the two outsiders, Goosberry Bush and So Surreal also stood out. Neither trade at under [380.0].

2.50pm
Ooooh, are you a backer or a layer here? There are 27 horses in this race and the favourite, Shamandar, is trading at [1.99]. It's made for Betfair.

Willie Haggas saddles the easily the best horse in the race, but if you are at all serious about squeezing money out of the jolly, it could easily pay to back it in-running. Michael Hills is likely to hold up the daughter of Exceed and Excel, so she is likely to trade a few points bigger as the contest goes on.

There is some serious dead wood in this contest. I mean Mrs Boss and Baby Dottie cost just £500, while Micky's Bird was £800. It's an earthy day here at Ascot, guys. Real ale and cheap thorougbred. Racecourse commentator Jim McGrath will be calling the horses by their numbers next, with a chicken in a basket in his lap...

2.35pm result:
1: RulesN' Regulations
2: Enact
3: Son Of The Cat
4: Bonnie Charlie
Some lucky blighter got £16 on the winner at [68.0]. Well done indeed! Rulesn' Regulations hadn't seen the track for 297 days, which adds to the 144 for Rainbow Peak in the race before. Have Sporting Index got a new idea for a market here? "Aggregate days off the track of the winner" index. Sporting, you can have that for free...

2.32pm
If you are wondering why the price of Global City is on the drift, it is because the horse has virtually pulled out Frankie Dettori's arms and has galloped off, with rider, down to Swinley Bottom. I'd leave it if I were you.

Angus "Statto" Loghran was sifting through some grubby betting slips earlier, which is not the best of signs, but has backed Enact. He also has backed Everton to beat Pompey this weekend.

In fact, as a I post this, Global City has been withdrawn...

2.15pm:
Kieren Fallon admitted he was in trouble on Rainbow Peak just outside the two furlong marker: "Rainbow Peak got me out of jail," Fallon said. "I had tried to switch him off, but I got in a bit of trouble. I was trying to follow Ryan Moore through on Tryst, but when the gap came, he accelerated through it like a good horse."

The six-times champion is riding out of skin at the moment, and he looks confident.

Why is Macdillon such a big price for the 2.35pm? He came within a nose of beating Shamwari Lodge at Newmarket back in May. Shamwari Lodge has proved one of the more able handicappers this season, and the third, Swiss Diva, has also gone on and won.

To be fair, that level of form has not been improved upon, but there was a valid excuse on his penultimate run when hanging left, and last time he had a real job to beat some hardened handicappers.

A line through the horse Bobbie Soxer suggests there is little to split the favourite, Enact, and Cilve Cox's Gilt Edged Girl.

Enact is a drifting [3.95], while the Cox runner is trading at [12.0].

2pm result:
1: Rainbow Peak
2: Greylami
3: Tryst
Fallon strikes! The former champ looked to be in a bit of trouble, but he angled Rainbow Peak out two furlongs from home. Greylami went and collared the favourite, but Fallon rousted his mount up the outside to take the race by a head. Tryst was matched at a low of [1.5], but Greylami is the interesting one, and Terry Mills's charge was chinned at [1.22].

1.55pm
Tryst backers, no fear. I was in the pre-parade ring earlier and a grey sashayed by. I thought immediately that it looked a bit weak behind, and I was so sure of it, that I really considered laying it. The horse in question, however, turned out to be Greylami, and not Tryst at all, who appeared moments later, looking positively regal. "That's the winner," the whisper went up around the ring.

Rainbow Peak looked a bit flabby, which can be expected given he has been off the track for 144 days. The pick of the paddock though was undoubtedly the Godolphin colt, Bawadi, who looked magnificent.

Before I went to the pre-parade ring, I was keen to get with Rainbow Peak. His run when beating Sovereign Remedy and Mohtashem looks useful and there must be a lot more improvement to come. Betfair punters think so too, and the mount of Keiren Fallon is attracting a lot of late money.

1.20pm
I thought it was very quiet here today. I had a little stroll through the Grandstand, and had a look around the paddock in search of trainers or jockeys. No one. And there seemed to be precious few punters as well, until I came across the Real Ale stand. The place was rammed. There's that real pub smell as well, although I couldn't quite work out if it was the punters, or the ale itself.

Further betting updates. Charlie Cool has been flagged up by Greg from Devon. "Have you seen his oods graph," Greg writes, somewhat self-satisfied from his "beautiful" cottage. "His odds have halved. Do you reckon he's worth a wager?"

I can't say Charlie Cool was high on my shortlist, but you never know. It looked a useful run last time out when finishing second to Middlemarch ahead of one-time Group 1 winner Court Masterpiece. The horse loves this fast ground as well, and he's frighteningly well handicapped on his best form. He won off a handicap perch of 102 in Dubai in his pomp...

12.50pm
Forget the favourites for a minute everyone, because today a lot of the betting action on the high street has taken place on the longshots.

William Hill and VCbet both report significant trade on Laurie Grove in the 4.20pm. The son of Danehill Dancer was once entered in the Guineas, and he was last seen when getting thrashed over the Rowley Mile by the likes of Monitor Closely and Neeham in April.

The sights have been lowered considerably since then, and the money is down on Betfair, too. Terry Mills's charge has been matched at a high of [42.0], and the gelding now trades at [16.5].

The other action focuses on the lucky last. Is it a surprise that during a beer festival, a horse called Drawn Gold has been heavily backed? Hills go 8-1 from 10-1, while on Betfair, it is still [10.5].

12.30pm
Sorry guys, we've had some techincally glitches. Back in the game.

Last night at around 11pm I finished trawling through today's form. I took one glance at the homepage of the Racing Post and saw that Tryst was the best-backed horse with the regular bookmakers, at the expense of anything else that was running today.

Sir Michael Stoute's colt, who runs in the 2pm, has been absolutely slammed. It opened at [3.25], and has had over £188k traded on it, and it is now [1.93].

The lightly-raced four-year old has won on the all-weather, which is often a good pointer to a liking of Ascot, and was impressive behind Roaring Forte at Newmarket in May.
The other hotpot to polarise opinions this afternoon is the favourite in the 3.10pm, Shamandar. Willie Haggas's flying filly currently trades at [2.02], although hasn't been nearly so heavily backed. In fact there is about half the volume of trade on her compared to Tryst. She faces 27 runners, most of whom are in the race just so connections can have a nice day out, and perhaps pick up some prize-money, which is £6,150 for sixth place. She is also hold-up horse, which could make life tricky for jockey Michael Hills.

Pick one to back, pick one to lay! Email me at: theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com

11.30am
Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the first day of Ascot's three-day meeting. September continues to pay back August's debt to summer and it is a glorious day here in Berkshire. The going is still good, good to firm in places, although that may change throughout the course of the afternoon. Watch those race times.

If you still haven't had your elevenses yet, the charity Macmillan Cancer Support are hosting the biggest coffee morning ever. Get some chums, corral them into giving you some shrapnel and all sit down and have a coffee or two in the name of charidee...

If you want something stronger, however, Ascot really is the place to be. I would urge you consider bunking off work for a half day and get down here, because the Berkshire track today hosts CAMRA - the real ales dudes.

Yep, there's 180 beers, ciders, pear ciders, and other nefarious alcoholic beverages on sale here, and those crafty CAMRA chaps have made it as easy as possible for racegoers to try as many as possible, too. It's just £1.25 per half pint, so Weatherspooon's prices without the hilarious decor.

Let me know all your tips and thoughts on the usual e-mail and I'll share the best ones with the class...: theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com

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