Market Rasen - Sept 29

Off to Lincolnshire for what has become the annual curtain raiser, boosted by the decision to take a hitherto unused back route to the track which by-passed the notorious town centre.

The opener was a really weak novice hurdle for mares, the market rightly dominated by Skelton's winning chaser King's Reste and the King newcomer Sula Island.

It's a well-established cliche that the master of Barbury Castle does well with such ex-Flat types and the four-year-old quickly looked to have taken a step up on her modest form on the level, scooting away from her market rival after the last.

Skelton's animal looks more of an unfurnished chase type who was a bit dry in her coat, and probably wants a bit further than this sharp test.

Foxtrot Juliet did not look ready for this test though, looking light framed and increasingly on edge, she made no appeal and ran a dismal race...perhaps she was in season. Rococo Style is big and rangy, but she was on her toes too.

One to note for handicaps is Drumochter, a decent stamp of a horse that won on the level for C Hills, and picked up for a song by the shrewd Englands. I liked what I saw in the run and she can reward patience further down the line, guaranteed a mark under 100.

The juvenile is the best of it's type for the early campaigners and it drew a good looking match in the penalised Cracker Factory and newcomer Jack Regan, a 85+ horse on the level.

Although nicely bred, the former showed little in the early days for King but he's a decent looker and was on terrific terms with himself as he defended a three-race streak over timber. It wasn't easy to make the call, although the market support for the Williams animal was significant, as was the 8lb he received in weight.

Both come out of it with credit, particularly as Cracker Factory was by far the more novicey despite having all the experience on his side. Breakfast was a clear third and this typically modest looking McCain runner is the type to defy his penalty at the likes of Bangor and Carlisle.

I was reaching for the proverbial bargepole ahead of a 0-110 handicap chase, the only one of any real interest was the hitherto disappointing and unexposed One Forty Seven, who was fit off a break and ready to roll.

He was backed into favouritism but thankfully found one too good in the well-handicapped West Wizard, but Twister's horse is the one to take forward as the track was probably tight enough and the trip on the short side. This as a step in the right direction and he needs to back it up now.

Race four was the biggie, the Class 3 handicap chase didn't look as competitive as the numbers and betting suggested. The market spoke against Candy Burg and Special Prep, the latter facing a big task in just his second chase and he'll have other days with his sights lowered.

Money came for Buster Thomas but he's a disappointing horse and looked on the burly side; he carries his head a little high and was a bit on edge. He has plenty to prove for me.

Not A Role Model is a decent looking chaser in the making but for the second race in succession he was encumbered with brainless front-running tactics. Continually chased along to force the gallop, he'll be more than capable of defying his current mark when energies are used more suitably.

Cusheen Bridge is more of a spoiler than anything else and he looked as well as I've seen him, but again tailed himself off before rallying to take third. There's a race in him probably with a jockey change, but he's not a backable proposition.

Jovial Joey looked incredibly hard fit and there may not be too much left in him in the short term. He's run another sound race for one that doesn't find a great deal under pressure, and the writing was on the wall for some time as Exitas loomed upsides three out.

The 10yro was down 8lb from a career high last autumn after he had picked up a C1 affair at Ascot. Overlooked in the market for much of the day, he saw some late support and backers were justly rewarded. He's a strong chase type and another credit to his under-estimated handler.

I was surprised to see strong market support for Theclockisticking in the big handicap hurdle, who started out in the bumper on this card 12 months ago. Now rated 137, he seems high in the weights but he still looks a bit of a shell and I hoped he would have strengthened up a bit.

What's more I have him down as a stayer so the drop to 2m was surprising, and it's to his credit that he was able to come from a mile back to take second place. This could be a bit of a muddling season but he has the ability pick up a race back over further.

Caius Marcius had been tried over fences but he's a robust hurdler lacking physical scope, and he took another big leap forwards as he pounced on a strong pace to put it to bed at the top of the straight.

Not many got into it and on lively ground it's a sharp old track.

There was nothing worth mentioning from the 100 handicap hurdle, and the bumper was knowhere near the standard of last year's race won by Simply The Betts.

Risk And Co was fit and forward and belied his long odds, which overlooked his run behind Earlofthecotswolds last term where neither animal enjoyed the Fakenham terrain.

Twister's horse is a decent looker, quite tall with substance, and along with most from the yard was forward enough. The Fakenham form looked quite solid and is even better now. Get An Oscar was penalised for landing a weak Hexham affair and the Point winner lacked gears round here.

Home bred Prophets Prayer is a backward type with plenty of size and he showed more than enough, as did the likeable Fubar, who nearly came down on the home turn and can go one better. The rest looked pretty backward.

Northern handicappers to follow

Horses to follow season is well underway - it seems to get earlier each year - and with FOMO very much in mind (that's the 'Fear Of Missing Out' for those of you not up to speed with those pesky acronyms) here's a handful of modestly talented animals to keep in mind this Autumn.

Absolutely Dylan S Smith 12

I first saw this 5yro at Sedgefield last November when he was almost unrideable, jocking Danny Cook off twice in the parade ring and then on the way to post, eventually causing his withdrawal.

He was still lairy on next two educational visits to the track, but on his third start showed distinct promise behind a good benchmark in Ballinslea Bridge, who won again next time.

He looked on the lean side that day, and while he didn't have to be anywhere near that form to land the weakest of contests three weeks later, one suspects he had done enough for the season when disappointing on his final two starts.

As a result he now looks positioned to have a successful season starting from a mark of 110, with 2m4f on soft appearing to be the ideal starting point. He undoubtedly has the outlook of a typical son of Scorpion, but hopefully his tough taskmasters will keep his mind in the right place.

Mac N Cheese K Dalgleish

It would have been remiss not to include one trained by Keith Dalgleish considering the Scottish handler's terrific strike rate over jumps, and this brother to Eider Chase winner Milborough fits the bill.

I've a soft spot for the eight-year-old after he landed a right old touch when trained by Rose Dobbin over timber, but he wasn't seen for almost two years afterwards.

However, he quickly supplemented that early promise when bolting up on his return at Perth last September, before embarking on a chasing career. That was soon shelved though after a second round of novicey jumping that resulted in a fall at Newcastle.

He bounced back again, however, returned to hurdles when outstaying his rivals in a Kelso bog in February, after which he was put away.

A lengthy injury absence is always a huge concern, but if the wheels stay on and his astute trainer can iron out the jumping flaws, he looks handicapped to prosper this winter starting out on 119.

Porto Du Sud R Menzies

This hard-pulling five-year-old belied long odds on three occasions this time last year to reveal a small amount of ability in novice hurdles, but was then absent from the track until May.

Failing to trouble the judge once again in another trio of spins in late spring means 5lb has been lopped off his original mark (now 103), leaving the youngster in a more attractive position to strike in the hope that he starts to settle better.

Optimum conditions are sketchy at this stage, but he could turn out to be best at 2m on softish ground, having been handicapped on largely sound terrain, although he could prove just as effective over further.

Shepherd's Bight R Jefferson 4

This son of Court Cave had shown precious little prior to landing a weak handicap hurdle at Kelso in May, but he starts the new campaign on just a 4lb higher mark of 109.

The 6yro jumped notably well in what was his first handicap so despite this inexperience it wouldn't be at all surprising if he went straight over fences this autumn.

He was strong at the line suggesting that distances of 3m+ will suit from now on, while on the admittedly light evidence so far he may be best away from deep winter ground.

He looks a type the trainer's father thrived on and he could improve in leaps and bounds after another summer off, be it over hurdles or fences.

Shine Baby Shine P Kirby

Twice a winner at a lowly level on Southwell's fibresand, this juvenile filly showed great aptitude for the winter game, scoring in a novice hurdle at Catterick in January.

She was then sent on mission impossible down south on her next two starts, but all was not lost as it served to see her tumble 7lb in the charts.

A perch of 112 still possibly leaves her something to find, but it's interesting that she's been given the summer off to further strengthen into her ample frame. Connections also have an ace up their sleeve in that she clearly stays well, and will surely thrive over 2m4f this term.

Don't be surprised to see her appear on the Fibresand at some stage as her mark of 61 ought to bring further gains. The best is yet to come.

* At some stage in the near future I'll post another five to follow from southern-based stables. These will not include Point-to-Pointers that cost the earth and be over-bet all season, bumper horses that caught everyone's eye, or Kalashnikov.

These pages will then be updated frequently in the coming months, and may even include some video content (FOMO!)

Early days

Watching and going racing during the summer reminded me of how I first got into the game, at least from a working point of view.

It was 1992 or 1993. There had been a recession on for three or four years, not that I was old enough to understand such things. All that I knew was that I was one of ‘Major’s millions’.

Unemployment had gone over 3m and I was one of them for a short period of time after I left school at 18 with what would be described these days as poor grades. They were very poor grades back then.

I had been in and out of work doing various crappy factory and warehouse stuff, all equally mind-numbing. There were people working these jobs full-time which I couldn’t get my head around, so naive was I.

On a rare trip to the Job Centre one day there was a card on one of the boards saying that a bookmaker was looking to hire a clerk for the upcoming summer. It had my name all over it.

I contacted said bookmaker and he conducted an interview as we were sat in the front seats of his red Mondeo, while parked outside my local pub. The seats were garishly covered in leopard print. My parents are gonna kill me, I thought.

I didn’t understand what he was telling me as he placed a gigantic folder of lined paper in front of me, something about ‘field money’ and the ‘over round’. I nodded vigorously as if such terms were second nature.

It didn’t take long to secure my position on the bag. He traded under the name of Mike Leicester although his name I think was Peasgood and there was some relation to the Julie of the same name who featured in one of the soaps like Coronation Street.

It turned out that quite a few chaps had made good dough in the building industry over the last few years and had turned their hands to bookmaking. Mick was one. There were others, Colin Fountain and Pat Cash, who were actually brothers and didn’t get on. Gus O’Neill was another who is still going today (I think).

Bookie-ing was quite a big thing in Leicester back then. There was camaraderie. Sort of. In those days you only moved up the numbers if someone died or jacked it in. So you started out in the Silver Ring and slowly, very slowly worked your way up. Buying pitches would be some years in the future.

So you had to do your one-in-threes. This meant if you got your name onto a list to stand at a track, you had to rock up at least once in every three meetings to maintain your pitch there. So we traipsed around here and there throughout the year often just to maintain a pitch, taking £20-£50 a race.

And while it was just about okay making a three-hour plus trip to Salisbury in mid-summer, making the likes of Ludlow and Towcester on freezing January afternoons wasn’t when you would do well to field a score a race.

The reason you would maintain such pitches might be for one or two days a year when you wold have a chance to make decent money, usually one of the spring Saturdays at Uttoxeter or Easter meetings at Towcester or Warwick.

But I was loving it. I was using my brain again and going racing 3-4 times a week which got me out the warehouse. And there was some good crack.

The third member of the team was the radio man who at the start was a hulking figure called Arthur, who looked like a tramp and smelled like one too.

Because he was so big he used to sweat quite badly. So as well as the smell, the dampness would seep into Mike’s leopard print car seats. So Mike would get the spray out before we picked Arthur up, and a blanket was placed over the front passenger seat to absorb any moisture.

I had to sit in the back. They were long trips on sunny days. Mick liked Arthur, because Mick wasn’t that bright and Arthur was good at numbers. But I was better at numbers, and I don’t think Arthur liked that.

Arthur had one story. It was how he made loads of money backing St Paddy to win the Derby in 1960. He fancied it all through the winter and kept backing it. Piggott rode it to victory. Arthur bought a Jaguar. He promptly crashed it and almost killed himself. He sported a massive scar down the front of his head. He was potless. I don’t think he’d backed a winner since.

But it didn’t stop him from knowing everything. I used to try and take the piss and Mike sort of got it but was quick to defend big Arthur. Mick’s stories were better. He was covered in tattoos, back when that amount of ink wasn’t popular. He’d lived. I hadn’t. I listened.

I don’t know how much of it was true. He was a good raconteur, he’d make a story out of nothing. A ladies man, or at least had been.

He was a very tight bookmaker, which probably came from being a penny pincher. If we laid a £10ew bet on a long shot he’d have it all back. There was never a chance that we’d ever make more than a few quid.

The only times there was a bonus on the cards was Kempton on Boxing Day or at Royal Ascot. On both occasions business was so good it was impossible for the clerk to keep up. Mick’s brain used to fry on such big days so I’d go up on the stool and take the hundreds of small each-way bets off the ladies.

But they were fun times. I can’t remember what happened to Arthur but at some stage there was a change of personnel, with me switching to the radios and Mick the clerk taking over pen duties.

Mick the clerk could charm the birds down from the trees. He was a decent bloke and a good clerk, better than I was. But he had a problem with the booze. And for a guy still in his 30s was very old-fashioned, set in his ways.

We only had one stopover and that was at Chester for the May meeting and sometimes there were some good Friday/Saturday cards that warranted a cheap B&B for the night.

I lived for those trips. I loved Chester, not just the track but the social life as well. Compared to Leicester it seemed quite exotic, with that blend of Scouse and North Wales accents. We all enjoyed mixing with the girls and we made some good memories.

There was talk of me being a rep for the firm if Mike didn’t fancy it one day, or if there were two possible meetings to attend and we’d take one each. Nothing came of it though.

I’d started punting in disciplined three-figure sums, and by about the third summer I was getting itchy feet about clerking for £25 a day. I couldn’t reckon the two together.

I guess that’s what everyone who works in the racing game goes through. Am I a winning punter yes/no? Do I keep punting or stop yes/no?

By 1995 I was punting pretty much full time but primarily relying on phone lines and other avenues for ‘info’, and still doing a a couple of days a week on the bag.

I was also in the shape of my life as most days when I wasn’t working meant bolting to and from the local Mark Jarvis between races, not wanting to sit amid the smoke all day. 

I guess I was always a punter rather than a layer. While I loved those days on the joint I never held any dream to one day shout the odds under the ‘Normbet’ banner. I always wanted to find the winner.

Still do.