Huntingdon has been Abandoned and it has robbed the message of much of what it contained. Catterick is the only meeting thats on. The only race I have got any time for is the 3m 6f Staying Handicap Chase at 2.30. This season I have been reading these marathon races quite well and have found some decent winners and today I think HIGH COTTON is worth betting each way at 9/1 . Hopefully I can
offer more tomorrow assuming the weather allows this.

*************************************
*************************************

* Talking Points - Yesterdays Summary

8 races looked at Yesterday and some Superb results with Winners ar 5/1 , 11/8 , 7/4 and 11/2
with another advised each way and placing at 8/1. A £10 Bet on all 8 runners would have returned
a profit of almost £120. With 4 winners from 6 selections on Saturday and 4 today all at decent prices
I have to say I am in really reading races well at the moment and in good form.

Sedgefield 1.40 - Zaffie Parson " place only" was suggested but she ran badly
Leicester 1:50- MAJOR CATCH advised each way placed at 8/1
Sedgefield 2.10 - MOYNE PLEASURE the selection WON at 5/1
Sedgefield 2.40 - CANAVAN WON at 11/8
Leicester 2.50 - The 2 shortlisted runners unplaced
Sedgefield 3.10 - The winner was shortlisted but Gimme Shelter was the pick and came 3rd
Leicester 3.50 - BILLYVODDAN WON at 7/4
Sedgefield 4.10 -SPARRON HAWK the selection WON at 11/2

*************************************
*************************************

Todays Racing

Catterick 2.30 - Weatherbys Bank North Yorkshire Grand National (Handicap Chase) (Class 3) (5yo+,0-130) 3m6f

4/1 Gunther McBride, 6/1 Bang And Blame, 8/1 Prince Of Slane, 9/1 Benrajah, 10/1 Robbo, 12/1 Capybara, Celioso, Monty´s Quest, Supreme Breeze, 14/1 High Cotton, Midnight Gunner, 16/1 Virgin Soldier, 20/1 Granit D´Estruval, 25/1 Harlov

Selection - HIGH COTTON EACH WAY 9/1

3 Miles 6 Furlongs so a race that should demand many things from its winner. This is not a track that I want a Heavy Weighted horse on over a Marathon trip . The favourite in this race GUNTHER MCBRIDE 4/1 Has Topweight. If he were to win he would be the biggest weight carrier in this race ever. The Record of horses in this race carrying 11st 7lbs and Over is poor and reads L L L F W UR 4 L L but that doesn't tell the full picture. Although the 1997 winner carried 11st 8lbs that year was a tiny field and the majority of horses carried very high weights and the only lightweight was a 9/1 chance that came runner up. Taking the renewals since 1994 that had 11st 7lbs or
more and you have horses unplaced at 13/8 9/4 6/1 13/2 7/4 7/1 6/5 and 3/1 and that's a very short group of prices and that's why I want to Oppose GUNTHER MCBRIDE 4/1. Why is GUNTHER MCBRIDE Running in this race? Could it be that Kempton is not available. This horse has won on a left handed track but they ahve always suggested he wants a right handed track. This is such a tight, specialist left handed track that there must be every chance he wont like the Contours. yes he is well handicapped but the weight, the track, and his price all look to put me off and we havent had an 11 year old winner of this race yet. ROBBO 10/1 for me has too much weight and a 7lbs claimer. CAPYBARA12/1 is too inexperienced in my opinion. HARLOV is Inconsistent and not in the same form as he was when winning this in 2004. SUPREME BREEZE 12/1 is a tiny horse that could find this far too quick a surface for him. I look away from PRINCE OF SLANE and BENRAJAH who were 1st and 2nd at Catterick last time. I think to come here and win this with just 13 days absence is asking a lot. I dont like 7 year olds in this race anyway (Prince Of Slane) and I dont see either horse as ideal types in this race. No 7 year old has ever won a marathon Handicap Chase at this time of year before in this class and 4 were fancied to do that. I havent a major problem with CAPYBARA much as all his form is on softer ground and he is still quite inexperienced in Handicap Chases.

I have a lot of time for CELISIO 12/1. He was trying to win this race in 2004 as a 7 year old. That hasnt been done. He also had 11s 7lbs (reduced to 11st by his 7lbs claimer). That was a tough weight to carry yet he still managed 2nd place to HARLOV. He is only a small horse so his task in 2004 was pretty hard. This year he is 4lbs lower in the weights. We know he stays , likes the track and the ground. He ran for the first time in 15 months at Catterick in December when falling. If you "assume" that his fall at the 12th fence was not really like a proper prep race you can argue that he is best when "fresh" anyway having won with absences of 2, 3 and 5 months before. He has also won after a recent race. He comes from the same race that Galen ran in before winning this in 1998. That overall is a good profile but I am worried about why he was off the track for so long and whether he has other targets

For me the Lightweights Dominate and that means HIGH COTTON , MONTYS QUEST and BANG AND BLAME. To illustrate the advantage a light weight has , the record of horses carrying Bottom weight of 10st or less have won 5 of the 9 renewals. Its actually better than that as they also had the 2nd and 3rd in one year and didnt have a runner in another renewal. Bottomweights excel. I think the form BANG AND BLAME is in demands he is respected. Its true this is better class and he is up in the weights but he has been winning by long distances and his weight does give him an advantage. Its not lost on me that his recent improvement has been on soft ground and that has extended his winning distances and although he has won on Good ground I would prefer it softer for him . MONTYS QUEST has a decent chance back on fast ground off 10st and if he were to win you would say statistically he had an excellent chance. He has only won a Hunter Chase though since downgrading stables and has a history of leg problems and I much prefer HIGH COTTON at 9/1

HIGH COTTON 9/1 has a stunning profile in this race. He is still a maiden but maidens have won this race before and that doesnt worry me at all. On his Seasonal debut at Sedgefield I Didnt think he was fit having not raced in 14 months yet he started favourite and came 3rd. Last time out I also thought he lacked fitness .That was the race we backed BRIARS MIST in at Newcastle and HIGH COTTON was the only serious danger to that horse and both He and Briars Mist finished 16 lengths clear of the 3rd horse. He is now having his 3rd race of the season and that should put him spot on. He has had 2 prep races now as did 3 of the last 9 winners of this race. Statistically the ideal number of races to have coming into this race is 2 as he has, and is 10st or lower as he also has. HIGH COTTON is a one paced horse but this is a marathon trip and most of these are also one-paced. I got HIGH COTTON wrong last time as I felt he was a soft ground horse But I dont think he is. His sire has a far better record on fast ground. His offspring win twice as many races on ground thats not soft or heavy as they do when the mud is flying. I think this ground will bring out the best in this horse just as it did Black Smoke another relative that won over a marathon trip last year on fast ground. I should have realised that earlier as his sire was very much a firm ground specialist. With his profile of having bottom weight on his correct ground when in form he is interesting but there are other reasons. He has to be very well handicapped now. He has dropped 21lbs in the weights since his last 9 races as he hasnt won a race. He has been very lucky to be dropped so quickly with "Consistent" form figures of 4 2 2 F 2 3 2 2 and his "Placed" form in several Class C handicaps is as good as many in the race. I think you have to be on him each way with the number of "placed" runs he has had. He has ran 28 times yet has finished in the first 4 places on 22 of those 28 races which is exceptional. I also think HIGH COTTON has been laid out for this race. At the start of the year Keith Revely stated that the horses main aim was to " capture a nice staying prize " and as his Mother Mary won this in 1999 (Galen) and came 2nd with her only other runner (Portonia 1993) I feel there is every chance this race is his seasonal target and he has chosen this race rather than the Warwick Handicap he has an entry in tomorrow. The stable are in form. Their last runner Won. At 9/1 each way he looks a really interesting bet

*************************************
*************************************