Tipping Tim’s Weekend Bets
Published:Whilst compiling my half-baked line for this year’s Cambridgeshire I was skimming through the previous winners (the judges call it ‘trends analysis’) and found something that the last twenty winners have in common: they all went un-backed by me. Given how many arrows I have fired at the great race since my mid-GCSE punting debut it’s staggering that I have yet to stumble across a winner, and law of averages suggests that 2013 could be my year.
The one to break the hoodoo is hopefully Seek Again (3.50 Newmarket). Master-trainer John Gosden ran this beast twice at Kempton in an attempt to secure a run in the big one and, despite the colt running below expectations both times, the three-pound rise for his second to Ehtedaam made all the difference and the son of Speightstown sneaks in off bottom weight tomorrow. He looked a bit pace-less on the Polytrack but the Cambridgeshire should be much more suitable and, at likely odds, he looks like a bit of value in an impossible race.
The next best this week is old timer Monsieur Chevalier in the 4.50 Chester. The old boy is never going to return to his Group 1 four-year-old form but he doesn’t need to off a mark of 94 and, having knocked on the door for a while now, everything is in place for a big run tomorrow. He has the pick of the draw in stall one and the pick of the riders in Sean Levey and, with top weight Ocean Tempest making the market, he should be a working man’s price.
I won’t get any prizes for originality, but the one for the Trixie tomorrow has to be Zain Eagle in the 3.05 Chester. The dogs were barking this beast’s name in no uncertain terms at Doncaster a fortnight ago and, in stylishly overcoming the handicap of being trained by Gerard Butler, the son of Dylan Thomas looked for all the world like a Group horse in the making. He has to carry ten pounds more against better opponents tomorrow, but I doubt we’ll be able to bet this colt in a handicap again and he should outclass this lot.
Good luck with all your bets this weekend!
