Sandiuk - Horseracing Chit Chat, Musings, Gossip & Reviews

Grand National 2017

2017-04-07T21:56:00.001+01:00

Here I am again once more with my annual attempt at applying statistics and logic to that most illogical luck-fest of a spectacle that we know as the Grand National. As always with a field of this size, I have weeded out a good number of the runners using some trusty trends: · Aged between 8 and 12 (past 61 years) · NOT top weight · Official

April Air Kissing

2015-04-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

Coleen Rooney, spokesperson for the Merseyside Wag Association (MWA for short) has threatened Aintree with action if there are not adequate and proper facilities for the visiting ladies this year..... MWA have demanded assurances that there will be a guaranteed supply of both prosecco and paparazzi at Aintree on Ladies Day or they may be forced to go shopping instead .....

The Triskaidekaphobia Seagull & Sandwich Gold Cup Blog

2015-03-13T12:06:00.001+00:00

Triskaidekaphobia is not just a retired racehorse! Since this week so far I've had about as much luck as a sandwich at a seagull convention, the fact that it's Friday the 13th holds no fear for me today. 13:30 Triumph Hurdle Hargam is my selection for this first race to give AP another Festival win. Peace and Co is the antepost and SP favourite but only 2 have won in the past 10

Waynes World & Goodbye Ruby Tuesday Blog

2015-03-12T13:14:00.000+00:00

Ruby was unable to add to Tuesday's tally of winning rides yesterday (which is why a certain bookie was offering 3/1 for him to ride any winner) but he should be kicking off today with a win on Vautour. The ground is still described as having soft in the description today but listening to one or two of the jockeys and trainers, I find that hard to believe! Thoughts are with Patrick McCann,

My Champions Day at Cheltenham with OLBG & Annie Springsteen

2015-03-11T18:38:00.001+00:00

As a member of OLBG online sports betting community, I was lucky enough to receive a ticket for the first day of the Festival in one of their many ticket giveaways that they have alongside the numerous free to enter competitions. With the ticket offer came an invitation to join other members and staff in the box for the OLBG Mares Hurdle. On my journey down to Cheltenham, I knew I was in

The Roar, Game of Thrones and Annie (Cheltenham Festival Day 1)

2015-03-09T21:50:00.000+00:00

Like any fan of horseracing, I watch, read and listen as much as I find about my favourite sport and animals until my eyes, ears and brain ache - the information seeps into the old organic hard drive and I like to think that it helps me make informed decisions about who will win the race However, the heart can sometimes step in and reroute said information to the extent that if anyone was to

As Excited as a #Hashtag Key Manufacturer When Twitter was Invented

2015-03-08T20:28:00.000+00:00

We are just 2 days away from the annual roar that marks the start of 4 days of the very best national hunt action in the world..... .....so I have been dusting off my sheets from previous years (there are some incredibly powerful stats for the Festival that can't be ignored) and bringing this blog in out of the cold for the week. I have been attempting to be very grown up this year (ha!)

The Fairytale Derby Blog

2014-06-07T00:30:00.000+01:00

I'll be looking for a decent each way bet on these pages - or in other words, any horse other than Australia and who therefore offers a bit of value. Most bookies are also offering a 'without the favourite' market as well. I have been studying the weather forecasts as much as I have the form book for these picks and depending on which meteorological pundit you listen to, Epsom could have

The Scoopy Haddock Blog

2014-05-24T13:38:00.000+01:00

What a perfect day to abandon logical reason when picking the names of the Scoop 6 winners like ex professional ironist, Agnes Haddock from Cheshire did in 1997 when she included a runner called Clouding Over because “it looked like rain on the way to the betting shop” and Simon “because I used to work with a really nice lad called Simon” with bonus race winner Taranis chosen the next week was

The Nationally Grand Blog of 2014

2014-04-05T01:29:00.002+01:00

It doesn't seem so long ago that Mon Mome, Don't Push It, Ballabriggs, Neptune Collanges and Aurora's Encore were each winning the Grand National. Given that amongst those five there have been 100/1, 66/1 and 33/ winners (the other two were 14/1 and 10/1) you can understand why this is the one race of the year that captures the imagination of the general public who will never have a bet

Double Centuries & Gold Cups

2014-03-14T10:00:00.000+00:00

AP McCoy is chasing his 200th win of the season today and it would be very fitting if he could do it on board Triolo D'Alene in the Gold Cup. I would give that one an each way chance but is going to be looking for underperformances from both Bob's Worth and Silviniaco Conti. I was hoping to go down to the course early this morning to watch the runners gallop but looking out of the window when

St Patrick's Thursday - Green and Gold?

2014-03-13T10:51:00.000+00:00

I was possibly the only one yesterday shouting for O'faoilains Boy in the RSA yesterday after the word on course was for Smad's Place. Barry Geraghty at his finest and strongest. Poor Bryan Cooper does not have a lot of luck with bones. He has his leg broken in two places yesterday and the fact that Davy Russell has not been booked for the spare Gigginstown rides would suggest that the two

Here Come the Ladies (Day 2 Chelt Fest)

2014-03-12T10:44:00.001+00:00

This is the view I had yesterday as I enjoyed watching the Mares Hurdle from the box to the left of the Royal Box yesterday - courtesy of wonderful hospitality offered by OLBG Back to reality today and the challenge of quite a number of large fields so I've pondered thoroughly and have come up with these beauties: 13:30 Neptune Novices Hurdle 2m 5f Class 1 Grade 1 2013 Winner: the

Turfy Euros Breeders Cup Blog - Day 2

2013-11-02T18:32:00.001+00:00

Some great results from Santa Anita for UK and Irish racing (3 winners), lady trainers (Jo Hughes), ex-jockeys (Willie Carson - owns Chriselium), tall jockeys (Richard Hughes - rode Chrisellium), and this blog yesterday (3 winners). Now fingers crossed for a repeat performance tonight! Have you noticed the multitude of kitteny names in the US that are given to horses? I'm struggling to

The Dirty Breeders Cup Blog - Day 1

2013-11-01T16:17:00.003+00:00

You have to admit that the US know how to lay on a racing extravaganza and what a stage with the San Gabriel mountains as a backdrop! There are a couple of things to bear in mind when searching for winners at Santa Anita. Firstly there was a pro-track cushion surface in place from 2007 to 2010 before they reverted to good old dirt, so beware when looking back at past winners and draws

The Large Fields at Lunchtime Blog

2013-08-22T13:25:00.002+01:00

Having had some success with the large field races at York yesterday, I thought I would concentrate on these today and leave the smaller races to Aiden's gang.....by the way, in case you were wondering, Joseph isn't riding at York today because he can't do less than 9st. 13:55 DBS PREMIER YEARLING STAKES (CLASS 2) (2yo) There are a number of runners here who have been contesting

The It Gets Gloriouser and Gloriouser Blog - Goodwood Day 3

2013-08-01T13:19:00.000+01:00

A very decent show on yesterday's blog so I've taken my time again (not over-thought these I hope!) and fingers crossed on the 01 August for a lucky day to begin a lucky month. Short and sweet today: 14:15 GORDON´S STAKES (Handicap) (CLASS 2) (3yo) Win Red Avenger 2nd Next Best Tha’ir Each Way Mushaakis 14:45 AUDI RICHMOND STAKES (Group

The Even More Glorious Than Yesterday Blog - Goodwood Day 2

2013-07-31T13:29:00.000+01:00

You have to love Franny Norton yesterday. Coming back in covered in mud after the first race, he was asked what the ground was like. "It's fast" Ask a silly question! Yesterday's results for this blog weren't all that with plenty of places but only the one winner. the advantage of this is that we it can only get better ..... surely ! 13:55 UBS GOODWOOD STAKES (Handicap) (CLASS 2)

The Glorious Blog - Day 1

2013-07-30T13:28:00.001+01:00

There are a surprising number of trainers coming into this festival with some very healthy recent form. Roger Charlton and David Simcock have a 35% strike rate for the past fortnight with Mark Johnston, Saeed bin Suroor, William Haggas, Ellison, Hannon, Gosden and more all churning out 20% +. From this list, its the Mark Johnston runners that should be given the most respect as he is to

The Royal Crazy Horse Blog

2013-06-22T13:11:00.000+01:00

I couldn't let this last day of Royal Ascot pass without putting up my win, next bests and each ways...which have been pretty successful all week. Scroll down for picks.... Mad Moose (photo: Francesca Altoft) I'm not sure which will bring the biggest smile to my face today: another winner for Lady Jane or if Mad Moose deigns to leave the stalls. Mind you, four wins again from

The 'If It Ain't Broke Then Don't Fix It" Royal Ascot Day 3 Blog

2013-06-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

Once, Twice, Three Times a Doyler James Doyle was a total star yesterday turning in a treble, having previously never ridden a winner at Royal Ascot (he was born in Cambridge too don't ya know!) R Kingscote channelling Audrey Hepburn He's ridden some very decent winners out in Dubai this winter so we aren't totally surprised here at Sandiville. We mustn't forget

The 'Quick Fast Hurry Let's Just Have the Winners' Blog for Royal Ascot Day 2

2013-06-19T14:20:00.001+01:00

A slight change of format today with a win, next best and an each way pick for each race I've spent so much time selecting that time has conspired against my usual beautifully worded reasonings (oh yeah?!) Good luck all 14:30 Jersey Stakes Win Gale Force Ten 1st Next Best Garswood 4th Each Way Music Master U 15:

The Kingdom of the Royal Ascot Animal Blog

2013-06-18T00:52:00.000+01:00

Let’s see if we can do a Frankie this week at Ascot…..that is finding all the winners in one day, not the other (although I'm sure there’ll be plenty of city bankers there doing that!) 14:30 QUEEN ANNE STAKES Class 1 Group 1 (4yo+) Royal Ascot couldn’t open with a better or bigger star attraction than Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom. Trainer Graham

Have you heard the one about the Irishman, the Frenchman and the Italian?

2013-05-31T20:21:00.001+01:00

Frankie Dettori had to wait until Thursday evening to get his license restored by the French racing authorities. They finally shrugged their approval only for Frankie to get the leg up at Epsom on Friday (at the expense of Kieren Fallon, Neil Callan and Adam Kirby) and finish last, fifth and …..last. Ouch! It was only two years ago that a certain Mr Fallon was in court on the morning

The Blog of the Nationally Grand Kind

2013-04-06T00:45:00.002+01:00

So here is my annual attempt at unravelling this 40 horse puzzle! With such a large field, the first port of call is to weed out around half of the field with some nice fat juicy stats gleaned from the past ten renewals. Now this method worked wonders in 2009 when my shortlist produced five of the first six (and yes that included Mon Mome!) so I’m hoping the lightening can strike again.