Winning ticket drought at wet Cheltenham opener
Upon this advice, a hefty £20 was put on to win. Turned out, he could be beaten. And was. Badly.
To the second race, and word reached us yesterday morning from the racecourse gallops, via our early-rising Evening Echo colleagues, that Cork-based trainer Liam Burke was sweet on Thyne Again.
Based on the obvious claims of hot favourite Noland, we went the each way route this time around. It made no difference. For a few moments it looked like Thyne Again would yield some place money as he rallied towards third, but it wasn’t to be. Fourth.
After that, we took things easy for the Champion Hurdle, in the (horribly mistaken) belief that Sizing Europe was a good thing. A forecast was placed, Sizing Europe to beat Katchit. The latter did his job. Waterford’s great hope didn’t.
Another colleague reckoned Patsy Hall was a quiet fancy in the fourth so we took him at his word and threw down a tenner on the nose. Take that you rich bookmakers! And they did.
Best decision of the day was staying away from the fourth, with the gambled-on Wonderkid trailing home well down the field, with JP landing another win courtesy of Garde Champetre.
Then, the first of the get-out stakes brought a clash of opinions, not the first or the last of the week. “Ashkazar is a certainty,” someone said, while others touted River Liane as their best bet.
Wiser people might have known which would win. We decided on another forecast featuring the two aforementioned. Neither won.
As Scarlett O’Hara opined after a bad afternoon at Gowran Park, tomorrow is another day!
