Equinties - the rematch

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Gm Equinauts

NOTHING BUT PAIN FOR THE NEWSLETTER BETS YESTERDAY.

Thank f*ck Finndog came through with a bull run though.

Even though Sandown is off (annoying) there's still a lot of (bad) racing but you don't have to back them all. Try the TOTE Fantasy, it helps to cage the emotional chimp shouting at you to BET MORE.

Now, let’s dive in.

Headline round up 

Punchestown Sales

Just like Cheltenham, the Punchestown Festival has a sale on the Thursday of the meeting and as always, stupid money was thrown around the ring. It's getting stupid.

The biggest of the lot was €500k for a mare called QUALIMITA who was bought by Mags O’Toole to be trained by Gordon Elliott.

She was very good on PtP debut and won in a 'most impressive' manner.

At a slightly lower price, Tom Malone kept himself busy as HISTRIONIC was bought for Paul Nicholls for €450k - he won at Tralee last weekend.

And it wasn’t just PtP horses on sale, top quality horses who have seen the racetrack also went under the hammer and the biggest of them all was the now ex-Willie Mullins-trained DOLCITA who was sold for €240k to Cyril Crowe for breeding.

Punchestown Festival

Grade 2 Mares Chase

THE REMATCH.

In what was arguably one of the best races of the Festival, the Mares Chase saw two VERY talented mares in IMPERVIOUS and ALLEGORIE DE VASSY throw everything at each other up that hill in epic style, a race which will stay in peoples mind for many years.

Today they meet again for round 2. But it's not just a two girls race. INSTIT wasn't at Cheltenham last time and she stuffed ALLERGORIE DE VASSY by 9 lengths.

Who is your winner? Tweet us @equinties

Grade 1 Paddy Power Champion Hurdle

She's done plenty and oh boy was she oh so good at Cheltenham but let's be honest, we all wish HONEYSUCKLE was still racing and returning here to try the Punchestown Champion Hurdle hat trick.

Alas, she's enjoying her well earned time off and no doubt soon will be covered by BLUE BRESIL.

One of only 3 horses ever to have beaten HONEYSUCKLE heads the market at an odds price today and of course, that's STATE MAN. Like HONEYSUCKLE, there are few blemishes in STATEMANS record...well, one actually, and that's the freak CONSTITUTION HILL.

On form, nothing beats him here, but Punchestown has often becomes a crime scene of missing ability, so if there is one day that he will be beaten by anyone (other than the Freak), it could be today.

Stablemate and perennial bridesmaid VAUBAN is the second-favourite in the contest - even Rich Ricci believes his five-year-old isn’t good enough to beat his older rival and he may be one to keep an eye on next year.

Old favourite SHARJAH is in the mix. It feels like he's been around forever. At 10yo there might not be many Grade 1 races left in him so just enjoy his presence today. He was, well still is a monster. Oh and he's finished the closest to CONSTITUTION HILL under rules!

ZANAHIYR is a master of finishing in the places, he should be bang there with the other for some scraps of prize money and his stable mate PIED PIPER, a good second in the County, will be fighting for scraps with him.

PIED PIPER is thorough stayer and if a few go off too hard in front to try and beat STATE MAN, he could be the one lobbing in-behind.

Grade 1 Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle 

It’s a day for those Mullins accas and IMPAIRE ET PASSE is one to potentially see you through to the next leg.

He was devilishly good in the Ballymore and with GAELIC WARRIOR’s facile win yesterday, the form looks good.

The double-green of Simon Munir & Isaac Souede have invested well in the youth over the last few years and it’s starting to pay off with this lad, EL FABIOLO, and a battalion of good bumper horses in FUN FUN FUN, IT’S FOR ME, and NIGHT AND DAY to start getting excited over. As owners, they're a forced to be reckoned with these days.

Of the rest, the interesting horse is HIGH DEFINITION who is stepping up on trip to 2m3f following his Supreme disappointment.

He stayed well on the flat at 1m4f/1m6f and if he can settle better over a longer distance, he could continue to gallop - might he be hard to catch?

INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN was the big ante-post Martin Pipe plunge before he was not confirmed for the race - instead of a handicap, connections are trying Graded company - a tip in itself for a big run?

Bumper

Willies heads the market - what's new? LECKY WATSON is related to ANNIE POWER and comes here after placing 4th in the Champion bumper. That form has only been backed up this week by A DREAM TO SHARE.

Gordon Elliott has second fave in QUANTUM STORM. He's by bumper super sire FAME AND GLORY (RIP) complementing a catalogue of winners dam side. Yet to win, he's bumped into BALLYBURN lto (and we all know now how good he is) and the potential star for Lucinda Russell's yard in GIOVINCO who trotted up this week in a Listed race ON THE BRIDLE.

I'll side with the Gordon Elliott horse QUANTUM STORM. Probably stupid to go against Willie at his own Festival but given how much success FAME AND GLORY has given me in bumper bets previously, I am certainly not abandoning him now.

So, who is our new sponsor?

UK Meds is an online clinic where you can get medications delivered to your door. Handy if you can’t be arsed to have those awkward convos with your doctor face to face!

Our bets not getting you hard? UK Meds can help:

Use discount code BGP10 for 10% off everything*

*Discount can be applied on anything except Saxenda. 

NEW FEATURE - YOUNG BLOOD

Notes on pedigree, attractive crosses and sales trends

14.15 Donny

UNITED APPROACH is a son of FASTNET ROCK out of a NEW APPROACH mare. NEW APPROACH has done well as a broodmare sire of late with MODERN GAMES, MAWJ and KNIGHT. UA’s dam was third in the Cheshire Oaks and a half sister to NICHOLS CANYON who was a good flat horse before going on to be a great hurdler.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN is by FRANKEL out of THE WAGON WHEEL who was bought for 650k. THE WAGON WHEEL was Listed placed and is a full sister to Listed winner TABARAKK.

DESERT GAMES is by KODIAC o/o a PIVOTAL mare. The rain softened ground won’t be a problem for him. Dam was unraced and hasn’t produced a winner. From the family of BURATINO, he has an entry in the upcoming Horses In Training Sale at Tatts

Risk on

Be careful with betting and staking this weekend, WE HAVE A MAX BET MONDAY. 

Sandown was a NR today so all bets for us are off, but to keep the chimp preoccupied we'll hit this Owners 7/1 win treble with a bit of lunch money:

14.15 UNITED APPROACH

14.50 ROYAL DRESS

15.25 SUPREME KING

Staking and banking

There was a lot of positive feedback recently from people benefitting from our staking advice. Well, and general bank roll tips too. So we'll keep it here as a reminder.

If you want to take punting seriously and use racing as a value add to your life, keep a betting bank, protect it at all times (none of this 'ah we're on a bull run, I'll stick a few stupid bets on') and stick to risking the % stakes, upping notional as the bank grows. Betting banks will change your punting forever.

Help keep a healthy bank by betting less and using the TOTE Fantasy game to feed the chimp.

Create your stable and use code QHZ36G to join the BGP league here: