Rizz is covering the main thread for Saturday's racing and instead of having two selections each for today's Lucky 15 bet, I opted to cover it myself and give him a break. I'm not all that lazy after all!
Saturday's racing looks good in terms of quality with some top-notch performers coming out to play in what looks a competitive day of racing ahead for punters.
Cairnzy's Tips
Lossiemouth 5/2 EW 3 places – Punchestown 2.10
The 2.10 at Punchestown looks the race of the day and it promises to be a cracker with Stateman, Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth all locking horns.
Gordon Elliot trains Brighterdaysahead but I'll be surprised if he's first to the line as it appears Willie Mullins holds the strongest hand in the contest. Stateman of course has the least to prove in this sphere. being an already proven grade-one performer but I've always thought Lossiemouth was a possible Champion hurdle winner. The two main aims for my selection in the future are either the Champion hurdle or the mares hurdle and depending on how this contest goes should determine what route this horse goes down.
I've slight concerns on wether Lossiemouth will have the same sort of speed as Stateman over this sort of trip but my selection does stay further and if they go a good clip then her stamina could be a huge factor. Stateman is the one to beat but I wouldn't be backing him at such odds and Lossiemouth looks the best alternative in my opinion to upset the applecart at a decent enough price of 5/2.
Duke Of Deception 6/1 EW 3 Places – Ascot 2.05
This is an absolute minefield of a race, and probably not the best idea to have a bet in this contest but here we are doing just that.
He can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm nearly certain Rizz has tipped this one up on the main thread in the past. I was a big fan of this horse last season and he probably should have a couple more 1's on his CV. Duke Of Deception looked a stayer going places last season and a second in last seasons Perth Highland National was probably the pick of his performances.
My selection had a recent rattle of hurdles on seasonal reappearance last month and although only finishing fifth that contest should have set him up nicely for this contest.
Tahmuras 9/2 EW 2 Places – Haydock 1.50
This is another cracking race with plenty of familiar faces on show. I think Iroko is the class act in this field and I was a massive fan of the horse last term but at 6/4 I would probably oppose it this time round.
All of these horses are making their return to the track so it's a bit of a risky race to have a bet in as we don't really have much to go on besides old past form. Paul Nicholls has hit a bit of a form recently and I thought from the field his runner Tahmuras could be fit and ready to go. Tahmuras tends to travel strongly throughout his races and made a pleasing start to life over fences last season. There could be more to come from him this season and he looks a solid alternative if you fancy taking on the current market leader.
Unfortunately, we only have two places on offer in this contest and with this being an advised each way lucky 15 bet, it's a huge risk that could hammer returns if he was to flop. I'll take the risk nonetheless.
Steel Ally 13/2 EW 4 Places – Haydock 1:15
Rizz has tipped up Josh The Boss on the main thread as one of his selections and I prefer to avoid backing against him but this was one of the races offering four places with 365 and as a result I've found myself hunting in it for something different.
My eyes were drawn to Steel Ally who looks a fair price at 13/2. My selection has to carry top weight in this contest which is a big ask but he does bring some solid form to the table. His neck defeat to the Skelton trained Doyens Quest last season is up there with the best on offer with that one boosting the form when hacking up by 5L during the November Cheltenham meeting.
Steel Ally tends to be ridden prominently during his races ( normally front runs ) and I'll be surprised if similar tactics are not used during this contest. Given my selection tends to front run I thought he was one of the better each way angles into the race and you should at the very least get a run for your money.
*Advised Bet – Eachway L15*
WHAT IS A LUCKY 15 BET?
A Lucky 15 bet consists of 15 unique bets, covering every possible combination that comes from backing four selections. The 15 bets are broken down like this:
– 1 fourfold accumulator
– 4 trebles, with each treble omitting one of your selections
– 6 doubles, again covering every possible combination
– 4 singles
The attraction of a Lucky 15 is that it offers many more ways to win than a standard accumulator. A Lucky 15 uses both your acca and your singles as well as producing trebles and doubles that reward you for correctly calling 2/4 or 3/4 of your selections. To cover the 15 separate bets, a Lucky 15 uses your stake 15 times. If you were to place £1 on a Lucky 15, you would be staking £15 in total across the various bets.
