Monday racing tips: Andy Ayres picks out his best bet for today's racing while updating us on all th

July 2021 · 4 minute read

WHAT a difference a week makes.

The temperature has dipped quicker than an Oxford Street pick-pocket and we’ve gone from hosepipes off to kagools-on in the blink of an eye.

That didn’t stop a bumper crowd – 31,071 in total - watching the girls beat the boys in the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday.

This meeting isn’t everyone’s cup of Darjeeling, but it puts bums on seats and that can only be good for the sport.

Nicola Currie wasn’t part of the girls’ team but is improving week-on-week and could be in line for a call up next summer.

She was positively herculean when forcing Vegas Boy home at Lingfield on Saturday night and punters would do well to make use of her three pounds claim – its money for old rope right now.

FOND OF BLONDE Hugo Palmer is still positive on juvenile Blonde Warrior who finished behind Dark Vision at Goodwood

Talking of good rides, Oisin Murphy was massively unlucky to be nutted close home on Amazing Fox in a nursery on the same Lingfield card.

This was a bad horse running in a desperate race at the fag end of the week.

Murphy rode it like his life was on the line and, short of getting off and pushing, couldn’t have done any more for punters.

The same can’t be said of Chelmsford who charged racegoers for waterproof ponchos during the monsoon like downpours at their music night on Friday.

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A ticket for these events isn’t cheap - £32.50 upward – whereas the ponchos in question are always of the wear-once-and-bin variety.

This racecourse, which is owned by Betfred, would do well to remember Barry Hearn’s business mantra - `always leave a bit of bread in the fish’s mouth’.

Poor old Lingfield were bowled a googly when Paloma Faith went down with a sore throat on the eve of their Saturday night fixture.

They drafted in Chic, offered money back to those who weren’t happy with the substitute – I’m told 1,500 customers did so – and handed out free ponchos when the rain arrived. Look and learn Mr Done!

The betting exchange Betfair make a nice few quid out of the game but have recently opted to give a few of their full-time on-course reps the elbow.

That’s bad news and schoolboy errors are starting to creep in.

Monday magic

SHORT SKIRT (6.00 Windsor) chased a smart filly home on debut and deserves another chance after running wide at Lingfield last time.

DUBAI SILK (8.00 Windsor) beat a couple of fair sprinters over C&D in May and is open to plenty of improvement.

For example, Global Goddess was left in the market for a nursery at Lingfield on Saturday night when she’d been declared a non-runner 45 minutes before the race.

Similarly, an insider tells me they lost upward of £250,000 when the pictures went down at a midlands meeting recently and they had no-one on-course to confirm a race had started.

That’s not really good enough, is it?

I’m told attendances have been up by 60 percent at Windsor this summer – a good effort by all concerned – and West End Charmer (6-1 to 100-30) landed a tickle for the Mark Johnston yard there yesterday.

Alan King’s newcomer The Olympian chased him home which was a fair effort as he looked about as clued up as Boris Johnston at a Mosque.

The Olympian is bred to stay forever, will have learnt plenty from his first day at the sports and is nailed on to win races.

Eve Johnson Houghton’s fuse is only marginally longer than Yul Brynner’s hair and she gave Charles Bishop an ear-bashing after he was beaten on Short Skirt at Lingfield a fortnight ago.

To be fair, the jockey did come via the cape after running wide round the final bend and his filly had been bet like a good thing.

Cheerful Charlie has a chance to atone on this good-looking chestnut in the 6.00 at Windsor tonight and
ought to collect.

Similarly, Robert Cowell’s Dubai Silk has a big shout in the 8.00 on the same card.

The race she won over C&D in May has worked out better than an Agatha Christie whodunit and connections will be chuffed to have Oisin Murphy on their side.

Star filly Laurens ready for QIPCO British Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes

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