Halloween

Is, to my mind, a revolting US import designed to get entirely on my nerves and turn the kids into complete monsters seeking their next sugar rush.

Lucky then, that I am going out.

I wanted to get away from baking and birthdays today so I could better concentrate on the main b in life – betting.  Yet again though I am struck down by the curse of Saturday, too many cards and not enough time.  I started looking at them yesterday in the hope of stealing a march on the rest of you, but there is just too much.  Newmarket has some enormous fields with some nice quality and then the jumps have the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and some jumping action at Ascot.  Added to all that, the football fan has ants in his pants because the Arsenal face the old enemy at lunchtime and he will be hideously encumbered with kids for the day.  So I am going to have make this snappy!

The Charlie Hall Chase is an historic sort of race but lately it suffers from being run at Wetherby.  It seems to have had smallish fields over the last few years, so the recent  negative publicity surrounding the ground conditions and fatalities have not necessarily a factor in today’s field of 5 going to post.  Paul Nicholls writes in today’s Post that he would like it moved – not because of the track but because he would like better ground – which more or less amounts to the same thing.  I wonder if he has the BHA’s ear to that extent? 

I can’t tell you anything you can’t work out for yourself in today’s race really.  I would love Ollie Magern to take this following his wins in 2005 & 2007.  Racing is full of cliches but I defy anyone to watch Ollie Magern in his first race of the season and not fully understand the term “spring-heeled”.  When on song (which is in the Charlie Hall Chase for the last 3 years, 2nd last year under a 10lb penalty!) there is no more delightful chaser to watch.  He just makes you feel glad to be alive.  Unfortunately, there is not a lot of this lad and these front-running, early season debuts seem to take their toll, so if you are an Ollie backer catch him now whilst he’s hot.

Others are for Tamarinbleu who also goes well fresh and yet more think Evan Williams’ Deep Purple may be the one with more to come in the field.  Deep Purple is certainly an interesting contender, some think he won’t stay, but race comments suggest he wasn’t stopping over 2 and a half last year.  Personally I think this track and the distance are not going to be ideal for him, we know Evan Williams has a good track record in this race with State of Play, but he was a Hennessy winner and more of a staying type.  Snoopy Loopy is lumping the top-weight and Michael Hourigan sends over Church Island to complete the field.  On reflection, I think it is between Ollie and Tamarinbleu.  See, I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know!

In the John Smith Hurdle I am backing Fair Along (hopefully on song after a prep run in the Ces) and at Newmarket I am taking on the Godolphin hot favourite Prince Siegfried with a filly, Saphira’s Fire, who ran nicely over a touch too far lto and drops back to the optimum 10f this afternoon.  I also like Revered and Shaweel at HQ this afternoon, but I readily acknowledge that the wheels are starting to fall off my flat wagon at the fag-end of the season.

Good luck to those who are playing and please let Arsenal beat Happy Harry’s Halloween Hotspurs…

Purely for luck you understand