Stat of the Day, 22nd July 2012

Stat of the Day 22/7

Stat of the Day: 22nd July 2012

No joy for Colditz or SotD yesterday, so we’re making a long trip south from Cartmel in Cumbria to Devon some 320 miles away for a Class 5 Handicap Chase over the bare minimum 2 miles. The ground is said to be Good To Firm and we’re expecting 9 runners to contest the…

4.10 Newton Abbot

Trainer Richard Harker doesn’t send many horses to Newton Abbot, but his chasers tend to go well there: 2 winners and a place from his 5 representatives there in the last 2 years. He has just the one horse declared to run today and it’s an old warrior: the 13-year-old Lidjo de Rouge. Our selection may well be considerably older than most of his rivals, but arrives here in good heart after two decent outings for his new yard.

He was second here a month ago and followed that up with a good win last Sunday at Stratford. He will, of course, be carrying a penalty for that win, but the drop in distance and the easier ground conditions should help to ease that extra burden. I also think that the booking of Richard Johnson is eye-catching and may well prove the difference between success and failure.

I wrote this piece at 1am, so not all the bookies had priced this one up yet. I’ve taken some of the 9/2 BOG that was on offer from bet365, but I strongly recommend that you…

Click here for the latest odds for the 4.10 Newton Abbot.