Newbury Placepot Picks: 18th May 2013

NEWBURY — SATURDAY 18TH MAY

A second decent placepot return at York this week, and this time it featured two lines from the basic 24-unit A list. Paying £117.20 for £1, it would have been worth £234.40 for a £24 investment.

Playing all picks in the big perm (384 x 10p) returned £93.76, and using the ticket builder would have netted 1.8 lines for £210.96.

Not bad at all. There were also a couple of nice winners which I fancied, told you I fancied, and backed. Beldale Memory shortened from 4/1 in the morning to 7/4, and scooted up; and Sir John Hawkwood truncated from 11/4 with Hills to an SP of 13/8.

Yes, yes, I know that’s all rather after-timing but it was a VERY good day for yours truly yesterday, and I thought I’d have a little gloat 😉

Newbury today, and a typically tricky Saturday. We’ll take a streamlined approach this afternoon.

Leg 1: 1.30 – One of those maidens where there are plenty of improvers and ‘could be anything’ first time starters. I want to be close to anything Sir Michael Stoute runs, especially when Ryan Moore’s in the saddle, just now, so Russian Realm is first name on the team sheet. He may well have been unsuited by the Chester experience last time, as many horses are.

Dare To Achieve has taken money this morning and the three furlong longer trip looks right up this son of Galileo’s street.

A – 3 (Dare To Achieve), 10 (Russian Realm)

Leg 2: 2.05 – I like Harris Tweed here. He’s a pretty good horse at this Listed level, and he goes all right on a quick surface. His first time up record reads 7131, and I reckon he’ll go close to leading from gate to post. Gallipot and Viking Storm (return to turf a positive) are interesting in opposition, as is Chiberta King. But I’m going to chance Harris Tweed as a banker.

A – 2 (Harris Tweed)

Leg 3: 2.40 – A big field sprint handicap, and this is where I’m using some of my bullets. The form of Khawatim’s two Kempton wins couldn’t be stronger, with the first race yielding wins from the second, third and fourth since; and the second run seeing runner-up Yeeow winning a super-competitive Ascot handicap next time. Khawatim has form on turf (two wins) and Noel Quinlan loves him. He’s worth a bet today.

I’ll take Modern Tutor, Prodigality and Poole Harbour on A too.

Hallelujah and Khubala are open to bags of improvement too. B.

A – 1 (Prodigality), 8 (Khawatim), 10 (Poole Harbour), 16 (Modern Tutor)
B – 3 (Hallelujah), 5 (Khubala)

Leg 4: 3.15 – A lop-sided look to this one, with Stoute’s Hillstar around even money despite the presence of loads of big improvers. He makes A readily, but with the prospect of a non-runner reducing us to seven places, I’ll take some B ballast.

Spillway has been impressive in running up a hat-trick, and Salutation is a hardy sort.

A – 2 (Hillstar)

B – 4 (Spillway), 5 (Salutation)

Leg 5: 3.50 – A moderate renewal of this race, in truth, and I’m siding with established form in the shape of Cityscape. Conditions look ideal, he goes well fresh, and he has the best form in the race. Banker. Hopefully.

A – 4 (Cityscape)

Leg 6: 4.25 – A maiden with little to go on. No market moves, and those with form haven’t achieved much. I’ll take a chance on unraced runners here, in the shape of Plover, Shamal and Quintet, and hope one of them is half decent!

A – 7 (Shamal), 10 (Plover), 11 (Quintet)

That leaves us with perms looking like this:

Just A’s – 2 x 1 x 4 x 1 x 1 x 3 = 24 bets

All picks – 2 x 1 x 6 x 3 x 1 x 3 = 108 bets

Ticket builder optimized perm – see below.

Newbury placepot

Readers can use the ticket builder at www.geegeez.co.uk/ppot/ to create their own part perms.

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