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Captain's Blog - Wednesday 26th September

I was pleased to see my selection, I Confess, oblige at 15/2 yesterday. It was a welcome winner and one that gives us some funds going into a busy end to the week. I would like to stress that when I make a selection here it is not actually a tip in the traditional sense of the word. It is just my idea of a horse that should run well on that particular day.

I know some of you have recently sought to give me some grief over my selections, which is fair enough recently, but I do not put myself out there as a serious tipster, but rather a someone who enjoys writing a blog.

If I have a strong view about a selection I will always make that apparent and from today I am going to scale the confidence I have in my selections. One will be minimum faith and 10 will be maximum bet stuff.

To be fair I have had a few decent winners and Danedream in last year's Arc was a highlight and we all have losing runs now and then. If you are disillusioned with my selections you do not have to back them, indeed if you want to be really clever you could always lay them instead.

I have to be honest when I saw yesterday's headline in the Racing Post I had to check the date to make sure it was not April Fool's day. I have no particular problem with jumping at the track and it would make commercial sense given the size of the crowds they get there, however for me it just would not be the good old Chester that I know as my favorite track if there was jumping there.

I have nothing against jump racing, but Chester has always been a track I have associated with exciting flat racing in the summer months with the sun shining, a crowd of 30,000 plus and champagne flowing. As a venue it could probably accommodate summer jumps action, and good luck to them if they go ahead with this plan, but in my opinion it would take some of the gloss away from this top-class flat racing venue.

Time for the dreaded selection, folks. Today I am keen on Girl of Cadiz in the 7.50 at Kempton. She improved in a handicap for the first time and on the Polytrack for the first time last time out. From a good draw in stall two under Richard Hughes she looks set to run a decent race.

Today's Selection

7.50 Kempton - 4* Girl of Cadiz