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Captain's Blog - 1st November 2010

It looks as if Richard Hughes is going to miss the Breeders Cup. It has been reported this morning that his pursuit of the Jockeys Championship could see him stay here to ride on Friday and Saturday. If this is the case I can see him being crowned champion. He is only three behind Paul Hanagan at the moment who must be under a great deal of pressure having lead the race for so long. Whatever the outcome it looks as if it is going to go down to the wire at Doncaster on Saturday which is good news for Racing in these troubled times. The two title contenders both have seven rides each today at Wolverhampton in which they go head to head in six races, it will be fascinating to see where they stand at the close of play.

I have a reasonably busy week working for where my duties will include covering two twilight meetings from Kempton, a day in the booth and some French action as well. At the weekend I will be settling down to watch the Breeders Cup meeting which is always a meeting I enjoy whether I am working on it or not. This year I will be at home with my Daily Racing Form cards that contain the all important Beyer figures. At this stage I do not have any firm views on the Racing, but I would advise some caution when betting on the dirt. Beware of horses whose best form is on polytrack because the dirt is a totally different surface, we should also be on the lookout for a track bias which usually develops on the inside of the track. There is often a faster strip there at the big meetings and the same could be true this year. If there is a bias there then anything Calvin Borel rides has to be of interest because the Churchill rail is his territory and he rides the track better than any other jockey. There are better riders out there than Calvin, but his track craft at this place makes him as good as anybody riding at the track. I will have a few more thoughts for you on the Breeders Cup this week along with some selections for Friday and Saturday throughout the course of this week.

On the tipping front we did not do too badly during October with some decent priced winners helping us into profit. We hardly covered ourselves in glory on Saturday but we are now in a new month which I am going to attack with renewed vigour. Here’s hoping we do not trip up at the first hurdle today.

All the best.

Today's Selection

4:30 Wolverhampton – Willow Dancer (each way 11/2 Sky Bet)