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Tanya's Blog - Wednesday 24th October

Notebooks at the ready for Newmarket today, which is live on . There will be so much potential on display that it may be worth recording or at least reviewing this meeting a few times. A bit like the weekend action just gone. I was lucky enough to be at Cheltenham on Friday and Saturday giving a real feeling that the jumps season was about to take over. Thank goodness, the wait has been unbearable.

I've got a few for you to put into your Nagme accounts:

First one to note is Fox Appeal. He was my nap of the Festival but flunked in the Albert Bartlett so I was keen to see his first effort this season. White colours are easy to see on a murky day despite a big field! There was plenty of promise to look forward to, despite finishing tenth to Action Master, and I wait with anticipation for his next outing.

Having virtually interviewed or talked to everything that moved on the Friday, I had preconceived ideas about how all horses should run on the Saturday. I thought all the first four in Cheltenham’s 3.40 ran exceedingly well, especially Bradley, who was stepping so far up the class ladder he ought to have had vertigo. Instead he excelled and perhaps will be ridden in closer proximity in the future. Plus it ought to be Grand National here we come for Galaxy Rock, he travelled with ease and just blew up two out against the course specialist.

The betting on Hold On Julio was very strange, in the morning Alan King’s runner was backed from 8-1 into 11-2. Then on course he opened up at 11-2 only to suddenly drift out to 14 on the exchanges, which drew the on-course market out to 10-1! That lasted for a few minutes, only as the firms weighed in and shortened him back in again to around 7-1 and he then went off at 13-2. Knockara Beau and Qianshan Leader were two others heavily backed on-course but didn’t translate the money into a good run.

Nadiya De La Vega was a brilliant winner and great ride from AP McCoy in the 2m4f handicap saw her shortened up for the BetVictor Gold Cup next month. However it is Gordon Elliott's Jamsie Hall who I like. He treated the fences with contempt and even ricocheted off another horse two out, so has much potential. Havingotascoobydo had to contend with recovering from a serious injury in the off season and to be up in contention three out is a feat in itself. He is sure to come on for the run and may be better dropped back in distance for the next run.

Money came out of the ground for Our Vinnie in the first and although the support was not able to convert into a win, he should be watched as it may not have been soft enough for him and there is sure to be a retrieval mission.

On Sunday at Kempton we witnessed a star in the making in Sire De Grugy. He made a few niggly, novice errors but the race wasn’t run fast enough for him and he will flow better when they go quicker. Grams And Ounces showed he has the aptitude for the bigger obstacles but he is in no way the class of the winner but he will win a few nice races.

On to today, at Fontwell and in the 3.25pm I rate Venetian Lad. He is becoming a bit of a course specialist, winning three of his eight races and Marc Goldstein has developed a good rapport with the horse in addition to the fact he takes off a valuable 3lb from the saddle cloth.

Today's tips:

3.25 Fontwell: Venetian Lad

7.50 Kempton: Sesentum

Tanya's Pointers:

Paul Nicholls has had ten winners from his last 23 Fontwell runners

Venetian Lad has won three of his eight races at Fontwell

Alain Cawley has ridden four winners from his ten Fontwell rides

John Gosden has won Newmarket’s 3.40 & 4.10 four times in the last nine years

Charlie Longsdon has won the last two runnings of Worcester’s 2.10 and has a 35% strike rate with his chasers at the course

Aidan Coleman has had three winners from his last eight rides on Bennys Mist

Felix De Giles has a 35% strike rate aboard chasers at Worcester

Paul Nicholls has a 31% strike rate with his hurdlers at Worcester