SD's Racing Ramble: Thrills, fixture switches and a first Cheltenham poke
Having amassed a loyal following on our Races Now YouTube channel thanks to a combination of outstanding tipping and forthright opinions, the inimitable 'SD' has now signed up for a weekly column right here on OddsNow.com!
Do let me start with some positive vibes this week, for all you 'glass half full' people out there. Last weekend was fantastic, wherever you were .
Reports from Leopardstown were it was fantastic. Sandown looked great and we had some excellent finishes. Wetherby had some excellent fields, albeit of a lower quality.
Musselburgh, where I went, was simply superb. I cannot stress what an excellent time I had up in Scotland, with excellent racing and facilities. The enjoyment factor was off the Richter scale.
We can’t have this every weekend though. A cursory glance of this weekend's fixtures allowed me to treat my better half to a weekend away. It is geographically challenged, to put it mildly.
Saturday sees turf racing from Uttoxeter, Warwick and Newbury. Whilst Sunday then carts you to Exeter and Chepstow. My 'if in doubt, go north' policy lays in tatters.
There is nothing for the paying race goer north of Uttoxeter, which for the more geographically challenged, is in Staffordshire. It is utterly bonkers and there is a solution, but yet again it requires a degree of collaboration between racecourse groups – something that has been sadly lacking in recent times.
Putting Musselburgh to this weekend, for example, and swapping Uttoxeter would be a start. We’d then have competitive racing countrywide and a rightful bigger focus on Musselburgh, together with a more balanced approach for the northern race goer.
This Sunday is a particular stinker for those who want to go racing too. As a minimum, it is to be hoped that Chepstow is moved to somewhere like Sedgefield next year (same group), to encourage race goers to attend. Having two race meetings on the same day in a tiny quadrant of the South West is simply bonkers.
There is little the regulator can do, since racecourse groups own the fixtures, but I know you are an avid reader of this column Martin Cruddace. A lot of this is in your hands, so make it so please and avoid me another expensive weekend away with my better half.
Sud looks worth siding with
I’m sure you were delighted to hear that Races Now will be doing a Cheltenham Festival preview this year, with a stellar line up including your correspondent.
The idea behind it is you can actually see us in person, get pissed, watch me get pissed (the foxhunter preview will be a blur, no doubt) and offer some thoughts on the action too. The free pint was important. Do click on the link at the bottom of this article to avail yourself of a ticket (while stocks last).
It would be remiss of me not to advise you something for the fabled fez at this early stage.
I see very little downside to betting L’eau Du Sud for the Arkle at 10/1 each way NRNB at this early stage.
He is set to advertise his claims at Warwick on Saturday in the Kingmaker and he has done very little wrong hitheto over fences. Whilst Sir Gino is clearly a brute, Marjborough’s jumping at Leopardstown last week was haphazard.
There are, in reality, very few contenders for this. If L’eau Du Sud runs a stinker at Warwick, then he probably won’t go anyway, hence the NRNB angle – but the upside is a sparkling performance and tasty each-way terms make him the first recommended bet of 2025 at the Fez.
For more SD racing insight, be sure to subscribe to the Odds Now and Races Now YouTube channels, and follow Races Now on X (Twitter).