SD's Racing Ramble: Weekend reflections and a fancy not to be missed

Having amassed a loyal following on our Races Now YouTube channel thanks to a combination of outstanding tipping and forthright opinions, the unimitable 'SD' has now signed up for a weekly column right here on OddsNow.com! 

Today's latest edition reflects on a strong weekend of racing while also looking ahead to this week's action.

I think we can safely say that the weekend went well for racing on both sides of the Irish Sea.

There will always be some curmudgeon who needlessly criticises things, but there was some bloody good racing all over the shop.

It was great to see Royale Pagaille, the king of Haydock retain his Betfair crown. It is clear that he is a far better horse at Haydock than elsewhere and connections would be encouraged to aim at the Peter Marsh and Grand National Trial.

He may even be worth a crack at the National itself, should underfoot conditions prove tractable.

Grey Dawning, not surprisingly, was outstayed. It may be a campaign geared toward Aintree could reap dividends, with races like the Denman Chase along the way.

He is not considered good enough for a Gold Cup to these eyes, but a strong run Ryanair may be more realistic.

At a lesser level, I have no idea why Famous Bridge was not declared at Haydock on Saturday, but he remains a staying chaser on an upward curve, well handicapped and hopefully may be seen in the Rowland Meryck next.

Royale Pagaille and jockey Charlie Deutsch win the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park Racecourse. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Revisions required

One thing though that is grating is the short-changing of racegoers.

It is notable there has been a marked increase in the number of six-race cards bookended by bumpers. The number of bumpers has increased exponentially. There were 62 in 1988 averaging at 17 entries per race. Meanwhile, there were 310 in 2013 and now we are averaging at around an average field size of eight.

They clearly are not that popular with trainers anymore and a reduction in the their number would be welcome. But adding a handicap instead of these races would be even more welcome — or, even better, get rid of a fixture given the measly numbers we have been having.

Short changing the racegoer with races which are of little form significance is particularly galling.

From November 1st to Christmas this year, Kelso, Ayr, Cheltenham, Sedgefield, Southwell and two fixtures at Wetherby suffer from this measly offering syndrome.

The latter is very galling for their formally great card, televised on Channel 4 many moons ago but now needlessly placed in a morning slot with a 10.35 first race this year.

With five races and a bumper, it provides minimal interest for the racegoer and has the additional inconvenience of horses setting off in the wee small hours. It favours no one.

Get on Galop

There’s another fantastic weekend of racing to be had and wherever Galop De Chaise turns up, I want to be on.

A course winner last November, he beat Kandoo Kid who is now rated 22lbs higher. His reappearance at Wetherby was satisfactory and off just 10lbs higher, he looks one to side with.

The queen of Herefordshire, Venetia Williams, has struck form at the right time and he appeals as a very well handicapped horse who is lightly raced at a track he has shown an affinity for.

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