HARBINGER of doom for FAVOURITE

Great week of racing ahead starting with the big Ascot meeting this weekend and then it’s on to the Galway Festival for another feast of racing at Ballybrit. Add Glorious Goodwood to the mix and we have some mouthwatering action – so let’s get started.

Saturday racing

We start with the action at Ascot on Saturday and what a race the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes looks, with Derby winner Workforce taking on the older horses – Sean Graham have put the impressive Epsom winner in as their 4/5 favourite.

Michael Stoute holds the ace hand in this race  and his two horses have dominated the betting in this race for weeks. We think the ever-improving HARBINGER looks more of a value bet than the jolly and with top French pilot Oliver Peslier getting the leg up, that’s our pick. 

He has hacked up on all three racecourse appearances this year, and remember, the wily Stoute brought Conduit, Tartan Bearer and Ask to a one-two-three in the race 12 months ago. We think Dar Re Mi, the only filly in the race, could grab a place on Saturday at 12/1.

Sean Graham BET: Workforce 4/5, Harbinger  5/2, Cape Blanco 6, Dar Re Mi 14, Youmzain 14, Daryakana 16, At First Sight 66, Confront 200.

We also have the Victoria Racing Club International Stakes Heritage Handicap at Ascot on Saturday, which is run over seven furlongs, and the Jeremy Noseda-trained HIMALAYA could be in the shake-up in this one and gets a 14/1 early week quote for the race, which is good each-way value.

Over at York we have the SkyBet York Stakes where easy Ascot-listed  winner RAINBOW PEAK looks the one to beat judged on that facile win there in June, and could follow up at around 3/1.

GALWAY FESTIVAL

On to Ballybrit and the Galway Festival and another tough week of racing ahead, but we  have come with a few horses to keep an eye out for next week, starting with the big one on Wednesday, the Galway Plate.

Paul Nicholls sends over Five Dream for this one and he looks the best of the English challengers, getting a 12/1 quote from Sean Grahams. 

Heading the market is the Dermot Weld-trained Majestic Concorde who gets a tempting 9/1 pricing; it’s hard to ignore Weld’s horses at Galway but the PG are looking elsewhere in the race.

THE FONZE from the little Eoin Doyle yard looks the horse to follow in this type of race. After spending the summer winning three times over hurdles, he reverts to fences and looks the one to beat. His chasing form is half decent as well, thumping old stalwart War Of Attrition last November in a Grade 2 Event and the 12/1 looks like cracking value.

On to the Galway Hurdle and if Northumberland Plate winner Overturn turns up for this race then he will take some stopping.

BAHRAIN STORM won this race last year and  could well double up after winning at Tipperary at the weekend, with the Pat Flynn yard in great form he gets a 14/1 price for next Thursday’s race. 

Glorious GOODWOOD

And so we head to Glorious Goodwood which gets under way on Tuesday and we have some cracking racing ahead  with the Stewards Cup ending a top-class five days of racing on the Saturday.

We will have more on the big races at Goodwood in next week’s PG but we will concentrate on the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday where CANFORD CLIFFS looks the one to be on. He could take on Rip Van Winkle who knows how to win round here while Xtension could run a big race at big odds and gets a 25/1 pricing for the race, which could be great value.

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Lower Falls Punter grabs cracking Curragh treble

IT TURNED out to be a Super Sunday for Lower Falls punter Chris McKenna who took William Hills for a few quid with a cracking £10 treble.

He placed the bet on his way out of town on Saturday evening after banking a few quid with the PG Selection Temple Meads who won at 11/2 that afternoon. So he went for the big one and picked three fat ones at the Curragh on Sunday in the first three RTE races.

He took Dunboyne Express in the 2.35 and he had no sweat in this one as he bolted up by eight lengths at 9/2 to give him a £55 double which quickly turned into a £550 win single when LATIN LOVE came with a storming run to win the 3.05 race.

His last selection was in the big race of the day, the Irish Oaks, and he stood by Epsom Oaks winner SNOW FAIRY who it has to said won pulling a cart at 7/2.

He raked in £2,475 for his £10 stake – his biggest ever return on any bet and Chris flies out to sunshine state Florida this weekend with an extra few quid in his tail  which is music to my ears. 

Win a few quid, keep it and enjoy it – that’s the best way to play the bookies.

and the Friday NAG is Hevelius at Ascot...