ANDYTOWN MASSACRE FOR BOOKMAKERS

25/1 Stonker: Andytown and jockey Felix de Giles are led into the winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham

BEST CHELTENHAM EVER! That was the cry from local punters last week after the bookmakers took a hiding on the last day.
We have received numerous emails and phone calls from local people who thanked us for letting them know about the horse
We put up ANDYTOWN as one of our big Cheltenham fancies a few weeks ago and our Monday paper picked it up as the front page off-lead. He was due to run in the Coral Cup but trainer Nicky Henderson decided to run him in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle.
Believe it or not, he was the only course and distance winner in the field, and at Cheltenham that means a lot. With jockey Felix de Giles aboard he won back in November so the 25/1 looked too big in my view.
Andytown gave de Giles a dream ride and won pulling a cart. He could now be aimed at Aintree early next month and as soon as we know, so will our readers
Trainer Nicky Henderson beamed afterwards: “He's been chasing since winning here, but to be perfectly honest with you he hated jumping fences.
“He didn't like it the first time so I thought he had a good enough mark over hurdles and he won here in November then got beaten at Wetherby, so I went back chasing but he's hated it twice now.
“That meant I had no option but to send him back over hurdles and even schooling over them he has been so much happier.
“I didn't want to say anything but I thought he was my dark horse nap of the week.”
Chris Deery, General Manager of Sean Grahams, commented: “You have to take these results on the chin and fair play to our Andersonstown shop customers, they bet with their hearts, and boy have they got big hearts. They’ll need big pockets too because the horse has cost us £15,000.”
Chris also pointed out that the race was a guaranteed odds race with Sean Graham, which meant that if you took the early price of 16/1 you were still paid the S.P. at 25/1. So a win-win situation for all customers.
“With Kauto Star winning the Gold Cup with the ever-popular Ruby Walsh on board, it’s been a great day for punters, not least our Andytown customers who clearly know how to beat the credit crunch,” added Chris, who’s obviously a sporting guy.
That’s great to hear and I have to say it rounded off a great week for the Punters Guide. We were well in front going into the last day after giving out an amazing ELEVEN winners over the four days. For the record, the winners we gave out at the festival were: GO NATIVE 12/1 WON; FORPADDYTHEPLASTERER 8/1 WON; WICHITA LINEMAN 5/1 WON; GARDE CHAMPETRE 7/2 WON; COOLDINE 9/4 WON; MASTER MINDED 2/5 WON; NINETIETH MINUTE 14/1 WON; SILK AFFAIR 11/1 WON; DUNGUIB 9/2 WON; KAUTO STAR 7/4 WON; ANDYTOWN 25/1 WON.

Weekend Soccer Selections

RAM IN TO DERBY at 1/1
On to the weekend soccer and it’s starting to get down to the nitty-gritty end of things, so it gets even tougher to get winners on the board – trust me on that one.
PG QUAD
We start with our weekend nap and we have opted for Nigel Clough’s DERBY (1/1). They host struggling Barnsley who have lost 11 matches out of 17 on the road this season. Nigel Clough has made a big difference since joining the Rams and a win on Saturday could quash any lingering relegation fears.
BLACKBURN (5/4) need points on the board and quick and we fancy them to get maximum points at home to West Ham who are crippled with injury problems.
WYCOMBE (6/5) grabbed a point at leaders Brentford last weekend and we have taken them to follow up with a win over Rochdale this weekend.
Making the quad up are QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (5/4) who are on a good run at the moment and we think another win beckons at home to Livingston.
PG FIVEHIT
Quickly our odds-on weekend FIVEHIT and BIRMINGHAM  (8/13) should take care of Norwich, HUDDERSFIELD (8/13) should take maximum points at home to Cheltenham while LEEDS (10/11) should win at Crewe.
Leaders LEICESTER (1/2) should win again, this time at the expense of Colchester, and making the five-hit up are ST JOHNSTONE (4/6) who entertain and hopefully beat Airdrie.
PG XXX
Just missed out on our draw treble last week but still a 10/1 double up.
We start at STOKE’s Britannia Stadium where MIDDLESBORO pay a visit with both teams desperate for points – a point each looks the bet.
BOLTON travel to the Hawthorns to take on WBA in another basement battle and we think another tight one is likely.
Into the Championship to make the XXX up and we think READING could grab a point at Selhurst Park against Neil Warnock’s erratic CRYSTAL PALACE side.

WEEKEND RACING

Winter glory for KANDIDATE
Let’s hope our winning run continues through to this weekend. The big races seem to be on the flat with the Winter Derby at Lingfield and the start of the Irish flat season at the Curragh on Sunday.
We start with the Winter Derby at Lingfield on Saturday (3.05) and the betting is led by the Chris Wall-trained Premio Loco who looks the one to beat judging by his two performances at Kempton and Lingfield this year. He is always delivered late and hold-up jockey George Baker will leave it to the last half-furlong before producing Loco. The 3/1 on offer as we went to press represents good value.
Kandidate is as tough as nails and ran fourth behind second favourite for Saturday’s race Re Barolo. He got into trouble in that race so he will be there or thereabouts come Saturday.
The jockey/trainer combination of Clive Brittain/Neil Callan is always to be watched and the last time Callan rode Kandidate he won the listed Magnolia Stakes, so the 20/1 looks great each-way value.
They Bet: Premio Loco 3/1, Re Barolo 5/1, Charlie Farnsbarns 6/1 , Suits Me 7/1, Without A Prayer 8/1, Bronze Cannon 10/1, Scintillo 12/1, Halicarnassus 16/1, Whistledownwind 16/1, Bon Spiel 20/1, Kandidate 20/1, Dockofthebay 25/1, Drill Sergeant 33/1, Mahadee 33/1, Internationaldebut 40/1, Baylini 66/1.
We finish at the Curragh on Sunday with the Keatley Groundcare Irish Lincolnshire (4.15) and we have opted for the Jim Bolger-trained Prima Luce who is ultra-consistent and should figure prominently in this big field come Sunday.

DOWNPATRICK COMPETITION
Competition time, folks, courtesy of Iain Duff, Manager of Downpatrick Racecourse.
It's for the TOALS RACEDAY at Downpatrick next Sunday (March 29). First prize is a cracker – Sunday carvery lunch for four people to include admission, tickets and race cards. Six admission tickets to runners-up. To enter answer this simple question: Who won the Gold Cup last week? Email us at puntersguide@ire landclick.com before next Thursday, March 26, or post it to the PG Competition, Teach Basil, 2 Hannahstown Hill, Belfast BT17 OLT.