A long way behind.....

Not only did Further Outlook run very poorly, as it transpired he was also drawn on the wrong side of the course!!! It is possible old father time is catching up with him at the age of 12.


Profit/Loss: +£38.70

A bright outlook...........

With plenty of cash in the pot - a chance today is taken on an outsider. Further Outlook goes in the 4.40pm at Thirsk under 7lb claiming jockey Danielle McCreery. I've watched the jockey in action a couple of times and she seems competent enough. Further Outlook is 12 years old now, and doesn't take much riding. The reason for backing Further Outlook today is he is by pounds a better horse with a right hand rail to run against and has every chance of grabbing that today from stall 16 of 20. He also goes with a bit of cut in the ground, can go well fresh and is on a ok mark.

Suggeted Bet:

4.40 Thirsk

1.5pts E/W Futher Outlook

Like all good E/W bets, Sir Nod finishes 5th beaten a short-head after looking like the winner with just 50 yards to go.

This was a very encouraging run after a 170 day absence. Sir Nod just missed the break a little and then made nice progress to lead with a furlong to go - headed just inside the final 50 yards he will strip fitter next time. The run is enhanced if we look at the draw of the first 5 home, 1st - 16, 2nd - 17, 3rd - 13, 4th - 11 and 5th Sir Nod drawn 2. A clear "outlier" here, under similar conditions next time he will be a must bet.

Current Profit/Loss: +£41.70

Want a winner? Just nod.

Sir Nod is one to be on the right side of today. Firstly at Redcar, I always prefer a horse drawn middle to low - and Sir Nod has a nice position in stall 2. Redcar also suits horses up with the pace and Sir Nod is likely to be front-rank all the way. In his last race at Wolverhampton back in October he ran Fyodor to a head only giving best in the final strides. Considering Fyodor was a 4-y-o and that they were racing off level weights - this was some effort when you look at Fyodor's future runs. Fyodor was running off 73 in that race - he has since gone on to record victories off 83, 89 and 98. That run alone gives him an outstanding chance in this race.

With any amount of improvement likely for Sir Nod over the winter he could prove to be very well-handicapped today. The ground is a slight concern with connections suggesting he needs a bit of cut in the ground, but Good to Firm (good in places) shouldn't be too much of a hinderence with his efforts on polytrack fresh in the mind. The fact that he hasn't run for 170 days could also be a negative, but I'd be very surprised if he didn't finish this season on a signficantly higher mark that 78.

Suggested Bet:

3.25 Lingfield

2.5pts E/W Sir Nod