Today's Selections

2:10 Leicester - Denali Highway (7/2) - 3pt win - When I saw this was a memorial race in honour of Pat and Ken Payne I was immediately drawn to Denali Highway who is part owned by Ian Payne who I assume is the couples son. I can't be 100% sure but the only Ken Payne I know of that was involved in racing was a Lambourne based trainer who became famous for his massive punts in selling races. His story is one of the most colourful and extraordinary tales in racing but it's also a reminder of how things can go terribly wrong in this fine sport. Given Ken's history it would be poignant to see him land a gamble from beyond the grave and I believe that Denali has the talent to do it. Although he is still relatively new to chasing he showed enough on his debut in a hot Class 3 contest over today's CD to suggest that he has a future in this game. With a drop in class, a test of stamina certain to be on the cards and a trainer that excels at the course on his side, I think he can win this one. (1st)

3:10 Leicester - Bucking The Trend (3/1) - 3pt win - I very nearly decided to give this race a miss as it looks like a bit of a betting nightmare but in the end I convinced myself to have a punt on the Vaughan runner. I was impressed by this horse both in it's bumper and its debut hurdle win and he appears to be the type of horse that vaughan excels with. Although he's not destined for the dizzy heights, he's more than capable of winning a race like this and I think the nature of the course at Leicester should really play to his strengths.  Although the purchase price of the Jonjo horse appears to be impressive, I was far from impressed by the horses attitude on it's debut run and if he exhibits those idol tendencies again today, then he could be vulnerable on the long uphill run in to the finish. With the favourite looking a bit suspect I believe this could be a prime opportunity for BTT to record his second career win. (1st)

3:35 Leopardstown - Tangled Web (2/1) - 3pt win - This is a no brainer bet for me as every stage on my selection checklist brings me back to this horse. He performed well on debut, has a nice pedigree, a quality jockey and weak opposition. (1st)