Newbury - 16th May

                                                                      Cape Cross - 1998


    As I type this I have asked for £40 @ 8 on the machine about Integral in the today's open looking Lockinge Stakes - I'm hoping by the time I finish this entry it will have been matched. Sir Michael's mare has her optimum conditions today and looks overpriced to me. 2014 was a good year for her, she won two Group 1's, but arguably her best run was in a Group 2 at Royal Ascot, the only time aside from her poor run in the QEII (she was probably done for the season by then and the ground was against her) when she faced a double figure sized field. That size of field almost guarantees a decent pace and I think we see the best of her under those conditions. Prize money for the Lockinge has shot up this year, hence the big increase in runners, but most of them are not Group 1 class and and I think the favourite and Custom Cut are her main opponents. I've already lost money on the race having taken 6/1 ante-post about Karakontie but he injured his foot earlier in the week and misses the race.

    A word about Cape Cross. Forums, online form books, Twitter, racing groups on Facebook - information on the sport nowadays is everywhere. But in 1998 all we had was the trade paper and in those days I was more of a flat only punter (I did tuck into the Jumps but not to the same stake level) and I had the Racing Post delivered to me in the summer but for whatever reason I hadn't sorted it out for that season by the time the Lockinge came along. Newbury was on the BBC in those days so The Morning Line didn't cover the race, or I didn't watch - and ultimately the form book in my head was my only reference for the race - and that form book told me 20/1 about Cape Cross was a big price, although I cannot remember why now. I backed him only to find out when the coverage started that he was a pacemaker for a better fancied Godolphin animal - I wasn't best pleased of course, but could do nothing about it - Betfair being a few years down the line for me. He won in fine style but put if that race was run a few years down the line I would not have backed him. So we see that information is generally a good thing, but not exclusively.

    Most of the £40 I asked for on Integral has now been matched, pretty sure the balance will be taken before too long.

Lockinge Stakes:
Integral £40w @ 7/1 (lost)
Karakontie NR £25

(-525)