BLOGS

Trial Spy

Week: -1.0 units profit (-5.5% PoT)

Overall: 678.0 units profit (10.0% PoT)

Similar to last week, we just kept finding placings on Trial Spy. We did find five winners, but a string of close-run things meant we more or less broke even for the week. Highlights were Gates of Babylon (York, Thursday) and Anaheed (Randwick, Saturday).

NSW Tips & Ratings

Week: 2.7 units profit (20.1% PoT)

Overall: 135.9 units profit (21.2% PoT)

Culmination of the Sydney Spring Carnival and Mark yet again turns in a weekly profit. Winners were Shangani Patrol (Warwick Farm, Wednesday), Southern Lad (Wyong, Thursday) and Pierata (Randwick, Saturday). A couple of seconds at the Everest meeting (Trapeze Artist and Revenire) cost us a very big week. Still… we cruise along at 20% PoT!

John's Analytics

Week: 16.9 units profit (91.0% PoT)

Overall: 264.2 units profit (17.0% PoT)

It was shaping as a bit of a frustrating weekend for John’s Analytics. Then the weekend came…

Across Saturday and Sunday, John backed eight horses for four winners, a second and a third… pulling in 20.6 units across the weekend. What a fill-up! The highlight was undoubtedly Starbound at Geraldton on Sunday, which we had each way and saluted for us $30.60 and $7.65.

BlackBook Bets

Week: 2.8 units profit (13.8% PoT)

Overall: 296.0 units profit (7.7% PoT)

Another nice profit carved out by Lachlan this week, thanks to a couple of nicely priced winners in Blue Tracer (Belmont, Wednesday) and Tristan De Angel (Randwick, Saturday), both of which paid $8.50. A few more placing helped us along thanks to Lachlan’s staking.

Dean’s Tips

Week: -12.7 units profit (-41.8% PoT)

Overall: 628.6 units profit (7.9% PoT)

Really frustrating week for Dean’s Tips, unfortunately. We actually found a few winners, but a huge volume of bets across the weekend undid us, and we ended up losing nearly 13 units. Dean offered some good commentary on the weekend’s betting…

Lope De Capio at $23 won the same race last year, beating Casino Wizard by 1.7L (who won this year). Unfortunately, in this race Mica Lil kicked up inside him and forced him to truck up 4 wide without cover throughout. Compare that to Land Of Plenty who slotted in perfectly from gate 19 to win the Toorak for us, getting cover throughout and unleashing late. Was hoping the same for Lope De Capio but he didn't get the same opportunity. May not have won but would have run a place at big odds I believe for a winning day. The horse has had no luck this preparation and if they place him well next start we may get a big price again. Petrelle was gross unders and beaten, and unfortunately Casino Wizard was $3.50 in the morning otherwise we would have backed it as well. Drifted out to $5-$6 late.

Our other big bet Halldora, who was backed in from $11 to $6 yesterday, did a Chautauqua; stood in the gates and never left. The Stewards Report hasn't come out yet to find out what happened, but unfortunately she was declared a runner and we did our dough without even seeing the horse go around. I should have given out the winner at $16 who I had next pick, but thought Halldora would do the job for us. Again hot $1.50 favourite Akiko was unders with a 4kg apprentice and was beaten.

In both cases identified the two false favourites correctly, we just had zero luck with the horses we backed. In other races, Booker was 2nd beaten in a photo at $16, One Foot In Heaven 2nd at $5, wins if the rider stays on the fence, Bubbles 'n' Troubles also beaten in a photo at $5, and Delacroix a close 2nd yesterday at $4.50. Still a few steward's reports to pore through and replays to analyse but appears that Uncle Variance reared it's head last week.

Golf

Week: -1.7 units profit (-100.0% PoT)

Overall: 29.4 units profit (9.6% PoT)

A disappointing week for golf… 17 players backed across the CIMB Classic and British Masters, but despite a few making the cut, none got particularly close to winning.

Cricket

Week: -1.5 units profit (-42.9% PoT)

Overall: 59.8 units profit (6.9% PoT)

Just the two bets for cricket this week. Ashwin got the job done as top Indian bowler against the Windies, but we got beaten backing Pakistan H2H after the Aussies put on a remarkable rearguard action to salvage a draw.