Bookies Blog

Newbury‘s mouth-watering card has been lost to the elements, but we’re praying that tomorrow’s re-scheduled Aon Chase goes ahead at Kempton Park.

The attraction is Denman, last year’s Gold Cup hero; who is a 4/7 chance in the Grade 2 Levy Board Chase. The reason he isn’t a silly price like 1/10 is the right handed track and the concern over his well-being. We haven’t seen him on the track for almost 11 months, and Saturday’s race should shake up the 2009 Gold Cup market.

Denman is 15/8 with Blue Square for the Cheltenham feature race, but regular Bookies Blog readers will know that I have taken a liking to 3/1 Kauto Star. If Denman flops tomorrow, I won’t write him off, but I’d expect the bookmakers to cut stable-mate Kauto to about 6/4.

The 2:50 Levy Board Chase is extremely difficult to find a betting angle, but punters would do well to find an each way alternative. The bookmakers have covered that option, by only offering 2 places in the 7 runner race.

6/1 Alberta’s Run will be popular with AP McCoy supporters, but this is a horse that the blog has never got right. We fancied him in the Hennessey at big odds, but he then ran a big race at 25/1 behind Kauto Star on good ground at Kempton. The going is crucial to Alberta’s, who won’t be at home in tomorrow’s soft ground.

If there was 8 runners I’d be tempted to smash into either 6/1 Joe Lively or 14/1 Madison Du Berlais, who will both relish the testing conditions. With only 2 places I’ll have a cheeky few quid on the forecast, but a Denman victory would be good for racing.

bookies.com compares odds between bookmakers for antepost horse racing:

Levy Board Chase Betting
Cheltenham Gold Cup 09 Betting