Ascot! Introducing our new racing correspondent, Sir George Paddock

It’s Royal Ascot! The Blog has a new, exclusive racing correspondent, millionaire racehorse owner and breeder Sir George Paddock, who will be sharing his knowledge of the turf and the sport of kings with you, our eager readers. What’s that smell, you ask? Possibly manure, but from a bull, not a horse. Over to you, Sir George…

Well I must say it’s a great honour to be asked to write for the famous Horsington Blog and follow in the footsteps of my illustrious predecessor for the jumping season, Winterborne Longjohns.

I’m normally  in the background of that famous musical “The Arcadians”*, but this Spanish Flu  lockdown thing has forced the closure of our theatre, and I relish the chance to offer my advice on prospects for Ascot.

As you know, Royal Ascot is the  top meeting in the flat racing calendar, running from Tuesday to Saturday. The horses are keen and the jockeys keener, so off we go.

For Day One we might consider the chances of that wonderful showman Frankie Dettori, who once famously rode six  winners at an Ascot Meeting. I was there and I well remember the excitement as he clocked up winner after winner, and the joy of the punters who had the luck to bet on an accumulator, where the winnings of the first horse are put on the next, and so on in a fantastical multiplication game.

On Tuesday, Franke has 6 rides again, and several of them have more than a sporting chance.

1315 Daarik. All weather winner, but will he perform on turf? Currently 4/1 favourite.

1350 Terebellum, trained by in-form John Gosden.  Stonking win at Newmarket last week. 10/3 second favourite

1425 Frankly Darling, another Gosden-trained Horse. 11/8 favourite

1500 Arthurs Kingdom, trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, a horse on the make. 9/2

Not very good odds, I hear you say. But if you multiply them in an accumulator you can make a bomb. For example a 50p each way “lucky 15” will turn your £15 total stake into a mouth watering £376.00. And the horse doesn’t have to win, only come second or third, depending on the total number of runners in each race. And they don’t all have to perform, because each bet is separate. Not bad for a day’s work eh?

But he still has two more runners:

1610 Wasmya  a French 3y-o currently 7/1

1640 Pianissimo Came a cropper at Chelmsford last week, but with Frankie on board, who knows? 10/1.

The odds for these last two suggest a bit of risk here, but hey, it’s Ascot!

So go for the 50p lucky 15 and then have a £1 each way accumulator on the lot- and win a staggering £25,923.44!  Total outlay ? £17.00. But they all have to win or be placed. Get your money on fast as the odds may well shorten between now and the start.

Good luck everyone. Go Frankie!

Thank you Sir George, It’s an honour to have you on board. Ed.

(*“The Arcadians” is the current  musical production by the Milborne Port opera. sadly postponed .Sir George is the posh bloke in the trailer. see https://youtu.be/NKg1PeyztDc