back-lay-trade-horses-football: 24/3

Barraland's market move worked as he came in. Soufleur's price moved to 5/1 and he was oh so close to coming in. When at the bookies, any 5/1 or higher should be treated, ideally, as an each way bet -it comes 2nd, we get stakes back. On Betfair, if it's place only price is 2.00 or bigger we can back for the win and place. The horse places and we get our stakes back.

Relative Hero lost, The Ring lost - 2 more lays for the system .History maker unpalced -maybe something to look at for lays at prices too big to lay in the win only market.

Couple of winners for 3 into 1 keeps strike rate up.

With the footy, the importance of trading showed itself again. Lay Celtic at 1.13. They reached 1.24 before scoring. By laying for £100 and backing at 1.24 for £100 resulted in a free £11 bet on Celtic - imaginative trading! So Man Utd scored 3 - under 2.5 goals didn't come in then? NO 1.78 pre match -down to 1.35 and lower in running - that's a .43 point profit trading. Wes Brown decided to score first - the bar steward!

Again the unders came in the Arsenal match - 58th minute first goal gives ample time to trade out. Taking the fact that Chelsea don't lose at home as a truism, who had the foresight to lay Arsenal after they scored first? It didn't matter anyway as the lay came in. Correct score didn't come in alas - I had enough leighway to cover the 2-1 which was frustrating and with Chelsea not losing at home, surely this should have been included in calculations perhaps at the expense of the Arsenal 1-0. What the friar tuck is Sagna doing scoring first! Again scuppered the speculative big odds bets on cole and LAmpard

Barca lay went south 1.29 - no harm done, but with Valladolid equalising there was a window to neutralise the bet.

CHEPSTOW -SOFT

A feeling today that the weather is going to mean few opportunities
225
BETTING FORECAST: 5/4 Quartano, 100/30 Schiehallion, 5/1 I Hear A Symphony, 13/2 The Jazz Musician, 11/1 High Standard, Quillygham, 14/1 Could Be Alright, 25/1 Vilcabamba, 28/1 Brayford Lad, 40/1 Yours Forever, 50/1 Dynamic Leap, Prince Emmanuel, 66/1 Rodway Lady, 80/1 Whitewater Dash, 100/1 Colorado Storm, Saddler George .

SPOTLIGHT VERDICT: An above-average maiden hurdle, several having shown more than enough to win a race of this type. Schiehallion can be expected to put up another good effort from the front after only just failing at Sandown last time but preference is for QUARTANO (nap), whose form here and at Kempton later in February clearly sets the standard. Course form is always a notable plus here. I Hear A Symphony is best of the rest

Quartano looks worth laying to monitor in running here - big field - maiden hurdle - 2 horses at 7/2 and 4/1 are close enough to be good enough rivals. Only problem is AP McCoy on Quartano. Soft ground will hopefully play into the layer's hand

410 CORK
BETTING FORECAST: 4/7 Carribean Sunset, 6/1 Amaranda, 7/1 Temecula, 8/1 Suantrai, 12/1 Cathrine De Medici, Cullenstownstrand, Marinello, 14/1 Alliance, Valentine Hill, 16/1 Miranda´s Girl, 20/1 Flying Rouvres, 25/1 Catch Kally, Dawdens Delight, Miss Cinderella, Red Puma, So Much Commotion.
Possible price gapper - concern over the ground conditions and race size - Weld/Smullen combo on Caribbean Sunset makes some appeal though but this is an early season maiden -176 days since the horse last ran

HUNTINGDON
245
BETTING FORECAST: 8/11 Autograph, 100/30 Ellway Prospect, 7/2 Montevideo, 16/1 Ballyboley, 66/1 Pacha Noir .

SPOTLIGHT VERDICT: AUTOGRAPH made quite a promising chasing debut and has an obvious chance for her in-form yard. Ellway Prospect is expected to give her most to do.[FC]

I can approach this race by looking at who will fill the 2nd place - we have a chocie between Ellway PRospect and Montevideo, 1.85 and 2.36 - it looks a match up, and without pouring over the form, is a simple choice - hopefully I'll get it right. Follow Spotlight? Ellway Prospect? to place?

PLUMPTON
340

BETTING FORECAST: 11/8 Magnifico, 3/1 Bobby Donald, 5/1 Geography, 8/1 Joli Classical, 10/1 Tavalu, 14/1 Irishkawa Bellevue, 25/1 Sea Map .

SPOTLIGHT VERDICT: MAGNIFICO will prove very hard to beat if in the same positive mood as at Taunton last week. Bobby Donald may have some further improvement in him at some stage but he had a hard race at Towcester yesterda

Looking at Magnifico's previous form, he looked like a plotted horses - ,unseated rider, pulled up, pulled up last 3 races before winning convincingly at , oh what a surprise - 14/1 - fancy that eh!
I think this was the gamble and we're a race too late. I was taken by the trigger words "very hard to beat" but there is an "if". Not for me today.

I'll leave the flat alone today, but preference would be for the fitness of the all weather runners at the flat venues. As a layer, the draw will be of interest especially over sprint races, in preferred big fields

HANDICAP TOP WEIGHTS TO LAY?
340 PLUMPTON
Tavalu - 5lbs - currently 6.2 - outside the 3/1 max but ok for the 5/1 max

Still being monitored but an interesting system.

Also effective from last year were top weights in flat handicaps to lay

3 into 1

Another 2, albeit at short prices, but effective using staking other than level stakes and % of a rolling bank staking.