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Burntoakboy - important victory.
By Will Hayler
The good doctor doesn't know it yet, but my future is in his hands. I am becoming increasingly convinced that Dr Richard Newland is a man in whom to place your faith. On Wednesday he took a horse who looked totally exposed as moderate in Ireland and turned it into a Cheltenham Festival winner. I'm now praying that on Thursday he can take a formerly classy two-mile handicap hurdler and mould him into a champion stayer. If he does, then it pays for the ambitious holiday my girlfriend has planned for the middle two weeks in June. It wasn't a bad day. I had a little bit on Burntoakboy, out of blind devotion to Dr Newland, who has already done me several good turns this season. The problem was that the bare form of his Leicester win simply didn't look good enough, but the way the horse won here means it wouldn't surprise me to see him follow up even if the handicapper decides to stick him up 10-12lb. Following the pattern of the first day, the placepot bit the dust in the first and the next bad-luck story followed hot on its heels when Aces Four, who I had backed at 40-1 plus on my return from dinner on Tuesday night, threw his chance away just before I had managed to lay him off in-running. Along with backing a couple of fallers (Well Chief and Cailin Alainn) it wasn't a great day, but it had never been a card which filled me with inspiration and I had kept my stakes to fairly modest levels all day. I sense a sea change on Thursday. Along with Overstrand (each-way of course), King Revo will be a big winner for me and as I write he is now as low as 4-1. The bookies are clearly expecting an over-reaction from punters in the wake of JP McManus' successful gamble on Reveillez in the race last year, but I still couldn't bring myself to be against him even at such cramped odds. Thursday is the day that I move up a gear and hopefully pay for the week. I've told the owner of the place where I am staying that I will settle the bill on Thursday night. I may be in need of somewhere new to stay 24 hours from now.
