Well, hello, and welcome to the first installment of my new column “Away From The Spotlight”, which is going to be concentrating on the bread-and-butter stuff from Monday to Friday rather than the more glamorous weekend stuff.
We went through a few names for this column before settling on the title we have, not all of them printable, and most linking my love of low-quality jump racing with my moniker. “Massey’s Methods” was touted up at one point before I dismissed it as sounding like a low-budget Kama Sutra. This isn’t that sort of a column, if you get my drift. Not yet, anyway, let’s see how the first few weeks go.
It’ll be more horses of interest than actual tips, and will be part travelogue as well, as I’ll detail my coming week on the road, complete with obligatory moans about roadworks, food, weather, age, how everything creaks before I go racing, how everything creaks after I get back from racing (left heel particularly painful at present, feel free to ask when you see me, won’t you? I'll bore you for a good five minutes with it) and all points in between. So without further ado... Monday.
This is easy. I’m going nowhere other than to have a flu jab at the docs and then I’ll settle down to watch Carlisle and Kempton on the telly. Kempton’s small fields make for tough punting, but I spotted Supreme Yeats doing some good late work over a trip too short at Cheltenham last time and the step back up to three miles in the Pertemps Qualifier will suit.
Over at Carlisle, Free Pic (12.15) has 0-100 at Market Rasen written all over him, and it’ll be interesting to see what the Cowards can do with Kel Raffles (2.48) this season. He left the Twiston-Davies yard back in May, connections paying 18k for the gelding, and having been twice a winner in France, there’s probably more wins in him if they can find the key.
The long, long road that is the A14 will take me to Huntingdon on Tuesday.
Sadly, I’m expecting the card to cut up a bit, although the potential for 14mm of rain on Monday might help. There’s a lovely 0-100 2m4½f handicap on the card where I’ve half an eye on Tigga Time (12.51). I’ve a lot of time for Sarah Humphrey as a trainer, and I reckon she’ll figure out Tigga Time before much longer. That run at Worcester should have taken the freshness out of him, and if he settles better, therein lies his chance.
Later on the card, Crac De Megaudais (2.01) is worth a look in the novices handicap chase. Tom Gretton’s had three winners in the past couple of weeks, which is as good a form as the yard have been in for some time, and that was a solid enough first effort from Crac De Megaudais at Newton Abbot. He’s coming back off a break here, so paddock inspection will tell us more, but he has won off a break before, so has to be of some interest. And Huntingdon are really spoiling us with a seller, (2.36) where Mi Sueno will be a massive price as he’s apparently no chance, but they swap the headgear. Maybe back-to-lay material, as he’ll go off in front, and some rain would help too.
I could have called in at Bangor on Wednesday as it’s a really good-looking card, but a) that last hour of back-roads travel is a pain and b) I’m doing a Cheltenham preview evening in the town later that night, and I’d have to leave after four races anyway.
So I’ll have to give it a miss, which is a shame, as Diva Luna goes chasing, something I’d been looking forward to. She’s one of my 'Ten To Follow' this year, I think she’s made for fences and will be disappointed if she doesn’t make the grade.
By this point of the week, we’ll also have a good idea if it’s Venetia Time - she usually punches in for the season about now - and if so, and the rain has come, I’d want to be with Hold That Taught in a cracking handicap chase later on the card (2.30). And Filibustering in the novice hurdle to follow at 3.30? Good card, this. Where’s that map? I’m going to end up going, then belting it down to Cheltenham. I can see it coming. Be kind, ye traffic Gods, be kind.
Thursday would normally be Market Rasen for me. I tend not to miss, but I’m in Cheltenham already, remember, and there’s no way I can do Rasen and back in a day from there. Well, I can, but the A46 is bad enough one way, never mind twice. Sooner they sort it out around Newark the better.
White Riot (one for us old enough to remember The Clash) is going to take some stopping in the 12:42 if he goes, and this might be the season it all clicks for the giant Mythe Bridge (1.17) - if he wins here, I’d expect to see him back on Boxing Day for a crack at the Lincolnshire National.
Squire Danagher (2.27) was all sorts of disappointing in the Fixed Brush Hurdles final at Worcester but it’s too early to give up on him, and surely Sandscape (3.02) can go one better - he was unlucky to bump into the progressive Tankardstown Diva here last time, and compensation awaits, I reckon.
And if you think missing Rasen on Thursday is bad enough, then not being at Southwell on Friday, particularly for a jumps fixture, is sacrilege. The camaraderie between bookies and punters (“this is the best track in Britain, you lads always have a laugh with us” said one punter to me a couple of weeks ago), the friendliest staff, my Punters Panel preview (ahem) and of course, the famous Southwell Soup. Pro-tip; if they race two days in succession, the second day will be the first day’s soup rebadged as 'Tuscan', which means they throw some beans in it.
Anyway, here’s the ones I’ve an eye on; Zoeman, back off a long absence but going straight over fences for Tom George, has to be worth a second look in the first (12.22); only a fool would rule out the unofficial 0-100 Track Champion Ali Star Bert in the next (12.57), Urblereagh (2.42) is on the tracker with a little handicap this winter in mind, and there’s a race in Dreamweaver (3.50) who goes in the lucky last when it all falls right. A little step back up in trip looks ideal.
Have a good week, and I’ll see you all at Cheltenham.
Published at 1455 GMT on 09/11/25
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