Algar Lad gets BDH off to a flyer...

Published: Thu, 05/14/15

ALGAR LAD. A comfortable 14-1 winner on day one of York's Dante festival.

He was also the first BDH runner of the season!!

BDH Members were sitting with their fingers on the trigger for David O'Meara's 5yo, waiting for prime conditions, and on Tuesday evening I gave them the nod...

BDH Wednesday Qualifier: ALGAR LAD - 2:40 York

The conditions I identified for ALGAR LAD were…

Happy to be relatively loose with him although...

Probably doesn't want it Good to Soft or worse underfoot - YES (currently GOOD)

5f looks ideal but should handle 6f OK - YES (6f)

I'm relatively loose on his conditions but it always good to see him pass the two preliminary trends I've given him.

Others positives would be...

The forecast for York is sunny with no rain forecast between now and the off so there should be no issues with the underfoot condition (if the forecast is correct!). Any further drying would only be a bonus.

He has run well on his only other start at York (3rd over 5f staying on strongly in the final furlong).

Jockey Sam James knows him well (form of 1104 on horse).

He handles large fields well enough (form of 01054 in 16+ fields).

I've also had a look at the draw/pace for the race and there doesn't actually look to be all that much in the way of pace-setters in the field. I suspect it may fall to BOGART from stall 8 and that should suit us as we are drawn in stall 11 and should get a decent enough tow into the contest. That middle draw also gives us options should the pace develop elsewhere.

The form of his two starts this season (where he was a badly drawn horse on both occasions) has been working out well and with the prices on offer here (14-1/16-1) I'm happy to take a punt.

Conclusion – ALGAR LAD, Each-Way Bet

Yesterday's winner was an excellent example of exactly how the BDH method uncovers runners who have been overlooked by the wider betting public and the racing media.

>>>Become a full BDH Member today

Algar Lad was added to the BDH squad after his run at Ripon on the 25th of May.

Here's what I posted in the members area...

The race caught my attention as a) it was 16 runners belting down the straight Ripon 6f track and b) I had noted ALGAR LAD from his previous start, running well from a poor draw, and he was again drawn poorly here.

The wasn't particularly a race that I thought would benefit one side over the other as even though there was potentially a touch more pace drawn high I didn't think, pre-race, it would be a major advantage to that side over the low numbers.

Ultimately it was all about me watching how ALGAR LAD performed from the one stall. His previous start at Beverley over 5f saw him finish 5th of 17 coming out of stall 11. It's no secret that it is a major advantage to be draw in the first 3 stalls over the 5f Beverley trip and in that particular race the first 3 home were drawn 2, 3, 1!

In this race ALGAR LAD was drawn in stall one. Stall one at ripon over 6f in races with 12 or more runners is a crushingly poor 1/80 since 2007! The numbers were stacked against Algar Lad here. The fact he finished just over a length back in 4th whilst also meeting some minor trouble one furlong out is hugely eye-catching. In fairness it couldn't have worked out any better with regards to me keeping an eye on him for future punting purposes.

All in all from a pace/draw angle it was a bit of a strange outcome (winner came from small group up top and only one other from that group ran well AND they drifted down to low numbers late on) but my main interest was ALGAR LAD and he, as far as I was concerned, did a fine job.

BDH to follow

ALGAR LAD (4th) (D O'Meara)

Two runs this season, both from terrible draws, went in my notebook both times.

He's only a 5yo so there should be more to come from him and with only 17 starts on his CV there is every chance that the master that is David O'Meara can improve him from his current mark of OR 95.

He's done most of his running (and all of his winning) over 5f but this run hinted that 6f could well be within his compass and at this stage I'd be happy to considering him over both sprint trips.

He may not have a massive prize in him but he should have a decent one and he's been unnoticed by the market on his last two starts (16-1 sp both times) so there is every chance we can pick up some juicy odds on him.

Conditions – Happy to be relatively loose with him although probably doesn't want it Good to Soft or worse underfoot | 5f looks ideal but should handle 6f OK

ALGAR LAD now enters my Proform ‘Horse Watcher’ tool and I will post in the members area when he is due to run next. Remember you can also find him on the BDH Squad page, which is exclusive to BDH Members.

Will they all be like Algar Lad?

Absolutely not (I Wish!!).

Will they all be as exhaustively researched and covered?

100% YES!

It's how I operate.

I know no other way.

It's the ONLY WAY to succeed at this game.

BDH Members were clearly buzzing after the victory...

"Hi Ben,Good call that's the membership costs recovered with interest lol,keep up the good work"

Kenneth R

"Well done Ben great start to BDH it just shows what a trained eye can see when knowing what to look for !!!!"

David W

"Well done, Ben, great race reading"

Terry B

"Hi Ben. What a start to the season, that's the subs paid in one go with plenty to spare! Many Thanks"

Chris M

The doors to the service are still open although I will be closing them once this weekends action is done and dusted...

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Happy Punting

Ben (BDH)