Wayne Bailey

When it comes to Flat racing, Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore remain the modern standard that every serious rival measures itself against.

This betting business is rarely a straight climb. Mine has felt more like snakes and ladders this year, with a good spell leading into Punchestown before that festival sent me sliding back a few squares. The trick is not to lose your head on the snakes, or think you are invincible on the ladders.

I wrote last week that punting is rarely a straight climb, and the bets that followed rather proved the point. Of the seven put up in this column, six were beaten, and by late afternoon it looked like I had done my brains for the day.

Owned by Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy, Venetian Sun has been an interesting filly to follow, largely because connections seem to have spent the past year working out her optimum trip. That is no criticism. With a good filly, ambitious questions are almost compulsory, even if the horse occasionally answers with a polite no.

I’ve regularly mentioned how you have to think against the crowd when betting, so siding with the favourite or the most obvious horse in the race may not always be the right option from a long-term value point of view.

Regular readers will know I enjoyed a welcome bit of luck in the opening race at Hamilton last Saturday, where Thornaby Pearl scored at 7/2 to push the year’s profit to around 16 points to Betfair SP. It was a nice boost after a difficult spell, with Raammee also scoring at York at 5/1.