Coping Stone, top-weight, but best-in for a nursery handicap over five furlongs of a fast Newcastle tapeta surface today, sounds good, typical of what yours truly mentioned in the William Hill Yearbook, 1975. It was a system, devised from day-to-day experience, that millions took on board and have benefited from since.
When computing times, travelling to racecourses throughout England in the 1970's my thoughts were always racing, thinking, trying to get an edge, and one day it hit me like a stone, after yet another juvenile defied a welter burden. Backing top-weights meant supporting the best racehorses.
You see so many believe that weight is a burden, they forget that top-weight has to be earned, by performance. Handicappers rate them accordingly and providing the fancied individual has sufficient bone and looks a sound creature, in movement, there is no reason not to chance them.
My life was all about clocking (with a stop-watch!), studying them in paddocks and watching huge fields go to post. Movement was like a symphony, especially when a real beaut passed by.
Sometimes top-weights were not tops on my time-handicap but had an obvious chance of being placed. So often with each-way singles/doubles we slaughtered bookmakers who dared to put their heads above the parapet and offer inflated odds.
Nowadays it is simply not possible to be accommodated by the enemy which is now a bunch of accountants masquerading as so-called on-course bookmakers. How times have changed!
Coping Stone faces a clutch of moderates and is my selection based on a superior time-figure achieved in September over a similar trip around Wolverhampton, on tapeta!
This is a unique surface, form from Dunstall Park seems to be working out superbly at the new North-Eastern venue, my absolute favourite for serious punting.
Jim Goldie-trained Eternalist has form at Gosforth Park and looks a nailed on each-way proposition in the ten-runner aged Maiden Stakes over the straight, daunting mile.
Richard winning machine Fahey needs only a few to reach '200' yet again and Inaam comes out best for an aged handicap over seven furlongs.
Back everything he runs during the remainder of this month.
Now that's a real tip!
Newcastle, 1.15 Coping Stone (nap-e.w)
2.20 Inaam (e.w)
3.50 Eternalist (e.w).