CHAMPION tipster Brian Ahern scooped the £1,000 first prize in last week’s Dalepak Royal Ascot tipping contest.
The 63-year-old Kingsthorpe-based Royal Mail driver, who finished second in the Cheltenham Festival equivalent in March, quite literally made it a top hat and tail occasion over the four days of the competition, by giving the outstanding selections on both the Tuesday and Friday.
And to cap a fantastic week, Ahern’s selection in the regular Saturday Dalepak naps table was a 22/1 winner to put him into fifth spot in a field of more than 160 in that competition which runs until October.
“I have my own system which I just watched for a while before I was confident I could make money,” said Ahern who had £20 on his decisive Friday nap Lightning Cloud in the Buckingham Palace Stakes, which meant he overhauled his good pal Trevor Valentine, who had gone to the top on the second day after napping the 33/1 winner Belgian Bill in the Royal Hunt Cup.
Ahern’s red letter week ended by backing the 22/1 Ayr scorer Capaill Liath as well as the fittingly named Wannabe King (8/1).
He added: “I don’t get involved with sprinters and concentrate on horses that run over 7f and a mile.
“I think you have to specialise and I generally look at older horses. I am quite disciplined, and have one or two I am waiting for.”
His successful week kicked off on Tuesday when he won the £25 for the day’s best effort by napping 16/1 winner Extortionist, as well as having the 8/1 scorer Sole Power among three selections.
Although both Lightning Cloud and Capaill Liath were trained by North Yorkshire handler Kevin Ryan, he admitted this was a coincidence.
Victory for Ahern’s racing pal Valentine would have been sweet as the Greens Norton punter traded under the mantle of Warren Hill for the competition... a reference of regular trips to Newmarket with Ahern and past conversations on the gallops with the late Sir Henry Cecil whose private family funeral was held on Monday.
Cecil trained at Warren Place and Valentine recalled speaking to Cecil on the Warren Hill gallops.
“He was a true gentleman who always had time for people,” said Valentine. “When I told him he had made my day by speaking to him, he told me I had made his.”
ENJOYING the experience of a runner in what will always be remembered as one of Royal Ascot’s most moving and magical races – that will be the abiding memory for Duston-based owner Mohan Fonseka.
Fonseka’s five-year-old gelding Number Theory, which is trained by John Holt in Leicestershire, performed with distinction to be ninth of 14 in the two-and-a-half mile Gold Cup last Thursday, a contest won by the Queen’s horse Estimate.
BALLOTED out of the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on Saturday, Lady Gibraltar, owned by county racing enthusiast Gordon Reboul will seek compensation at Newcastle on Friday evening.
The four-year-old Rock Of Gibraltar handicapping mare, a winner of four of her 24 starts, is down to run in the 5f Betfred Gosforth Park Cup at 7.45pm.
FENELLA Fudge, owned by East Northamptonshire businessman Brian Johnson, was touched off by a nose in a four runner 6f fillies’ handicap at Leicester last week.
AN upturn in fortunes for county handler John Upson during the summer jumping programme would not be the greatest of surprises, especially after the bold show by Thefriendlygremlin at Towcester in May.
The latest evidence to support this general theory arrived when Quel Bruere was beaten just a short head at Worcester on Sunday in a 2m 4f handicap chase.
The nine-year-old grey, formerly in the hands of Graeme McPherson, now runs in the colours of Tracey Leeson and narrowly went down to Shantou Breeze after a battling display under Gavin Sheehan.
Upson is now benefiting from a fresh 5f all weather gallop which has been installed by training neighbour Heather Kemp, who now has a licence under Rules again once more.