A Lucky Weekend?

Tom’s intriguing take on the Arc favourite market has prompted me to write a short piece on an interesting bet I often a place, a lucky 15. The bet involves picking four selections that are placed in 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold, a total of fifteen bets and hence the name. A lucky is a great way to have a number of horses running for you without breaking the bank – I often have a 50p lucky 15, which comes to a total stake of £7.50. Any winner guarantees a return, with a 13/2 shot returning the original stake. Although you need to find 3+ winners to make a substantial profit, a task of great magnitude, this is not impossible. I’ve landed all 4 winners once and was handsomely rewarded. The bet is ideal for students who want to cover the major races on a Saturday afternoon in one fell swoop. I thought I would try a weekend long, each-way lucky to cover the action over the next couple of days. Don’t forget an each way lucky doubles the stake, so a 50p e/w lucky would be £15. The selections are as follows. 

Saturday

Ascot, 3:15: Dinkum Diamond 

A consistent sprinter who has been knocking on the door this season but, in my opinion, has been crying out for 6 furlongs. He’ll get that on his favoured quick ground at Ascot tomorrow and can run a huge race. 

Ascot, 3:50: Hawkeyethenoo 

A horse I mentioned in the preview to the Ayr Gold Cup, Jim Goldie’s charge returns to the scene of his Victoria Cup victory with conditions ideal – 7 furlongs on quick ground. He’s a classy sprinter, and could well defy a mark of 104 with Fallon on board. 

Sunday

Longchamp, 12:45: Requinto 

Not the strongest renewal of the L’Abbaye, and David Watchman’s two year old is getting lumps of weight from his older rivals. He put a disappointing run in the Nunthorpe behind him when landing the Flying Childers at Doncaster. That forms his solid and he has strong claims stepped up in company on quick ground. 

Longchamp. 3:15: Workforce 

Although, as Tom said, Stoute has voiced concerns over the ground for his charge, I think last year’s winner is worth chancing at a nice price considering his 2010 Derby win came on a rattling surface. He’s been lightly campaigned, with his reappearance victory at Sandown worth more than the winning margin suggests and his run at Ascot best ignored, when circumstances worked against him. He’s been handily drawn in stall 8, and Ryan Moore can make his comeback worthwhile by scoring back-to-back victories on this son of King’s Best.