Hi,
Please see my one tip fro Monday’s racing:
Pistol 3.35 Carlisle – 2m 1F Handicap Hurdle – 22/1 888, Ladbrokes, Coral – BOG – 3 Places – 1 Point Each Way.
I have put the old boy, Pistol, up twice before this season as he is particularly well handicapped. However, in hindsight, I should have waited until he was race fit, racing at his beloved Carlisle, had is necessary bottomless heavy ground, and was racing in February!
His last four wins have all been in February, with the last three at Carlisle, and he won this very race in 2018 off a mark of 104 and races here off just 78.
He will have deteriorated with age, but if he is to win a race this season, you would think connections were seeing today’s race as their primary target.
Consequently, we are going to give Pistol another chance today. We can back him at 22/1 with 888, Coral and Ladbrokes – BOG – 3 places, so I’m recommending 1 point each way.
He still looks value at 16/1.
Please see my previous write-ups for reference:
Pistol – 3.40 Carlisle – 3m Handicap Hurdle – 66/1 Paddy Power/Betfair Sportsbook/Sky – 1 Point Each Way.
I put up Pistol on his seasonal reappearance, but he never got into it. The quick ground caught him out and he probably needed the run.
I’m not losing faith with him as off his mark and running at his favourite Carlisle track, he will pop up once this season.
I’m hoping it’s today. He should strip fitter for his last run and connections have put on cheekpieces and stepped him up to 3 miles.
He hasn’t won over 3 miles yet, but he has run well on the few occasions he tried this trip and at his age, the extra distance will probably benefit him.
Most importantly the ground is slower than last time being good/soft, soft in places. There are a few showers around so hopefully, it will turn to soft all over.
At 66/1 with Paddy Power/BetfairSportsbook and Sky, we are getting huge value for this course specialist, and I recommend 1 point each way.
He is still value at 25/1.
Pistol – 4.50 Carlisle – 2m 4F Handicap Hurdle – 66/1 William Hill – 4 Places – 1 Point Each Way.
I am putting up the old boy Pistol, who is 12 years young.
Pistol has won 5 races, including three at today’s Carlisle track off marks as high as 120.
He has been running fewer races each year and has regressed with age, but he loves racing at Carlisle.
Pistol shows he still retains a level of ability when finishing 3rd of 11 at Carlisle in November 2020 off a mark of 86 (postmarked 83) only losing by 6 lengths.
Since then, he has only raced three times in the spring a midsummer where he ran ok at Carlisle but was down the field on his last two starts when running at Hexham and Cartmel.
Today he returns to his beloved Carlisle off a break of 138 days which is ideal for the horse. Back in 2019, he used a similar gap between his races when he finished 3rd in this race off a mark of 97 and I want to back him today as he runs off a 19lb lower mark of 78.
All his recent wins have been on heavy and the ground being good has made the market overreact negatively. But what they seem to forget is back in the day he ran on the flat for Sir Michael Stoute and postmarked a highly respectable 82 on good to firm. So, he can cope with a fast surface.
We can back Pistol at 66/1 with William Hill and I’m recommending 1 point each way.
Pistol is still value at 20/1.
