Wednesday, 22nd April 2026
In ATC today….
Last week went well at Newmarket & Ayr….
…. we got value and winners….
…. and we’re travelling very nicely right now….
Oh…. and Robert Cowell’s horse will definitely win this term….
Read on….
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Did you make something out of last week’s picks at Newmarket and Ayr?
A couple of horses not making it to post was a bit of a disappointment….
…. but two winners and a couple of placers from six bets in total is pretty good going in the handicap sphere….
…. and the prices we got about the winners early doors can’t be knocked either….
Sovereign Spell was put up at 10s – and sent off at 4s….
…. whilst Saturday’s winner at Ayr – Moudan – was picked up at 8s the day before racing before being backed into 4s at the off….
A value price + the win to boot = happy days….
…. and amounts to mission accomplished at ATC….
How did the week pan out for you?
Let me know – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk
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Of course, you can’t please all of the people all of the time….
…. and in my game you can’t please some of the people any of the time….
In some quarters – where low-level grumbling is not just a well-practiced hobby but a way of life….
…. the end of a good week represents the perfect opportunity to remind your correspondent (me!) of other weeks that didn’t go quite so well….
…. the corollary being that things ‘should’ be better more often….
I don’t know where some punters get their ideas about what ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ happen….
…. out of a Christmas cracker…. off the back of a Weetabix box…. or under the influence of hallucinogenic substances….
…. but the plain truth is this: it’s never going to be apple pie and ice cream every time we put the money down….
Not in this game….
All handicaps are tough betting puzzles….
…. big-field handicaps have a lottery element built into them….
…. and the picker who gets it right as often as some handicap-illiterate punters think he ‘should’ hasn’t been born yet….
Until he is, the best we can hope for is to get enough right at sufficiently good prices to get in front across the long term….
…. and – for the record – ATC selections….
…. backed 1pt e/w at advised prices (always easy to get)….
…. are 83.7 points in front since the turn of the year….
In other words, I think we’re travelling okay….
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Sad news reached me this week….
…. a long-time reader – IM – recently passed….
Readers come and go….
…. most you never hear from….
…. a fair few head for the exit pretty quickly….
…. but others – who I think of as the hardcore – stick around for the long game….
IM was one of the hardcore – he’d been backing ATC selections for years….
…. I always heard from him whenever we had a winner – he was a proper gentleman in that respect….
…. and he stuck with me staunchly through some lean times as well – always offering friendly encouragement….
I got to know him a bit….
…. just a few lines of correspondence here and there across the years….
…. but it adds up and you get a sense of the person….
IM was a decent guy – and I’ll be sorry not to hear from him again….
I’ve had a fair few readers like IM….
…. I never met them….
…. I had a bit of back and forth with them over a protracted period….
…. and then never heard from them again….
Of course, some will have simply cancelled down their subscriptions….
…. unable to bear the pain of one losing run or another (I understand!)….
…. but others – the ATC readership is predominantly grey-headed, after all – will have passed over to the big betting shop in the sky….
It’s always sad when a reader goes like that….
…. because you never get a chance to thank them for sticking around on your little racing service – through thick and thin….
…. you never get to tell them how much you appreciate it….
…. and you never get to tell them that their continued support means more than they will know….
So – whilst I’m in this reflective frame of mind – thank you for being here….
…. especially if you’re one of those hardcore guys whose been with me since the mid-1970s – or whenever it was we first got going with this thing….
You’re all appreciated. More than you know….
…. and – that being so – be assured that I will (as ever) be working like a rabid dog to pick out more winners and placers in the weeks and months ahead….
Rely on it….
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Finally….
…. make a note of Seven Questions ….
The 5yo had an appalling last season having joined sprint specialist Robert Cowell from Geroge Scott’s yard….
He turned up at Cowell’s yard on a mark of 106….
…. having won the G3 Palace Stakes at Newmarket as a 3yo back in May 2024….
Unless you’ve got a genuine black-type performer on your hands….
…. and Seven Questions doesn’t give that impression….
…. the initial project is to get the mark down….
…. and Cowell certainly got that job done….
The horse ran eight times last term….
…. in decent races….
…. and failed to finish in the top-half of any of them….
His last assignment in 2025 was in the Ayr Gold Cup in September….
…. where he was pretty much friendless in the market….
…. finishing last but one….
But things are set to turn….
The 5yo turned out at Pontefract earlier this month rated 92….
…. and he ran his most encouraging race for a while – finishing 3/13 and beaten just 2-lengths….
He’s almost certainly well-handicapped….
…. and I’ve got no doubts whatsoever that Cowell will strike with him at some point….
The 5yo’s in at Ripon for the Silver Sprint Trophy on Saturday….
…. but if it doesn’t happen there it will happen at some point this term – it’s nailed on….
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That’s all for today….
Back tomorrow….
Meantime – contact me at – nick.pullen@spapublishinggroup.co.uk
Stay tuned….
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