Non-runner secures 2022 naps challenge for Garry Owen

Garry Owen finished 2022 at the top of the Napchecker naps table. In what was a difficult year, the Daily Record’s tipping ace was the only pundit to register a profit. A 0.6-point yield, modest though it was, was enough to claim title. West Tip and Glendale, second and third back in 2019, occupied the same positions this time around, while the Racing Post’s Postdata finished fourth and Scout, who’s 30% strike-rate was the best of 2021, came home fifth.

The story of the year’s challenge is quickly told: Postdata was the early pacesetter, but by the start of August it looked to be a two-horse race with the consistent Glendale leading. Thanks to two 27-point summer yields, Garry Owen had recovered from a poor start and was sitting in second. The rest were nowhere to be seen. A September loss of some 16 points by Glendale proved to be the critical point of the year. Suddenly Garry Owen was ten points clear. Postdata put together a couple of substantial profitable returns in October and November, but this only erased earlier losses and did little to pressurise the leader.

Entering December with a 4.3-point lead and despite a last month loss of 7.5 points, Garry Owen clung on. Ironically, the overall profit was secured when the selection for 31 December was taken out of her race.

Garry Owen was, however, a worthy winner: he posted two of the year’s top three monthly profits and losing months were never too costly.

West Tip’s secured second spot with a 7-point loss, but as the Western Morning News’s pundit was hors de combat for more than nine months, I’ll leave it for you to decide the merit of this performance.

Third placed Glendale did see out the full journey, earning a loss of 10.9 points in the process. But Glendale finished the year with six profitable months out of 12 – a figure equalled by Racing Post Postdata, who balanced this out with a number of heavy losses.

Marlborough, the winner in 2019 and 2021, was never in the hunt, and finished down the field with a 60.9-point loss.

For the record, Newsboy topped December’s table with a 3.52-point yield (43% strike-rate) with Racing Post Spotlight a close second in 3.49 points. There were also end-of-year profits for Glendale, the Duke and the Guardian.

As usual, Irish-based tipsters fared best in the all-tips table, with the Harvester of the Irish Times, taking top spot with a loss of 227.9 points. Templegate had the best strike-rate – 28%.

Among those tipsters prepared to go against the crowds once in a while, the Racing Post’s Ratings (55 points up) and Marlborough (54 points up) both enjoyed big profits; Rob Wright also performed strongly in this category, posting a 36 points profit. Never, it seems, have more huge priced winners been seen than in 2022, so, perhaps this is an area to follow.

Tea Garden was a 50/1 winner for Rob Wright at Southwell on 22 August, just four days before Postdata unearthed another 50/1 winner – Burtonlodge Beauty (Hamilton Park, 26 August). Postdata even advised a horse that was sent off at 200/1.

Date Published: 05/01/2023