Spotlight heads the April charge

Thanks to an end-of-month winning spree, Racing Post’s Spotlight finished top of the April Napchecker naps table with a handsome 29.9-point yield. Spotlight had to fight off the persistent Marlborough of the Daily Telegraph, who secured eight winning naps from ten during a sensational last third of the month, ending April with a 15.7-point profit

The Guardian (13.8 points), Racing Post Ratings (11.9) and Garry Owen of the Daily Record (9.9 points) came next while there were also April profits for The Duke of the Yorkshire Post, Templegate of The Sun and Patrick Weaver of the Daily Star.

In all, 13 of Spotlight’s 28 April tips were winners with prices ranging from evens to the 14/1 returned by One For Arthur, winner of the Grand National at Aintree (8 April). Tuscan Gold (6/1, Pontefract, 24 April) and Wait For Me (5/1, Sandown, 29 April) also helped swell the pot.

Marlborough ended April with the same number of winners as Spotlight, but with a marginally better strike rate of 48%. 8/1 Be Perfect (Beverley, 27 April) was the highlight of Marlborough’s baker’s dozen winning naps.

The Guardian also secured 13 winning April tips with Torrid (8/1, Redcar, 10 April) the best priced. Once again there was a strong surge at the end of the month with six of the last eight naps prevailing. The outcome was a move up to third position in the 2017 table with a 7.7-point yield.

Ahead of The Guardian in the overall table are Racing Post Ratings and Gary Nutting of the Sunday Mirror, who are level pegging on 15.4 points. The former’s position was greatly helped by the victory of Zanetto, an 8/1 winner at Thirsk on the last day of April. This was one of nine winning naps during the course of the month, a tally that also included 17/2 Baldadash (Kempton, 4 April).

Scotland’s first Grand National winner for 38-years, One For Arthur, was a patriotic selection for Garry Owen of Scottish tabloid, the Daily Record. This was one of five winning tips during the first eleven days of the month, while Winningtry, a 5/1 Ayr nap on 21 April, ensured the month would end in profit.

Be Perfect, a 10/1 winner at Catterick on 12 April, guided the Yorkshire Post’s The Duke to an April profit, while Templegate of The Sun recovered early losses, thanks to a sequence of 8 winners from 16 naps from 14 April. Patrick Weaver (Daily Star) advised 11 winning naps during the course of the month, posting a small profit.

Irish racing specialist Brian O’Connell of the Irish Times, continues to lead the overall tipping table for 2017. April’s haul included 9/1 Keep Believing (Navan, 24 April) as well as three 8/1 winners, Shelbe (Dundalk, 12 April), Augusta Kate (Fairyhouse, 16 April) and Mollie The Moo (Limerick, 24 April). Marlborough heads the pursuing pack, helped along the way be the Perth victory of the Chris Grant-trained gelding Jacks Last Hope, a 16/1 chance.

Date Published: 06/05/2017