Wright moves to the top of the table

Wright moves to the top of the table

Rob Wright of The Times enjoyed a lucrative May, finishing top of the naps table for the month with a fulsome 26.4-point profit. Wright finished ahead of Garry Owen of the Daily Record, Robin Goodfellow of the Mail and West Tip of the Western Morning News. Profits were also made by The Sun’s Templegate and The Duke of the Yorkshire Post.

Wright’s bumper yield was earned via eight winning naps (27% strike-rate) with Quench Dolly, a 20/1 stunner at Leicester (9 May) leading the way. Zambesi Queen (8/1, Chepstow, 5 May) and 13/2 Ching Ching Lor (Ayr, 8 May) also helped the cause. It all means that Wright is now joint-top of the 2017 Napster Challenge, with a 15.4-point profit.

Garry Owen, who sits in third position in the 2017 rankings, was in fine fettle in May. His 7.1-point profit, whilst lacking the big priced successes of Wright, was the result of a 37% strike-rate: 11 wins from 30 bets. Apart from a six-day losing run early on, this was a consistent performance with Fastnet Tempest (5/1, Ascot, 13 May) and El Hombre (9/2, Haydock, 26 May) standing out.

Here Comes When, winner of the Hambleton Handicap at York (19 May) was one of eight winning naps for Robin Goodfellow, who also called correctly with 11/2 Musselburgh victor, Zeshov (4 May).

After securing only three winners on the first 19 days of the month, West Tip hit a golden period, napping six winners out of ten between 20 and 29 May including two 7/1 shots, Hadeeqa (Goodwood, 25 May) and Perfect In Pink (Leicester, 29 May).

Templegate of The Sun was quick out of the stalls, napping King Of Spin at Windsor on the first day of the month. A further seven winning naps ensured the month would end with a profit of 1.1 points

It always pays to follow the tipsters from regional papers at the big local meetings. The performance of The Duke of the Yorkshire Post at York’s Dante Meeting was a case in point. On the opening day, The Duke napped 14/1 Tasleet, winner of the Duke of York Stakes. Then on day three, The Duke’s nap, Megan Lily, another 14/1 chance, finished second in a five-furlong sprint.

Rob Wright’s splendid form extended beyond his napping in May. He posted an overall profit of 29.8 points for all bets during the course of the month – a considerable achievement given that this amounted to 949 selections. Among his May winners were 25/1 Nebo (Newbury, 19 May), 20/1 Attest (Warwick, 1 May) and 16/1 Wink Oliver (Redcar, 30 May).

Brian O’Conner of the Irish Times, posted a May profit of 21.2 points. Winners included 16/1 Gospies Daughter (the Curragh, 14 May) and 14/1 Moonday Sun (Punchestown, 31 May). O’Conner remains at the top of the 2017 tips table, with a 15.4-point profit for all bets submitted this year.

Finally, with Royal Ascot looming, a look back to 2016. Over the course of the five days, Marlborough of the Daily Telegraph was the tipster to follow (8.4-point profit). Newsboy of the Daily Mirror also fared well, posting a 7.4-point gain with Simpson of the Blackpool Gazette and Spotlight of the Racing Post also registering useful profits. Spotlight made a good profit at the 2015 meeting, as well. Happy punting!

Date Published: 08/06/2017