Magnificent seven from super Bell
Followers of racing editor Murray Bell had a big day out at Sha Tin on Sunday, with the experienced hand finding seven of the first eight winners on the big 10-race Centenary Sprint Cup programme, including feature race winner Scintillation as his best bet.
The highlight, from a value point of view, was tipping Miraculous in the fourth event, with the Derek Cruz-trained galloper firming from $150 to start at $94.50 under an avalanche of big bets, and he landed the prize courtesy of a well-judged Felix Coetzee ride.
Bell's second best bet was Medic Power, who tightened in from $61 to $38 before scoring in the sixth event, with well-informed horse players plunging more than HK$1 million on the Paul O'Sullivan-trained gelding in the final minutes of betting.
The full roll call of Bell's winners went like this: Race one, Silent Dragon (Douglas Whyte) paid $24.50; race three, Wild Ace (Brett Prebble) scored at $48.50, and the quinella with favourite Rich For All paying $92.50; Miraculous (race four) $94.50, Gold Striker (Prebble) in race five paid $33.50, Medic Power (race six, Marco Chui Kwan-lai's) arrived at $38, and Scintillation (race seven, Eric Saint-Martin) took the Centenary Sprint Cup at $36.50.
Just when the followers must have been wondering if it was safe to continue after scoring in six of the first seven events, Bell's tip arrived again in race eight, with his top selection Fly Me To The Moon (Whyte) winning at $51 and his second selection He Can Tango finishing second, providing players with a single-pick quinella that returned $101.
In Gold Striker's race, Bell selected the tierce with Firm Offer (second) and Fokine (third) in correct order. The quinella paid $80, the trio dividend was $248 and the tierce paid $1,300 for every $10 ticket.
The racing editor is not merely a facts and figures man, but an experienced trackman as well.
He's been working as a racing journalist since 1973 and gained his first experience clocking horses in Melbourne in 1978, so he has witnessed hundreds of thousands of gallops in that time.
Bell's understanding of equine physiology, thoroughbred bloodlines, form analysis, barrier trials and trackwork make him uniquely placed to help you in the enjoyable pursuit of finding a winner.
