A £1 Accumulator stake on Sportstalk’s Racing columnist Andrew Atkinson’s Magnificent 7 winning tips Cloudy Dream (11-4), Vicente (9-1), Keyser Soze (5-6), Face The Facts (7-2), Signe (9-4), Scribner Creek (9-4) and Al Zaman (1-2) returned odds of over 4,900-1!!!
Sportstalk’s Atkinson beats the bookies – again!
Sportstalk tipster Andrew Atkinson beat the bookies yet again in tipping Ayr Scottish Grand National winner Vicente!
The Leader Sportstalk racing columnist maintained his super Saturday selections form in tipping 9-1 winner Vicente in front of a sell-out 70,000 attendance at the Scottish track.
The Leader was one of the few newspapers to tip 20-1 winner Bravery in the summer Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster in April; with each-way selections Cause of Causes (16-1) and Blaklion (8-1) in the Aintree Grand National, both placed.
Last weekend Sportstalk bashed the Bookies – with 25-1 winning tip Willoughby Hedge at Haydock – followed-up by Saturday’s big winner in Vicente.
“Unbelievable, unbelievable,” said Vicente jubilant owner Trevor Hemmings.
Vicente fell at the first fence in the Aintree Grand National a fortnight ago, and Hemmings said: “It was wise to run Vicente in the Scottish National.”
Hemmings, owner of 2016 Aintree National winner Many Clouds, who sadly recently died, added: “I bought Vicente because of the loss of Many Clouds.”
Vicente’s win made it a double for the Paul Nicholls trained Vicente – who was winning back-to-back Scottish Grand Nationals.
Vicente, who won by a neck ahead of Cogry, became the first horse since Androma in 1985 to win back-to-back Scottish Nationals. Benbens finished third, with Alvarado, fourth.
Vicente’s jockey Sam Twiston-Davies said: “We had him primed for the (Aintree) National. The boss (Nicholls) turned it around, and great credit to Vicente.
“He is a great horse and tried very hard. Paul Nicholls is one of the best trainers in the country. Cogry is a very stout stayer.
“But Vicente did it his own way – and it was fair play to the boss to get him back after what happened at Aintree.
“Some days things don’t go right. But today it went right. It was great that everything went smooth.”
Nicholls said: “Everything has to go right on the day. We have had an amazing season, nearly 170 winners – you have to keep training winners.”
Scottish Grand National result. 1: Vicente 9-1 2: Cogry 18-1 3: Benbens 50-1 4: Alvarado 16-1.
But there was a “dream” start to the day for leader punters
Cloudy Dream (11-4) was a winning selection in The Leader’s Saturday tips when landing the Jordan Electrics Ltd Future Champion Novices’ Chase over 2 miles 4 furlongs at Ayr (2.10).
Cloudy Dream, ridden by Brian Hughes, collected the £25,000 first prize following a 2 length win ahead of Theinval and Oldgrangewood: “He’s a grand horse and we look after him,” said delighted trainer Malcolm Jefferson.
Sportstalk tipster Andrew Atkinson’s selection in the Weatherbys Hamilton Novices’ Handicap Chase over 3 miles at Ayr (1.40) Calett Mad (10-1) went down by a head – in a photo finish – behind Label Des Obeaux.
*Sportstalk tip Diego Du Charmil (Ayr 2.45) was a non-runner.
Mark Loughnane trained Scribner Creek (9-4) was a winning selection at Wolverhampton’s evening meeting in the Weatherbys Bank Foreign Exchange Handicap over 1 mile, ridden by Robert Winston.
Magnificent 7!
And The Leader made it a “Magnificent 7” winning selections when Al Zaman (1-2) trained by Simon Crisford and ridden by Silvestre de Sousa won the FCL Global Forwarding Making Logistics Personal Maiden Stakes over 1 mile 4 furlongs at Wolverhampton.
Sportstalk tip Spiritual Star was beaten in a photo-finish, when going down by a head to Mr Red Clubs, in the FCL Global Forwarding Making Logistics Personal Classified Selling Stakes over 1 mile at Wolverhampton.
